***************************************************************** 04/16/07 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 15.89 ***************************************************************** 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 [NYTr] Venezuela Defends Iran's Peaceful Nuclear Program 2 Guardian Unlimited: Iran: Sanctions Could Push Nuclear Drive 3 AFP: No plan to attack Iran, says US naval chief - 4 Implementation Of Sanctions Against Dpr Korea On Track, UN Says 5 [NYTr] US rejects blame for hold-up in N Korea nuclear talks 6 AFP: US rejects blame for NKorea nuclear hold-up - 7 YONHAP NEWS: N.K. nuke dispute may give U.S. president 'sole opportu 8 Reuters: Macau bank says challenges U.S. Treasury ruling 9 Reuters: South Korea may delay rice aid to North - report 10 US: Federal Times: Commentary: Lack of protection for whistleblowers 11 US: AU ABC: Expert blasts 'horrible' renewable energy ideas. 12 UPI: Plans underway to move U.K. missles 13 Hindustan Times: Denying India veto at UNSC is an insult - Belarus- NUCLEAR REACTORS 14 US: NRC: NRC to Discuss 2006 Assessments for Salem, Hope Creek Nucle 15 allAfrica.com: Ghana: Nuclear Energy - When the Eagles Go to Sleep 16 US: Charlotte Observer: Nuclear critics focus waste risks 17 US: NRC: NRC to Discuss 2006 Performance at North Anna Nuclear Plant 18 London Times: Floating nuclear power stations raise spectre of Chern 19 US: Salt Lake Tribune: Huntsman launches Utah Energy Summit, says 20 US: FR NRC: Big Rock Pnt license transfer 21 US: FR: NRC: Palisades license transfer 22 US: NRC: Licensing Board Schedules Evidentiary Hearing For North Ann 23 UPI: Interest in Russian floating nuclear plant 24 UPI: Iran issues bids on more nuclear reactors 25 US: NRC: NRC Denies Entergy's Request for a Second Deadline Extensio NUCLEAR SECURITY 26 US: DOE: United States and Mexico to Partner in Fight Against Nuclea 27 US: UPI: NNSA gives contracts to small businesses 28 CFR: How Likely is a Nuclear Terrorist Attack on the United States? NUCLEAR SAFETY 29 US: WashingtonWatch.com: H.R. 268, The Energy Employees Occupational 30 newsjournalonline.com: Update: Soldier health scare back in news 31 Reuters: U.S. donates dirty bomb detectors to Mexican ports 32 AU ABC: Global warming, nuclear power health risks underestimated NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 33 US: The Australian: ERA to step up yellowcake exploration at Ranger 34 US: Sydney Morning Herald: Rann vows to oppose ALP uranium policy - 35 AU ABC: Alice Springs weighs solar city, waste dump reputation 36 MCN: Bethesda company wins key license for nuclear fuel plant 37 US: Mineweb: U.S. nuclear energy push could generate more global 38 US: Channel 4 KRNV.com: Nevada Nuclear Czar to Speak Tonight on Risk 39 NRC: NRC Issues License to Usec Inc. For Gas Centrifuge Uranium 40 KSBY 6 Action News: Sparks City Council concerned about Yucca rail l 41 US: FR: NWTRB Meeting PEACE US DEPT. OF ENERGY 42 Hanford News: Energy Northwest plant back online after fire 43 KnoxNews: Y-12 contractor to lay off 60 44 KnoxNews: Dismantling work on schedule at Y-12 ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 [NYTr] Venezuela Defends Iran's Peaceful Nuclear Program Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2007 19:16:28 -0500 (CDT) Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit Granma Daily - Apr 16, 2007 http://www.granma.cubaweb.cu/english/news/art72.html Venezuela Defends Iran's Peaceful Nuclear Program CARACAS, April 15.-- Venezuela stood firm in its defense of Iran's peaceful nuclear energy program on Sunday and President Hugo Chavez questioned Washington's moral right to contest that right, reported Prensa Latina. Chavez said the accusations and threats against Iran are a continuation of a policy of pressures existing since the 1979 triumph of the Iranian revolution. The Venezuelan leader contrasted the peaceful Iranian nuclear program to the US bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with atomic weapons. "The US lacks any moral authority to dictate norms to anybody else in the world," said Chavez. Chavez warned Washington that it would be a serious mistake to invade Iran. "I am sure the consequences will be terrible. It would accelerate the collapse the US Empire," he added. During his Alo Presidente television program on Sunday, Chavez, and Bolivian President Evo Morales inaugurated the Rafael Urdaneta milk processing plant in the state of Zulia, built with assistance from Iran. Similar installations were simultaneously opened in the states of Anzoategui and Apure as well as a plastic injection molding firm in Miranda, all with financing and technical assistance from Iran. Chavez said the opening of the different facilities is part of his government's program to reach food sovereignty. Venezuela currently imports 70 percent of its foodstuffs. The plastic injection molding company is the first of its type in the country and its production will substitute imports. * ================================================================ .NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems . Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us . .339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org .List Archives: https://olm.blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/ .Subscribe: https://olm.blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr ================================================================ ***************************************************************** 2 Guardian Unlimited: Iran: Sanctions Could Push Nuclear Drive From the Associated Press Monday April 16, 2007 3:16 PM By NASSER KARIMI Associated Press Writer TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday warned that Iran would respond to additional U.N. sanctions with new nuclear advances, in yet another show of defiance to international demands that the country roll back its atomic program. The U.N. Security Council has set a deadline of late May for Iran to halt its uranium enrichment program, warning it will gradually ratchet up its punishments. The council imposed limited sanctions in December and strengthened them slightly last month because of Iran's refusal to suspend enrichment. The enrichment process can produce fuel for nuclear reactors or - if taken to a higher degree - the material for atomic bombs. Iran, however, denies accusations from the U.S. and some of its allies that the country is secretly developing nuclear weapons. ``After the first resolution, we undertook the nuclear fuel cycle; after the second one, we began the industrial phase of nuclear fuel; and if another resolution is issued, new capabilities of the Iranian nation will surface,'' the state broadcasting company's Web site quoted Ahmadinejad as saying in a speech in the southern city of Kazeroun. The U.N.'s latest sanctions ban Iranian arms exports and freeze the assets of 28 individuals and companies involved in Iran's nuclear or ballistic missile programs. Iran has rejected the sanctions and announced a partial suspension of cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Association. The Iranian president did not specify how the country would ramp up its development in response to a third set of sanctions. Last week, Iran said it had begun operating 3,000 centrifuges at its Natanz plant - nearly 10 times the previously known number. The U.S., Britain, France and others criticized the announcement, but experts expressed skepticism that Iran's claims were true. During Monday's speech, Ahmadinejad reiterated that Iran would not back down from its right to pursue nuclear development and maintained the peaceful nature of the country's program. ``The Iranian nation will use all capacities of nuclear energy in agriculture, industry, medicine and generating electricity,'' he said. Iran's defiance has heightened concerns in the region that the U.S. or Israel could respond with a military strike against the country's nuclear facilities. The U.S. stoked these fears last month when it held a military exercise off Iran's coast that included two aircraft carrier groups, its largest show of force in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Mullen attempted to quell concerns Monday by saying the U.S. had no plan to attack Iran and the heightened naval presence was meant to reassure its regional allies. ``I'm aware of no plans that involve any kind of attack on Iran,'' Mullen told reporters in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. ``All efforts with respect to Iran, I believe, need to be handled through the diplomatic channels.'' Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 ***************************************************************** 3 AFP: No plan to attack Iran, says US naval chief - by Sami Zubeiri Mon Apr 16, 10:33 AM ET ISLAMABAD (AFP) - The United States has no plans to attack Iran and its beefed-up naval presence in the Gulf region is meant to keep the area peaceful, the chief of US naval operations said Monday. Admiral Michael Mullen, who is visiting key US ally Pakistan for talks with officials, said efforts were focused on a diplomatic solution to resolve the ongoing row over Tehran's nuclear programme. "There is no plan for an attack on Iran," Mullen told reporters after the talks. "We've had a strong naval presence in this part of the world for many, many decades. We recently added some ships that are meant to provide reassurances to our friends, to show continued commitment to the area," Mullen said. "This is a vital region and the goal is to provide the strength and stability that we need to ensure that it remains quiet and peaceful. "So there is absolutely no plan that I am aware of that involves an attack on Iran." The US has two aircraft carriers in the Gulf, the highest level US naval presence in the strategic oil shipping channel since the US invasion of Iraq in March 2003. Tensions rose after Iran seized 15 British naval personnel in the northern Gulf on March 23 for illegally entering the country's territorial waters. Britain said they were in Iraqi waters. The group were freed two weeks later in what Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said was an Easter "gift" to Britain, after some were shown on Iranian television making apparent confessions about their "mistake". Mullen slammed the Iranian seizure of the British sailors. "The incident took place in Iraqi waters. It is a matter of concern," he said. He reiterated US accusations that "technical materials" from Iran had been used to kill American soldiers in Iraq. "That concerns me greatly in terms of how Iran has supported our enemy in this world," he said. On Iran's controversial refusal to suspend uranium enrichment work -- a process the West fears could be used to make nuclear weapons -- Mullen said he believed all efforts were focused "on diplomatic channels." Meanwhile the US naval chief said that the "biggest challenge" facing US forces remained the fight against terrorism, and strongly defended his country's alliance with Pakistan. President Pervez Musharraf dropped Pakistan's support for the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and backed the US invasion of the neighbouring country following Al-Qaeda's September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. The Taliban had harboured Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden. "The biggest challenge that we are in at this time is the global war on terror which will last, I believe, for decades. It will not be short-term. That is why this partnership and relationship (with Pakistan) is so important," he said. He called Musharraf "a courageous partner in this global war on terror" and said he was "very encouraged" by the Pakistani leader's achievements. Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The ***************************************************************** 4 Implementation Of Sanctions Against Dpr Korea On Track, UN Says Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2007 19:00:47 -0400 IMPLEMENTATION OF SANCTIONS AGAINST DPR KOREA ON TRACK, UN SAYS New York, Apr 16 2007 7:00PM The implementation of sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea (DPRK), imposed last October after the country claimed to have conducted a nuclear test, is on track, the head of the Security Council’s sanctions committee said today. The Sanctions Committee, created by the Council, met today in New York to discuss progress made in implementing the measures, which expressly ban the support by Member States of the country’s nuclear-related, other weapons of mass destruction-related and ballistic missile-related programmes. Thus far, 68 countries and the European Union have reported that they are in the process of implementing the sanctions, the Committee’s chairman Ambassador Marcello Spatafora of Italy, told reporters after the meeting. Of these countries, 31 stated they already have the appropriate legislation in place, 27 have informed the Council that there are measures which have already been or will be adopted to put the sanctions into operation, and a further 10 have notified the necessary officials in their governments with the intention of implementing them. Expressing his satisfaction at the current pace of implementation, Mr. Spatafora said, “there was not a single case in which we, the Committee, had the perception or the feeling there was some resistance or backtracking.” The sanctions were unanimously adopted by the 15-member Council in resolution 1718 – invoking Chapter VII of the UN Charter which allows for enforcement measures – after DPRK’s 9 October underground nuclear test. The binding resolution called for DPRK to “suspend all activities related to its ballistic missile programme and in this context re-establish its pre-existing commitments to a moratorium on missile launching,” and also to “abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.” Member States, the Council said in the resolution, are also to prevent the import from or export to the DPRK of “any battle tanks, armoured combat vehicles, large calibre artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles or missile systems” as well as “related materiel including spare parts” and other items determined by the sanctions committee. Other items to be set out in separate lists are also banned, including those “which could contribute to DPRK's nuclear-related, ballistic missile-related or other weapons of mass destruction-related programmes.” Luxury goods are also prohibited from being exported to DPRK. 2007-04-16 00:00:00.000 ___________________ For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news To listen to news and in-depth programmes from UN Radio go to: http://radio.un.org/ _______________________________ To change your profile or unsubscribe go to: http://www.un.org/apps/news/email/ ***************************************************************** 5 [NYTr] US rejects blame for hold-up in N Korea nuclear talks Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2007 15:48:12 -0500 (CDT) Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit AFP - apr 16, 2007 http://www.afp.com/english/news/stories/070416195701.nqkxtkzm.html US rejects blame for hold-up in North Korea nuclear talks WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States on Monday denied that it was holding up progress on the North Korean nuclear stand-off by hindering the release of North Korean funds from a Macau bank. "It's clear that this is an issue with the North Koreans and their banker," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said of the 25 million dollars of funds blocked in the Macau-based Banco Delta Asia (BDA). "The ball is in the North Koreans' court and we'll see what they do," he said. Earlier Monday Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov, Moscow's top negotiator on North Korea, accused the US Treasury Department of "not removing the obstacles to using this money and this is creating problems." "We cannot move forward as long as the North Korean side says that it has not received the money," Losyukov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies. McCormack rejected the Russian's allegation. "It's just not an accurate description of the situation," he told reporters. But the spokesman skirted questions about what US restrictions remain on BDA, which has denied any wrongdoing and protested the US Treasury moves against it. "There may be restrictions on what BDA can do, but there's no restrictions on the account holders being able to go in and withdraw funds from those accounts," he said. McCormack also said the Treasury Department was not planning to back away from its initial ruling that BDA was complicit in illicit North Korean financial dealings even though it has approved the release of the frozen funds, some of which the US earlier alleged were ill-gotten gains. "I'm not aware of any changes in the intent of the Department of Treasury, at this point, regarding the rule," he said. A disarmament deal reached in February at six-party talks on North Korea's atomic program set April 14 as the deadline for Pyongyang to shut down and seal its Yongbyon nuclear reactor, which produces the raw material to make plutonium for nuclear weapons. But the deadline passed unheeded due to delays in freeing up the North Korean funds at BDA that were frozen after Washington blacklisted the bank for allegedly laundering money and counterfeit US currency for the communist regime in Pyongyang. Washington says the bank funds were freed for collection last week and there is no reason for further delay. US officials over the weekend insisted that North Korea move ahead with its part of the February 13 bargain by inviting UN nuclear inspectors into the country to verify that it has begun shutting the Yongbyon plant. While McCormack said Washington and its partners in the negotiations with North Korea were willing to give Pyongyang some days to act, as requested by China, they expected movement soon. "The patience of all the members of the six-party talks is finite, but certainly we are ready to see how this will play out in coming days," he said. The six parties are China, Japan, the two Koreas, Russia and the United States. * ================================================================ .NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems . Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us . .339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org .List Archives: https://olm.blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/ .Subscribe: https://olm.blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr ================================================================ ***************************************************************** 6 AFP: US rejects blame for NKorea nuclear hold-up - Tuesday April 17, 06:43 AM PYONGYANG (AFP) - The United States on Monday rejected claims by Russia that it was to blame for North Korea's failure to meet a key deadline to begin shutting down its nuclear weapons programme. Moscow had accused Washington of failing to unblock 25 million dollars in North Korean funds frozen in a Macau bank, which Pyongyang had demanded be released before it would begin disarming in line with a multilateral deal. But State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Russia's assessment was "just not an accurate description of the situation." "It's clear that this is an issue with the North Koreans and their banker," McCormack told reporters. "The ball is in the North Koreans' court and we'll see what they do." The North insisted Friday it would begin shutting down and sealing its Yongbyon nuclear reactor and readmit UN atomic inspectors once it had retrieved the funds from Banco Delta Asia, frozen under US-inspired sanctions. But there has been no word since then on when and how the cash transfer will be made, and a Saturday deadline for the shutdown of the Yongbyon facility passed without any progress. The US says the funds were freed for collection last week. But in Moscow, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov said Washington was "not removing the obstacles to using this money and this is creating problems." "We cannot move forward as long as the North Korean side says that it has not received the money," he was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. "We need to talk not about deadlines but about fulfilling these agreements". In tandem with the six-party disarmament accord reached in February, the United States undertook to try to settle the row over the Macau accounts, which were frozen in 2005 on suspicion of money-laundering and counterfeiting. While McCormack said Washington and its negotiating partners were willing to give North Korea some days to act, as requested by China, they expected movement soon. "The patience of all the members of the six-party talks is finite, but certainly we are ready to see how this will play out in coming days," he said. There were signs of frustration among other countries involved in the six-party talks -- South Korea and Japan -- which began in 2003. South Korean newspapers said Seoul was considering delaying the shipment of crucial bilateral rice aid to the North until it takes action. Meanwhile, Japan urged speedy progress. "Although the deadline has passed it is still extremely important for North Korea to take initial action as soon as possible," warned Noriyuki Shikata, a foreign ministry spokesman, on Sunday. North Korea tested its first atomic weapon last October, lending urgency to the negotiations. In February the six nations reached a deal under which Pyongyang agreed to disable its programmes in exchange for one million tonnes of fuel oil or equivalent aid, plus security and diplomatic benefits. Under the first phase, it was by April 14 to have shut down and sealed its Yongbyon reactor, which produces the raw material to make plutonium for nuclear weapons. UN atomic inspectors were to have witnessed the shutdown. But the deadline slipped due to the cash row. South Korean Foreign Minister Song Min-Soon has said the issue may be wider than just the Macau accounts, saying the North wanted to "be able to enter the normal international financial network and engage in normal transactions" once it had retrieved the funds. The US decision in 2005 to blacklist the Macau bank for handling allegedly suspect funds prompted banks elsewhere in Asia to cut financial ties with the North -- creating problems with even its legitimate funds. Save to MyWebEmail storyPrintable view Next article: Citigroup profits ebb as overhaul launched Previous article: US rejects blame for hold-up in North Korea nuclear talks Copyright © 2007 Yahoo! Australia & NZ Pty Limited. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 7 YONHAP NEWS: N.K. nuke dispute may give U.S. president 'sole opportunity' for diplomatic success: Kim Dae-jung 2007/04/16 10:45 KST SEOUL, April 16 (Yonhap) -- The dispute over North Korea's nuclear weapons program may provide the only opportunity for the U.S. President George W. Bush administration to achieve diplomatic success if it continues dialogue with Pyongyang, former President Kim Dae-jung said Monday. In an interview in leading French newspaper Le Monde's Monday edition, Kim cautioned Washington against any economic or military sanctions in dealing with Pyongyang, stressing that efforts toward engagement are the only way to win its diplomatic points. "The Bush administration has reached a dead end," he said, referring to the growing domestic criticism inside the United States of the administration's policy on Iraq and Afghanistan. "For Mr. Bush, the settlement of the North Korean nuclear crisis will be the sole opportunity to have a diplomatic success as his achievement during his term of office," he said. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate, credited with his landmark reconciliatory efforts toward Pyongyang, dubbed the "sunshine" policy, called for continued U.S. efforts to talk with North Korea, while a multinational agreement to end the nuclear tension has recently hit another snag. The weekend passed without North Korea meeting its Saturday deadline to shut down its main nuclear reactor and allow United Nations inspectors back into the country as part of a February six-nation agreement. Pyongyang blamed the delayed transfer of its assets, which were frozen in a Macao bank, for the delay. Roughly US$25 million in North Korean funds in the Banco Delta Asia were supposed to be released, but the transfer has yet to be done due to what U.S. negotiators called "technical problems." The current nuclear dispute with North Korea erupted in 2002 when then U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly said North Korean officials admitted to having a nuclear program using highly enriched uranium, which Pyongyang denied. Multilateral negotiations to resolve the standoff are under way among South and North Korea, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia. Kim said he had doubted the U.S. accusations. "I was very surprised at Kelly's remarks. North Korean representatives have never said an operational (uranium) program existed. They just said they had a right to have a uranium enrichment program. Then and now, I think North korea has never had an uranium enrichment program in operation," he said. Kim was critical of Bush's earlier policy toward Pyongyang, which sought regime change in North Korea rather than engagement efforts, saying the hard-line position led to the current nuclear standoff. On the prospects of North Korea joining the international community, Kim was upbeat. He said the North is gradually opening, and this will pick up speed when pushed by outside efforts of engagement. "Whether North Korea wants it or not, it is changing, following in the footsteps of China or Vietnam," Kim said, referring to communist states that have introduced a market economy. He said, "If the hostility in international society against North Korea is softened, I'm sure North Korea's change will pick up speed. Otherwise, the change will go on at a slow pace." hkim@yna.co.kr (END) ***************************************************************** 8 Reuters: Macau bank says challenges U.S. Treasury ruling Mon Apr 16, 2007 3:04PM EDT By Jason Subler BEIJING (Reuters) - A Macau bank accused by the United States of playing a central role in North Korean money laundering said on Monday it had challenged the ruling against it as politically motivated and lacking evidence. The challenge marks the latest twist in the row over $25 million in North Korean funds, frozen by Macau authorities after a U.S. Treasury probe, that Pyongyang is demanding back before it proceeds with pledges to shut down its nuclear facilities. Macau's Banco Delta Asia said in a statement it has filed a challenge against a March U.S. Treasury ruling that bars U.S. banks from doing business with it. It said the ruling ignored all remedial measures taken by the bank and "was politically motivated because it was based on disputes between the United States and North Korea." "With this filing, the bank seeks a fair hearing on all the evidence, free from political intervention and the distraction of public diplomacy," said a statement quoting bank counsel Joseph McLaughlin, of the New York law firm Heller Ehrman LLP. "We are confident that the U.S. legal system, in the end, will not countenance the sacrifice of legal rights to political ends," the statement said. The U.S. Treasury in September 2005 called the Macanese bank a "willing pawn" in North Korea's illegal financial activities, suggesting it turned a blind eye to transfers of counterfeit U.S. money, narcotics sale proceeds and other illicit activities. It also called Banco Delta Asia a "primary money laundering concern," triggering a run on the bank and leading the Macau government to seize control and freeze $25 million in North Korea-related accounts. Continued... © Reuters 2007. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 9 Reuters: South Korea may delay rice aid to North - report Sun Apr 15, 2007 10:46PM EDT SEOUL, April 16 (Reuters) - South Korea may delay resuming massive rice aid to North Korea after Pyongyang missed a deadline to start shutting its nuclear reactor under a disarmament deal, a local daily reported on Monday. South Korean officials have said they were planning to announce the resumption of rice aid to its perennially food-short neighbour during an inter-Korean economic meeting that starts on Tuesday and ends on Saturday. Over the weekend, top officials decided they could delay the shipment of 400,000 tonnes of rice unless Pyongyang moves by the end of the talks to shut down the reactor, its source of weapons-grade plutonium, the Chosun Ilbo reporters. The paper cited officials as saying Seoul has also cancelled its initial contracts to buy 50,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil that North Korea was to have received in return for starting to shut down its Soviet-era reactor. South Korea is reworking the terms of its oil purchase and shipment to the North, it said. Government officials declined to comment on the report. North Korea, which does not produce enough electricity to light its cities at night, agreed at six-way talks in February to start shutting down its reactor by April 14 and allow U.N. nuclear inspectors back in the country in return for the fuel aid. South Korea suspended its regular humanitarian assistance to North Korea last year in response to its missile test in July and first nuclear test in October. North Korea, which some estimates said lost about 10 percent of its nearly 23 million people to famine in the 1990s, falls about 1 million tonnes short of what it needs to feed its people in the years it has a good harvest, experts said. © Reuters 2007. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 10 Federal Times: Commentary: Lack of protection for whistleblowers imperils us all By JOE CARSON April 16, 2007 Many civilian federal employees, in a variety of agencies, are on the front lines of the war on terrorism. But who protects them from workplace retribution when they put their sworn duty to defend and protect the public’s health and safety ahead of their self-interest or the interests of their supervisors and agencies? The primary mission of the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is to protect employees in nearly every agency — except FBI and intelligence agencies — from 11 types of prohibited personnel practices, particularly whistleblower reprisal. OSC has about 110 employees, about 40 percent of whom are licensed attorneys. Like public defenders, OSC’s attorneys are paid by the government to act in the interests of federal employees who seek their protection. OSC annually receives about 1,700 complaints of prohibited personnel practices, alleging about 3,500 specific practices. We contend the law — 5 USC 1214(b)(2)(A) — is absolutely clear that OSC is required to investigate complaints and report its determination “whether there are reasonable grounds to believe a [prohibited practice] has occurred, exists, or is to be taken.” If OSC makes a positive determination, according to the law and a 2000 federal court decision, then it must report that determination to the involved agency, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). This is to enable the agency heads to comply with their lawful duty to prevent prohibited personnel practices in their agencies. However, according to OSC’s annual report for 2004, public records maintained by OSC, and a Freedom of Information Act response from MSPB, OSC did not report a single positive determination of prohibited personnel practices to MSPB during 2002-2004, not in 5,529 separate complaints it investigated and closed in that time. It made three such reports to MSPB in fiscal 2005-2006. While OSC claims to have obtained about 320 “favorable actions” when agencies took actions as a result of OSC investigations of complaints from fiscal 2002 through 2004, there is little, if any, publicly available documentation to substantiate OSC’s claims. We contend that MSPB is statutorily required to conduct the necessary inquiries of OSC and other federal agencies to determine and publicly report “whether the public interest in a civil service free of [prohibited personnel practices] is being adequately protected.” In response to a Freedom Of Information Act request, MSPB acknowledged that it has not conducted the necessary inquiries of OSC and other agencies to make that report but claims that its special studies and reports, particularly in the aggregate, contain the relevant information. Our position is that MSPB has failed to conduct required reviews of OSC, enabling OSC noncompliance with its specific statutory obligations to protect federal employees from prohibited personnel practices. Bottom line: No one in any agency or Congress can reasonably assure federal employees, based on any independent oversight of OSC, that if they stick their necks out to do their duty to protect public safety — including in the war on terrorism — OSC will comply with its lawful duty to protect them from government retaliation. That is a formula for failed levees, doomed space shuttles, catastrophic terrorist attacks, neglected veterans, etc. What to do? The new Congress must perform its constitutional duty of oversight of OSC and MSPB to ensure their scrupulous compliance with relevant law in protecting federal employees from prohibited personnel practices. Both OSC and MSPB are due to be reauthorized by the end of fiscal 2007, so thorough congressional oversight of these agencies is now timely. If congressional or judicial oversight substantiates our concerns, there are potentially thousands of victims who may well merit official restoration and rehabilitation via congressional action. If we are correct, OSC attorneys can be seen as failing to comply with their legal and professional duty to “blow whistles” on OSC’s failure to comply with the law in protecting federal employees. Joe Carson is a whistleblower and Energy Department nuclear safety engineer. His co-authors are Jeffrey Black, a federal air marshal and whistleblower; Carol Czarkowski, former Navy contracting officer and whistleblower; Jeffrey Fudin, founder and director of the Veterans Affairs Whistleblower Coalition; David Nolan, former White House attorney under President Reagan; and Michael Springman, former Foreign Service officer and whistleblower. The opinions are those of the authors and not of their current or previous employers. ***************************************************************** 11 AU ABC: Expert blasts 'horrible' renewable energy ideas. 16/04/2007. ABC News Online An environmental expert from Rockefeller University in New York says renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and biomass are environmentally destructive. Jesse Ausubel is director of Rockefeller's human environment program and is in Adelaide today for a petroleum industry conference. He says the energy industry should move away from coal and focus on natural gas and uranium. Mr Ausubel says renewable energy sources, such as crops which are grown for biomass energy production rather than food, cover too much land. "I want more land left for nature," he said. "I don't want hundreds of millions of hectares around the world to go, to provide whiskey for my Toyota. "I think it's a horrible, horrible idea." This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. ***************************************************************** 12 UPI: Plans underway to move U.K. missles United Press International - NewsTrack - Top News - Published: April 15, 2007 at 6:59 PM EDINBURGH, England, April 15, 2007 (UPI) -- British military leaders plan to move their nuclear missiles south of the Scottish border over concern that Scotland is on its way to independence. The Scotsman reported that the Ministry of Defense, worried about the growing support for an independent Scotland, has already closely looked at four sites outside of Scotland to be considered for the Trident missiles' redeployment. The plans are causing widespread concern that as many as 11,000 shipyard workers who depend on the Trident program could lose their jobs. Opponents of the plans also criticized the proposed move as an unfair endorsement of Scotland's anti-nuclear stance. The Scotsman reported that Devonport, near Plymouth, is almost certain to become the new site for the submarines and missiles that form Britain's nuclear deterrent should Scotland become independent. © Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 13 Hindustan Times: Denying India veto at UNSC is an insult - Belarus- Belarus backs Tharoor Minsk (Belarus), April 15, 2007 The erstwhile Soviet state of Belarus has offered to share with India laser-optical technology that is crucial for civil and defence applications, including in the guidance systems of smart weapons and missiles. Belarus will be setting up a laser-optical research centre in India under an agreement to be signed during the visit of its President Alexander Lukashenka to India beginning Sunday. India will be training Belarus personnel in Information Technology with the prospect of setting up a technology park in Minsk, 52-year-old Lukashenka said in an exclusive interview in the ornate Blakitny (blue) hall of the massive Stalin era Presidential Palace. "We have a huge technological potential, much more than our own requirements and we are ready to share it with India," he said. Lukashenka said strategic relations with nuclear powers -- India, China and Russia-- are the cornerstone of his country's foreign policy. "Relations with India are the pride of our foreign policy. I underscore that we are proud of our close and friendly ties with India, dating back to decades and centuries," said the Belarus strongman, dubbed as the last dictator in Europe. Lukashenka said Belarus backs India's candidature for the permanent membership of the UN Security Council with full veto rights. "In 1998, speaking from the rostrum of the UN General Assembly, we had declared that in the changed world without India the mandate of Security Council is fractured to some extent," said Lukashenka responding to a question on New Delhi's bid for the permanent seat in the UN Security Council. "Almost ten years back we had declared that it was highly unjustified that a country with the population of over a billion, possessing high technologies and like China, a nuclear power, is not represented in the Security Council," Lukashenka said. He said that his nation of 10 million people, sandwiched between NATO and powerful Russia, will vote for India, whenever its candidature for the UNSC is put on vote. "Depriving a nuclear power like India of the right of veto or other attributes of a permanent member as enjoyed by other permanent five will be an insult to the nation," Lukashenka said. Lukashenka also sounded very optimistic about trilateral defence cooperation among India, Russia and Belarus. "Here we are not competitors with Russia. Moscow has involved us in several defence projects with India and more are in the pipeline," said Lukashenka, who has managed to preserve the potent military-technical complex inherited from the ex-USSR and banned the defence enterprises from churning out casseroles and spades under the so-called policy of conversion adopted by many former Soviet republics, including Russia. Replying to questions, Lukashenka said India must take a lead in rejuvenating the Non-Aligned Movement. "I have requests from many NAM Heads of State that I talk to India to play a more active role," he said. ***************************************************************** 14 NRC: NRC to Discuss 2006 Assessments for Salem, Hope Creek Nuclear Plants at Public Meeting Scheduled for April 23 News Release - Region I - 2007-017 - 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’s annual assessment of safety performance at the Salem and Hope Creek nuclear power plants, in Hancocks Bridge (Salem County), N.J., will be the subject of a public meeting on Monday, April 23. NRC staff will meet with representatives of plant owner PSEG Nuclear, LLC, at 7 p.m. to discuss the assessments, which cover the period from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2006, and were documented in a March 2nd letter to the company. The session will take place at the Bridgeport Holiday Inn, One Pureland Drive in Swedesboro, N.J. The hotel is located off Exit 10 of Interstate 295. Before the meeting is adjourned, NRC staff will be available to answer questions from the public on the performance of the plants, as well as the role of the NRC in providing oversight of plant safety. “Each year we size up plant performance during the previous calendar year, with the overarching goal of ensuring that facilities are achieving the levels of safety that are essential to protecting the public and the environment,” said NRC Region I Administrator Samuel J. Collins, who noted the agency also conducts mid-year assessments of performance. “At the meeting on April 23rd, we will explain how we go about that review process for Salem and Hope Creek, as well as other nuclear power plants across the nation. The NRC staff will also be prepared to answer questions from attendees.” The annual assessment letter for the Hope Creek plant is available on the NRC web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/hope_2006q4.pdf. The annual assessment for the twin-reactor Salem plant can be found on the same web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/salm_2006q4.pdf. The notice for the meeting, with agenda attached, is available in the NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) under accession number ML070950527. ADAMS is accessible at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Help in using ADAMS is available via the NRC’s Public Document Room at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail at PDR@NRC.GOV. Overall, the Hope Creek and Salem plants operated safely during 2006. The NRC utilizes color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators to assess nuclear power plant performance. The colors start with “green” and then increase to “white,” “yellow” or “red,” commensurate with the safety significance of the issues involved. Because all of the performance indicators for the plants were determined to be “green” and there were no inspection findings greater than “green” at the end of 2006, the facilities will receive the baseline, or routine, level of inspections in 2007. Routine inspections are performed by four NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to the plants and by inspection specialists from the Region I Office in King of Prussia, Pa. Among the areas of plant performance to be inspected this year by NRC specialists are activities associated with emergency preparedness, radiological protection and problem identification and resolution. There will also be inspections related to a 15-percent power uprate proposed for Hope Creek and of Salem Unit 1 containment sump modifications. Current performance information for Hope Creek is available on the NRC web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/HOPE/hope_chart.html. Current performance information for Salem Unit 1 is available on the NRC web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/SALM1/salm1_chart.html. Current performance information for Salem Unit 2 is available on the NRC web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/SALM2/salm2_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. Monday, April 16, 2007 ***************************************************************** 15 allAfrica.com: Ghana: Nuclear Energy - When the Eagles Go to Sleep Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra) OPINION April 16, 2007 K.T. Addo Akyem Oda I HAVE been prompted to bring up these issues to stimulate constructive debate and build a national consensus on the apt way forward in tackling our debilitating energy situation, because the "fire-fighting" approach currently being employed is inconveniencing and embarrassing us as knowledgeable people. I was hinted, that at the Energy Minister's current press briefing, after remaining silent for months of darkness and uncertainty, he asserted that he did not come to meet any energy policy at the Ministr y when he took office and was now in the process of writing one up. I was made to believe this occurred when a journalist questioned him about Professor Mills' statement that the NDC had left behind an energy policy document. To draw the Honourable Minister's attention to what happened during the 'decade that did not so much to stop the decay' which period was the best ever that happened to Ghana's energy sector in our recent history, I will like to advise him with this little phrase an old professor once told me: "Pragmatic policies are not written as fairy tales, but implemented. It is only 'book-long' people who write fairy tale policies that are never implemented." PROGRAMMES Back to that so called decade, the National Energy Board at that time had annual work programmes that spelt out the policies as bedrocks on which the projects were carried out. It was through such policies, programmes and projects that the following were achieved: 1. Introduction of improved wood fuel stoves; 2. Improving charcoal production technologies, albeit this had some peculiar problems in large scale adoption; 3. Expansion of TOR; 4. Extension of the national electricity grid; 5. Construction of BOST's depots and pipelines network; 6. Promotion of LPG; 7. Retrofitting of Akosombo; 8. Introduction of solar technologies. NUCLEAR ENERGY Nuclear at that time was thought to be inappropriate because of what was termed at that time as 'nuclear fallout'. Notwithstanding, thermal complementation to Akosombo was identified as a crucial option to salvage the unreliability of the dam's level. This later led to the Aboadze project. Presently, I even see nuclear waste management as a big problem for Ghana, since we are still grappling with domestic waste issues. I keep saying that we are lucky we do not do a lot of industrial processing of our raw materials such as cocoa, timber, bauxite, manganese and even fish in this country. Even for the gold processing, look at how the mining communities have dreaded the cyanide spillage incidents. What about the sawdust pollution of our water bodies in the sawmilling areas of Ghana? Relevant Links West Africa Ghana Energy The other major area of fear is pilfering of the nuclear fuel, be it plutonium, uranium or whatever 'nium'. Are we going to keep nuns, bishops or angels to guide the reactor and fuel cells or will we keep robots and cameras? With a few hundreds of thousands of US dollars, the two pairs of eagle eyes on our coat of arms were shut for circa 3 metric tonnes of illicit drugs to vanish in the midst of circa 21 million Ghanaians and has remained a mystery to date despite all the inquiries and court cases. Copyright © 2007 Ghanaian Chronicle. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 16 Charlotte Observer: Nuclear critics focus waste risks 04/16/2007 | RELICENSING HEARINGS Progress Energy plant's stockpile to be called vulnerable to terrorism Associated Press RALEIGH -- Nuclear critics plan to focus on the potential dangers -- including terrorism -- posed by the buildup of nuclear waste at a Progress Energy plant as the Wake County company seeks an extension of its federal license to operate. Relicensing hearings by law must focus on the environmental impacts of a plant as it ages, as well as its safety components. Critics want that focus to expand to include the growing risks of stockpiling radioactive waste near major population centers. Progress Energy's Shearon Harris plant is about 20 miles southwest of Raleigh. "There's a growing recognition from the point of view of terrorism that the (radioactive waste coolant) pools are much more vulnerable," said Robert Alvarez, a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington who has studied nuclear waste security. "These pools have some of the highest concentrations of radioactivity on the planet." The Nuclear Regulatory Commission holds the first meeting of the two-year licensing process Wednesday in Apex, a suburb of Raleigh. While nuclear reactors themselves are well protected, storage sites for waste usually are not. Meantime, many nuclear sites are storing three times the amount of waste that storage pools were designed to hold. There's also no long-term solution for nuclear waste disposal. The pools at Shearon Harris have multiple safety backup systems, said Progress Energy spokesman Rick Kimble, along with access to the water supply of Harris Lake next to the plant. "These pools are as safe as any storage facility known to man," he said. "We have at least a dozen different methods of putting water back into that pool should you lose the primary (coolant)." The 40-foot deep pools are housed in a building designed to withstand an earthquake and a hurricane. Critics say Shearon Harris also stores waste from two other plants, and the prospect of Progress Energy building another reactor at the site would further turn it into what they deem the company's de facto regional nuclear waste depot. With Shearon Harris licensed to store several dozen times as much radioactive material as its own reactor core, some worry that a major accident involving nuclear waste would result in a catastrophe much worse than a nuclear meltdown in the reactor. "They're going to be storing that waste for decades, and they're storing it in the most dangerous way possible," said Jim Warren, director of N.C. Waste Awareness and Reduction Network in Durham. "The potential consequences are unmatched by any other terrorist target in the United States." The priority of licensing opponents is not to block the 20-year license extensions, but for regulators to force plants to thin out waste pools and adhere to recommendations by the National Academy of Sciences and other experts. This includes storing spent nuclear fuel in aboveground, reinforced dry casks. As for the defense and security of nuclear plants, those are considered separately and are classified for security reasons, officials said. ***************************************************************** 17 NRC: NRC to Discuss 2006 Performance at North Anna Nuclear Plant News Release - Region II - 2007-020 - U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region II 61 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30303 www.nrc.gov CONTACT: Ken Clark (404) 562-4416 Roger D. Hannah (404) 562-4417 E-mail: opa2@nrc.gov The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff is scheduled to meet with Dominion officials on Tuesday, April 24, to discuss the agency’s assessment of safety performance last year at the North Anna nuclear power plant, located near Mineral in central Virginia. The meeting, which is open to the public, is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. in the North Anna Nuclear Information Center at the plant site. 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 North Anna plant and other commercial nuclear power facilities,” NRC Region II Administrator William Travers said. “This meeting allows us to discuss that performance with the company, with local officials and with people near the plant.” A letter sent from the NRC Region II 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 www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/na_2006q4.pdf . 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,” depending on the safety significance of the issues involved. The NRC said the North Anna plant operated safely during 2006 with all inspection findings being “green,” or very low safety significance, and all performance indicators also indicating performance at levels requiring no additional NRC oversight. As a result, the NRC plans to conduct only routine baseline inspections at the plant for the rest of 2007. The NRC staff will also conduct several non-routine inspections, including the independent spent fuel storage facility and containment emergency recirculation sump blockage modifications. In addition, initial reactor operator licensing examinations are scheduled. Routine inspections are performed by NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to the plant and by specialists from the Region II Office in Atlanta, and the agency’s headquarters in Rockville, Md. Current information for the North Anna plant is available on the NRC web site at: www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/NA1/na1_chart.html and www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/NA2/na2_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. Monday, April 16, 2007 ***************************************************************** 18 London Times: Floating nuclear power stations raise spectre of Chernobyl at sea April 17, 2007 Tony Halpin in Moscow Russia has begun to build the world’s first floating nuclear power plant despite warnings from environmentalists that it risks creating a disaster. The £100 million vessel, the Lomonosov, is the first of seven plants that Moscow says will bring vital energy resources to remote Russian regions as well as potential foreign markets. It will house two 35-megawatt reactors capable of supplying a city of 200,000 people when it starts operations, in three years’ time. Environmental groups and nuclear experts fear that floating plants will be more vulnerable to accidents and terrorism than land-based stations. They point to a history of naval and nuclear accidents in Russia and the former Soviet Union, most notoriously at Chernobyl in 1986. There is so little infrastructure in these remote areas that it will be very difficult to control the plants if something goes wrong. It will also be difficult to maintain a full cohort of engineers,” he told The Times. There will be a risk of hijack and terrorist attack because it is much harder to secure floating facilities. The security services in Russia have done exercises on nuclear-powered ice-breakers and found that it is very easy to take control of them.” Sergei Kiriyenko, head of the Russian atomic energy agency, insisted that the project was safe and pointed to the disaster on board the Kursk nuclear submarine in 2000 as evidence. The Kursk sank in the Barents Sea in 2000 with the loss of all 118 crew after a torpedo exploded on board. The floating power plants will house reactors similar to those used in the Russian submarine fleet. “The most reliable test of such a reactor was the Kursk tragedy. After the boat was raised, specialists proved that the reactor could be put into service at that very moment,” Mr Kiriyenko said. The Sevmash plant, which will produce the floating power plants, is the largest shipbuilding complex in Russia, employing more than 25,000 people. Most of its contracts have been for nuclear submarines. The first vessel will be towed to a bay off the northern White Sea port of Severodvinsk in 2010 to supply electricity to nearby defence facilities. The far-eastern regions of Kamchatka and Chukotka, which are governed by Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea Football Club, are in line for other vessels. The atomic energy agency said that at least 12 countries were also interested in buying floating nuclear plants. China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Algeria and Argentina have all been mentioned as potential buyers. Vladimir Kuznetsov, a former head of the Russian nuclear inspectorate, co-authored a report on floating nuclear plants that concluded that they were “inherently unsafe”. He told The Times yesterday that there was a danger of enriched uranium, the essential component of a nuclear bomb, ending up in the wrong hands. There is a clear danger of nuclear proliferation if these plants are sold to other countries. There is also a very high risk of terrorist attack,” he said. The floating plants are backed by President Putin as part of a programme to raise the proportion of Russian electricity generation from nuclear power from 17 per cent to 25 per cent. They can operate for up to 15 years without refuelling and have an expected working life of 40 years before being towed back to the production yard for decommissioning. The United States toyed briefly with building floating nuclear plants along its eastern seaboard in the 1970s. The Westinghouse Electric Company even built a huge dry-dock in Jacksonville, Florida, to produce and launch the units. But energy conservation measures after the 1973 oil shock made the project less attractive economically, and the accident at Three Mile Island in 1979 turned the public mood against nuclear power. Russia has revived the idea as a solution to the problems of energy supply in its sparsely populated regions. The floating unit generates a small fraction of the power of a standard Russian land-based nuclear power plant. Russian authorities argue that their long experience of operating nuclearpowered ships shows that the technology is safe. Once towed into position off the coast, the vessel will be linked to the onshore grid to supply heat and light to the local population. Experts say that it can also operate as a desalination plant, producing up to 240,000 cubic metres of fresh water a day from the sea. This service is provided on Times Newspapers' standard Terms and ***************************************************************** 19 Salt Lake Tribune: Huntsman launches Utah Energy Summit, says climate changes critical challenge for planet Conference runs through Tuesday Article Last Updated: 04/16/2007 06:46:24 AM MDT Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. speaks at the Utah Energy Summit on Sunday afternoon at Little America Hotel. America's seemingly insatiable appetite for electricity and fuel, global competition for energy to feed emergent economies, and studies about global warming haven't been enough to prompt members of Congress to pass meaningful laws to control our energy future and curb greenhouse gases. So, for the first time, the National Governors Association, which is tired of federal legislative and executive dithering, has created specific priorities for Congress to consider this session, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. announced Sunday. At the top of the list - in fact, an "imperative" - is acting to head off the devastation of climate change, Huntsman said during opening remarks at the three-day Utah Energy Summit in downtown Salt Lake City. The governors want expanded alternative fuels programs, vehicles with better fuel efficiency, continued renewable energy development tax credits, new clean-coal technology that will eliminate emissions of greenhouse gases, enhanced focus on conservation and energy efficiency, and a massive funding infusion for new technology. "It's nice to think in the abstract, it's nice to argue in the abstract, but it's time to get in the concrete," Huntsman said. But not without considering long-term effects of energy development, said Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat who salts his progressive goals with hard-nosed realism. Schweitzer, who huddled privately with Huntsman after the two opened the summit, reminded the more than 450 attendees that American Indian tribes advocated looking ahead seven generations when considering their actions. If the United States did this now, it would be better off, Schweitzer said. Instead, we rely on mostly unfriendly nations for 4 billion barrels of oil a year. With a 300-year supply of coal, the nation has no energy shortage, Schweitzer said. Rather, we have a technology shortage that won't change unless Congress spends more money to develop technology that strips and disposes of greenhouse gases that coal-burning power plants generate. Schweitzer called the federal expenditure of $200 million on developing such technology "a joke," especially when the government is spending billions of dollars importing energy. "Coal is our future," he said, chiding those who would abandon coal or ignore nuclear power potential. "Are you willing to sit naked in trees and eat nuts?" Reporting on what the 110th Congress is up to regarding the energy future, Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, said climate change is the dominant issue. "The science is clear," he said. "There's now very high confidence the Earth is warming." Matheson sits on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which he said is working on climate change legislation that will pass, but that other such bills now before Congress won't. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who in January created a Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, has said she wants a comprehensive energy bill ready by July 4. Matheson said his committee won't meet that deadline. "This is a complex issue," he said. "Congress doesn't usually do well with really complicated issues." Huntsman, chairman of the governors' association Natural Resources Committee, presided over the committee's field hearing that set the agenda for the rest of the summit. Huntsman's goal is to ensure the West stands out as a national leader on energy policy, especially regarding conservation and energy efficiency. The governor already has launched an ambitious campaign to increase Utah's overall energy efficiency by 20 percent by 2015. Some of the West's biggest names in energy, including $10,000-apiece Platinum sponsors Arch Coal, Rocky Mountain Power, Questar, Chevron and Bill Barrett Corp., are paying for the summit. The conference is drawing elected officials and environmental advocates, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and Utah Clean Energy. But some environmental groups have criticized the summit organizer, Jim Sims, for his ties to extractive industry groups. In 2001, Sims managed communications for Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force, a panel criticized for taking too much advice from the fossil fuel industry and doing so behind closed doors. In 2004, he gathered lawmakers - including Utah GOP Reps. Chris Cannon and Rob Bishop - on the energy industry's tab for an exclusive golf weekend in Phoenix to draft a "to-do" list for Congress and raise money for the lawmakers. Sims told The Salt Lake Tribune the criticism was a "cheap shot" that ignores the diverse perspectives reflected in the summit's agenda. The Utah Energy Summit continues through Tuesday. For a complete agenda and admission prices, see www.utahenergysummit.com. © Copyright 2007, The Salt Lake Tribune. ***************************************************************** 20 FR NRC: Big Rock Pnt license transfer Doc E7-7208 [Federal Register: April 16, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 72)] [Notices] [Page 19055-19057] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr16ap07-139] NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket Nos.: 50-155; 72-043; License No. DPR-06] In the Matter of: Consumers Energy Company (Big Rock Point Facility); Order Approving Transfer of License and Conforming Amendment I. Consumers Energy Company (Consumers) is the holder of Facility [[Page 19056]] Operating License No. DPR-06, which authorizes the possession and use of the Big Rock Point site (Big Rock), and an onsite Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) under a general license, SFGL-16, granted pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Sec. 72.210. Consumers is licensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC, the Commission) to operate the Big Rock ISFSI. The facility is located at the licensee's site in Charlevoix, Michigan. In 2006, Consumers completed decommissioning and decontamination of the majority of the land on the site. On April 3, 2006, Consumers informed the Commission of its intent to release approximately 475 acres of land from the operating license, in accordance with the Big Rock license termination plan. Consumers submitted its final status survey report on November 2006, and NRC approved the release of the land in a letter to the licensee dated January 8, 2007. The only asset remaining subject to the license is a parcel of land of approximately 30 acres within which the ISFSI itself resides, and an additional parcel of approximately 75 acres adjacent to the ISFSI. II. By letter dated October 31, 2006, Consumers, Entergy Nuclear Palisades, LLC (ENP), and Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (ENO) (collectively, ``the applicants'') submitted an application requesting approval of the direct transfer of Consumers' interest in Big Rock Facility Operating License DPR-06 and general ISFSI License No. SFGL-16 to ENP to possess and own, and ENO, to control and operate, the Big Rock ISFSI and certain additional lands. Consumers, ENP, and ENO also requested approval of a conforming license amendment that would replace references to Consumers in the license with references to ENP and ENO to reflect the direct transfer of ownership, and revise paragraph 1.A in the license to be consistent with paragraph 2 regarding the disposition of the Facility Operating License. No physical changes to the facilities or operational changes were proposed in the application. After completion of the proposed transfer, ENP and ENO would be the owner and operator, respectively, of Big Rock and the ISFSI. Approval of the transfer of the facility operating license and conforming license amendment is requested pursuant to 10 CFR 50.80 and 72.50. Notice of the request for approval and opportunity for a hearing were published in the Federal Register on January 30, 2007 (72 FR 4302- 4303). A petition for leave to intervene pursuant to 10 CFR 2.309 was received from Nuclear Information and Resource Service, Do Not Waste Michigan, and Mr. Victor McManemy. The petition is under consideration by the Commission. Pursuant to 10 CFR 50.80, no license, or any right thereunder, shall be transferred, directly or indirectly, through transfer of control of the license, unless the Commission shall give its consent in writing. Pursuant to 10 CFR 72.50, no license or any part included in a license issued under this part for an ISFSI shall be transferred, assigned, or in any matter disposed of, either voluntarily or involuntarily, directly or indirectly, through transfer of control of the license to any person, unless the Commission gives its consent in writing. Upon review of the information in the application and other information before the Commission, and relying upon the representations and agreements contained in the application, the NRC staff has determined that ENP is qualified to hold the ownership interests in the facility previously held by Consumers, and ENO is qualified to hold the operating authority under the license, and that the transfers of ownership and operating interests in the facility to ENP and ENO, respectively, described in the application is otherwise consistent with applicable provisions of law, regulations, and orders issued by the Commission, subject to the condition set forth below. The NRC staff has further found that the application for the proposed license amendment complies with the standards and requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), and the Commission's rules and regulations set forth in 10 CFR Chapter I. The facility will operate in conformity with the applications, the provisions of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission; there is reasonable assurance that the activities authorized by the proposed license amendment can be conducted without endangering the health and safety of the public, or the environment, and that such activities will be conducted in compliance with the Commission's regulations; the issuance of the proposed license amendment will not be inimical to the common defense and security or to the health and safety of the public, or the environment; and the issuance of the proposed amendment will be in accordance with 10 CFR Part 51 of the Commission's regulations and all applicable requirements have been satisfied. The findings set forth above are supported by NRC's Safety Evaluation Report dated April 6, 2007. III. Accordingly, pursuant to Sections 161b, 161i, and 184 of the Act; 42 U.S.C. 2201(b), 2201(i), and 2234; 10 CFR 50.80 and 10 CFR 72.50, It is hereby ordered that the direct transfer of the license, as described herein, to ENP and ENO is approved, subject to the following condition: Prior to completion of the transfer of the license, Entergy shall provide the Directors of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation and the Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs satisfactory documentary evidence that it has obtained the appropriate amount of insurance required of licensees under 10 CFR Part 140 of the Commission's regulations. It is further ordered that, consistent with 10 CFR 2.1315(b), license amendment that makes changes, as indicated in Enclosure 2 to the cover letter forwarding this Order to conform the license to reflect the subject direct license transfer, is approved. The amendment shall be issued and made effective at the time the proposed direct license transfer is completed. It is further ordered that ENP and ENO shall inform the Directors of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation and the Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs in writing of the date of closing of the transfer of the Consumers interest in Big Rock to ENP and ENO, at least 1 business day prior to closing. Should the transfer of the license not be completed within one year of this Order's date of issuance, this Order shall become null and void, provided; however, that upon written application and for good cause shown, such date may be extended by order. This Order is effective upon issuance. For further details with respect to this Order, see the initial application dated October 31, 2006, and the Safety Evaluation Report dated April 6, 2007, which are available for public inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, Public File Area 01 F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland and accessible electronically from the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS, or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, should contact the NRC PDR Reference staff by [[Page 19057]] telephone at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov. Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 6th day of April, 2007. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Charles L. Miller, Director, Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs. [FR Doc. E7-7208 Filed 4-13-07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 21 FR: NRC: Palisades license transfer Doc E7-7210 [Federal Register: April 16, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 72)] [Notices] [Page 19057-19058] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr16ap07-140] NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket No. 50-255; Renewed License No. DPR-20] In the Matter of Consumers Energy Company Nuclear Management Company (Palisades Nuclear Plant); Order Approving Transfer of License and Conforming Amendment I. Consumers Energy Company (Consumers) and Nuclear Management Company, LLC (NMC) are holders of Renewed Facility Operating License No. DPR-20, which authorizes the possession, use, and operation of Palisades Nuclear Plant (Palisades). Consumers is authorized to possess and use, and NMC is authorized to possess, use, and operate Palisades. The facility is located at the licensee's site in Van Buren County, Michigan. II. By letter dated August 31, 2006, Consumers, NMC, Entergy Nuclear Palisades, LLC (ENP), and Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (ENO) (collectively, ``the applicants'') submitted an application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or Commission) requesting approval of the direct transfer of Renewed Facility Operating License No. DPR-20 from Palisades to ENP. The application is in connection with the sale of Consumer's ownership interest (100 percent) in Palisades to ENP, and the related transfer of operating authority for the facility from NMC to ENO. Supplemental information was provided by letters dated December 15, 2006, and March 1 and April 4, 2007 (hereinafter, the August 31 application and December 15, 2006, and March 1 and April 4, 2007, supplemental information will be referred to collectively as the ``application''). The applicants also requested approval of a conforming license amendment that would replace references to Consumers and NMC in the license with references to ENP and ENO to reflect the transfer of ownership, and would revise paragraph 1.B in the license to be consistent with paragraph 2 regarding the disposition of the Provisional Operating License. No physical changes to the facilities or operational changes were proposed in the application. After completion of the proposed transfer, ENP and ENO would be the owner and operator, respectfully, of the facility. Approval of the transfer of the facility operating license and conforming license amendment is requested by the applicants pursuant to Sections 50.80 and 50.90 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR). Notice of the request for approval and opportunity for a hearing were published in the Federal Register on November 16, 2006 (71 FR 66805). No comments were received. A petition for leave to intervene pursuant to 10 CFR 2.309 was received on December 5, 2006, from the Van Buren County, Covert Township, Covert Public Schools, Van Buren County Intermediate School District, Van Buren County District Library, Lake Michigan College, and South Haven Hospitals. A second petition for leave to intervene pursuant to 10 CFR 2.309 was received on December 6, 2006, from Michigan Environmental Council and Public Interest Research Group. The petitions are under consideration by the Commission. Pursuant to 10 CFR 50.80, no license, or any right thereunder, shall be transferred, directly or indirectly, through transfer of control of the license, unless the Commission shall give its consent in writing. Upon review of the information in the application and other information before the Commission, and relying upon the representations and agreements contained in the application, the NRC staff has determined that ENP is qualified to hold the ownership interests in the facility previously held by Consumers, and ENO is qualified to hold the operating authority under the license, and that the transfer of ownership interests and the operating interests in the facility to ENP and ENO, respectively, described in the application is otherwise consistent with applicable provisions of law, regulations, and orders issued by the Commission, subject to the conditions set forth below. The NRC staff has further found that the application for the proposed license amendment complies with the standards and requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), and the Commission's rules and regulations set forth in 10 CFR Chapter I; the facility will operate in conformity with the applications, the provisions of the Act, and the rules and regulations of the Commission; there is reasonable assurance that the activities authorized by the proposed license amendment can be conducted without endangering the health and safety of the public and that such activities will be conducted in compliance with the Commission's regulations; the issuance of the proposed license amendment will not be inimical to the common defense and security or to the health and safety of the public; and the issuance of the proposed amendment will be in accordance with 10 CFR part 51 of the Commission's regulations and all applicable requirements have been satisfied. The findings set forth above are supported by NRC safety evaluations dated April 6, 2007. III. Accordingly, pursuant to Sections 161b, 161i, and 184 of the Act, 42 U.S.C. Sections 2201(b), 2201(i), and 2234; and 10 CFR 50.80, it is hereby ordered that the transfer of the license, as described herein, to ENP and ENO is approved, subject to the following condition: Prior to completion of the transfer of the license, Entergy shall provide the Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation satisfactory documentary evidence that it has obtained the appropriate amount of insurance required of a licensee under 10 CFR part 140 of the Commission's regulations. It is further ordered that, consistent with 10 CFR 2.1315(b), the license amendment that makes changes, as indicated in Enclosure 2 to the cover letter forwarding this Order, to conform the license to reflect the subject direct license transfer is approved. The amendment shall be issued and made effective at the time the proposed direct license transfer is completed. It is further ordered that ENP and ENO shall inform the Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation in writing of the date of closing of the transfer of the Consumers and NMC interests in Palisades, at least 1 business day prior to closing. Should the transfer of the license not be completed within one year of this Order's date of issue, this Order shall become null and void, provided; however, that upon written application and for good cause shown, such date may be extended by order. This Order is effective upon issuance. For further details with respect to this Order, see the initial application dated August 31, 2006, as supplemented by letters dated December 15, 2006, and March 1 and April 4, 2007, and the non- proprietary safety evaluation dated April 6, 2007, which are available for [[Page 19058]] public inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Room O-1 F21 (First Floor), Rockville, Maryland and accessible electronically from the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room on the Internet at the NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, should contact the NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone at 1- 800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by e-mail at pdr@nrc.gov. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 6th day of April 2007. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. J.E. Dyer, Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. [FR Doc. E7-7210 Filed 4-13-07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 22 NRC: Licensing Board Schedules Evidentiary Hearing For North Anna Early Site Permit News Release - Region II - 2007-021 - U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region II 61 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30303 www.nrc.gov CONTACT: Ken Clark (404) 562-4416 Roger D. Hannah (404) 562-4417 E-mail: opa2@nrc.gov The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board, an independent judicial arm of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, has scheduled an evidentiary hearing on the Early Site Permit (ESP) sought by Dominion Nuclear North Anna, LLC for the current North Anna nuclear plant site 40 miles northwest of Richmond, Va. The evidentiary hearing will begin before the three-judge panel at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 24, in the Louisa County Government Building in the town of Louisa near the plant site. It is scheduled for the remainder of that week and if not completed by Friday, the hearing will resume the following week. The public is welcome to attend and observe the hearing, but this is a judicial proceeding and only the attorneys and witnesses for Dominion and the NRC staff will participate. Members of the public have previously provided information through written statements and a limited appearance session held in Louisa in early February. The main function of the evidentiary hearing will be for the Board to question witnesses on seven topics that were specified by the Board in late March 2007. The seven topics are: 1. Site Characteristics, Hydrology, Soil, Groundwater and Aquifers 2. Tritium 3. Zero Release Commitment 4. Radiological Releases and Doses From Normal Operations 5. Surface Water Impacts and Possible Mitigation Measures 6 Seismic Safety 7. National Environmental Policy Act Alternatives The evidentiary hearing will also include an opening statement by Dominion and by the NRC Staff, and some legal questions by the Board at the end. Dominion’s ESP application was filed on Sept. 25, 2003. If approved by the Board, the permit would give Dominion between 10 and 20 years to decide whether to build additional nuclear plants on the site and to file an application with the NRC requesting approval for construction and operation. 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. Monday, April 16, 2007 ***************************************************************** 23 UPI: Interest in Russian floating nuclear plant United Press International - Energy - Briefing Published: April 16, 2007 at 2:03 PM SEVERODVINSK, Russia, April 16, 2007 (UPI) -- Russia says other countries are interested in the floating nuclear plant it started building Sunday, which it plans to mass produce. Russia's top atomic official, Sergey Kirienko, and other top nuclear and security officials attended a ceremony Sunday in Severodvinsk, on the White Sea coast, where the nuclear plant will be installed. The reactor is smaller than the average land-based nuclear reactor, which can power more than 1,000 megawatts and costs around $4 billion to build. The Russian floating reactor will have a 70 megawatt capacity and costs $200 million. Eighty percent of the electricity will power a fabricating plant on the shoreline and the remaining 20 percent will be sold. Smaller nuclear reactors, whether on land or sea, are ideal for markets with small or weak power grids. The reactor also reduces the amount of fuel reloading, compared to land-based plants. "This plant is much safer than atomic energy stations on the ground," Kirienko said, the business journal Kommersant reports. Russia has plans to build at least six more floating nuclear plants for domestic electricity needs. And Russian officials say more than a dozen countries are interested in purchasing or taking part in future projects. © Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 24 UPI: Iran issues bids on more nuclear reactors United Press International - Energy - Briefing Published: April 16, 2007 at 2:03 PM TEHRAN, April 16, 2007 (UPI) -- Iran issued tenders for two more nuclear reactors, which would increase the demand for fuel from Tehran's controversial uranium-enrichment program. The two reactors will be built in Bushehr, where Russia is building a reactor. That work has been delayed by a squabble between Moscow and Tehran, and it comes amid controversy over Iran's nuclear program. The U.N. Security Council increased sanctions over Iran's uranium-enrichment program, not Bushehr. Iran says it has the right to develop a nuclear program, for energy purposes, including enriching uranium to fuel its nuclear plants, because it has signed international treaties against weapons. Iran hasn't been able to enrich uranium to industrial standards, though. Iran's program was secret for two decades, which has raised suspicions and prompted ongoing international inspections. The official Islamic Republic News Agency reports Iran called for bids from both domestic and foreign companies to design and build the two plants. Iran has plans for at least seven nuclear plants to feed its electricity appetite and allow more oil and natural gas to be exported. Ahmad Fayyaz-Bakhsh, deputy head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, said European firms have been in contacts for the project and said "any company interested in the issue can participate in the tenders," including U.S. companies. Meanwhile, Russia and Iran haven't signed a final deal on the nearly completed Bushehr reactor. Russia says Iran is behind on payments, which has delayed construction. Officials at Atomstroyexport, the Russian state firm building the reactor, say the company won't send fuel to the reactor until it is ready. Under the contract, Russia will supply the fuel and retrieve it after it is spent, reducing proliferation risks. © Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 25 NRC: NRC Denies Entergy's Request for a Second Deadline Extension For an Order Requiring Siren Back-up Power News Release - 2007-048 - 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 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has denied a request from Entergy to extend for a second time the deadline to meet an Order requiring the installation of back-up power for the alert and notification system at the Indian Point Energy Center. The Order’s original deadline was Jan. 30, which the NRC extended to April 15. Entergy requested a new deadline of August 31. The NRC letter to Entergy said that the company “has not demonstrated good cause” in their extension request and that the NRC “will consider action under the NRC’s Enforcement Policy.” The letter also outlined that the NRC will continue enhanced oversight of the existing system. Indian Point's existing alert and notification system has been maintained and tested, and remains operable, providing reasonable assurance that the public would be alerted in the event of a radiological emergency at the plant. Entergy officials told the NRC that the extension request was needed in light of unexpected results of tests on the new sirens. In its letter, Entergy committed to determine the causes of the performance failure of the new sirens and to address other issues that had been raised, including the loudness of the sirens in some locations, and stakeholder concerns about training and other usability issues. The Order was issued to fulfill a 2005 Energy Policy Act provision that directed the NRC to require nuclear power plants located within certain population densities to have back-up power for their emergency notification systems, including sirens. Indian Point is the only nuclear plant that fell within the requirement. The NRC letter to Entergy denying a second extension will be posted on this page: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/plant-specific-items/indian-point-issues.h tml 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. Monday, April 16, 2007 ***************************************************************** 26 DOE: United States and Mexico to Partner in Fight Against Nuclear Smuggling April 16, 2007 WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman and Mexican Minister of Finance and Public Credit Agustin Carstens today signed an agreement to help detect and prevent the smuggling of nuclear and other radioactive material. Under the Megaports agreement, the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) will collaborate with Mexican Customs to install radiation detection equipment at four Mexican seaports that account for nearly 90 percent of container traffic in Mexico. The agreement is part of the 2005 Security and Prosperity Partnership. “The Megaports Agreement signed today solidifies the United States and Mexico's joint commitment to the safety, security and prosperity of our nations,” Secretary Bodman said. “This initiative builds on our ongoing cooperation to advance nonproliferation by deploying advanced technologies to reduce the threat of illegal shipments of nuclear and other radioactive materials into our countries.” Secretary Carstens stated that “with this agreement, Mexico Customs will not only increase its security and efficiency levels, which are among its main responsibilities, but also, and undoubtedly, Mexico will enhance its competitiveness level.” He added that “this agreement shows the strong spirit of cooperation between Mexico and the United States, and it underscores the importance assigned to the North American Security and Prosperity Partnership initiatives.” Signature of today’s agreement will advance cooperative efforts under 2005 Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America, a trilateral initiative between the United States, Canada, and Mexico that focuses on collaboration in trade, import and export controls, immigration and security. Under the partnership, the U.S. committed to providing Mexico with radiation detection equipment to prevent illicit trafficking in nuclear and other radioactive materials. The United States and Mexico have a strong cooperation in nuclear nonproliferation work, including their joint work to prepare for a large, international emergency response exercise to be held in Mexico in 2008. In addition, NNSA works closely with Mexico to increase security at the Mexican TRIGA research reactor and to convert the reactor so that it does not run on weapons-usable highly enriched uranium. NNSA’s Megaports program works around the world with foreign governments to install specialized radiation detection equipment international seaports. The program’s mission is to enhance a country’s capabilities to deter, detect and interdict illicit shipments of nuclear and other radioactive materials. The initiative is currently operational in eight countries, with operational testing underway in three additional countries, and at various stages of implementation and negotiations with approximately 13 other countries. Established by Congress in 2000, NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, reliability and performance of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear testing; works to reduce global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provides the U.S. Navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the U.S. and abroad. Media contact(s): Bryan Wilkes, (202) 586-7371 Megan Barnett, (202) 586-4940 U.S. Department of Energy | 1000 Independence Ave., SW | Washington, DC 20585 1-800-dial-DOE | f/202-586-4403 ***************************************************************** 27 UPI: NNSA gives contracts to small businesses United Press International - Security & Terrorism - Briefing Published: April 16, 2007 at 1:24 PM WASHINGTON, April 16, 2007 (UPI) -- The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration is trying to diversify its contracts to include small businesses. The NNSA, an agency of the U.S. Department of Energy, has chosen three small businesses for $100 million in nuclear non-proliferation work. "The contracts are aimed at work to remove and secure vulnerable, at-risk nuclear and radiological materials around the world through NNSA's Global Threat Reduction Initiative," it said in a statement Monday. "These contracts will help NNSA accelerate our efforts to keep dangerous material out of the hands of dangerous people," said William Tobey, the head of NNSA's nuclear non-proliferation programs. "We look forward to working with the private sector to increase the cost-effectiveness of our global threat reduction efforts." The NNSA said the contracts were awarded following a September 2006 solicitation it had released for proposals from small businesses. It said the three companies were Global Threat Reduction Solutions, LLC, a joint venture between TerranearPMC, LLC in Exton, Penn., and EnergySolutions Federal Services, in Oak Ridge, Tenn; Professional Project Services in Oak Ridge, Tenn.; and GEM Technology International Corporation in Coral Gables, Fla. "Each of the small businesses will receive a 5-year contract, which will enable them to compete for up to $100 million worth of individual tasks for the GTRI program," the NNSA said. "Tasks include removing radiological and nuclear material, working at nuclear and radiological facilities to perform security vulnerability assessments, developing security system upgrade design work, installing security improvements, and training facility personnel," it said. The program is seen as a significant step in the NNSA's efforts to increase its involvement in the private sector and to spread its contracts across a mix of large, established corporations and smaller companies. © Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 28 CFR: How Likely is a Nuclear Terrorist Attack on the United States? - Council on Foreign Relations Discussants: Michael A. Levi, Fellow for Science and Technology Graham T. Allison April 16, 2007 U.S. policymakers agree that as possible terrorist attacks go, the worst-case-scenario would involve detonation of a nuclear bomb in a major American city. This most catastrophic of scenarios provides ample fodder for the plot of television dramas, but the actual likelihood of such an event is open to debate. Michael A. Levi CFR Fellow for Science and Technology and author of the forthcoming On Nuclear Terrorism and Graham T. Allison, director of Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and author of Nuclear Terrorism: The Ultimate Preventable Catastrophe, consider the odds of such a devastating attack Weigh in on this debate by emailing the editors at webmaster@cfr.org. To view other online debates click here. Most Recent April 16, 2007 Graham T. Allison In the hotly contested American presidential election in 2004, the two candidates agreed on only one fundamental point. In the first televised debate, they were asked, what is “the single most serious threat to the national security to the United States?” President Bush, answering second, said: “I agree with my opponent that the biggest threat facing this country is weapons of mass destruction in the hands of a terrorist network.” I also agree. This debate asks how likely is it that terrorists will explode a nuclear bomb and devastate a great American metropolis. In the judgment of former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn, the likelihood of a single nuclear bomb exploding in a single city is greater today than at the height of the Cold War. Nuclear Terrorism states my own judgment that, on the current trend line, the chances of a nuclear terrorist attack in the next decade are greater than 50 percent. Former Secretary of Defense William Perry has expressed his own view that Nuclear Terrorism underestimates the risk. From the technical side, Richard Garwin, a designer of the hydrogen bomb who Enrico Fermi once called, “the only true genius I had ever met,” told Congress in March that he estimated a “20 percent per year probability with American cities and European cities included” of “a nuclear explosion—not just a contamination, dirty bomb—a nuclear explosion.” My Harvard colleague Matthew Bunn has created a probability model in the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science that estimates the probability of a nuclear terrorist attack over a ten-year period to be 29 percent—identical to the average estimate from a poll of security experts commissioned by Senator Richard Lugar in 2005. Rather than quibble over percentage points, the bottom line is recognition that risk equals probability times consequences. Even skeptics who believe that experts overestimate the probability find it difficult to discount the risk. Prior to 9/11, most terrorism experts argued that terrorists sought not mass casualties but rather mass sympathy through limited attacks that called attention to their cause. But after that horrific attack, the bipartisan 9/11 Commission issued its major conclusion: The principal failure to act to prevent the September 11 attack was a “failure of imagination.” A similar failure of imagination leads many today to discount the risk of a nuclear 9/11. It is a mistake to confuse al-Qaeda’s patience and careful planning with the view that they “hate to fail” or lack grander ambitions. When Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the chief planner of 9/11, first proposed an easier plan to charter a small plane, fill it with explosives, and crash it into CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, Osama bin Laden replied, “Why do you use an axe when you can use a bulldozer?” Finally, a crude gun-type bomb built from highly enriched uranium would be relatively simple to construct and reliable. Manhattan Project scientists were so confident about this design that they persuaded military authorities to drop the bomb, untested, on Hiroshima. April 13, 2007 Michael A. Levi How likely is a nuclear terrorist attack on the United States? I doubt anyone knows. I also suspect that the exact answer isn’t all that important—even a small chance of catastrophe is worth worrying about. What is valuable is thinking through those factors that make nuclear terrorism either more or less likely; even if the exercise doesn’t yield a definitive conclusion, it helps us figure out how to prevent nuclear terrorism. I want to argue that many analyses of nuclear terrorism miss important factors that tend to make nuclear terrorism less likely than it otherwise would be. Today I want to highlight one: terrorists’ fears of failure. A nuclear weapon requires highly enriched uranium (HEU) or plutonium, materials that don’t occur in nature and that terrorist groups cannot produce themselves. The ease of access to materials in state stockpiles is thus one of the main factors affecting the odds of a nuclear terrorist attack. The other big factor is motivation. Most terrorist groups have little incentive to pursue nuclear terrorism, since mass murder doesn’t serve their political ends—but for some groups, indiscriminate killing is precisely the goal. Most analysts agree that the availability of nuclear weapons and materials, and the utility to terrorist groups of successful nuclear attacks, are the two most important factors in determining the likelihood of nuclear terrorism, even if they disagree over how hard acquiring materials would be or over how many groups might expect to benefit from nuclear terrorism. So let me flag another dimension of motivation that gets too little attention. Even groups that want to and possibly can execute nuclear attacks may decide against them. Why? Because many of the most dangerous terrorist groups hate to fail. Brian Jenkins wrote recently that for jihadists, “failure signals God’s disapproval.” That’s a lot of pressure to succeed. This inevitably pushes the odds of nuclear terrorism down. When we look at our defenses against nuclear terrorism, we prudently notice the holes. When terrorists look at those same defenses, they may be fixating on whatever barriers, however limited, exist. If that’s what’s happening, nuclear terrorism may be much less likely than many expect. Copyright 2007 by the Council on Foreign Relations. All Rights ***************************************************************** 29 WashingtonWatch.com: H.R. 268, The Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Improvement Act of 2007 H.R. 268 would amend the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 to clarify the roles and responsibilities of the agencies and actors responsible for the administration of such compensation program. Detailed Summary Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 to instruct the Secretaries of Labor and of Health and Human Services (HHS) to include as part of their annual budget requests the administrative costs necessary to implement their responsibilities under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program (including, for the Secretary of HHS, costs for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health). Instructs the Secretary of Energy to designate annually as a beryllium vendor any vendor, processor, or producer of beryllium (or related products) not previously designated as such if the Secretary finds that such person has engaged in activities related to production or processing of beryllium sales. Transfers certain responsibilities from the President to the Secretary of HHS regarding: (1) Program administration; and (2) the Special Exposure Cohort. Revises requirements for: (1) the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health (Board); and (2) the Special Exposure Cohort. Establishes within HHS a Special Exposure Cohort Appeals Board to hear appeals from an adverse Special Exposure Cohort designation. Sets forth conflicts of interest prohibitions. Expands the duties of the Office of Ombudsman to include: (1) assisting individuals in making claims; and (2) acting as advocate for individuals seeking benefits. Status of the Legislation (Log in to edit the wiki and be the first to update the status of the bill!) Points in Favor (Log in to edit the wiki and be the first to show why the bill should pass!) Points Against (Log in to edit the wiki and be the first to show why the bill should not pass!) (read more ↓) © 2006 WashingtonWatch.com ***************************************************************** 30 newsjournalonline.com: Update: Soldier health scare back in news Sunday, April 15, 2007 By AUDREY PARENTE STAFF WRITER Lori Brim cradled her son in her arms for three months before he died at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. N-J | Ji-Eun Lee Lori Brim poses for a portrait holding up a button to promote a campaign to raise awareness of the depleted uranium at her office at Riverside Bank in Holly Hill. The Ormond Beach resident believes her son Dustin died from exposure to depleted uranium when he was serving in Iraq. Dustin Brim, a 22-year-old Army specialist had collapsed three years ago in Iraq from a very aggressive cancer that attacked his kidney, caused a mass to grow over his esophagus and collapsed a lung. The problems she saw during her time at Walter Reed, including her son screaming in pain while doctors argued over medications, had nothing to do with mold and shabby conditions documented in recent news reports. What this mother saw was an unexplainable illness consuming her son. And what she has learned since her son’s death is that his was not an isolated case. Lori Brim has joined other parents, hundreds of other sick soldiers, legislators, research scientists and environmental activists who say the cause of their problems results from exposure to depleted uranium, a radioactive metal used in the manufacture of U.S. tank armor and weapon casings. Health and environmental effects of depleted uranium are at the heart of scientific studies, a lawsuit in the New York courts and legislative bills in more than a dozen states (although not in Florida). News stories claiming negative signs of depleted uranium’s impact, including death and birth defects, are surfacing from Australia to England to the Far East. The controversy rages within government bodies and underlies the theme of TV shows like a recent episode of the medical series "House." While the military continues to deny the connection of depleted uranium to sicknesses plaguing returning servicemen and women, a newly mandated study stemming from legislation signed by President Bush in October is just getting under way. OPPOSITION The new study, which began in March, follows several that have been completed by the military into depleted uranium, a byproduct left when enriched uranium is separated out for use in nuclear power and atomic weapons. The Department of Energy gives it to arms makers, where its extreme density is valuable in the manufacture of armor and casings. Despite a 1996 U.N. resolution opposing its use because of discovery of health problems after the first Gulf War, the military studies have concluded there was no evidence that exposure to the metal caused illnesses. To the military, the effectiveness of weapons and armor made with depleted uranium outweighs any residual effects. Their bottom line: Depleted uranium saves soldiers’ lives in combat. Robert Holloway, president of Nevada Technical Associates Inc., a firm that specializes in radiation safety training, disputes any concern over depleted uranium. "I have no financial interest in promoting depleted uranium," Holloway wrote in an e-mail to The News-Journal. "There really is no substitute for depending on the judgment of professionals in this field." Holloway and others who believe depleted uranium is safe to use say the best authority in the scientific community would be individuals connected to the Health Physics Society. Doug Craig of Ponce Inlet, a retired radiation biophysics scientist, is such a person. He doesn’t believe low doses of radiation from depleted uranium are a problem. "Uranium occurs in a lot of places," Craig said, "and man has been exposed to low concentrations of uranium for a long time." LAWS AND LAWSUITS But Brim and others think there will not be enough known until soldiers are tested for exposure. They compare the debate over depleted uranium to the controversy surrounding Agent Orange, the toxic herbicide used to defoliate the jungles of Vietnam. Speculation over its effects continued for more than two decades before the Defense Department agreed to compensate veterans who suffered from ailments linked to its use. Brim often comforts other mothers whose sons and daughters are suffering from unexplainable, aggressive cancers, like a Michigan mother Brim met on the Internet. The Michigan mom says she believes malignant tumors that resulted in removal of her Marine son’s ear, ear canal and half his face may be linked to depleted uranium. But the woman asks that her name not be used because her son still is a Marine — battling cancer, not bullets. And he has not been tested for DU exposure, she says. In addition to consoling other mothers, Brim has tried unsuccessfully to raise awareness of the issue either through legislation or a lawsuit. She recently traveled to Tallahassee with cancer lobbyists and left plate-size booster buttons with her son’s image, trying to raise the consciousness of Florida legislators. But she says she has not been able to interest anyone in creating a bill similar to one passed last year in Connecticut — the first state law in the nation aimed at helping National Guard personnel returning from Iraq to get tested for exposure to depleted uranium. Other veterans are seeking help from legislators in states around the country, like Melissa Sterry, 44, of Connecticut, who served during the Persian Gulf War and suffers from multiple symptoms, including chronic headaches, infections and multiple heart attacks. Sterry is an activist who keeps track of more than a dozen states that have introduced bills. That includes her home state, where a veterans’ health registry is being created as a database for the federal government. Among the current list of states working on individual legislation, Arizona has state Rep. Albert Tom, a Democrat. For three years he introduced the issue of testing National Guardsmen, each time a bit differently. He patterned a bill after the Connecticut law this year. "Again it was heard (in committee), but it just didn’t go anywhere," Tom said. Veterans might have better luck in court. Brim is closely following a trial in New York, where — despite a precedent that prevents military personnel from suing the government for injuries resulting from their service — eight National Guard veterans have won the right to be heard about their depleted uranium exposure. One veteran in that suit, Gerard Matthew, says not only is he sick, but contends his little girl’s birth deformities are related to his exposure to depleted uranium. The deformity, Matthew said, is similar to many being reported within the Iraqi population since the first Gulf War. audrey.parente@news-jrnl.com DEPLETED URANIUM NEWS UPDATES Oct. 2006: President George W. Bush signed the Department of Defense Authorization legislation. The House amendment was authored and introduced by Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wa.) ordering a comprehensive study — with a report due in one year — on possible adverse health effects on U.S. soldiers from the U.S. military’s use of DU — Depleted Uranium. The Senate companion bill was backed by Joe Lieberman of Conn., a democrat at the time. (McDermott’s Web site: www.house.gov/mcdermott) Feb. 6, 2007: The New York newspaper, The Post Chronicle, reported that U.S. government scientists at the Ames Laboratory in Iowa say they are close to developing nanostructured material of tungsten and metallic glass to eliminate the use of depleted uranium in ammunition. In a recent phone call by The News-Journal to senior scientist Dan Sordelet, reported to be leading the research team, he said he is "no longer working on that" and declined to give any further information. March 23, 2007: The Tico Times of San Jose, Costa Rica, reported that the U.S. and Costa Rican activists are lobbying to enlist Costa Rica’s Nobel Peace Prize winner and disarmament defender to lead their uphill battle against the military use of a popular radioactive weapon. April 3, 2007: ABC News Online, Australia, reports that the Australian Veterans Affairs Minister Bruce Billson says he is concerned the group "Depleted Uranium Silent Killer," which is opposed to the use of depleted uranium weapons, is using Gulf War veterans to run an anti-uranium scare campaign. The group says overseas tests confirm two Sunshine Coast veterans from the first Gulf War — one in the Army and the other in the Navy — were exposed to the heavy metal during their service 15 years ago. April 10, 2007: Star Tribune (Minn., Mn.) reports a state Senate committee OK’d a bill providing for testing veteran national guardsmen returning from Iraq to see if dust from spent-uranium munitions has harmed them. Link: www.startribune.com/587/story/1112856.html Special Report: DEPLETED URANIUM © 2007 News-Journal Corporation ***************************************************************** 31 Reuters: U.S. donates dirty bomb detectors to Mexican ports Mon Apr 16, 2007 3:47PM EDT MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The United States will donate radiation detectors to Mexico and help install them in busy sea ports to prevent a terrorist attack with a "dirty bomb" or other radioactive material. The U.S. Department of Energy will provide equipment and train customs officers at major ports on the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts, Mexico's Finance Ministry said in a statement on Monday. The United States believes the smuggling of nuclear material, a dirty bomb or other weapons of mass destruction in a commercial cargo container to be a major security threat. In February, a Saudi wing of al Qaeda called for attacks on suppliers of oil to the United States, including Mexico. "Mexico customs will be able to install, in a very short term, the most advanced nuclear and radioactive detection technology, allowing Mexico's customs ports to be among the world's most secured and efficient," Finance Minister Agustin Carstens said. Scientists say it would be easy for terrorists to strap low-grade radioactive material to conventional explosives, creating a so-called dirty bomb meant to spread radiation over a wide area. Mexico increasingly receives cargo ships from Asia destined for the United States. Cargo is unloaded in Mexico and transported by land to its northern neighbor. After the al Qaeda threat, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Mexico, the second-largest exporter of crude to the United States, did not need to take additional measures to make its oil installations safe. Continued... © Reuters 2007. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 32 AU ABC: Global warming, nuclear power health risks underestimated : Caldicott. 16/04/2007. ABC News Online Helen Caldicott says public awareness of the health risks posed by nuclear power has dropped off. (File photo) (ABC TV) Global warming, nuclear power health risks underestimated: Caldicott A leading environmentalist and physician says the health risks posed by global warming and nuclear power are worse than those of smoking. Prominent environmentalist, Nobel Peace Prize nominee and paediatrician Dr Helen Caldicott says global warming and nuclear power plants will increase the spread of disease. She says nuclear power plants contribute substantially to climate change and expose humans to radiation-related illnesses. Dr Caldicott says public awareness of the health risks posed by nuclear power has dropped off. "Each reactor makes 200 kilograms of plutonium a year, whose half life is 240,000 years," she said. "[It's] the most toxic substance known to the human race, such that a couple of kilos if adequately distributed could give everyone on earth cancer. "So we're talking about a spread of disease that will make the tobacco industry look benign in terms of cancer." Dr Caldicott has welcomed a new website by medical students at the ANU, which monitors the connection between a changing environment and human health. She says the development of the research website is timely. "It's been known for several decades that as the earth heats there will be epidemics of malaria, particularly in places that are now cool like Melbourne and Seattle," she said. "Diseases spread by arthropods like mosquitos and the like that will breed in the hot climates that normally are cool." © 2007 ABC | Privacy Policy ***************************************************************** 33 The Australian: ERA to step up yellowcake exploration at Ranger * April 16, 2007 Energy Resources of Australia (ERA) has promising signs of new high grade uranium reserves at its Northern Territory Ranger mine as it prepares to invest in further exploration. But the world's third largest largest uranium producer - 11 per cent of global supply comes from Ranger - is also encountering more intense wet seasons in tropical west Arnhem Land that have affected production. At its annual general meeting in Sydney today, ERA said intense rainfall meant uranium oxide production was 32 per cent lower in the first quarter, compared with last year, at 399,303 tonnes. Approximately 300 tonnes of uranium oxide production were lost to the monsoonal downpour that forced ERA to declare force majeure on its sales contracts on March 7. Chief executive Chris Salisbury said the 850 millimetres of rain associated with cyclone George would affect production for some time. “In 2007, production is likely to be similar to 2006, while production in 2008 could be 25 to 30 per cent lower than this,” Mr Salisbury told shareholders. Environmentalists at the meeting suggested climate change meant increased tropical rainfall could be an ongoing problem, affecting production and environmental management into the future. Speaking after the meeting, Mr Salisbury said ERA had mitigation plans in mind. “We're looking at a range of options, including expansion of irrigation, expansion of our water treatment plant and the use of evaporation, which we used quite successfully last year,” he said. The company's mining effort was unaffected by the rain, however, increasing 45 per cent on the prior first quarter to 769,498 tonnes. ERA also said it will by the end of the year announce the results of a feasibility study into extending mining by three years to 2011, through an extension of Ranger's operating pit. Key aspects of the study are the water and tailings management and the company's rehabilitation obligations. The exploration effort on the site will be enhanced, with ERA firmly of the opinion that the east Alligator River region remains world class in terms of the supply and quality of uranium deposits. ERA spent $7.2 million on exploration in 2006, and has already spent more than half that again, $3.7 million, drilling despite the monsoons of the first quarter. Mr Salisbury said the Ranger three deeps site was a good prospect. “We're very excited about Ranger three deeps and we continue to report intercepts around the 0.2 per cent uranium level and that's consistent with what we're mining in the current open pit,” he said. “The results look promising, but it's early days.” The ERA boss was unwilling to provide guidance on how much would be spent on exploration, but said it would be more than last year's budget. ERA is largely focussed on Ranger and Jabiluka, where there's the potential to mine up to 67,000 tonnes of uranium if and when traditional Aboriginal owners give their consent. The company says it relationship with the Mirrar people is an ongoing priority. But ERA now also eagerly awaits a decision from the Northern Territory government on two separate sites south of Alice Springs. The Angela and Pamela sites are two of eighteen recently released from reservation of occupation by the Territory Government. The sites are considered highly prospective and about 40 companies have applied for exploration rights. “We've got a proven track record in the Northern Territory, and we think that stands us in good stead,” Mr Salisbury said. “We really are focussed primarily on exploration and exploiting value from our own lease areas, but the opportunity for Angela and Pamela came up and we decided to have a look and we've thrown our hat in the ring.” The Northern Territory government is expected to make a decision on the sites in the second half of the year. Gradually, ERA expects to begin benefiting from the recent upsurge in uranium prices. The shareholder meeting also heard the company's long term contracts with major international power utilities would soon begin expiring and be replaced by agreements that refelected the higher spot price or uranium. Uranium currently trading around $US113 a pound. ERA shares rose 47 cents or 1.8 per cent to $26.08. - AAP © The Australian ***************************************************************** 34 Sydney Morning Herald: Rann vows to oppose ALP uranium policy - www.smh.com.au April 16, 2007 - 11:24AM South Australian Premier Mike Rann has vowed to continue to lobby his Labor colleagues right up until the party's national convention next week to overturn the ALP's no new uranium mines policy. Mr Rann said he still believed the policy was outdated and illogical and it was time for it to be abandoned. "I cannot think of anything more important politically, symbolically and economically for the whole resources sector than to see this illogical and outdated policy ended," Mr Rann told the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) conference. "I plan to talk, face to face, with as many delegates as I possibly can in the coming week. "I will carry out shuttle diplomacy in order to make my position crystal clear." Mr Rann said over the past 25 years Australia's exports of uranium had trebled, so clearly the policy had not stopped the expansion of the industry. But he said it did stand in the way of further development of South Australia's huge potential (to develop new uranium mines). Mr Rann has also pledged to continue to work to make South Australia a more attractive place for petroleum and mining exploration. He said the state was currently the fourth most attractive place in the world for exploration investment, up from 36th five years ago. Over the same period, the premier said, the value of mining exploration had jumped from $30 million a year to $190 million. In the petroleum sector, exploration had jumped by 56 per cent in 2006 to almost $146 million. "We in South Australia are determined to make this an even more attractive and competitive place in which to do business," Mr Rann said. © 2007 AAP ***************************************************************** 35 AU ABC: Alice Springs weighs solar city, waste dump reputation ABC 783 Alice Springs (ACST)Tuesday, 17 April 2007. 04:39 (AWST) Desert Knowledge Australia says the solar cities win in Alice Springs will add weight to the region's reputation for innovation. Alice Springs is one of four sites around the country to earn the tag, with $29 million in Federal Government and private funding to be invested in boosting alternative energy use. John Huigen from Desert Knowledge Australia says the push to have more people become energy conscious supports the work already being done. "Desert Knowledge Australia will be building a solar demonstration facility at the Desert Knowledge Precinct just outside of Alice Springs," he said. "This will tie in very closely to the solar cities win and they'll work in together so that we'll really be able to demonstrate the value of solar technologies and integrate training and so forth into all of that. "It's a real leg-up in terms of Alice Springs and Alice Springs being the headquarters of Desert Knowledge Australia and the headquarters of the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre. It really just raises the profile and puts a spotlight on Alice as a technologically advanced, forward thinking community." Environmentalists have welcomed the solar cities win, but warn the Commonwealth to not undo the good. There will be 1,000 solar hot water systems installed and 850 homes will receive a free energy audit as part of the town's successful solar city bid. But Natalie Wasley from the Arid Lands Environment Centre says with a nuclear waste dump still looming over central Australia, the announcement is contradictive to the vision. "Solar cities are definitely a progressive vision and something that may attract people to town, but I think a radioactive waste dump has the potential to really impact on the town as well in a negative way, so it's hard to tell at this stage which could be the stronger influence," she said. ***************************************************************** 36 MCN: Bethesda company wins key license for nuclear fuel plant Maryland Community Newspapers Monday, April 16, 2007 USEC expects to start operations at Ohio facility by late 2009 by Kevin J. Shay | Staff Writer USEC, a Bethesda provider of enriched uranium fuel for nuclear facilities, has received a construction and 30-year operating license for its uranium enrichment plant in Piketon, Ohio, from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The license approval on Friday culminates a process that lasted two-and-a-half years and included environmental and safety reviews, said Elizabeth Stuckle, a USEC spokeswoman. Construction on the $2.3 billion American Centrifuge Plant is expected to begin ‘‘immediately,” with the plant operational by late 2009, Stuckle said. About 400 people will work at the facility, and other manufacturing jobs will be created in other areas to support the work. The USEC facility is the second uranium enrichment plant approved by the NRC in the last three decades, Stuckle said. A license for Louisiana Energy Services to build an enrichment facility in New Mexico was approved last year. The new plant is expected to replace an older uranium enrichment facility that USEC operates in Kentucky, Stuckle said. ‘‘The new plant will use about 95 percent less electricity than the old one,” she said. The gas centrifuge technology in Piketon is much more efficient than the gas diffusion enrichment technology used at USEC’s Kentucky facility, Stuckle said. Plans are under way for more than 30 new commercial nuclear reactors in the United States, John K. Welch, USEC president and CEO, said in a statement. ‘‘A stable, domestic source of enriched uranium is vital” for the development of the facilities, he said. No commercial reactor has been built in the United States in three decades, though the Bush administration is trying to revive the industry. About 20 percent of the nation’s electricity is generated by nuclear plants. The New Mexico enrichment plant is being challenged in court by watchdog groups Nuclear Information and Resource Service of Takoma Park and Public Citizen of Washington, D.C. Officials with those groups said in a news release that the plant did not have proper disposal capacity for depleted uranium waste that would be produced and cited other issues. A challenge was filed in early April in a District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Michele Boyd, legislative director of Public Citizen’s energy program, said Monday that the group was focusing on the New Mexico case and did not plan to legally challenge the USEC plant. An official from Nuclear Information and Resource Service could not be reached for comment Monday. Geoffrey Sea, a resident of Sargents, Ohio, and co-founder of a local neighborhood group there, said the USEC license will be challenged. He questioned whether USEC had the financing or the technology to actually build the plant. Shares of USEC on the New York Stock Exchange increased 66 cents to $19.76 on Friday. On Monday, the stock price continued to rise to $20.30, its highest point in the past year. USEC reported that net income last year more than quadrupled over 2005 to $106.2 million. Revenues rose by almost 19 percent to $1.85 billion. Copyright 2007 Post-Newsweek Media, Inc./Gazette.Net ***************************************************************** 37 Mineweb: U.S. nuclear energy push could generate more global competition for uranium Energy - U.S. nuclear energy push could generate more global competition for uraniumYUCCA STALEMATE MAJOR STUMBLING BLOCKU.S. nuclear energy push could generate more global competition for uranium Dorothy KosichStrategic consulting firm Stratfor suggests the resurgence of U.S. nuclear energy demand may be stalled by a lack of domestic waste repositories.RENO, NV Austin, Texas, strategic consulting firm Stratfor suggests that a renewed push for U.S. nuclear energy "could lead to even more global competition for uranium and a boom in nuclear energy investment." The biggest stumbling block to domestic nuclear power is the lack of a nuclear storage facility, Stratfor warned in a recently published global market brief. The proposed Yucca Mountain national repository in Nevada remains stalled, while concerns about terrorism have slowed the Bush Administration's Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) promoting the reprocessing of nuclear fuel. Meanwhile, the storage of nuclear waste at nuclear facilities has drawn substantial local opposition. Stratfor's analysis found that the United States may have to take a second look at nuclear energy "since expected GHG (Global Greenhouse Gases) regulations and requirements for coal plants to use cleaner technology will make coal-power energy more expensive." Nevertheless, the report suggests that "merely replacing the existing U.S. fleet of nuclear reactors could be worth as much money as all of the planned expansions in France, Russia and China combined." "Such a development would not only revolutionize the U.S. domestic nuclear industry but would also lead to expanded nuclear technology research and development worldwide," Stratfor asserted. "Also U.S. acceptance of nuclear energy will likely lead to a quick increase in nuclear operations in other industrialized countries that have been hesitant to pursue further nuclear activity because of safety concerns." "In the long term, geopolitical struggles for uranium supplies could emerge, with Central Asian countries and Russia becoming increasingly important players in world energy markets." Stratfor contends that other factors will generate increased support for U.S. nuclear energy including: a younger generation--too young to recall nuclear disasters-concerned about the impacts of climate change; the growing popularity of energy independence with politicians and the general public; and support by some environmentalists for nuclear energy. Internationally, industrial nations currently dependant on nuclear power now seek to secure uranium supplies in the face of growing global demand, particularly from developing countries such as China and India. While Stratfor acknowledged the possibility of future short-term uranium supply shortages, "the longer trend of rising uranium prices [as much as 57% this year] will not abate." "Behind this surge are myriad developments attributable to increasing concern about rising petroleum prices; a belief that nuclear energy development can aid domestic energy security as natural gas and oil supplies from unstable countries increasingly are seen as risky; and current and expected fossil fuel energy sources," according to Stratfor. Regulations on fuels emitting GHG will make fossil fuel more expensive compared to nuclear energy, Stratfor claimed. Nations with abundant supplies of fossil fuels and uranium, such as Australia and Russia, can export uranium, develop their own nuclear industries, or pursue a combination of both. "Australia, which has massive coal supplies, is more likely to develop nuclear energy in response to carbon regulations, rather than out of a desire to bolster its exports of other energy supplies," Stratfor suggested. In the U.S., Stratfor cited TXU's plan to scrap the majority of its planned coal plants and, instead, build two to five new nuclear plants in Texas. "The highly publicized private equity takeover of the energy utility company and its deal with national environmental groups, which dropped their lawsuits against the TXU's proposals to build 11 coal plants, was a major symbolic turning point," Stratfor said. "It bolstered environmentalists' belief that attacking coal expansion is an effective way to force companies to pursue cleaner energies. As coal plants continue to come under attack, nuclear energy will only grow more attractive." Stratfor noted that more than 20 proposed U.S. nuclear facilities are now undergoing regulatory review, "and many in the industry and the Bush Administration act as if increased nuclear development is a reality." Nonethless, "as long as Yucca Mountain is sidelined, with no immediate solution in sight, the risks involved in developing nuclear facilities facility will prevent a significant boom in the industry," Stratfor concluded. 16 April 2007 02:17 Error occured while processing the request: © Mineweb Holdings Limited, 1997 - 2007 | Terms and Conditions of ***************************************************************** 38 Channel 4 KRNV.com: Nevada Nuclear Czar to Speak Tonight on Risks of Transported Radioactive Waste SPARKS The head of Nevada's Agency for Nuclear Projects is in Sparks today to brief the city council on federal proposals to ship nuclear waste through the area on it's way to Yucca Mountain. Bob Loux is scheduled to appear before the council at three o'clock this afternoon. Sparks Mayor Geno Martini says as much as 77,000 tons of nuclear waste could end up passing through downtown Sparks and Reno. He says it's a critical health and safety issue and local residents need to be aware of it. All content © Copyright 2001 - 2007 WorldNow and KRNV. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 39 NRC: NRC Issues License to Usec Inc. For Gas Centrifuge Uranium Enrichment Plant in Ohio News Release - 2007-047 - 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 has issued a license to USEC Inc. to construct and operate a gas centrifuge uranium enrichment plant at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant reservation near Piketon, Ohio. The facility, to be known as the American Centrifuge Plant, will use a design based on gas centrifuge technology developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to enrich uranium for use in fuel for commercial nuclear power reactors. The license authorizes USEC to enrich uranium up to 10 percent of the fissile isotope uranium-235. USEC submitted its application for the license Aug. 23, 2004. The NRC staff published an environmental impact statement (NUREG-1834) on the facility in April 2006, finding that there would be no significant adverse environmental impacts that would preclude granting a license. The staff’s safety evaluation report (NUREG-1851), published last September, documents the staff’s review of the application. A three-judge Licensing Board of the NRC’s independent Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel conducted hearings in March 2007 to consider whether the staff’s environmental and safety reviews were adequate. The Licensing Board issued its initial decision today authorizing the staff to issue the license. 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. Monday, April 16, 2007 ***************************************************************** 40 KSBY 6 Action News: Sparks City Council concerned about Yucca rail lines Covering California's Central Coast | Sparks City Council concerned about Yucca rail lines SPARKS, Nev. The head of Nevada's Agency for Nuclear Projects is in Sparks today to brief the city council on federal proposals to ship nuclear waste through the area on it's way to Yucca Mountain. Bob Loux is scheduled to appear before the council at three o'clock this afternoon. Sparks Mayor Geno Martini says as much as 77-thousand tons of nuclear waste could end up passing through downtown Sparks and Reno. He says it's a critical health and safety issue and local residents need to be aware of it. All content © Copyright 2000 - 2007 WorldNow and KSBY. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 41 FR: NWTRB Meeting Doc 07-1876 [Federal Register: April 16, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 72)] [Notices] [Page 19058-19059] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr16ap07-142] NUCLEAR WASTE TECHNICAL REVIEW BOARD Board Meeting Board meeting: May 15, 2007--Arlington, VA; The U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board will meet to discuss U.S. Department of Energy activities related to the possible development of a repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Pursuant to its authority under section 5051 of Public Law 100-203, Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987, the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board will meet in Arlington, Virginia, on tuesday, May 15, 2007. The Board was created in the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987 and charged with performing an independent review of the technical and scientific validity of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) activities related to disposing of, packaging, and transporting spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. At the May meeting, the Board will discuss several topics, including the use of depleted uranium oxide, a drilling program carried out by Inyo County in California, waste package designs, DOE's saturated zone model, near-field chemistry, probabilistic volcanic hazards analysis, and Global Nuclear Energy Partnership. A final meeting agenda will be available on the Board's Web site (http://www.nwtrb.gov) approximately one week before the meeting date. The agenda also may be obtained by telephone request at that time. The meeting will be open to the public, and opportunities for public comment will be provided. The meeting will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel; 1480 Crystal Drive; Arlington, Virginia 22202; (tel) 703-416-1600; (fax) 703-416- 1651. The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. with an overview of the Yucca Mountain program. Presentations on the use of depleted uranium oxide as a chemical barrier, Inyo County's drilling program, and the second- generation waste package design will follow. After lunch, the Board will be briefed on waste streams and disposition options related to DOE's Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, Sandia National Laboratory's saturated zone model for [[Page 19059]] Yucca Mountain, the potential near-field chemistry in repository tunnels, and waste package design and prototype development. An update on probabilistic volcanic hazards analysis will complete the day's agenda. Time will be set aside at the end of the day for public comments. Those wanting to speak are encouraged to sign the ``Public Comment Register'' at the check-in table. A time limit may have to be set on individual remarks, but written comments of any length may be submitted for the record. Transcripts of the meetings will be available on the Board's Web site, by e-mail, on computer disk, and on a library-loan basis in paper format from Davonya Barnes of the Board's staff no later than June 4, 2007. A block of rooms has been reserved for meeting participants at the Crowne Plaza. When making a reservation, please state that you are attending the NWTRB meeting. Reservations should be made by April 21, 2007, to ensure receiving the meeting rate. For more information, contact Karyn Severson, NWTRB External Affairs; 2300 Clarendon boulevard, Suite 1300; Arlington, VA 22201- 3367; (tel) 703-235-4473; (fax) 703-235-4495. Dated: April 11, 2007. William D. Barnard, Executive Director, Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board. [FR Doc. 07-1876 Filed 4-13-07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6820-AM-M ***************************************************************** 42 Hanford News: Energy Northwest plant back online after fire This story was published Sunday, April 15th, 2007 By the Herald staff Energy Northwest's commercial nuclear power plant north of Richland has returned to service after being shut down after a small fire one week ago, officials said. The plant was taken off-line to repair a transformer that caught fire April 7. The fire was quickly extinguished in a building adjacent to the plant's reactor building. The transformer is part of the plant's backup power system. The plant was reconnected to the Northwest power grid Friday afternoon. Energy Northwest crews took advantage of the temporary shutdown to place equipment that will be used during the 1,150-megawatt Columbia Generating Station's planned refueling outage set to begin May 12. © 2007 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 43 KnoxNews: Y-12 contractor to lay off 60 By News Sentinel staff April 16, 2007 OAK RIDGE ? The government?s contractor at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant will issue about 60 layoff notices this week, although a plant spokesman said the company hopes to relocate most of the workers to other jobs. "We believe the actual impact may be as few as 8 to 10 (people out of work)," Bill Wilburn, a spokesman for BWXT Y-12, said today. Wilburn said BWXT is trying to realign its work force to meet the missions and available funding for the Oak Ridge plant, which is a key part of the U.S. nuclear weapons complex. "This is an opportunity to streamline and realign our organization," he said. The "reduction in force" includes 50 hourly jobs and about 8 to 10 monthly paid positions, Wilburn said. BWXT, which manages Y-12 for the National Nuclear Security Administration, employs about 4,500 people. More details as they develop online and in Tuesday?s News Sentinel. Copyright 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co. ***************************************************************** 44 KnoxNews: Dismantling work on schedule at Y-12 Work on stockpiled units of four types of weapons might be finished this year By FRANK MUNGER, munger@knews.com April 16, 2007 OAK RIDGE - The Cold War arms race is going in reverse here. The Y-12 nuclear weapons plant is dismantling warheads like never before. The government's Oak Ridge facility may complete work on all stockpiled units associated with four different types of weapons by the end of the year. The exact number of warhead parts being taken apart is classified. However, Dan Linehan, a manager in Y-12's directed stockpile program, said workers may finish work on the W55, W48, W79 and W70 warheads by sometime this fall. Those warhead assemblies have been stored at Y-12 since the weapons were retired from the U.S. nuclear arsenal, in most cases decades ago. The W55 warheads were previously deployed on SUBROC anti-submarine rockets. The W48 and W79 warheads were used as atomic artillery shells. The W70 warheads were deployed on Lance short-range ballistic missiles. Linehan said Y-12's work orders come from the National Nuclear Security Administration, the part of the U.S. Department of Energy that oversees the nuclear weapons complex. The main reason for the dismantlement push is to comply with treaties between the U.S. and other countries, particularly Russia, he said. "We are definitely on schedule, and our plans are to at least stay on schedule, if not exceed it," Linehan said. Earlier this year, Y-12 announced that plant workers had completed all dismantlement activities on W56 warheads, once deployed on Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles, and two types of B-61 bombs. Oak Ridge officials said the 2007 dismantlement rate at Y-12 was up 50 percent from last year, solidifying what's been termed a dramatic change in the plant's workload. Linehan said a new "debonding" technique that's under development at Y-12 could triple the dismantlement rate for some weapon systems within the next couple of years. "We have certain systems that are bonded together adhesively, and they weren't necessarily designed to be dismantled," he said. "They can be very technically challenging to take apart." Details weren't available, but Linehan said the new process has gone through "proof-of-principle" testing and will be evaluated for production worthiness. "It will have a significant effect," he said. Besides boosting the dismantlement rate, it should help limit the damage to warheads and allow more materials to be recycled, Linehan said. The work also frees up storage space at the Oak Ridge complex. That's particularly important because Y-12 is constructing a new high-security storehouse, where the stocks of bomb-grade uranium and weapons parts will be consolidated. Work on the $549 million facility is about half complete. "We get a storage advantage for every dismantlement we do," Linehan said. Y-12 reportedly has a backlog of thousands of warhead components waiting to be taken apart. Linehan would not confirm any numbers but said there's plenty to be done. "We have work for tens of years," he said. Special care is taken with some projects that are considered "high-risk dismantlements." He said those include any number of challenges related to technical issues to safety-related concerns. "It's a myriad of things that would cause us to spend extra time and care in dismantling," Linehan said. Y-12 specializes in so-called secondaries, the second stage of thermonuclear - fusion-type - weapons manufactured from highly enriched uranium, lithium deuteride and other materials. The Oak Ridge plant typically is responsible for dismantling the same parts it built originally. The plant produced parts for every U.S. nuclear weapon deployed during the Cold War. Although there are basic similarities in the different weapon systems, each one requires unique preparations for dismantlement, Linehan said. The work is both delicate and difficult, he said. "It's definitely not cookie-cutter (work). Every system is different," he said. The key to improved efficiency, according to Linehan, is sustained funding and effort. In the past, dismantlement was not a high priority at Y-12, and warheads typically were taken apart when the weapons-making materials were needed, he said. Linehan acknowledged that Y-12 stores some warhead components intact as part of a strategic reserve. "There are certain items that are held back from dismantlement for a variety of reasons, and I don't really know all the reasons," he said. "As much as I can really say is it's based on national priorities." Senior writer Frank Munger may be reached at 865-342-6329. Copyright 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co. ***************************************************************** NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: *****************************************************************