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                         NUCLEAR POLICY
 
1 Yonhap News: BDA funds not wired to N. Korea
2 Guardian Unlimited: Harsh U.S.-Russia Words at NATO Meet
3 Guardian Unlimited: Putin Threatens Pullout From Arms Pact 
4 BBC NEWS: Putin steps up missiles warning
5 ITAR-TASS: Russia to react to US missile defences in Europe - Putin
6 AFP: Putin threatens Russian pull-out from landmark arms treaty - 
7 AFP: US-Russia missile defence dispute overshadows NATO meetings - 
 
                         NUCLEAR REACTORS
 
8 3.4 Million Ukranians Suffering From Chernobyl
9 US: [NukeNet] K Grossman On Nuke Power Revival Attempt
10 Belarus Brought To It's Knees By Chernobyl
11 Chernobyl Media Distortions, US Gov't Officialy Doubles It's Estimat
12 London Times: 80% of Chernobyl Children Hardest Hit Have Heart Irreg
13 The Hindu: India has to go in for nuclear power in a big way - Kalam
14 Herald Sun: N-industry won't glow overnight 
15 India Times: Time to move ahead of Chernobyl disaster-
16 FT.com: British Energy in talks over nuclear reactors
17 US: E&ETV: Nuclear: CASEnergy's Patrick Moore explains move from Gre
18 RIA Novosti: Putin orders govt. to restructure nuclear energy indust
19 RIA Novosti: Putin orders govt. to establish nuclear energy co. by J
20 US: Star-Telegram.com: Bill may let TXU retain plants
21 US: NRC: NRC to Discuss 2006 Performance at McGuire Nuclear Plant
22 West Australian: Labor slams PM's nuclear plans 
23 US: Foster's Online: Huge anti-nuke demo was 30 years ago this week
24 US: Rutland Herald: Seven arrested during nuke protest at Vermont Ya
25 US: Rutland Herald: Gov.: Tax on nuke plant a bad idea
26 US: Burlington Free Press: Tax proposed on Vt. Yankee
27 US: PoughkeepsieJournal.com: Spitzer seeks safety review for nuke pl
28 AFP: EDF in talks to build new nuclear power station - 
29 US: NRC: NRC to Discuss 2006 Performance at Catawba Nuclear Plant
30 CNW Telbec: Harper embraces the nuclear future: Maclean's
31 West Australian: Howard urges Australians to go nuclear
32 Reuters: No silver bullet to cut emissions - IEA chief 
33 Reuters: U.S., India to try again to salvage nuclear deal
34 US: NRC: NRC to Hold Public Meetings on May 2 at Browns Ferry Nuclea
35 Reuters: U.S. and Japan commit to ease global warming, no targets 
36 UPI: Indian president urges thorium nuke work
37 UPI: Putin orders Russia nuke energy overhaul
38 US: UPI: Indian President wants energy independence
39 PDM: Czech Senate head says border blockades over Temelin unacceptab
40 US: MHNN: Indian Point is operating safely, says NRC, but the feelin
41 US: KTVB.COM: Proposed nuclear power plant faces many obstacles 
42 Financial Express: 'India has to go for nuclear power in a big way'
43 Telegraph: General Electric in race for UK nuclear market | 
44 Russia Newswire: IBS Develops Information System for Chernobyl 
45 Scotsman.com: City scientists' sparkling idea for waste-free 
46 asahi.com: Sachihiko Harashima Power plants cut out of new assessmen
 
                          NUCLEAR SECURITY
 
 
                          NUCLEAR SAFETY
 
47 US: OVER 25 THOUSANDS DU CYLINDERS setting out site
48 [NukeNet] "DU--from Appalachia to Afghanistan to Iraq" Conference,
49 The Australian: Government denies radiation leak cover-up
50 US: recordonline.com: Radiation pills available
51 US: Workers World: 'Poison DUst' director explains video
52 AU ABC: Brisbane radiation leak no threat to residents - Defence. 
 
                         NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
 
53 US: kvue.com: Perchlorate showing up in nation's milk supply 
54 US: Sydney Morning Herald: Uranium mine ban curbing wealth - Swan - 
55 US: AU ABC: Rio Tinto wants expanded uranium mining in WA
56 US: West Australian: Labor, Coalition facing uranium dilemmas 
57 Japan Times: Under new mayor, Kochi town snubs nuke waste plan | 
58 US: AU ABC: ALP to vote on uranium mines policy. 
59 News & Star: Questions posed for Sellafield organ scandal inquiry
 
                           PEACE
 
60 US: Leg Council Backs Nuclear Oversight Committee
 
                        US DEPT. OF ENERGY
 
61 PANTEX Nuclear Weapons Guards on Strike
62 Tri-City Herald: DOE seeks dismissal of damage claims
63 Denver Post: Flats workers to confront panel
64 Rocky Mountain News: A vow unfulfilled for ill nuclear workers
65 lamonitor.com: Study: What's the plan?
66 Rocky Mountain News: Last chance for Rocky Flats workers
67 KNDO/KNDU: Deadline Beat for 300 Area Cleanup
68 Rocky Mountain News: Rocky Flats Q&A
69 Rocky Mountain News: Family full of Flats workers deals with death a
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                         FULL NEWS STORIES
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 1 Yonhap News: BDA funds not wired to N. Korea

North Korean funds frozen at a Macau-based bank have not been 
transferred to the communist country so far, holding up progress 
in a landmark agreement over the North's denuclearization, a 
pro-Pyongyang newspaper based in Japan said Friday.


"For North Korea, it does not matter whether it can withdraw the
money or not. Unless normalization of financial transactions by
international standards is realized, it cannot be said that its
demand has been met," said the Choson Sinbo, a Korean-language
newspaper published by the General Association of Korean Residents
in Japan. The paper has been reflecting the opinions of the North
Korean government.


The report reconfirms the North's position that it will not
implement the first 60-day denuclearization measures unless the
funds are transferred to another bank, so the North can confirm the
free transfer of its funds in the international financial system,
upon which the U.S. Treasury Department has a strong influence.


North Korea has said that it will take the first steps toward
nuclear dismantlement as soon as it confirms the release of its
funds, which have been frozen at Banco Delta Asia since September
2005.



Macau's financial authorities unblocked the North's US$25 million in
Banco Delta Asia for withdrawal, but North Korea missed the April 14
deadline to shut down and seal its nuclear facilities under the
six-nation agreement signed in Beijing in February.


Under the Feb. 13 agreement, North Korea pledged to shut down its
main nuclear reactor and allow U.N. inspectors back into the country
within 60 days. In return, North Korea would receive aid equal to
50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil from South Korea. The U.S. promised to
resolve the financial issue within 30 days, but failed to do so
because of technical complications.


Seoul, April 27 (Yonhap News)

Posted on : Apr.27,2007 21:09 KST

© 2006 The Hankyoreh Media Company. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 2 Guardian Unlimited: Harsh U.S.-Russia Words at NATO Meet

From the Associated Press

Friday April 27, 2007 1:16 AM

By MATTHEW LEE Associated Press Writer

OSLO, Norway (AP) - Simmering tension between the U.S. and Russia
over European missile defense boiled over Thursday at a meeting of
NATO diplomats after President Vladimir Putin threatened to freeze
Russia's compliance with an arms control treaty.

Hours after Putin and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice traded
long-distance barbs on the growing divide between the former Cold
War foes, Russian Foreign Minister Serrcraft, tanks and other
non-nuclear weapons.

With language that recalled the Cold War, Lavrov accused the U.S.
and its NATO allies of upsetting the security balance in Europe,
creating new dividing lines and treating Russia as an enemy.

``We cannot be unconcerned by the fact that NATO military
infrastructure is creeping up to our borders,'' Lavrov said after a
NATO-Russia Council meeting. ``They are still looking for an enemy.''

Rice dismissed Russian concerns over Washington's plans to deploy
anti-missile defenses in Europe as ``purely ludicrous.''

``Let's be real about this and realistic about this,'' Rice said,
referring to Russia's belief that the installation of American
interceptors in Poland and a radar station in the Czech Republic
would pose a threat to its nuclear arsenal.

``The idea that somehow 10 interceptors and a few radars in Eastern
Europe are going to threaten the Soviet strategic deterrent is
purely ludicrous and everybody knows it,'' she told reporters before
the NATO talks and a side meeting with Lavrov.

``The Russians have thousands of warheads,'' said Rice, who plans to
visit Moscow next month to press the case for missile defense.

Rice urged the Russians to abandon Cold War-era thinking about the
proposed system and accept U.S. offers to cooperate in combatting
new threats, notably from Iran and North Korea.

Washington says the deployment will protect Europe and North America
but Moscow argues there's no immediate threat and claims the U.S. is
trying to target Russia's strategic missile arsenal.

As Rice spoke, Putin was delivering his annual state of the nation
address in which he called for suspending Russia's compliance with
the 1990 treaty. He cited NATO nations' refusal to ratify an updated
version of the agreement and linked it to the U.S. missile defense
plan.

``Our partners are behaving incorrectly, to say the least,'' Putin
said in Moscow. ``I consider it worthwhile to declare a moratorium
until all NATO countries ratify.'' He threatened to pull out of the
Conventional Forces in Europe treaty altogether if progress is not
made.

The United States and other NATO members have refused to ratify an
updated version of the treaty until Moscow abides by a commitment to
withdraw troops from the ex-Soviet republics of Moldova and Georgia.

Rice's reaction to Putin's statement was terse.

``These are treaty obligations, and everyone is expected to live up
to treaty obligations,'' Rice said.

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said NATO allies met
Putin's message with ``grave concern, disappointment and regret.''

Two senior U.S. officials who attended the private NATO-Russia
Council meeting, said Lavrov presented a list of complaints about
the alliance and Washington's missile defense plans.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were
describing details of a closed meeting, said the reaction to
Lavrov's 10-minute remarks was universally negative. They described
the meeting as stormy.

The allies expressed support for a dialogue on missile defense and
U.S. offers to cooperate with Russia and also grave concern about
Moscow's decision on the treaty, the officials said. They said
Lavrov indicated that any attempt to discuss unfulfilled Russian
commitments on troop withdrawals from Georgia and Moldova would
crater the discussions.

Putin's message and the debate over missile defense dominated the
first of two days of talks among NATO foreign ministers. A flurry of
high-level talks in recent weeks has failed to soften Russia's
public opposition to the proposed extension of a U.S. anti-missile
shield to Europe.

Diplomats said the 26 NATO allies closed ranks in the face of
Lavrov's criticism, but Russia's rhetoric has unnerved some European
allies who fear the negative impact on relations with the Kremlin
may outweigh the any benefits of the missile shield.

---

Associated Press Writer Paul Ames contributed to this report.


Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007
*****************************************************************
 3 Guardian Unlimited: Putin Threatens Pullout From Arms Pact 

From the Associated Press

Friday April 27, 2007 2:46 AM

By MARIA DANILOVA Associated Press Writer

MOSCOW (AP) - President Vladimir Putin threatened on Thursday to
suspend participation in a key European arms control treaty,
accusing the United States and NATO of destabilizing the region with
plans to install parts of an American missile shield in central
Europe.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice dismissed the concern as
``ludicrous,'' and said Moscow should live up to its obligations
under the treaty, which limits the number and locations of military
aircraft, tanks and other non-nuclear heavy weapons around Europe.

``Our partners are behaving incorrectly, to say the least,'' Putin
said during his annual state-of-the-nation address. ``In case no
progress is made during negotiations, I propose to discuss the
possibility to end our obligations.''

Withdrawal from the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty between
Russia and NATO members would allow Moscow to build up forces near
its borders, and Putin's threat provoked ``grave concern'' among
NATO members, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the alliance's
secretary-general, said at a foreign ministers' meeting in Oslo,
Norway.

A Kremlin spokesman said later, however, that Russia would not pull
out if it could reach accommodation with the West. And Russian
military experts suggested the threat was a symbolic raising of the
ante in the missile shield showdown more than a sign of impeding
military escalation. Russia has no actual interest in a buildup of
forces because it faces no real military threat and has no plans to
launch any attack, they said.

``When we begin dialogue with our foreign partners, we hope that we
will get a positive reaction from them,'' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry
Peskov told The Associated Press. If no progress is made, Russian
lawyers would begin working out a mechanism of formally imposing the
moratorium, he added.

The Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty was signed in 1990 and
amended in 1999 to reflect changes since the breakup of the Soviet
Union, adding the requirement that Moscow withdraw troops from the
former Soviet republics of Moldova and Georgia.

Russia has ratified the amended version, but the United States and
other NATO members have refused to do so until Russia completely
withdraws.

In his speech to parliament and government officials, Putin accused
NATO members of taking advantage of the situation to build military
bases near Russia's borders, and said plans to install interceptor
missiles and radar systems in the Czech Republic and Poland were
undermining the balance of military power in Europe.

The United States says its missile shield system is to counter the
threat of attack by countries such as Iran, which is pursuing a
nuclear program and long-range missiles.

``It is high time that our partners proved their commitment to arms
reductions not by words but by deeds,'' Putin said. ``I consider it
worthwhile to declare a moratorium until all NATO countries ratify
(the treaty) ... and begin to strictly abide by it.''

He added that Russia already was taking steps to withdraw its forces
from Moldova and Georgia.

Speaking to reporters before talks with Russia's foreign minister,
Rice repeated U.S. assertions that any defense system in Europe
would be useless against Russia's enormous missile arsenal.

``The idea that somehow 10 interceptors and a few radars in eastern
Europe are going to threaten the Soviet strategic deterrent is
purely ludicrous and everybody knows it,'' Rice said. ``The Russians
have thousands of warheads. ... These are treaty obligations and
everyone is expected to live up to treaty obligations.''

Rice said the U.S. would continue efforts to ``demystify'' the plan
for the Russians by pushing an offer to share data and technology
with Moscow. She insisted that Russia, Europe and the United States
were all at risk from Iran developing long-range missiles.

NATO diplomats said there is growing support for the U.S. plans
among European governments, but Russia's rhetoric has unnerved some
who fear the negative impact on relations with the Kremlin may
outweigh any benefits of the shield.

``The important thing is to prevent the spiral of mistrust between
Russia and the USA,'' German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter
Steinmeier said.

The tensions have also been fueled by Russia's annoyance with
Western criticism of its democratic and human rights record, and its
perception that the U.S. is dominating world affairs.

-----

Associated Press Writer Paul Ames in Oslo, Norway contributed to
this report.


Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007
*****************************************************************
 4 BBC NEWS: Putin steps up missiles warning

Last Updated: Friday, 27 April 2007, 17:16 GMT 18:16 UK

Mr Putin has made a series of comments against missile defence


Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that US plans to build a
missile defence system in eastern Europe would raise the risk of
"mutual destruction".

Poland and the Czech Republic are keen to allow the US to site
missile bases and radars on their territory.

Mr Putin spoke a day after threatening to halt involvement with a
treaty limiting conventional arms in Europe.



"This is not just a defence system, this is part of the US nuclear
weapons system," the Itar-Tass news agency quoted him as saying
after meeting Czech President Vaclav Klaus.

Tough line

Speaking at a press conference with Polish President Lech Kaczynski
in Warsaw, British Prime Minister Tony Blair insisted the missile
defence plan was not aimed at Russia.

"I am absolutely sure myself that it is not in any shape or form
aimed at Russia or as a consequence of issues to do with America or
Europe's relations with Russia," Mr Blair said.

"I think it's more to do with the concern over... those states that
are trying to acquire nuclear weapons capability for the first time."

Mr Putin has taken a tough line in recent months over the US plans
for missile defence.


Russia is adopting the language of ultimatums

Alexander Gabuyev Kommersant daily


His suggestion on Thursday that Russia could suspend membership of
the 1990 Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty was met with
"grave concern" by Nato.

Nato Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said the agreement was
one of the cornerstones of European security.

Mr Putin has accused the US of overstepping its "natural borders"
and of his concern at the apparent increase in military bases and
systems close to Russia's borders.

As part of the its new missile defence programme, the US now wants
to station 10 interceptor missiles in Poland, with radar operations
in the Czech Republic.

Mr Putin's use of the term "mutual destruction" harks back to the
rhetoric of the Cold War, when strategists in Russia and the US
relied at least partly on the theory of Mutually Assured Destruction
(MAD) to prevent nuclear war.

The theory underpinned the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty of
1972, which limited the development of anti-missile systems.

But the US withdrew from the ABM treaty in 2002, calling it a
"relic" from a previous age.

* BBC Copyright Notice
*****************************************************************
 5 ITAR-TASS: Russia to react to US missile defences in Europe - Putin

27.04.2007, 15.53

MOSCOW, April 27 (Itar-Tass) - The deployment of elements of U.S. 
missile defences in Europe violates the system of European 
security and considerably increases the threat of mutual damage, 
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday.

“The threat of mutual damage, and maybe even destruction grows 
many times,” the president stressed. “This is not just a defence 
system, but part of the American system of nuclear armaments,” he 
said. “For the first time in the history, systems of American 
nuclear strategic complex appear on the European continent,” 
Putin pointed out. “For us it is the same as the deployment of 
‘Pershings’ - the threat is absolutely the same,” he said.

“This is an inalienable part of American strategic nuclear 
weapons, which will radically change the system of security in 
Europe, and we shall react to that,” Putin said.


© ITAR-TASS. All rights reserved. You undertake not to copy, store


*****************************************************************
 6 AFP: Putin threatens Russian pull-out from landmark arms treaty - 

by Nick Coleman Thu Apr 26, 12:19 PM ET

MOSCOW (AFP) - President Vladimir Putin on Thursday threatened 
Russian withdrawal from a landmark Cold War-era arms treaty in a 
heightening of tensions over a planned US missile defence system 
in Europe.


In response to Putin's threat, the NATO military alliance reaffirmed
its commitment to the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has meanwhile rebuffed
Russian criticism of Washington's missile defence plans as
"ludicrous."

And Czech President Vaclav Klaus, whose country is set to host part
of system, flew to Moscow on a visit mainly aimed at calming the
missile defence row.

Making his last state of the nation speech in Moscow, Putin said
Russia could pull out of the 1990 CFE treaty until all of NATO's
current members ratified it.

"It would be appropriate to announce a moratorium on Russian
adherence ... until it has been ratified by all NATO countries
without exception," Putin said.

Putin said Washington was exploiting difficulties with the CFE to
expand missile defence facilities into central Europe.

"Our partners are conducting themselves inappropriately to say the
least," he said.

"They are using the complicated situation to expand military bases
near our borders. Moreover they plan to locate elements of a missile
defence system in the Czech Republic and Poland."

The CFE treaty was signed in 1990 by the countries of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the former Warsaw Pact to
limit military hardware in the region.

It was adapted in Istanbul in 1999 following the collapse of the
Warsaw Pact, in order to limit deployments on a country-by-country
basis.

But NATO states have refused to ratify the new pact on the grounds
that Moscow has failed to honour commitments made in Istanbul to
withdraw Russian forces from the ex-Soviet republics of Georgia and
Moldova.

Putin's insistence that all countries ratify the CFE appeared
particularly aimed at the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and
Lithuania, which were once part of the Soviet Union and are not part
of the treaty.

Putin insisted there was no connection between ratification and the
issue of Russian troops in Georgia and Moldova, which he said Moscow
was working to resolve anyway.

An unnamed Kremlin official was quoted by Russian news agencies as
saying that Russia wanted Western countries to ratify the revised
treaty within a year.

Ahead of a NATO-Russia meeting in Oslo, German Foreign Minister
Frank-Walter Steinmeier voiced concern at the tensions -- reflecting
Berlin's ties with both Washington and Moscow.

"It's important to prevent a spiral of mistrust between Russia and
the United States," Steinmeier said.

But speaking to reporters in Oslo, Rice was sharply critical of
Russia's stance on Washington's missile defence plans, which involve
placing a radar system in Poland and interceptor rockets in the
Czech Republic.

Washington says the missile shield is not aimed against Russia but
intended to protect against countries such as Iran and North Korea.

"The idea that somehow 10 interceptors and a few radars in eastern
Europe are going to threaten the Soviet strategic return is clearly
ludicrous and everybody knows it," Rice said.

"The idea that somehow you can stop the Russian strategic nuclear
deterrent with a few interceptors just doesn't make sense," she said.

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said the alliance
remained committed to ratifying the adapted CFE treaty but said that
the issue of Russian troops in Georgia and Moldova remained a hurdle.

The testy rhetoric reflected increasing tensions over NATO's
enlargement into territory once part of the former Soviet Union and
Washington's championing of countries such as ex-Soviet Georgia.

Arriving in Moscow on a four-day visit, the Czech president told
ITAR-TASS news agency that Russia had been been kept fully informed
of the missile defence plans and that they posed no threat.

He also told Kommersant newspaper there was little chance of Prague
pulling out of negotiations with Washington on Czech involvement.

"The Czech Republic has started negotiations on deployment of a
radar and I don't see them being revised," he said.

Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 7 AFP: US-Russia missile defence dispute overshadows NATO meetings - 

by David Millikin Thu Apr 26, 3:27 PM ET

OSLO (AFP) - A dispute over US plans to station anti-missile bases
in eastern Europe escalated Thursday as Moscow threatened to pull
out of a key defence treaty, while Washington derided Russia's
concerns as "ludicrous."

The US plan to station 10 non-explosive interceptors in Poland and a
tracking radar in the Czech Republic was set to dominate NATO-Russia
talks here Thursday that will involve US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice and her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.

Rice and Lavrov were due to hold a private 20-minute meeting on the
sidelines of the conference, US officials said.

The burgeoning US-Russia dispute also overshadowed discussions among
NATO ministers that focussed on the alliance's involvement in the
war in Afghanistan.

Hours before the talks, Russian President Vladimir Putin slammed the
US missile plan and fired a shot across NATO's bow by calling for a
freeze on his country's compliance with the Conventional Forces in
Europe (CFE) treaty.

"It is high time for our partners to deliver their contribution to
arms reduction, not just in word but in deed," Putin said of the
anti-missile plan, which he warned would mark an unprecedented
deployment in Europe of US strategic weaponry.

Rice responded at a later press conference by saying Russia's
involvement in CFE was a treaty obligations "and eveeryone is
expected to live up to treaty obligations." She said she would ask
Lavrov for clarifications of Putin's stance.

Earlier Thursday, Rice complained that Russia was applying Cold War
logic to a defensive proposal aimed not at Moscow but at countering
the emerging threat of ballistic missiles in the hands of "rogue
states" like Iran.

"Let's be real about this," Rice said.

"The idea that somehow 10 interceptors and a few radars in eastern
Europe are going to threaten the Soviet strategic return is purely
ludicrous and everybody knows it," she said, making her own Cold War
slip by referring to the ex-Soviet Union.

"The Russians have thousands of warheads. The idea that somehow you
can stop the Russian strategic nuclear deterrent with a few
interceptors just doesn't make sense," she said.

Rice said Washington was "perfectly willing to spend as much time as
we need to to demystify for the Russians what we are doing."

"But we have to continue it on the basis of a realistic assessment
of what we are proposing, not one that is grounded in the eighties,"
she said.

Washington announced in January its hope to extend the so-far
unproven missile defence shield to cover European allies, with the
network due to become operational by 2013.

Russia fears the system could target its missile arsenal and start a
new arms race, and it disagrees on the US assessment that Iran could
obtain weapons within a decade that would have the range to strike
at Europe.

Opinion polls indicate most Poles and Czechs oppose the plan and
some NATO allies also expressed reservations, although US officials
say these have largely been addressed in a series of meetings with
top US officials in recent weeks.

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer confirmed the allies'
strong support for the US missile plan.

And he rejected Russia's assertion the US proposals represented a
threat for the region, insisting they "cannot and will not and and
do not upset the strategic balance in Europe."

Washington has dispatched top officials to Moscow, including Defense
Secretary Robert Gates, to explain the plan and propose an
unprecedented level of cooperation with the Russians on missile
defence programs.

Russia responded cooly to the offer and Putin's pointed comments
raised concerns that US-Russia relations, already under strain,
could take a serious turn for the worse.

"It's important to prevent a spiral of mistrust between Russia and
the United States," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier
cautioned at the start of the NATO meeting.

The CFE was signed between NATO and the Warsaw Pact of European
communist states in 1990 and then adapted in 1999 after the 1991
breakup of the Soviet Union. It led to massive cuts in conventional
weaponry and forces, but the 1999 version has not been ratified by
most NATO members.

Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 8 Reuters: 3.4 Million Ukranians Suffering From Chernobyl
 
Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2007 15:48:11 -0700

This is from 2000:

Date: Sat, 25 Nov 2000 11:17:33 EST

Subject: INTERVIEW-For Chernobyl victims, health crisis gathers pace

INTERVIEW-For Chernobyl victims, health crisis gathers pace

By Olena Horodetska


KIEV, Nov 22 (Reuters) - One in sixteen Ukrainians is suffering 
grave health disorders linked to the Chernobyl nuclear power 
station disaster, a senior official said on Wednesday before the 
plant's closure next month.

They suffer from cancer and other diseases affecting their blood, 
respiratory, digestive or nervous systems and will remain an 
ailing legacy of the world's worst peacetime nuclear explosion 
for years to come, Valeriy Pishchikov said.

Pishchikov, the health ministry official charged with dealing 
with the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster, told Reuters that 
around 3.4 million Ukrainians, nearly half of them children, were 
still suffering from the accident.

"Today, almost 15 years after the accident, there is still a 
growing number of ill people among Chernobyl victims, and it is 
very worrying," Pishchikov said in an interview.

"Chernobyl sparked their diseases and their health is getting 
worse and worse every year. That trend is likely to continue for 
at least another 15 years," he said.

Chernobyl's number four reactor exploded on April 26, 1986, 
spreading a radioactive cloud over much of Ukraine, Russia, 
Belarus and parts of Western Europe.

Soviet officials who initially tried to hush up the tragedy 
acknowleged in the end that 31 people were killed immediately 
after the blast and thousands were affected by radiation.

SCALE OF TRAGEDY

But the true scale of the catastrophe which displaced hundreds of 
people and turned local communities into radioactive ghost towns 
has turned out to be far greater than once thought, even as the 
country has continued to rely on one last reactor at Chernobyl 
for around five percent of its power.

Following Western political pressure and pledges to help fund two 
replacement reactors elsewhere, President Leonid Kuchma has 
agreed to shut down Chernobyl on December 15.

Hundreds of workers sent in to clean up after the accident, known 
in Ukraine as "liquidators," had their life expectancies slashed 
by three to four years, in a country where life expectancy is 
already low at 63 years for men, and 74 for women.

Most "liquidators" are now aged between 40 and 55, and 4,000 have 
already died. Health ministry statistics show that their death 
rate is increasing.

"We've registered cell mutations, and these people develop 
complex forms of diseases. They need more  medicines to treat 
complications, and better food," Pishchikov said.

He said the entire nation was getting increasingly sick due to 
poor living standards and poor funding of the health care system, 
but the health of those affected by the accident and living in 
contaminated areas was even worse.

"It is disturbing...the sickness rate among those affected by the 
explosion is 20 percent higher than the national average while 
this rate among children is over 30 percent higher than the 
average," Pishchikov said.

The rate of thyroid cancer among children and teenagers from the 
area was 10 times the national average, Pishchikov said.

"In 1981-1985 we did not register a single case of thyroid cancer 
in Ukraine. After Chernobyl, between 1986 and 2000, the number of 
cases of this disease has reached 1,400."

Pishchikov said the number of tuberculosis cases among those 
affected was 16.4 percent above the national average.

Some government officials have said that almost 15 years after 
the accident the state might reduce its help to the liquidators 
and those living in contaminated areas, although Pishchikov said 
the state should continue to support them.

10:20 11-22-00

*****************************************************************
 9 [NukeNet] K Grossman On Nuke Power Revival Attempt
 
Date: 	Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:21:13 -0400

http://www.mothersalert.org  http://www.mothersalert.org/moreinfo.html

Videos On Nuclear, Renewables: http://www.envirovideo.com

  By Karl Grossman

There's again a move on to "revive" nuclear power. Every decade 
or so those with a vested interest in this deadly dangerous 
technology seek to get the public to swallow the nuclear pill­and 
that's happening again.

The promotion has consistently been based on falsehoods. For 
example, in a heavy push years back­during a gasoline shortage 
that included lines at gas pumps­the claim was that if we had 
nuclear power somehow this wouldn't happen. In fact, only 3% of 
electricity in the United States is generated with oil. Nuclear 
power has nothing to do with oil or gas.

Currently, the big pitch as the global warming crisis is 
acknowledged (after years of the vested oil interests denying 
it): nuclear plants don't emit greenhouse gasses and contribute 
to global warming.

In fact, the overall nuclear cycle necessary has significant 
greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. This 
so-called "nuclear fuel chain" includes uranium mining and 
milling, enrichment, fuel fabrication, use in nuclear reactors 
and disposal of radioactive wastes. Moreover, notes Linda Gunter, 
project director of the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, 
"clean air is not just about greenhouse gases. All nuclear 
reactors emit radiation."

Recently, Matthew Cordaro, a top executive of what was once the 
Long Island Lighting Company and a main LILCO figure in pushing 
for its Shoreham nuclear plant, wrote an op-ed piece in the New 
York Times lamenting Shoreham never going into operation.

He cited global warming and dismissed the accident threat. 
"Sure," said Mr. Cordaro, "there are those who say they sleep 
better at night because there is no Shoreham, but this false 
sense of security is derived from a fear of an extremely unlikely 
piece of Hollywood fiction."

Illuminating here is a letter-to-the-editor that Mr. Cordaro 
wrote the News-Review of Riverhead in 1979 stating: "Even if the 
worst credible accident happened at Shoreham, and the decision 
was made to evacuate.in fact, they could return shortly after the 
accident had been terminated. Any emissions to the atmosphere 
following the loss-of-coolant accident.would form a plume, 
similar to smoke from a chimney [and] once the plume passed, it 
would be safe to come back to the area."

Tell that to the people from the "exclusion zone" around 
Chernobyl!

Since the explosion in 1986 at that nuclear plant spewing tons of 
radioactive poisons out into the environment, people have been 
unable to live in the radiation-laden "exclusion zone" which 
forms a circle with a 30-kilometer radius around the plant. That 
dead zone will need to remain uninhabited for centuries.

Meanwhile, now 21 years after the Chernobyl disaster­no 
"Hollywood fiction," as Mr. Cordaro put it, but the reality of 
what happens in a nuclear plant accident­solid data has come 
through about long-term health impacts.

A book on those consequences has just been completed by Dr. 
Alexey Yablokov, president of the Center for Russian 
Environmental Policy and former environmental advisor to the late 
President Yeltsin. Total deaths from the fall-out from 
Chernobyl­which spread far from the "exclusion zone"­has been 
300,000, he finds.

And the life expectancy in Russia, which had been the same as 
that of the United States, is now 59 for men and 64 for women 
which Dr. Yablokov attributes principally to Chernobyl. "You see 
longevity dropping precipitously right after 1986 and the 
accident," he told me on a recent visit here.

Still, some in media don't seem to get it.

I was surprised at a 60 Minutes segment on which Steve Kroft of 
North Haven served as correspondent on this month passing on, 
unquestioning, another piece of nuclear establishment baloney: 
nuclear power has been a success in France.

Totally ignored, among other things: studies finding 
radioactivity in the sea and marine life contaminated off  
Normandy where La Hague, the French reprocessing center sits, and 
leukemia clusters in people living along the coast; massive 
demonstrations last month in French cities protesting 
construction of new nuclear power plants by AREVA, the 
government-supported nuclear giant; the immense subsidies the 
French public have been paying for nuclear power; claims of a new 
reactor with "no meltdowns" when, in fact, such a "pebble bed" 
reactor underwent a major accident in Germany causing its 
permanent closure. Downplayed were safe, clean energy 
technologies here now.

"There are faster, safer and cheaper ways to meet our energy 
needs including renewable resources," said a statement 
challenging the 60 Minutes piece from Alden Meyer, strategy and 
policy director of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

*****************************************************************
 10 Belarus Brought To It's Knees By Chernobyl
 
Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2007 15:48:00 -0700

http://commondreams.org/views01/0426-05.htm

Featured Views

Published on Thursday, April 26, 2001 in The Irish Times
15th Anniversary of Chernobyl Belarus Brought to Its Knees by 
'Invisible Enemy For Belarus the problems are only beginning. 
Thyroid cancer rates have risen by 2,400 per cent since the 
explosion.

by Eugene Cahill

At 1.23 a.m. on April 26th, 1986, an explosion occurred in the 
No. 4 reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine. Some 190 
tons of highly radioactive uranium and graphite were blasted into 
the atmosphere.

The radioactive cloud released from the burning reactor travelled 
north into the neighbouring country of Belarus. It then moved 
east over western Russia and west across Europe.

The fallout from the disaster has directly affected over nine 
million people in Belarus, Ukraine and western Russia. The people 
of these countries were exposed to radioactivity 90 times greater 
than that released by the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The UN 
has declared the disaster the worst environmental catastrophe in 
history.

It is the country of Belarus which has suffered, and continues to 
suffer, most from the disaster: 70 per cent of the radiation has 
fallen on its land and people.

Mr Vladislav Ostapenko, head of Belarus's Radiation Medicine 
Institute, told a recent press conference that "science cannot 
yet completely assess the consequences of the Chernobyl accident, 
but it is plain that a demographic catastrophe has occurred in 
our country.

"We are now seeing genetic changes, especially among those who 
were less than six years of age when the accident happened and 
they were subjected to radiation. These people are now starting 
families."

Medical research has shown that radioactive elements (primarily 
caesium 137 and iodine 131) cross the placental barrier from 
mother to foetus, contaminating each new generation. Faced with 
soaring levels of infertility and genetic changes, the gene pool 
of the Belarussian people is now under threat.

The rates of thyroid cancer have increased by 2,400 per cent in 
the 15 years since the disaster and this figure is expected to 
continue to rise. There has been a 1,000 per cent increase in 
suicides in the contaminated zones and a 250 per cent increase in 
congenital birth deformities.

With 99 per cent of the land of Belarus contaminated to varying 
degrees, the people of this stricken country are forced to live, 
eat, drink and breathe radiation.

Ms Adi Roche, executive director of the Chernobyl Children's 
Project, which has initiated 14 aid programmes for the stricken 
regions, has travelled on many humanitarian aid convoys to 
Belarus. She has found it to be "a country on its knees, 
struggling to fight against the invisible enemy of radiation, an 
enemy that is slowly destroying its people".

The Chernobyl disaster has financially crippled Belarus. It has 
cost the country 25 per cent of its annual national budget and it 
is estimated that by 2015 the fallout from the accident will have 
cost Belarus $235 billion.

Because there is no international law governing an accident such 
as that which occurred at Chernobyl, Belarus has received no 
compensation for the damage to it from either Ukraine or Russia.

In a vicious and toxic cycle, the country cannot afford to 
minimise the effects of the disaster because it is so 
economically crippled as a direct result of it.

Within the world's most radioactive environment, some 2,000 towns 
and villages lie eerily silent and empty. These towns were 
evacuated in the weeks and months following the disaster because 
of the extremely high levels of radioactivity.

Yet, in a very worrying development, the Belarussian authorities 
are attempting to change the existing laws relating to the 
protection of citizens suffering from the disaster to reduce the 
financial burden on the state.

Prof Nesterenko is a Belarussian scientist who carries out 
independent research into the effects of the contaminated land. 
His research is crucial to all aid work relating to the disaster 
carried out in Belarus.

He has warned that the authorities are propagating a return to 
living in contaminated zones instead of giving objective 
information to the population about the dangers to health of 
living in contaminated areas.

In spite of such a large-scale tragedy, the issue has been 
largely forgotten or ignored by the international community and 
the voices of the victims remain largely unheard.

Fifteen years after the disaster - at a time when its full 
consequences have not yet peaked - there is a growing complacency 
within the international community about it.

There is an urgent and vital need for the Chernobyl issue to be 
placed back at the top of the international agenda.

Most of the aid to the affected regions is collected and 
distributed by international non-governmental organisations. If 
the problems are to be correctly tackled, it is imperative that 
increased financial commitments be given by UN member-states to 
the relief effort. Every government and every country has a 
crucial role to play.

Although the Chernobyl power plant was finally closed down last 
December, it is by no means the end of the problem. An 
omnipresent threat of nuclear apocalypse still hangs over much of 
Europe.

Within the last few weeks, a former director of security services 
in the Chernobyl region, Mr Valentine Kupny, has warned that 
radiation is still seeping from the entombed reactor.

Speaking in last week's German weekly Focus, he alerted people to 
the fact that the steel casing entombing the nuclear reactor was 
crumbling and in imminent danger of collapse. When this casing 
collapses, much of what will happen will depend on the wind.

Mr Kupny has said that nobody knows exactly what is happening 
inside the reactor. "In September 1996 we recorded the last 
atomic chain reaction but it is very possible that something is 
happening now. We don't know."

Mr Kupny was dismissed from his post shortly after his interview 
for the article. Many people do not want to hear the truth.

Isn't it about time that we did?

Eugene Cahill is press officer of the Chernobyl Children's 
Project.

© 2001 ireland.com

© Copyrighted 1997-2001 Common Dreams
      www.commondreams.org
*****************************************************************
 11 Chernobyl Media Distortions, US Gov't Officialy Doubles It's Estimate
 
Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2007 15:43:06 -0700

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nukenet/message/7245
    Today, April 26, 2004 is the 18th anniversary of
the Chernobyl catastrophe.

A few excerpts from article below:
A short review of Chernobyl's fallout pattern shows how 
irresponsible the reporting has become.

AP, May 15, 1986: "Airborne radioactivity from the Chernobyl 
nuclear accident is now so widespread that it is likely to fall 
to the ground wherever it rains in the United States, the EPA 
said."

AP, May 14, 1986: "An invisible cloud of radioactivity spewed 
over the Soviet Union and Europe, and has worked its way 
gradually around the world."

AP, May 15, 1986: "State authorities in Oregon have warned 
residents dependent solely on rainwater for drinking that they 
should arrange other supplies for the time being."

Star Tribune, May 17, 1986: "Since radiation from the Chernobyl 
nuclear accident began floating over Minnesota last week, low 
levels of radiation have been discovered in . . . the raw milk 
from a Minnesota dairy."

AP, April 4, 1996: "Plutonium and other dangerous particles 
released in the accident . . . have now found their way to 
Ukraine's major waterways . . . . 'We have billions of tons of 
radiated earth that can't be dumped anywhere, and which will pour 
plutonium, cesium and strontium into Europe for decades,' the 
chief consultant to the Ukrainian Parliament's Chernobyl 
commission said."

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, May 1996: "radiation 
contamination was detectable over the entire Northern 
Hemisphere."

The pro-nuclear Time magazine reported in 1989 that perhaps "one 
billion or more" curies were released, rather than the 50 to 80 
million estimated by Russian authorities.5 One curie is the 
amount of radiation equal to the disintegration of 37 billion 
atoms ¾ 37 billion becquerels ¾ per second. It is a very large 
amount of radiation.

The U.S. government's Argonne Nat. Lab has said that 30 percent 
of the reactor's total radioactivity ¾ 3 billion of an estimated 
9 billion curies ¾ was released.6 And scientists at the U.S. 
Lawrence Livermore Nat. Lab suggested that one-half of the core's 
radioactivity was spewed ¾ 4.5 billion curies, according the 
World Information Service on Energy, quoting Science, 6-13-86.

Vladimir Chernousenko, the chief scientific supervisor of the 
"clean up" team responsible for a 10-kilometer zone around the 
exploded reactor, says that 80 percent of the reactor's 
radioactivity escaped, something like seven billion curies.7 At 
the Union of Concerned Scientists, senior energy analyst Kennedy 
Maize, concluded that "the core vaporized" ¾ all 190 tons of 
fuel, and all 9 billion curies.8

Former Chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Joseph 
Hendrie, concluded likewise, saying "They have dumped the full 
inventory of volatile fission products from a large power reactor 
into the environment. You can't do any worse than that."9


"After all, the IAEA is in the business of promoting nuclear 
energy, not discouraging it. For 10 years the agency has 
attempted to downplay the consequences of the accident," wrote 
Alexander R. Sich in a cover story for the Bulletin of Atomic 
Scientists [ see http://www.thebulletin.org ]. The IAEA, still 
downplaying in 1995, said any increase in cancer caused by 
Chernobyl would be "undetectable."

Nineteen months after the disaster, in Nov. 1987, the U.S. 
government officially doubled its estimate of the "background" 
radiation to which we are exposed every year.11 [Part 2]

Chernobyl at Ten:
Half-lives and Half Truths

(Part one of two)

By John M. LaForgeã

With a heavy dose of half-truth, the commercial press worked 
over-time to reduce the results of the Chernobyl catastrophe to a 
"nervous disorder" confined to the C.I.S. and Europe. Understated 
reports on the 10th anniversary of the world-wide radiation 
disaster help the nuclear reactor industry hold on against 
overwhelming opposition, in spite of what should have been the 
final insult from nuclear power.

The latest psychological "clean up" often went like this. Peter 
Crane, a lawyer at the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), 
said that "...the explosion... sent a radioactive cloud into the 
atmosphere of Eastern Europe." (1) This is a true statement. It 
merely neglects to mention the rest of planet Earth.

Reporter Michael Specter wrote that, "The fire which burned out 
of control for five days, spewed more than 50 tons of radioactive 
fallout across Belarus, Ukraine and Western Russia." (2) This 
loaded sentence is also literally true. The fact that the fire 
burned uncontrolled for two weeks, after a series of three 
explosions; that perhaps 190 tons of reactor fuel was catapulted 
into the atmosphere; or that the radioactive fallout spread 
world-wide ¾ reaching Minnesota's milk for example ¾ doesn't make 
of Mr. Specter a liar, only a miser with the truth.

Associated Press (AP) correspondent Dave Carpenter 's description 
¾ that "deadly reactor fuel shot into the atmosphere, 
contaminating some 10,000 square miles and reaching as far as 
Western Europe" (3) is likewise "correct," but Reuters News 
Service reported on 28 Nov. 1995 that the contaminated areas 
include about 61,780 square miles.

Carpenter practiced perfect obfuscation in his dispatch, saying 
of the reckless nuclearists over there: "In a big lie, Soviet 
officials. . . first hushed up the disaster then played down its 
severity." What is it to understate the sum of irradiated 
territory by a factor of six? It isn't the pot calling the kettle 
black; it's the cesium calling the strontium a cancer agent.

Carpenter's AP lullaby was published widely and included the 
comment that, ". . .those living in the shadow of Chernobyl will 
be living with its deadly health and environmental legacy for 
years." (4)

For years? The word centuries would have been more accurate, if 
conservative, since radiation's health affects are 
multi-generational and not limited in time. Indeed, some genetic 
effects appear to be increasing with each successive generation.

The AP's Angela Charlson went so far as to say the reactor sent 
"a radioactive cloud across parts of Europe ..." (5) 
Understatement of the overwhelming facts was practiced as well by 
the editors of The New York Times, who said on April 21 that the 
disaster "spewed radiation across much or Europe" (6) and on the 
anniversary, that "...a plume of toxic gases & dust...spread 
across the western Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia." 
(7) Although the contamination of the rest of the world was 
hinted at as lately as 6 Oct. 1995, when the Times reported that 
the radiation spread across western Russia "and beyond," this 
uncomfortable fact is nowadays passé.

The Disaster's in Your Head

While the explosions' long-lived carcinogens ¾ primarily cesium, 
plutonium, strontium and iodine ¾ are well known to be deadly for 
decades and even centuries, Soviet officials, the U. N's 
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and U.S. editors have 
all ridiculed the common sense fear of Chernobyl's radioactive 
fallout.

The official Soviet paper Izvestia said in 1988 that doctors in 
the Ukraine were, ". . .spending more time on trying to dispel 
irrational fears than on treating the effects of radiation." (8)

The IAEA which at first refused to conduct a post-Chernobyl 
health study, claiming that all the accident's effects were 
confined within Soviet borders (9), dared to say in a 1991 study 
that Chernobyl's health effects were mainly "psychological." This 
heavily criticized report didn't even consider the health of the 
"liquidators," or the evacuees from the 18-mile exclusion zone, 
8,000 of whom are now known to have died from radiation related 
diseases. (10)
z The IAEA study failed to mention the lengthy latency period for 
observed cancer incidence. This cavalier white-wash of the 
disaster's inevitable results came from a nominal nuclear 
watchdog, which in fact is only the most prestigious booster of 
nuclear power. "After all the IAEA is in the business of 
promoting nuclear energy not discouraging it. For ten years the 
agency has attempted to downplay the consequences of the 
accident," wrote Dr. Alexander R. Sich in a cover story for the 
May/June Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. (11) The IAEA, still 
sticking in its vacuum, said in 1995 that any increase in cancer 
caused by Chernobyl would be "undetectable." (11.1)

Editors across the country have embraced the IAEA' s dismissive 
attitude, distracting readers with headlines like, "Area Frozen 
In Fear," "Citizens Still Suffering Radiation Phobia," and "The 
Legacy of Chernobyl: Fear is the Deeper Wound." A dread of 
radiation doesn't appear irrational in view of last year's report 
that "A second catastrophic explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear 
plant in Ukraine could happen "at any time," Western scientists 
have warned." (12)

Reality Officially Forgotten

A short review of Chernobyl's fallout pattern shows how 
irresponsible the late reporting has become. AP, 15 May 1986: 
"Airborne radioactivity from the Chernobyl nuclear accident is 
now so widespread that it is likely to fall to the ground 
wherever it rains in the United States, the EPA said." AP, 14 May 
1986: "An invisible cloud of radioactivity spewed over the Soviet 
Union and Europe, and has worked its way gradually around the 
world." AP, 15 May 1986: "State authorities in Oregon have warned 
residents dependent solely on rainwater for drinking that they 
should arrange other supplies for the time being." Minneapolis 
Star Tribune, 17 May 1986: "Since radiation from the Chernobyl 
nuclear accident began floating over Minnesota last week, low 
levels of radiation have been discovered in... the raw milk from 
a Minnesota dairy." AP, 4 April 1996: "Plutonium and other 
dangerous particles released in the accident...have now found 
their way to Ukraine's major waterways. ... 'We have billions of 
tons of radiated earth that can't be dumped anywhere, and which 
will pour plutonium, cesium and strontium into Europe for 
decades,' [the chief consultant to the Ukrainian parliament's 
Chernobyl commission] said." Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, May 
1996, p. 38: "...radiation contamination was detectable over the 
entire northern hemisphere."

With so much disparity among so many figures, we may never know 
the true dimensions of Chernobyl's radiation bomb.

Notes:

(1) NYT, Op-Ed, 5 April 1996.

(2) International Herald Tribune, 2 April 1996.

(3) Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 14 April 1996.


(4) Minneapolis Star Tribune, 21 April 1996.

(5) St. Paul Pioneer, 27 April 1996.

(6) NYT, 21 April 1996, The Week In Review.

(7) NYT, 26 April 1996, signed editorial by Philip
Taubman

(8) Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 1988.

(9) In These Times, 22 April 1987.

(10) AP, 23 April 1992; WISE News Communiqué,
(Amsterdam) No. 449, 10 April 1996.

(11) Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, May 1996, p.
38.

(11.1) Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, May/June
1996, p. 8.

(12) The London Observer, 26 March 1995; Milwaukee
Journal, 27 March 1995.


-- John M. LaForge is codirector of Nukewatch, a peace group 
based in Wisconsin, and editor of its quarterly newsletter, the 
Pathfinder.

© Copyright 2000 Star Tribune. All rights reserved

Half Lives and Half Truths: Chernobyl Ten Years On-Part 2:

By John M. LaForge ã

(Second of two parts)

The 10th anniversary was no party.

"I have seen the beginning of the end of the world," is how 
Michael Mariotte, editor of The Nuclear Monitor, put it after 
visiting Chernobyl's doomed landscape, everything dead or dying 
for miles around. "The end of the world begins in Pripyat, 
Ukraine, a once-thriving city of 45,000. Now it sits crumbling, 
abandoned, a mute but overwhelming testament to technological 
arrogance gone amok."1

Pripyat was the city nearest Chernobyl's Unit 4, the reactor that 
exploded on April 26, 1986 and burned dangerously until October, 
spewing tons of cancer-causing isotopes around the world.2

Mr. Mariotte is not known for emotional writing in The Monitor, 
but anyone who can stand to investigate the unfolding human 
consequences of the world's worst industrial catastrophe can 
understand his choice of words. Izvestia called it "the greatest 
technological catastrophe in world h istory."3

Cancers and other disease caused by Chernobyl's radioactive 
poisons are being recorded thousands of kilometers from the 
reactor site. The ninety million people who lived in the path of 
the very worst fallout are learning the hard way that damage done 
by ionizing radiation is unrelenting, cumulative and 
irreversible.

In the first part of this article (Spring 1996 Pathfinder) I 
compared the recent trivialization of Chernobyl's consequences to 
news accounts that appeared soon after the explosions and fire. 
For example, while the commercial press now tell us that the 
disaster "spread radiation across parts of Europe," the fact is 
that the federal EPA announced in mid-May 1986 that, "Airborne 
radioactivity from the Chernobyl nuclear accident is now so 
widespread that it is likely to fall to the ground wherever it 
rains in the United States."4

In this part I look at how much radiation Chernobyl evidently 
dumped added to the "background," at official skewing of the its 
inevitable long-term effects, and at recent reports of its human 
health consequences.


Answers are Blowin' in the Wind

How much radiation was released? What percentage of which 
isotopes were thrown into the atmosphere. Was it mostly 
iodine-131? How much of the total was made up of the far more 
dangerous cesium-137, strontium-90 and plutonium?

Piecing together the truth is a dizzying job of ferreting out 
bias and vested interest. The pro-nuclear Time magazine reported 
in 1989 that perhaps "one billion or more" curies were released, 
rather than the 50 to 80 million estimated by Russian 
authorities.5 One curie is the amount of radiation equal to the 
disintegration of 37 billion atoms ¾ 37 billion becquerels ¾ per 
second. It is a very large amount of radiation.

The U.S. government's Argonne Nat. Lab has said that 30 percent 
of the reactor's total radioactivity ¾ 3 billion of an estimated 
9 billion curies ¾ was released.6 And scientists at the U.S. 
Lawrence Livermore Nat. Lab suggested that one-half of the core's 
radioactivity was spewed ¾ 4.5 billion curies, according the 
World Information Service on Energy, quoting Science, 6-13-86.

Vladimir Chernousenko, the chief scientific supervisor of the 
"clean up" team responsible for a 10-kilometer zone around the 
exploded reactor, says that 80 percent of the reactor's 
radioactivity escaped, something like seven billion curies.7 At 
the Union of Concerned Scientists, senior energy analyst Kennedy 
Maize, concluded that "the core vaporized" ¾ all 190 tons of 
fuel, and all 9 billion curies.8

Former Chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Joseph 
Hendrie, concluded likewise, saying "They have dumped the full 
inventory of volatile fission products from a large power reactor 
into the environment. You can't do any worse than that."9

The Russians and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) 
claimed in a 1986 report, that 50 million curies of radioactive 
debris, plus another 50 million curies of rare and inert gasses 
were discharged. However, the rocketing incidence of cancers, 
leukemias and other radiation-induced illnesses, leads scientists 
to suspect that the higher radioactive fallout estimates are 
likely. Pandemic numbers of thyroid cancers led even the cautious 
Dr. Alexander Sich, in his Chernobyl cover story for the May 1996 
Bulletin of Atomic Scientists to conclude that the "higher 
[radiation] release estimates support the conclusions drawn by 
medical experts."

Geneticist Valery N. Soyfer, founder of the former Soviet Union's 
first molecular biology laboratory, analyzed the 1986 report to 
the IAEA, which has since been condemned as a cover-up. Dr. 
Soyfer says that if only 100 million curies were vented, then 
world "background radiation doubled at once."10 This claim was 
unsupported by accompanying evidence, but if "background" was 
doubled by 100 million curies, then it was multiplied 180 times 
by the release of Chernobyl's "full inventory." Nineteen months 
after the disaster, in Nov. 1987, the U.S. government officially 
doubled its estimate of the "background" radiation to which we 
are exposed every year.11


Thyroid Cancers: More, Sooner, Untreatable

Dr. Soyfer further discovered that the Soviets focused on and 
publicized the fallout's radioactive iodine content, but 
understated the amounts of other far more dangerous isotopes. 
While 10 to 15 percent of the fallout was iodine-131, the 
long-lived radionuclides strontium-90 and cesium-137 made up more 
than two thirds of the total contamination.12

Furthermore, the Soviet's 1986 estimate of future cancer deaths 
was based only on the impact of iodine-131, and then only on 
external doses. As a result, the IAEA misled the world about 
Chernobyl' s cancer threat. People contaminated with iodine-131 
ingested it, first by breathing, then by drinking contaminated 
milk for six weeks. Thyroid cancer is caused by the iodine-131. 
Its rates are today ten times higher than the increase any 
scientist had anticipated. The U. N. has said that the number of 
thyroid cancers among children in Belarus ¾ where 70 percent of 
the fallout landed ¾ are 285 times pre-Chernobyl levels.13
z The British Medical Journal reported in 1995 that the rate of 
thyroid cancer in the region north of Chernobyl¾ Ukraine and 
Belarus¾ is 200 times higher than normal, and the (British) 
Imperial Cancer Research Fund found a 500 percent increase in 
thyroid cancers among Ukrainian children between 1986 and 1993.14

Fear is growing among physicians treating the young radiation 
victims, because the thyroid cancers are appearing sooner than 
expected and growing quicker than usual. Dr. Andrei Butenko, at 
Kiev Hospital No. 1 in Ukraine, says of his patients, "Routine 
chemotherapy seems to have lost its effectiveness; something has 
changed in the immune system."15

Cesium's Genetic Assault: the 300 Years War

Cesium-137 contamination is probably Chernobyl's most devastating 
and ominous consequence. The body can't distinguish cesium from 
potassium, so it's taken up by our cells and becomes an internal 
source of radiation. Cesium-137 is a gamma emitter and its 
half-life of 30 years means that it stays in the soil, to 
concentrate in the food chain, for over 300 years. While 
iodine-131 remains radioactive for six weeks, cesium-137 stays in 
the body for decades, concentrating in muscle where it irradiates 
muscle cells and nearby organs.16
z Strontium-90 is also long-lived and, because it resembles 
calcium, is permanently incorporated into bone tissue where it 
may lead to leukemia.

The Soviet's acknowledged in 1986 that the influence of 
cesium-137 on cancer death rates would be nine times that of 
iodine-131. They said that the effects of strontium-90 would 
"perhaps have, along with cesium-137, the most important 
meaning."17


Early Findings Go from Bad to Worse

Exposure to radiation more often results in genetic and 
reproductive damage than cancer. These hereditary disorders are 
unlimited in time, since they pass from generation to generation 
in the sperm and ovum. So, as geneticist Soyfer points out, 
Chernobyl's enduring biological legacy will be that of inherited 
diseases, deformities, developmental abnormalities, spontaneous 
abortions and premature births.

Some recent epidemiological studies confirm the worst of these 
inevitable effects. The June 25, 1995 Washington Post reported 
that birth defects in the areas most heavily poisoned have 
doubled since 1986.

In a long page one story, the Aug. 2, 1995 New York Times 
reported that life expectancy has plummeted in Russia, making it 
the first nation in history to ever experience such a public 
health status reversal. Male life expectancy is now the lowest in 
the world (below even India or Bolivia) and, at the same time, 
infant mortality rose 15 percent in both 1993 and 1994, and there 
are now epidemic rates of heart disease and cancer. dr. David 
Hoel, an epidemiologist at the Medical University of S. Carolina, 
is studying whether Chernobyl's radiation is a major factor in 
the spread in cancers and birth defects. "Everyone assumes the 
connection," he said.

The journal Nature has published a study of children born in 1994 
to mothers exposed to Chernobyl's fallout in 1986. Researchers 
studied 79 families 186 miles from Chernobyl and found 
never-before-observed "germ-line" mutations: changes in DNA of 
the sperm and ovum. Such mutations are passed on from generation 
to generation.18

Nature has also reported that in Greece, 2,800 kilometers from 
Chernobyl, where radiation exposures were far lower than in areas 
close to the reactor, leukemia has been diagnosed at rates 2.6 
times the norm in young people who were in the womb when the 
reactor exploded. The British epidemiologist Dr. Alice Stewart 
found long ago that only one diagnostic X-ray to the pregnant 
abdomen increases the risk of leukemia in the offspring by 40 
percent.19 However, the report from Greece is the first to link 
Chernobyl's wreckage to increased leukemia incidence in children 
exposed in utero.20 The report has moved some experts to again 
warn that the low levels of radiation to which people are exposed 
every day "could contribute to cancer."

Even the stodgy New York Times has reported that "cancers are now 
believed to be the result of smaller [radiation] doses, and the 
amount of damage inflicted by a given dose is now believed to be 
larger."21
z In a related study, two U.S. geneticists analyzing animals 
inside Chernobyl's 6-mile radius found that small rodents known 
as voles "sustain an extraordinary amount of genetic damage." The 
study found that "the mutation rate in these animals 
is...probably thousands of times greater than normal." Two 
findings called "ominous" were, first, that one-third of the 
mutations that the scientists expected to see were not even 
detected ¾ probably because they were lethal. "It could be that 
the animals were never born," said Dr. Robert Becker of Texas 
Technical Univ. Second, "the vole mutations were cumulative, 
increasing with each succeeding generation." Both researchers 
doubted that any species could sustain such a mutation rate 
indefinitely.22

Acceptable Whole-Earth Poisoning

The extent of Chernobyl's radioactive, biological and ecological 
damage, and the depth its psychological and economic devastation 
are incalculable.

What everyone does know about nuclear reactors is that they have 
a record of whole-earth poisoning, and that their potential for 
more of the same is considered acceptable ¾ authorized in 
advance. This potential, for unlimited and uncontrollable 
radiation "accidents," has been deliberately developed, promoted, 
protected, ignored and then denied, or forgotten.

Sadly, denial and forgetfulness only make another Chernobyl 
inevitable.

Notes:

1 The Nuclear Monitor, newsletter of Nuclear
Information Resource Service (NIRS), April 1996.

2 St. Louis Post Dispatch (SLPD), 7-23-90.

3 SLPD, 4-26-90.

4 Associated Press, 5-15-86.

5 Time, 11-13-89.

6 The Chicago Tribune, 6-22-86.

7 "The Truth About Chernobyl," Critical Mass: Voices for a 
Nuclear-Free Future, Ruggiero and Sahulka, Eds., 1996 by Open 
Media, p. 127.

8 Not Man Apart, the journal of Friends of the Earth, March 1987.

9 The Minneapolis Star Tribune, 5-19-86.

10 SLPD, 4-24-87.

11 The New York Times, 11-20-87.

12 SLPD, 4-24-87.

13 The New York Times, 11-29-96.

14 The Washington Post, 3-25-95.

15 Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 12-12-94.

16 Caldicott, H., Nuclear Madness, 1994, Norton,
p. 137.

17 SLPD, 4-24-87.

18 The New York Times, 4-25-96.

19 Caldicott, Ibid., p. 43.

20 St. Paul Pioneer, 7-25-96.

21 The New York Times, 6-23-96.

22 The New York Times, 5-7-96, B6. --end--

(Part One ran in NUKEWATCH The Pathfinder, Summer 1996, part Two 
in Winter 1996/1997 EDITION; an edited compilation of both parts 
is published in Earth Island Journal, Summer 1997, EIJ, 300 
Broadway, No. 28, San Francisco, CA 94133.)

JOHN LaFORGE

Nukewatch
P.O. Box 649
Luck, WI 54853
Phone (715) 472-4185
Fax (715) 472-4184
Web http://www.nukewatch.com


*****************************************************************
 12 London Times: 80% of Chernobyl Children Hardest Hit Have Heart Irregularities,
 
Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2007 15:46:07 -0700

http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/07/22/stifgneeu03001.html

July 22 2001 EASTERN EUROPE

 Chernobyl exposé scientist is jailed
      Peter Conradi

 Lukashenko: dodging truth
          ©

      A LEADING Belarussian scientist who tried to highlight the disastrous
effects of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster on the health of the
country's children has been sentenced to eight years in a labour camp.

      The jailing of Yuri Bandazhevsky, the former dean of the medical
institute in the southern city of Gomel, appears to be part of a
long-running campaign by President Alexander Lukashenko to play down the
consequences of the world's worst nuclear accident.

      Lukashenko presides over arguably Europe's most repressive regime.
Reviled in the West, he was accused by two top former officials last week of
helping to set up a death squad blamed for the disappearance of four
opposition politicians in the past two years.

      Bandazhevsky was convicted by a military court, ostensibly of taking
bribes in exchange for college admission. He denied the corruption charge
but, under Belarussian law, has no right of appeal. His family fears for his
health as jail food is virtually inedible and he is receiving no medical
attention for a stomach ulcer.

      Amnesty International and other human rights groups monitoring the
case said his conviction was linked to work aimed at establishing the full
extent of damage caused by Chernobyl.

      Human rights campaigners say the catalyst for Bandazhevsky's arrest
was a study of children close to Gomel, 80 miles northeast of the Chernobyl
plant. It found that 80% of children who had been exposed to the highest
levels of radiation had irregular heart rhythms and other cardiac disorders
which, in many cases, proved fatal.

      "He has been breaking new ground," said Solange Fernex, a former
French MEP and head of a group campaigning against the conviction. "Nobody
has been able to carry out the number of autopsies he has done to show the
effect of radiation on people's organs."

      Belarus was especially badly hit by the Chernobyl accident. As much as
23% of the land was contaminated by the radioactive cloud, and some 500,000
children and nearly 2m adults are believed to live in the worst affected
areas.

      Lukashenko, who took to the streets of Minsk earlier this month on
inline skates for Belarus's independence day, ahead of a re-election battle
in September, has urged the international community to help with the
clean-up. At home, however, he has refused to acknowledge the extent of the
damage caused.

      Vasily Nesterenko, the director of the Belarussian institute for
radiation security, said Bandazhevsky had been arrested soon after sending
Lukashenko a letter complaining about the handling of the clean-up. "He was
jailed because the health ministry does not like his findings," Nesterenko
said.





</x-flowed>
*****************************************************************
 13 The Hindu: India has to go in for nuclear power in a big way - Kalam

Friday, April 27, 2007 : 1635 Hrs

Athens, April. 27 (PTI): Asserting that energy independence is 
India's first and highest priority, President A P J Abdul Kalam 
today said the country has to go in for nuclear power in a big 
way using thorium-based reactors.

"Energy independence is India's first and highest priority. We are
determined to achieve this by the year 2030 through three different
sources -- renewable energy, electrical power from nuclear energy
and hydro-power for the transportation sector," Kalam said
addressing scientists of Greek's National Centre for Scientific
Research Demokritos here.

Pointing out that energy independence threw very important
technological challenges to the world, Kalam told the scientists of
Greece, a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, that there was a
need for converting thorium into a fissile material using fast
breeder technology.

"India has to go in for nuclear power generation in a big way using
thorium-based reactors. Thorium, a non-fissile material is available
in abundance in our country.

"Intensive research is essential for converting thorium for
maximising its utilisation and generating electric power through
thorium-based reactors," Kalam said.

Calling for greater cooperation between Greece and Indian
scientists, the President listed seven areas -- energy sector,
nuclear power generation, Proteomics, HIV/AIDS, stem cell,
earthquake and rainfall -- where the two countries could begin
research together.

On HIV/AIDS, Kalam noted that there had been progress in testing the
vaccines for prevention from the disease.

"It is indeed a big challenge for life science scientists to develop
an integrated vaccine leading to production in three years time," he
said, adding similarly stem cell research has to be pursued in a
mission mode for finding a cure for many diseases.

On earthquake and rainfall, the President said it was essential for
the two countries to work on a mission mode research for forecasting
quakes and rainfall.

"...the necessity for a global monsoon research to determine the
intensity and quantum of rain in a particular cloud condition,
through a validated prediction system with detailed research" was
the need of the hour, he said.

Similarly, the President said, it was necessary to forecast
earthquakes using multiple parameters with precursors such as
pre-shock conditions, electro-magnetic phenomena prior to final
rupture and atmospheric and ionospheric anomalies.

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the
*****************************************************************
 14 Herald Sun: N-industry won't glow overnight 

NEWS.com.au |

Mandi Zonneveldt

April 28, 2007 12:00am

THE Australian Labor Party is today expected to overturn its
long-standing ban on new uranium mines -- without opening up a
nuclear free-for-all for miners.
The ALP is likely to leave the final decision on whether to allow
new uranium mines up to the states, meaning mining could still be
blocked by Labor state governments despite the outcome of the vote
at Labor's national conference in Sydney.

There is also concern that the ALP's new policy could come with
strings attached.

A draft amendment to be put to the conference is believed to include
stringent conditions on nuclear waste and a ban on uranium
enrichment.

Industry players are also concerned Labor might impose stricter
rules on environmental management, transport and exports.

Association of Mining and Exploration Companies chief executive
Justin Walawski said yesterday conditions imposed on uranium mining
in Australia were already among the world's most stringent.

He said any move to make mining uranium harder would undermine the
ALP's change in policy.

"It will replace a flawed policy with a flawed policy and in terms
of its benefit to the national economy and global environment is as
worthwhile as giving a bike to a fish," he said.

Explorers with projects in South Australia and the Northern
Territory will benefit most from the ALP's policy backflip.

South Australian Premier Mike Rann has backed the change and is
likely to allow new mines to go ahead, while the Federal Government
-- which supports uranium mining -- has the power to approve new
mines in the NT.

While Western Australia is home to some of the country's most
promising prospects, uranium mining is unlikely to happen for now.

WA Premier Alan Carpenter has declared there will be no uranium
mining in the state as long as he is in the job but he could face
pressure from Rio Tinto, which wants to develop its Kintyre deposit
in WA.

Rio chief executive Leigh Clifford yesterday called for sensible
debate on the issue.

"We'll be looking to expand our capacity and I think there is a real
opportunity for Australia and Western Australia to participate in
that," Mr Clifford said in Perth.

There is also a fierce battle in Queensland for control of the
Valhalla and Skal uranium deposits.

Paladin Resources was last night expected to extend its bid for
Summit Resources -- its partner in the Queensland project -- after
gaining acceptances from 48 per cent of shareholders, but it now has
French nuclear giant Areva with which to contend.

Areva has built a blocking stake in Summit.

The Summit board ended talks with Areva and recommended Paladin's
$1.23 billion bid after Queensland Premier Peter Beattie backed away
from earlier suggestions he would support uranium mining if the
ALP's ban was overturned.

Mr Beattie said Queensland would allow uranium mining if it was
mandated by the national conference.

"If it's left to the discretion of the states, then we will continue
with the existing policy, that is we will not mine it," he said.

Federal Resources Minister Ian Macfarlane said yesterday any change
to the policy was meaningless if it allowed state governments to
continue their bans.

Australia exported about $560 million worth of uranium last year but
the Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics predicts
that could almost triple to $1.4 billion by 2012.

The price of uranium soared to $US113 a pound two weeks ago as
stocks of the nuclear fuel declined.

© Herald and Weekly Times. All times AEST (GMT + 10).
*****************************************************************
 15 India Times: Time to move ahead of Chernobyl disaster-

PTI[ FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2007 10:55:57 AM]

UNITED NATIONS: Remembering the victims of the world's worst 
nuclear power reactor accident in Chernobyl, United Nations 
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said while the pain caused by 
it should never be forgotten, it was imperative to move forward.

"While paying respect to the past, we need to take stock of the 
present and look ahead to the future," he said in a statement on 
the occasion of 21st anniversary of the disaster which displaced 
330,000 people, caused cancer to over 5,000 children and left 
million traumatised.

Given that science points to the possibility of a return to 
normal life for people living in regions affected by the 
disaster, Ban called for sustainable social and economic 
development, the creation of new jobs, an influx of investment 
and the reinstatement of a sense of self-sufficiency.

"The communities affected by Chernobyl have shown great 
resilience in coping with a disaster of tremendous magnitude," he 
noted, urging the "international community to do its part in 
helping them to bring a region so rich in history and potential 
fully back to life".

Ban paid tribute to the hundreds of emergency workers who risked 
their lives to respond to the accident and the thousands who 
worked to build a shelter around the damaged reactor. In 1986, 
explosions destroyed Chernobyl's Unit 4 reactor core, sending a 
cloud of radionuclides over parts of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.

Copyright © 2007 Times Internet Limited. All rights reserved. For
reprint rights: Times Syndication Service
*****************************************************************
 16 FT.com: British Energy in talks over nuclear reactors

By Rebecca Bream and Ed Crooks

Published: April 27 2007 03:00 | Last updated: April 27 2007 03:00

EDF Energy is in talks with British Energy about building nuclear 
power stations together, and hopes to have the first reactor 
connected to the grid by Christmas 2017, its chief executive told 
the Financial Times.

Vincent de Rivaz said he had a design for a new reactor ready to 
present to the authorities as soon as he was given the go-ahead. 
It would be the first nuclear power station to be built in 
Britain for 30 years.

The rest of this article is for FT.com subscribers only






* Â© Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2007. "FT" and "Financial
*****************************************************************
 17 E&ETV: Nuclear: CASEnergy's Patrick Moore explains move from Greenpeace
founder to nuclear energy advocate

TRANSCRIPT: OnPoint, 04/23/2007 

Videos:

As discussions about Yucca Mountain and the Global Nuclear Energy
Partnership continue on Capitol Hill, nuclear power advocates are
pushing this energy source as a viable way to reduce the United
States' consumption of fossil fuels. During today's OnPoint, Patrick
Moore, co-founder of Clean and Safe Energy Coalition (CASEnergy) and
founder of Greenpeace, explains his transition from Greenpeace, an
anti-nuclear group, to CASEnergy, an organization that supports the
implementation and expansion of nuclear power in the United States.
Moore addresses proliferation concerns associated with nuclear and
explains the technological hurdles that stand in the way of broader
implementation of nuclear energy. Moore also discusses the questions
surrounding Yucca Mountain and the storage of spent nuclear waste.


Transcript


Mary O'Driscoll: Welcome to OnPoint. I'm Mary O'Driscoll. Our guest
today is Patrick Moore of the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition.
Thanks for joining us today.

Patrick Moore: Nice to be here Mary.

Mary O'Driscoll: Dr. Moore you were one of the founding members of
Greenpeace, an environmental group that is quite decidedly
anti-nuclear. But now you're an environmental consultant and
co-chairman of the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition, a nuclear
industry group, or it's sponsored originally by. And now it's a
group that encompasses a lot of businesses and individuals that
support nuclear power. How did your change of heart come about?

Patrick Moore: Well, you know actually the reason we started
Greenpeace was because we were against nuclear war and nuclear
weapons testing. It wasn't really a group that started against
nuclear energy. And I think we made the mistake early on of lumping
the peaceful use of nuclear in with the war-like use of nuclear. And
I've come to realize that it doesn't make sense to ban the
beneficial uses of a technology just because that technology can be
used for evil. I mean otherwise they wouldn't have harnessed fire.
Car bombs are made with diesel oil, fertilizer, and an automobile.
We're not about to ban the useful, beneficial uses of those three
things. So I've had a change of thinking over the years. Back then,
and maybe it was understandable that we made this mistake in logic,
as I think it was at the time, but it's very clear to me that today,
in today's environment of concern for climate change and concern for
clean air that nuclear energy satisfies both those concerns. It is
both clean from the point of view of air pollution and air pollution
from fossil fuels is one of the biggest public health concerns we
have in the country and in the world. And it's also clean from a
climate change point of view. It doesn't emit carbon dioxide like
fossil fuels do.

Mary O'Driscoll: OK. We'll get to that in just a minute. I wanted to
note environmental group representatives, by and large, really don't
want anything to do with you. They say that you're doing this for
the nuclear industry's money and that you really have no
environmental constituency to speak of. How do you respond to those
kinds of things, those kinds of accusations?

Patrick Moore: Well, just off the top, some very notable
environmentalists have supported nuclear energy now and for the same
reasons I do. Among those is James Lovelock, the father of the Gaia
hypothesis; Stewart Brand, the founder of Whole Earth catalog; Tim
Flannery from Australia who is a longtime speaker and thinker on
environmental issues, the author of the book "The Weather Makers,"
about climate change; Jared Diamond, the author of "Guns, Germs, and
Steel," and the book "Collapse" has recently come out in favor of
nuclear energy. So there's a lot of independent thinkers in the
environmental field, like myself, who recognize this. Now if you're
in Greenpeace or the Sierra Club you're not allowed to say you're in
favor of nuclear energy even if you have changed your mind or
changed your thinking. It's kind of like considered heresy. I don't
believe in working in that kind of environment. In fact, that's one
of the reasons I left the organized environmental movement when I
left Greenpeace, is because I want to be able to have an
intellectual discussion and I don't want people telling me that I
can't say certain things or else I'm going to be kicked out or
something. I mean what kind of environment is that to be working in?
I'm a free thinker. I believe we need to be able to change our
opinions in the face of new information and new circumstances. And
certainly here we are in the year 2007 with climate change at the
very top of the international political and environmental agenda.

Mary O'Driscoll: Not to mention the safety agenda, national security
and that kind of thing.

Patrick Moore: Absolutely. All of these issues, energy security, air
pollution, the geopolitical considerations, the fact that we're
burning up our fossil fuels at a ridiculous rate. And it took 300
million years for those fossil fuels to be created and we're burning
them up in the few centuries. That's hardly a model of conservation.
Whereas, there's only one good thing to do with uranium, and that is
to make nuclear power for running our civilization. Whereas, fossil
fuels can be used to make plastics and fertilizers and chemical
feedstocks and we're just burning them all up at a fast rate. So
there's all kinds of good reasons why we should reduce fossil fuel
consumption. Then when you do the arithmetic it becomes very clear
that that cannot be accomplished with renewables alone. Windmills
and solar panels cannot replace all the fossil fuels in this world;
86 percent of our total energy supply is coming from fossil fuels.
The only technologies that can really effectively work to replace
fossil fuels are nuclear and hydroelectric. And because
hydroelectric is largely built to capacity in most of the industrial
countries you really come down to a choice between fossil fuels like
coal and natural gas versus nuclear energy for producing the
majority of our base of electrical energy that's on the grid.

Mary O'Driscoll: OK. Well, worldwide now it looks like many people
are really jumping on the nuclear bandwagon. You have the finance
ministers from the G-7 industrialized nations just embrace nuclear
in a meeting last week. You've got the New York Times recently
writing an article, a front-page article, about how even Middle
Eastern countries are interested now in nuclear power and want to
start building reactors. But amid all this enthusiasm for it,
particularly when you're looking at the situation in the Middle
East, isn't there a big fear of the proliferation concerns that you
mentioned, that early on it was that Greenpeace that, the idea was
that you were against nuclear war? But it's very difficult to be
able to separate the two when you're talking about nuclear materials
that can be turned into dirty bombs, nuclear bombs, any of that kind
of thing. So how do you handle that?

Patrick Moore: It's unfortunate that a lot of activists insist on
making us connect those two things as if they're one and the same,
nuclear weapons and nuclear energy, but it isn't true. First thing,
you don't need a nuclear reactor to make a nuclear weapon. With the
new centrifuge technology you just enrich uranium. That's what Iran
is suspected of doing. So there's no nuclear reactor involved in
that. They aren't even connected in that sense, because it's easier
to make a nuclear bomb with centrifuge technology than it is to use
the plutonium from used nuclear fuel after you've had to build a
nuclear reactor as well for billions of dollars. Secondly, do you
think that if we shut down all the civilian reactors on this planet,
there's over 440 of them, that the generals would give up their bomb
making reactors? Because the plutonium and uranium that is being
made for the military is not coming out of the civilian reactors.
That's coming from special reactors and enrichment plants that
belong to the military in the various nuclear capable countries.

Mary O'Driscoll: Well, but a lot of these countries, such as Iran,
you cited them, India, they are developing nuclear and the fear is
that they're developing nuclear weapons under the guise of
developing nuclear power. And so it is connected in that way, that
they're talking about how they need nuclear power, but the fear is
that they're really developing nuclear weapons. So how can you calm
people's fears about that kind of a link?

Patrick Moore: Well, this is a problem with these countries and we
can't control what everybody in the world does. Maybe in the end
force is necessary, but the fact is, is countries like the United
States and China and Britain and Russia and France and Great
Britain, they have separated their military and civilian nuclear
industries. There is no relationship in the United States for
example between civilian nuclear power and military use of nuclear
technology. I mean I'm in favor of banning the bomb. That's how I
started in life. I don't know that's ever going to happen or whether
it's realistic, but the more we can reduce the number of nuclear
weapons and the more we can restrict the spread of those weapons the
better. But on the other hand that doesn't have very much to do with
nuclear energy. Yes, under the guise of is one matter, but that's
just cloak and dagger stuff and secrecy and we don't really know
what Iran's intentions are. But we're not going to change that if we
shut down all the nuclear plants in the world. That wouldn't change
Iran. Iran would still be trying to get nuclear technology. Those
issues are diplomatic issues and issues of making treaties and
issues for the United Nations. And in the final analysis, maybe we
have to use force in some cases to prevent the proliferation of
nuclear weapons.

Mary O'Driscoll: Right.

Patrick Moore: But in terms of nuclear power we need clean and safe
energy and nuclear energy is the way to go and isn't really
connected to nuclear weapons in any direct sense.

Mary O'Driscoll: OK. I wanted to shift gears a little bit. The
nuclear industry in the United States has been essentially moribund
for 25 or 30 years and there's very little left of the
infrastructure that the United States at one time had to be able to
build the facilities and to build all the parts to manufacture it.
We're having to depend on importing them from other countries and
that there's a huge concern about the need to do mass hiring of
engineers and other technical jobs for these new jobs that are going
to be created by all this new construction, this new nuclear
construction. And the fear is that there are going to be a lot of
competing interests. The industry needs them, the regulators need
them and so there's going to be this big fight over this and that
there may be a shortage of workers and very expensive high prices
for parts and for the pieces of the reactors. It's not exactly a
rosy scenario I would think if you're trying to have this
renaissance of this nuclear industry when the prices are going up.
The price of fuel is going up. Uranium prices have risen. You've got
worker shortages and we're having to import a lot of the
technologies.

Patrick Moore: Well, the fact is the price of all energy resources
is going up, but there's never been any problem with ramping up
technologies. I mean we know how to do that. You start training more
people. You start building more factories to supply the materials
that are needed. It does take time, but we can ramp up pretty
quickly when we want to. We are very good at that in our industrial
society. So as far as I can see the demand is there now. Countries
want more nuclear power, from Finland to Brazil to Argentina to
France to Canada. Canada has made the decision to build new nuclear
as the United States appears to be going forward with a number of
new plants. So this is an international phenomenon. It's called a
nuclear renaissance. More people are enrolling now in nuclear
science and nuclear engineering. And so there will be a build-up
period of five or 10 years, but then we will have the capacity to
start rolling out nuclear power at a much higher level than we've
even had in the past.

Mary O'Driscoll: OK. We're almost out of time and I almost regret
having to leave this question for last, but it's the nuclear waste
question. That for a lot of environmentalists who oppose nuclear
power they've always considered nuclear waste the Achilles' heel of
the U.S. nuclear industry because Yucca Mountain is already a couple
of decades behind, there's still a question about whether it's
actually going to be built, whether we support it or not. And so
there's just this huge question overhanging all of this through the
progress that the industry has made with its operations. It's gotten
better. The record's gotten better. Things are starting to fall into
place for constructing a new nuclear power plant, but still you've
got the Yucca Mountain situation sitting out there. How would you
like to see that handled?

Patrick Moore: Well, I don't really see that the nuclear waste or
used nuclear fuel issue is such a pressing problem. No one is being
injured by it, whereas, tens of thousands of people are dying from
respiratory diseases that strictly linked the emissions from fossil
fuels. It's the fossil fuel industries whose waste is out of control
and who are causing to the general population and to the environment
through CO2 emissions and the concern for climate change. The waste
from the nuclear industry is fully contained and has never leaked
out anywhere and isn't going to. I think people have this idea that
the waste is kind of roiling around inside these containers trying
to get out. It's little solid pellets. It's sort of like putting
bricks in concrete. The bricks aren't going to just like run out of
there. They're just going to stay there. And these containers are
extremely solid. They're good for 100 or more years. And if we need
to repackage the material in the future that is easily done. So, in
fact, the waste issue is under control. It is safely and securely
stored and at some point in the future it will be recycled in order
to recapture the tremendous amount of fuel and energy that's still
in those fuel rods after the first cycle. That may not happen for 30
years. It may not happen for 50 years. I don't think that really
matters. I just think we need to keep the nuclear waste safely and
securely stored, which engineers are quite capable of doing, which
is being done every day now as we speak at 103 reactors around the
country. I don't really think there's a big danger from it.

Mary O'Driscoll: OK. Well, we're going to have to end on that note.
I'd like to thank Dr. Patrick Moore for joining us today. I'm Mary
O'Driscoll. Thank you for joining us. This is OnPoint.

[End of Audio]

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 18 RIA Novosti: Putin orders govt. to restructure nuclear energy industry

20:26 | 27/ 04/ 2007
 
MOSCOW, April 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin
has signed a decree to restructure Russia's nuclear energy industry,
the presidential press secretary said.

The official text will be released later, he said.

A source in the Federal Agency for Nuclear Power (Rosatom) said a
government corporation to run the industry (Atomenergoprom) will be
created by January 2008.

Rosatom said previously Atomenergoprom, which will be wholly
controlled by the government, will be a full-cycle corporation
engaged in activities ranging from uranium extraction, fuel
production and electric power generation, to the construction of
nuclear power plants, both at home and abroad.

The new body will exercise centralized control over the civilian
nuclear power sector following the merger of four existing nuclear
power "dinosaurs" - TVEL, Techsnabexport, Rosenergoatom and
Atomstroyexport.

It also said Russia could expand its uranium ore production and
become third in the world in terms of identified uranium ore
reserves in the future.

In his annual state of the nation address to parliament Thursday,
Putin said power generation is a high priority for the Russian
economy, in which 12 trillion rubles ($467.1 billion) will be
invested by 2020.

"A major structural reform will be implemented - in effect, the
country's second comprehensive electrification," he said. "Power
generation in Russia is to grow 66% by 2020."

The president said that new power plants would be built, existing
ones modernized and the power grid expanded and diversified.

He said nuclear power would remain a priority, and proposed the
establishment of a corporation to streamline the nuclear industry.

"Thirty nuclear power plants were built in the country during the
Soviet period. And we need to build another 26, based on the latest
technology," Putin. "I propose setting up a corporation to integrate
nuclear power enterprises operating on domestic and foreign markets."

Commenting on the president's remarks, Rosatom Director Sergei
Kiriyenko said the corporation would be designed to ensure the
effective and efficient operation of the nuclear power sector.


RIA Novosti
*****************************************************************
 19 RIA Novosti: Putin orders govt. to establish nuclear energy co. by July 1

22:16 | 27/ 04/ 2007
 
MOSCOW, April 27 (RIA Novosti) - President Putin has ordered the
government to set up a nuclear energy corporation by July 1, 2007
and transfer the stock of the industry's enterprises to its charter
capital, a presidential decree said Friday.

It said the new joint-stock company, designed to run the country's
nuclear power industry, will be entirely controlled by the state.

Putin signed a decree to restructure Russia's nuclear energy
industry earlier today, the presidential press secretary said.

A source in the Federal Agency for Nuclear Power (Rosatom) said
previously a government corporation to run the industry
(Atomenergoprom) will be created by January 2008.

Rosatom said earlier Atomenergoprom, which will be wholly controlled
by the government, will be a full-cycle corporation engaged in
activities ranging from uranium extraction, fuel production and
electric power generation, to the construction of nuclear power
plants, both at home and abroad.

The new body will exercise centralized control over the civilian
nuclear power sector following the merger of four existing nuclear
power "dinosaurs" - TVEL, Techsnabexport, Rosenergoatom and
Atomstroyexport.

It also said Russia could expand its uranium ore production and
become third in the world in terms of identified uranium ore
reserves in the future.

In his annual state of the nation address to parliament Thursday,
Putin said power generation is a high priority for the Russian
economy, in which 12 trillion rubles ($467.1 billion) will be
invested by 2020.

"A major structural reform will be implemented - in effect, the
country's second comprehensive electrification," he said. "Power
generation in Russia is to grow 66% by 2020."

The president said that new power plants would be built, existing
ones modernized and the power grid expanded and diversified.

He said nuclear power would remain a priority, and proposed the
establishment of a corporation to streamline the nuclear industry.

"Thirty nuclear power plants were built in the country during the
Soviet period. And we need to build another 26, based on the latest
technology," Putin. "I propose setting up a corporation to integrate
nuclear power enterprises operating on domestic and foreign markets."

Commenting on the president's remarks, Rosatom Director Sergei
Kiriyenko said the corporation would be designed to ensure the
effective and efficient operation of the nuclear power sector.

RIA Novosti
*****************************************************************
 20 Star-Telegram.com: Bill may let TXU retain plants

04/26/2007 | 

By R.A. DYER STAR-TELEGRAM AUSTIN BUREAU

AUSTINUnder pending legislation, TXU could possibly hold onto all of
its big electric generators in areas of Texas where the company has
been accused of using its market dominance to unfairly jack up
profits.

Instead, the company and other big power generators would have to
get approval for regulatory plans showing how they would not
unfairly benefit from their market position. Rep. Phil King,
R-Weatherford, is sponsoring the legislation, the House version of
Senate Bill 483.

But some consumer groups have said King's version represents a
watered-down version of the Senate bill. The Senate legislation
includes more stringent language regarding company divestitures.

TXU, which controls more wholesale generation in North Texas than
any other company, has been accused of using its market position to
unfairly manipulate the wholesale market. As a result, it has
unfairly increased profits, according to a market monitor at the
Public Utility Commission.

The PUC staff has recommended a record $210 million in fines and
penalties against TXU.

King's bill would let TXU and other big power generators control up
to 35 percent of the wholesale market, although new nuclear-power
generators and clean-burning coal plants would be exempt. Under
King's bill, if a company goes over that 35 percent level, it would
have to file a regulatory report showing how it will not abuse that
market position.

That report would have to be accepted by the so-called independent
market monitor, which oversees the market on behalf of the PUC and
the operators of the Texas power grid.

The new market dominance rules in King's bill would be suspended in
a few years after the PUC adopts a new market system.

King disputes the complaints from consumer groups that say that his
bill represents a step back from the version adopted in the Senate.
He said that he would expect that TXU and other companies would have
to divest themselves of some of their power plants as a result of
the language in his bill.

"I think that TXU will have a hard time convincing the market
monitor that they're trustworthy," said King, who leads the House
Committee on Regulated Industries.

Meanwhile, an official with the Association for Community
Organizations for Reform Now, a community activist group concerned
about high electric bills, said it had targeted King with e-mails
and phone calls out of concern that he was backing down in the face
of the utility lobby.

The organization said members will go door-to-door in his North
Texas district to alert his constituents about his positions.

"We don't need a legislator who is all bark and no bite," said
Bonnie Mathias, a Dallas ACORN board member. "Is Representative Phil
King going to be a bulldog against these multibillion-dollar
electric companies, or will he be TXU's lap dog?"

King said that consumers groups should be pleased with his work,
noting that his legislation adopted earlier would require a decrease
in some of the highest rates in Texas. He also pointed to his
support for legislation that would restore rate discounts for
low-income Texans.

He also suggested that some organizations were using the utility
issue as a money-raising tool. "You can't raise money if you're not
sensationalizing something," he said.

Also Wednesday, the House adopted legislation by King, House Bill
1386, that would make it easier for electric companies to begin
construction of nuclear plants. At least four companies have
proposed such facilities in Texas, which is home to two nuclear
plants, one near Glen Rose and the other near Bay City.

Financing was easier under the previous regulated system because
utilities had a guaranteed rate of return.

TXU is among the companies that have floated plans to build nuclear
plants in Texas. Others include Illinois-based Exelon, NRG Energy
and Amarillo Power.

Related legislation adopted Wednesday was House Bill 2994, by Rep.
Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, that would let local taxing authorities
give abatements for companies constructing nuclear facilities and
clean-burning coal plants.

The House also adopted House Bill 2713, also by Bonnen, that calls
for studying the state's future energy demands, creating a long-term
energy plan, and looking at how electric-generation facilities
affect the environment.

R.A. Dyer, 512-476-4294 rdyer@star-telegram.com

*****************************************************************
 21 NRC: NRC to Discuss 2006 Performance at McGuire Nuclear Plant

News Release - Region II - 2007-025 - 

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
Duke Energy Corporation officials on Monday, April 30, to discuss
the agency&rsquo;s assessment of safety performance last year at the
McGuire nuclear power plant, located north of Charlotte, N.C.

The meeting, which is open to the public, is scheduled to begin at
1:00 p.m. in the McGuire Office Complex at the plant site, located
at 12700 Hagers Ferry Road near Huntersville 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.

&ldquo;The NRC continually reviews the performance of the McGuire
plant and the nation&rsquo;s other commercial nuclear power
facilities,&rdquo; NRC Region II Administrator William Travers said.
&ldquo;This meeting is a chance for us to discuss that safety
performance with the company, with local officials and with people
living near the plant.&rdquo;

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/mcg_2006q4.pdf. The NRC
uses color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators to
assess nuclear plant performance. The colors start with
&ldquo;green&rdquo; and then increase to &ldquo;white,&rdquo;
&ldquo;yellow&rdquo; or &ldquo;red,&rdquo; depending on the safety
significance of the issues involved.

The NRC said the McGuire plant operated safely during 2006 with all
inspection findings being &ldquo;green,&rdquo; 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 2006. The NRC staff will
also conduct several non-routine inspections, including the
independent spent fuel storage facility, reactor vessel head and
head penetrations, containment sump blockage and initial reactor
operator licensing exams.

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&rsquo;s headquarters in Rockville, Md.

Current information for the McGuire plant is available on the NRC
web site at: www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/MCG1/mcg1_chart.html
and www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/MCG2/mcg2_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.

Friday, April 27, 2007
*****************************************************************
 22 West Australian: Labor slams PM's nuclear plans 

thewest.com.au

28th April 2007, 6:43 WST

Federal opposition treasury spokesman Wayne Swan has slammed Prime
Minister John Howard's plans to expand the nuclear industry in
Australia.

Mr Howard has instructed ministers and departments to take immediate
action on a four-stage plan to prepare Australia for a nuclear
future and report back to him by the end of this year.

The expansion could ultimately include nuclear power stations,
uranium enrichment and nuclear waste treatment, it was reported on
Saturday by News Limited.

But Mr Swan told AAP the prime minister is playing politics as the
party prepares to debate its uranium mining and nuclear policy.

"John Howard has been in parliament for over 30 years and suddenly
the Australian people are expected to believe that on the day of the
Labor Party national conference that's debating uranium he's
suddenly discovered a new way to fast-track nuclear power," he said.

"It's just not credible nor is it dignified for the prime minister
of Australia to play politics in such a silly and demeaning way.

"Australia has abundant supplies of gas and coal which will supply
our energy needs for hundreds of years." AAP


West Australian Newspapers Limited 2007. All Rights Reserved
*****************************************************************
 23 Foster's Online: Huge anti-nuke demo was 30 years ago this week

Dover, New Hampshire

Friday, April 27, 2007

By DAVID TIRRELL-WYSOCKI Associated Press Writer

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Thirty years ago this week, hundreds of
anti-nuclear demonstrators trekked down a dusty road and set up camp
next to piles of construction material destined to become the
Seabrook nuclear power plant.

Police dragged or carried away 1,414 protesters on May 1, 1977,
ending the skirmish, but galvanizing a national anti-nuclear
movement that moved from Seabrook's marshes to national money
markets to effectively halt orders for new plants in the United
States.

Fast forward to today.

With energy prices skyrocketing, global warming, and calls for
cleaner energy abounding, the nuclear industry is optimistic about a
resurgence. And the anti-nuclear movement, including organizers of
the Seabrook protests, is gearing up to respond.

Paul Gunter, who has made opposing nuclear power his career, is one.

"To ante up for another generation of nuclear power would be a
collossal mistake that would really trivialize the Seabrook
debacle," he said. "Because right now we have maybe 10 to 20 years
to make some very critical energy policy decisions that affect
global climate."

Seabrook was proposed as a twin-reactor plant in 1972, at an
estimated cost of $973 million. When it finally won a commercial
license in March 1990, it was a single reactor and cost $6.5 billion.

Protests started early. The first person arrested at the future
construction site was Ron Rieck, who spent 36 cold hours atop a
weather observation tower in January 1976. Later that year, 18
people were arrested, then 180. Then came April 1977.

Arnie Alpert was an environmental science major at Wesleyan
University in Connecticut when he learned of planned protests at
Seabrook. After training in nonviolent resistance, he organized two
busloads of students to travel to Seabrook.

They became part of the Clamshell Alliance, an umbrella group that
organized into small "affinity groups" for training, decision-making
and support. On April 30, they approached the plant property from
all directions, even through the ocean swamps.

Gov. Meldrim Thomson said the demonstrations were "a front for
terrorist activity" and organized a small army of National Guardsmen
and police from around New England to respond.

"If I thought about it at all, it was a joke," Alpert said in a
recent interview. "We knew we were not a group of terrorists. We
knew we were a group of people passionately committed to
nonviolence."

The group walked onto the site, unopposed, and immediately began
setting up camp, digging latrines, having meetings and celebrating.

"I was surprised we got onto the site at all," Alpert said.

The next day, a Sunday, Thomson ordered the protesters to leave to
avoid confrontations with construction workers due back Monday.

Those who didn't leave _ 1,414 strong _ were arrested on trespassing
charges and held for more than two weeks in National Guard armories
around the state. The protest attracted worldwide attention and sent
ripples far beyond Seabrook.

"The Seabrook demonstration touched off a grassroots, nonviolent
insurgency against nuclear power that led to the creation of similar
alliances around the country," said Alpert. And he said the tactics
and training spread to other causes, including peace and gay rights.

Now, some former Clamshell members find themselves focusing anew on
nuclear power.

Spurred by skyrocketing energy prices, global warming, and calls for
cleaner energy, the industry is making a comeback. New federal laws
have streamlined permitting and construction and removed much of the
financial risk, and the Washington-based Nuclear Energy Institute
says construction could start on multiple plants by around 2010.

At Seabrook, spokesman Alan Griffin recalls being in high school
during the first anti-Seabrook demonstrations, then covering
protests as a reporter and editor.

He said streamlining licensing would have helped Seabrook, which was
ready to run in 1986, but not fully licensed for four more years.

"I get paid to say this stuff, but I truly believe as a person that
this country must have more nuclear power plants for reasons that
have become crystal clear over time," Griffin said.

"It is the only major source of electricity that is able to generate
electricity cleanly, with no greenhouse gas emissions," he said.
"The anti's have a different perspective on that, but that is one of
the main reasons of the resurgence."

But Gunter, director of the Reactor Watchdog Project at the
anti-nuclear Nuclear Information and Resource Service, said there is
no room for nuclear, period.

"Our position is that they should have never built any of these in
the first place," he said. "We went to jail to stop that. People
should realize that we were right _ and here we are 30 years after
that demonstration and 50 years after the initiation of nuclear
power and they still don't know what to do with the first cupful of
nuclear waste."

With no national repository, nuclear waste is being stored at
nuclear plants, as "pre-deployed weapons of mass destruction,"
Gunter said.

Griffin responds that whether a repository is built or not, nuclear
plants "have the ability to safely and securely store their waste."

And so the debate goes. Each argument has 180-degree opposite
answers, including on questions of safety.

Gunter and Alpert, state program director for the American Friends
Service Committee, maintain that much more energy could be saved and
created if nuclear subsidies went instead to more efficient
appliances, increased conservation and renewable sources.

John H. Sununu, former governor, engineer and sometime nuclear
industry consultant, couldn't disagree more. He said the long
nuclear hiatus squandered an opportunity to provide clean energy
much earlier, and it's time to acknowledge it was a mistake.

"I hope it lays the foundation for a much better response by the
nation as the second round of opportunity of getting away from coal
and oil and natural gas occurs," he said."I hope it lays the
foundation for a much better response by the nation as the second
round of opportunity of getting away from coal and oil and natural
gas occurs," he said.<
___

On the Net:

Clamshell Alliance: www.clamshell-tvs.org

Nuclear Energy Institute: www.nei.org

Nuclear Information and Resource Service: www.nirs.org

Seabrook Station, Florida Power & Light: www.fpl.com

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press
*****************************************************************
 24 Rutland Herald: Seven arrested during nuke protest at Vermont Yankee

Rutland Vermont News & Information

April 27, 2007

The Associated Press

VERNON — Seven anti-nuclear activists were arrested after chaining
themselves to a fence at Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant during a
protest in which police also threatened to arrest members of the
media.

The protesters, who call themselves the Raging Grannies, want the
plant shut down and have engaged in dozens of similar actions since
December 2005.

In those incidents, reporters and photographers were allowed to
speak to the women and take pictures during their arrests.

But on Wednesday, Police Chief Kevin Turnely told members of the
media they would be arrested if they didn't immediately leave the
property, which is owned by Entergy. Entergy spokesman Rob Williams
said the order wasn't given by the plant's owners, but that in such
protests, journalists must abide by trespassing laws just as
protesters do.

Arrested and cited for trespassing and disorderly conduct were:

Julia Bonafine, 38, of Shrewsbury.

Frances Crowe, 88, of Northampton, Mass.

Paki Wieland, 63, of Northampton, Mass.

Ellen Graves, 66, of West Springfield, Mass.

Hattie Nestel, 68, of Athol, Mass.

Marcia Gagliardi, 59, of Athol, Mass.

A 78-year-old Wendell, Mass., woman who goes by the name Dorthee.

Since 2005, members of the group have protested regularly at
Entergy's corporate offices and at the gate of the power plant in
Vernon. State's Attorney Dan Davis has balked at prosecuting them,
saying he doesn't want them using the justice system as a platform
for attention.

   © 2007 Rutland Herald
*****************************************************************
 25 Rutland Herald: Gov.: Tax on nuke plant a bad idea

Rutland Vermont News & Information

April 27, 2007

By Louis Porter Vermont Press Bureau

MONTPELIER — Gov. James Douglas on Thursday came out strongly
against imposing a tax on the parent company of the Vermont Yankee
nuclear power plant to support a fuel efficiency program.

Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin, D-Windham, this week
proposed taxing Entergy Nuclear to pay for a program to make
Vermonters' use of heating fuels more efficient.

Douglas said Thursday he might support an efficiency program if its
details were better explained. But he said he would oppose raising
taxes to pay for it.

"These Democratic lawmakers just keep thinking up new taxes," the
Republican governor said. "Any new spending ideas need to be
accommodated within the resources we have."

Supporters of an "all fuels" efficiency program argue it will save
Vermonters money in the long run, create jobs in the state in areas
like weatherization and environmental engineering, and reduce
pollution.

The success of Efficiency Vermont, the nation's first statewide
provider of energy efficiency services, proves the proposed heating
fuel program can work, supporters said.

Those arguments present "a clear imperative, both economic and
environmental" to move ahead with the idea, said James Moore of the
Vermont Public Interest Research Group.

Elizabeth Courtney, head of the Vermont Natural Resources Council,
said Douglas should support the proposal given the rapid advance of
global warming.

"Leadership on all levels is essential," she said.

Douglas said he is proud of his record on the issue of global
warming. For instance, his administration imposed the state's tough
vehicle emissions standards that are now being challenged in federal
court.

"I share the objective of everyone who wants to make Vermont more
efficient," he said.

Entergy is enjoying "excess" profits because of changes in the
structure of the electricity market and because higher oil prices
are driving up prices, advocates of the proposed tax and efficiency
program said.

In addition, the waste being stored at the Vernon site will be there
longer than originally expected, Shumlin said. Opponents of the tax
idea said that is the federal government's fault, not Entergy's.

Storing the waste in Vermont is an economic benefit to the company,
which Entergy should pay the state for, Shumlin said.

"We are assessing an excess profits tax on the Entergy stockholders
to compensate us for the longer storage on the banks of the
Connecticut River," Shumlin said.

Originally, the efficiency program was to be paid for with a fee on
the sale of such fuels, similar to the surcharge electricity
customers pay in Vermont. However, there was not enough support for
that idea, and the funding source was jettisoned.

Thursday evening, the Senate Finance Committee approved the bill
taxing Yankee's profits by a vote of 6-1.

Since there are long-term contracts for buying power from Entergy, a
tax on the company will not cost Vermonters a penny until the
plant's license expires in 2012, Shumlin said. Roughly a third of
the state's electricity comes from the plant.

But Entergy, Douglas and others said it is naïve to expect the
company will take those additional costs — about $37 million in all
by 2012 — and not pass them on to ratepayers eventually.

The company is seeking an extension of its license to operate and is
already negotiating with utilities, including some in Vermont, to
sell them power if that extension is granted.

"Nothing is free," said Green Mountain Power Chief Executive
Christopher Dutton. "If a business has a tax it has got to collect
the costs associated with that tax from its customers, one way or
another."

The tax proposal could also interfere with contract negotiations his
company and other utilities are starting with power suppliers,
including Hydro-Quebec and Entergy, Dutton said.

"We are in the process of beginning negotiations with several
suppliers, including Entergy," he said.

The contracts to supply the vast majority of the power the state
uses begin to expire in less than a decade.

But Shumlin said state acceptance of the continued operation of
Vermont Yankee is a separate issue from the proposed tax. When the
time comes, Entergy will offer many economic incentives to gain
permission to stay open, he said.

Kenneth Theobalds, vice president of governmental affairs for
Entergy, said Shumlin's proposal would amount to reneging on an
agreement the company made with the state in 2005.

"Two years ago we reached an agreement. Now it is like that never
happened," he said. "I am hoping they will honor that commitment."

Shumlin said the 2005 agreement gave Entergy permission only to seek
regulatory approval to store waste on the site, and did not mean the
company wasn't going to have to pay for the privilege later.

If the company can show him where it is spelled out in agreements
with the state that additional taxes cannot be levied, they should
do so, Shumlin said.

"Entergy has the best lobbyists and lawyers in the world," he said.
"I would like them to show us the language."

Even if a funding source can be found, the proposed program will
need many more details filled in before it is acceptable,
Commissioner of Public Service David O'Brien said.

An efficiency program like the one proposed is new and there is less
experience with it than there was with electrical efficiency,
O'Brien said.

"Here we are talking about something nobody has tried," O'Brien
said. He also wonders how the program will be paid for after 2012.

"What if Vermont Yankee is not around?" O'Brien said. "We are not
good at cutting programs in state government."

Contact Louis Porter at louis.porter@rutlandherald.com

   © 2007 Rutland Herald
*****************************************************************
 26 Burlington Free Press: Tax proposed on Vt. Yankee

  burlingtonfreepress.com  |  Burlington, Vermont
 
Friday, April 27, 2007

By Terri Hallenbeck Free Press Staff Writer

MONTPELIER -- A small group of senators huddled in a Statehouse 
room Thursday evening and decided they'll try to levy a 35 
percent tax on the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant's excess 
profits for the right to store high-level radioactive waste on 
the grounds of the Vernon plant.

The Senate Finance Committee is expected to vote on the tax today 
before sending the legislation to the full Senate.

The tax was the subject of intense lobbying and negotiations in 
the Statehouse halls Thursday, as those for it hashed out the 
details of what to tax, while fending off those who oppose it. 
The tax would generate about $35 million in the next five years 
to pay for a new utility designed to help Vermonters make their 
homes and businesses more energy efficient.

Kenneth Theobalds, vice president for government affairs at 
Entergy Corp., which owns Vermont Yankee, came in from New York 
City to argue against the tax. Chris Dutton, president of Green 
Mountain Power Corp., which buys some of its electricity from 
Vermont Yankee, shuttled to the Statehouse to join in the 
opposition.

Both argued that Entergy made a deal in 2005 with the Legislature 
to pay for the right to store waste in dry casks, and that to 
charge the company more will hurt Vermont electric rates once the 
current contracts are up in 2012.

"A deal is a deal," Theobalds told the Senate Finance Committee 
on Thursday afternoon.

"Show me anything in that language that the state of Vermont 
signed off on any future taxation on Vermont Yankee," said Senate 
President Pro Tempore Peter Shumlin, D-Windham, who proposed the 
tax this week. "You would think they would have gotten it in 
writing."

Nothing in the three-page dry cask storage agreement specifically 
states that Vermont Yankee will not be charged more at a later 
date, but the Douglas administration and Entergy contend that the 
amount Entergy would have to pay for storing the waste was 
settled in that agreement. "The Legislature can do anything they 
want to do. Whether it's the right thing is another matter," 
Theobalds said.

At first, legislators considered a flat tax on the dry cask 
storage at Vermont Yankee, then shifted to a 35 percent tax on 
specific unexpected profits. Shumlin argues that the size of the 
profits and the length of time the storage will remain in Vermont 
have mounted since the 2005 agreement.

Senate Finance Committee Chairwoman Ann Cummings, D-Washington, 
said she is more comfortable with the profits tax, because it 
doesn't hinge so directly on who thought what during the 2005 dry 
cask storage agreement.

"There seems to be different things people meant," Cummings said.

The agreement was forged near the end of the 2005 legislative 
session, in which Entergy agreed to pay $15 million into the 
state's Clean Energy Development Fund from 2006 to 2012 if it 
received the go-ahead from the Public Service Board to build dry 
cask storage. The first storage casks are expected to be in place 
this fall.

Rep. Joyce Errecart, R-Shelburne, was among three legislators who 
negotiated the dry cask storage agreement, and she concurs with 
Entergy about what the deal meant. "It was very clear to me it 
was for waste stored through 2012," she said.

House Speaker Gaye Symington, D-Jericho, worked on the 
negotiations and remembers it differently. "I don't agree with 
those trying to characterize this as walking away from the 
agreement," she said. The payment called for in the agreement was 
in return for the Legislature's willingness to remove barriers to 
siting the dry casks, she said, not a tax on the waste itself.

Opponents are just as vehement in fighting the idea of taxing the 
company's profits. Steve Kimbell, a lobbyist who represents Green 
Mountain Power Corp., said the tax would surely harm the 
utility's ability to negotiate favorable rates in a new contract 
with Entergy if Vermont Yankee's license is renewed in 2012. "The 
tax isn't going to go away," Kimbell said. "The costs will show 
up someplace."

He questioned, too, if Entergy's profits are taxed this time, 
what company might be next. "Does that apply to GE in Rutland, to 
General Dynamics in Burlington? Does it apply to IBM?" he 
questioned.

Errecart, a former tax commissioner, agreed. "How can you just 
pick out one taxpayer and beat them up?" she said.

Shumlin contended Entergy's business is distinct from others. 
"It's the only business storing highly lethal waste on the shores 
of Vermont property," he said. "If they claim we're sending a bad 
message, we're sending that message. I think it's a good 
message."

Contact Terri Hallenbeck at 229-4126 or 
thallenb@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com 

 

 I call on the state senators as my legal representatives to put
party affiliation aside and remove Peter Shumlin from office for
violation of section 6 of the Vermont State Constitution.

"That all Revenue bills shall originate in the House of
Representatives" The proposed tax on VT Yankee is a clear violation
of this law and his attempts at proposing new taxes and fees show a
blatant disregard for the constitution of this state.

Under section 19 it is in the power and is the duty of my
represented senators to expel it own members:

"The Senate shall have the like powers to decide on the election and
qualifications of, and to expel any of, its members,"

If Shumlin can't or won't play by the rules it is time for him to go.

Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 10:20 am

======================================================================

 All I've seen this year are new tax suggestions. Tax VT Yankee, tax
income, tax business, tax automobile buyers. I haven't seen any
ideas for spending cuts. Typical liberal ideas. We'll take your
money and tell you how it should best be spent. They say we need
cleaner air so we should spend thousands more on cars. But they
won't let us put up windmills, they are essentially trying to shut
down VT Yankee which would require burning more fossil fuels to
replace it.

I don't know about the rest of VT, but I'm taxed out and I'm sick of
these people making policy on junk environmental science and the "we
know what's best for you" attitude. I don't need a bunch of
politicians telling me how to live and I'm not a well to do retiree
like a lot of these legislators so the thousands of dollars they
demand isn't chump change to me.

Let's start cutting taxes AND spending and stop telling Vermonters
what they can and can't do with their money, property, and lives.

Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 9:05 am

======================================================================

 It really amazes me that Shumlin and his yahoos can get away with
their idiotic ideas.
I propose that Shummy, Welch, Symington, erect wind farms and solar
panel farms in their yards and help Vermonters with the production
of 'clean' power. Right now, the 'Three Stooges' are producing
nothing more than hot air (which is contributing to global warming).

Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 7:28 am

======================================================================

 This buffoon Shumlin is a 'piece of work.' I can see EXACTLY what
he is up too. Shumlin is on record wanting to shut down Vermont
Yankee after the current contract expires. He is positioning through
his power to make sure that happens. Another 35% tax on top of the
taxes that Entergy Corp already pays to the state will get passed
onto the consumers when the new contract comes up for negotiations
in 2012. And this is what Shumlin is hoping for, any excuse to drive
home the point that Vermont Yankee should not be given a license
renewal.

What this buffoon is incapable of understanding is that you just
can't wave the magic wand and replace 182mw's of power overnight. Of
course Shumlin wants to replace that power with 'clean energy'
sources which are also being opposed by special interest groups
(windpower) or are not economically feasible to develop that this
time. If Shumlin gets his way Vermont taxpayers will be paying
through the nose, because replacement power to offset Vermont Yankee
would come from more expensive 'fossil fuel' power plants.

Shumlin and the rest of idiots who think like him need to be tossed
out of office or Vermonters will pay the price for keeping these
bozos around to ram their visions of Utopia down our throats.

Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 7:07 am

======================================================================

 Not to sound cruel, but, Shumlin, Symington, Welch, the Legislature
and all their Yahoos are leading this State down the road to
distruction. Before long, if we keep going down this path, the
paychecks for all Vermont residents will automatically be sent to
Montpelier and we'll be given allowances to live on. It won't be
long before EVERYTHING in Vermont will carry a tax, and the taxes
will be used to pay for Social Sercice causes where everything is
provided for 'free'. This may all sound nuts, but go back 20-30-40
years or more and look at how things were. Folks back then didn't
expect everything would be provided for them, and we weren't taxed
to death. Go to the Fletcher Free Library and look through old
microfiche of the Burliongton Free Press...and you'll see what I
mean.

Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 6:21 am

======================================================================


Post a Comment   View All Comments



                      A D V E R T I S E M E N T





 
More from today's Local/Vermont section:


 A dream on the way to coming true

 South Burlington conserves 40 acres

 Tax proposed on Vt. Yankee

 Cash shortfall prompts special budget bill

 S. Burlington planner to appear on 'Jeopardy!'

 Roving food drive a hit at church

 S. Burlington budget bill stalled

 UVM students confront evangelists






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Tax proposed on Vt. Yankee

Published: Friday, April 27, 2007
By Terri Hallenbeck
Free Press Staff Writer

MONTPELIER -- A small group of senators huddled in a Statehouse room
Thursday evening and decided they'll try to levy a 35 percent tax on
the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant's excess profits for the
right to store high-level radioactive waste on the grounds of the
Vernon plant.

The Senate Finance Committee is expected to vote on the tax today
before sending the legislation to the full Senate.

The tax was the subject of intense lobbying and negotiations in the
Statehouse halls Thursday, as those for it hashed out the details of
what to tax, while fending off those who oppose it. The tax would
generate about $35 million in the next five years to pay for a new
utility designed to help Vermonters make their homes and businesses
more energy efficient.

Kenneth Theobalds, vice president for government affairs at Entergy
Corp., which owns Vermont Yankee, came in from New York City to
argue against the tax. Chris Dutton, president of Green Mountain
Power Corp., which buys some of its electricity from Vermont Yankee,
shuttled to the Statehouse to join in the opposition.

Both argued that Entergy made a deal in 2005 with the Legislature to
pay for the right to store waste in dry casks, and that to charge
the company more will hurt Vermont electric rates once the current
contracts are up in 2012.

"A deal is a deal," Theobalds told the Senate Finance Committee on
Thursday afternoon.

"Show me anything in that language that the state of Vermont signed
off on any future taxation on Vermont Yankee," said Senate President
Pro Tempore Peter Shumlin, D-Windham, who proposed the tax this
week. "You would think they would have gotten it in writing."

Nothing in the three-page dry cask storage agreement specifically
states that Vermont Yankee will not be charged more at a later date,
but the Douglas administration and Entergy contend that the amount
Entergy would have to pay for storing the waste was settled in that
agreement. "The Legislature can do anything they want to do. Whether
it's the right thing is another matter," Theobalds said.

At first, legislators considered a flat tax on the dry cask storage
at Vermont Yankee, then shifted to a 35 percent tax on specific
unexpected profits. Shumlin argues that the size of the profits and
the length of time the storage will remain in Vermont have mounted
since the 2005 agreement.

Senate Finance Committee Chairwoman Ann Cummings, D-Washington, said
she is more comfortable with the profits tax, because it doesn't
hinge so directly on who thought what during the 2005 dry cask
storage agreement.

"There seems to be different things people meant," Cummings said.

The agreement was forged near the end of the 2005 legislative
session, in which Entergy agreed to pay $15 million into the state's
Clean Energy Development Fund from 2006 to 2012 if it received the
go-ahead from the Public Service Board to build dry cask storage.
The first storage casks are expected to be in place this fall.

Rep. Joyce Errecart, R-Shelburne, was among three legislators who
negotiated the dry cask storage agreement, and she concurs with
Entergy about what the deal meant. "It was very clear to me it was
for waste stored through 2012," she said.

House Speaker Gaye Symington, D-Jericho, worked on the negotiations
and remembers it differently. "I don't agree with those trying to
characterize this as walking away from the agreement," she said. The
payment called for in the agreement was in return for the
Legislature's willingness to remove barriers to siting the dry
casks, she said, not a tax on the waste itself.

Opponents are just as vehement in fighting the idea of taxing the
company's profits. Steve Kimbell, a lobbyist who represents Green
Mountain Power Corp., said the tax would surely harm the utility's
ability to negotiate favorable rates in a new contract with Entergy
if Vermont Yankee's license is renewed in 2012. "The tax isn't going
to go away," Kimbell said. "The costs will show up someplace."

He questioned, too, if Entergy's profits are taxed this time, what
company might be next. "Does that apply to GE in Rutland, to General
Dynamics in Burlington? Does it apply to IBM?" he questioned.

Errecart, a former tax commissioner, agreed. "How can you just pick
out one taxpayer and beat them up?" she said.

Shumlin contended Entergy's business is distinct from others. "It's
the only business storing highly lethal waste on the shores of
Vermont property," he said. "If they claim we're sending a bad
message, we're sending that message. I think it's a good message."

Contact Terri Hallenbeck at 229-4126 or
thallenb@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com


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*****************************************************************
 27 PoughkeepsieJournal.com: Spitzer seeks safety review for nuke plant

  Friday, April 27, 2007

ALBANY - Gov. Eliot Spitzer said Thursday the Indian Point power
plants should undergo a rarely imposed outside safety review before
being licensed for 20 more years of operation.

Citing a leak of radioactive elements into the groundwater beneath
Indian Point and the owners' failure to install a new emergency
siren system, Spitzer said, "Never has the need for this type of
evaluation been greater."

In a letter to the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
the governor said the commission should order an Independent Safety
Assessment for Indian Point.

He noted Indian Point's proximity to New York City means "a serious
accident could threaten millions of people."

A call to the NRC was not immediately returned.

The governor's letter came as the NRC met with Indian Point's owner,
Entergy Nuclear Northeast, to review in public the plants'
performance in 2006. The commission issued its assessment months ago
and found no problems of major safety significance.

The NRC has resisted an Independent Safety Assessment, saying Indian
Point is already receiving enough scrutiny. But those demanding the
special safety check now include the governor, Sens. Hillary Rodham
Clinton and Charles Schumer and several members of Congress from the
area, all Democrats.

Rep. John Hall, D-Dover, whose district includes Indian Point, has
introduced a bill requiring an Independent Safety Assessment within
six months and making it a condition of relicensing. Clinton and
Schumer co-sponsored a matching bill in the Senate.

Licenses for the two reactors expire in 2013 and 2015. Entergy has
applied for relicensing, which would add 20 years to each.

   Copyright © 2007 PoughkeepsieJournal.com
*****************************************************************
 28 AFP: EDF in talks to build new nuclear power station - 

Fri Apr 27, 3:09 AM ET

LONDON (AFP) - French state-controlled electricity group EDF is 
in talks with British Energy, a part-government owned nuclear 
group, about constructing the country's first nuclear power 
station in 30 years, EDF's head said in an interview published 
Friday.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Vincent de Rivaz also said that the
government would have to pass legislation this year making a
decision on nuclear power so that energy companies would be able to
make investment decisions, otherwise it risked a "power crunch."

"It is quite natural that British Energy want to be part of
new-build nuclear, and because we have also a clear ambition, I am
confident that these two ambitions can match each other," he told
the business daily.

Electricite de France, the biggest producer of nuclear power in the
world, said it intended to benefit from renewed interest in nuclear
energy, when it released its 2006 results in February.

"We are well advanced to be in the pole position to build new
nuclear," De Rivaz told the FT.

He said that having a British partner would help the company in its
plans, saying that a "nuclear power plant has to be fully embedded
into the country in which it is built and operated."

He noted that British Energy had the best sites to build nuclear
power stations, telling the paper: "The top sites are well known,
they are close to existing (nuclear) plants."

De Rivaz warned, however, that were the government to not pass new
legislation to decide on nuclear power this year, there could be a
"power crunch."

"2007 is critical. Some element of new legislation will have to be
prepared and ready for the new parliament session of 2007-08," he
said.

"I have said that we will be able to connect new build to the
networks by Christmas 2017. It is still possible. But if not, we do
have a problem of a power crunch


Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 29 NRC: NRC to Discuss 2006 Performance at Catawba Nuclear Plant

News Release - Region II - 2007-026 -

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
Duke Energy Corporation officials on Thursday, May 3, to discuss the
agency&rsquo;s assessment of safety performance last year at the
Catawba nuclear power plant, located near York in northwestern South
Carolina.

The meeting, which is open to the public, is scheduled to begin at
1:00 p.m. in the Rock Hill, S.C., City Council Chambers. 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.

&ldquo;The NRC continually reviews the performance of the Catawba
plant and the nation&rsquo;s other commercial nuclear power
facilities,&rdquo; NRC Region II Administrator William Travers said.
&ldquo;This meeting is a chance for us to discuss that safety
performance with the company, with local officials and with people
living near the plant.&rdquo;

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/cat_2006q4.pdf .

The NRC uses color-coded inspection findings and performance
indicators to assess nuclear plant performance. The colors start
with &ldquo;green&rdquo; and then increase to &ldquo;white,&rdquo;
&ldquo;yellow&rdquo; or &ldquo;red,&rdquo; depending on the safety
significance of the issues involved.

The NRC said the Catawba plant operated safely during 2006 with all
inspection findings being &ldquo;green,&rdquo; or of 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 2006. The NRC staff will
also conduct several non-routine inspections, including the
independent spent fuel storage facility, reactor vessel head and
head penetrations, containment emergency
re-circulation sump modifications and initial reactor operator
licensing exams.

Current information for the Catawba plant is available on the NRC
web site at:
www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/CAT1/cat1_chart.html and
www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/CAT2/cat2_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.

Friday, April 27, 2007
*****************************************************************
 30 CNW Telbec: Harper embraces the nuclear future: Maclean's

28 avril 2007 

Climate-change anxiety breathes new life into nuclear power, and 
shifts Ottawa's plans

Plus, the Canadian forces Ombudsmen says our snipers were not mistreated

    TORONTO, April 26 /CNW/ - Back when they took power early last year, the
fit between Harper's Conservatives and nuclear power looked awkward at best.
After all, federally owned Atomic Energy Canada Ltd., founded in 1952 and
still soaking up hundreds of millions in taxpayer support, looks suspiciously
like the sort of Liberal-style industrial policy tool the true-blue Harperites
were supposed to loathe. And back then, Harper was an avowed climate-change
skeptic. If he didn't believe in the problem, why buy into a supposed
solution?
    How things have changed. With the Harper government's climate change plan
due out this week nuclear power is back on the agenda. The Tories aren't
likely to make it a centerpiece of their announcement, but behind the scenes,
it's taken a central role in their energy and environmental strategy. Harper
himself has touted nuclear power on the international stage, and his natural
resources minister has said flatly: "From purely an environmental perspective,
for no other reason, you have to consider nuclear."
    Plenty is happening relatively quickly on the Canadian nuclear front.
Find out more in this week's Maclean's.

    A few good men, but no vindication

    In 2002 a team of Canadian army snipers marched up and down the infamous
Shahikot Valley for nine days and nine nights, hunting al-Qaeda fighters and
destroying enemy hideouts - resetting the bar of their elite profession. Yet
within days their heroics were forgotten, overshadowed by allegations that two
of the snipers sliced a finger off an enemy corpse. After a 10 month probe, it
was determined there wasn't enough evidence to lay criminal charges. But the
damage was done and three snipers were on their way out of the army, convinced
that the Forces had hung them out to dry.
    For almost three years now, that question - "did the military mistreat
its decorated snipers?" - has been at the centre of yet another investigation,
this one by Yves Côté, the Canadian forces Ombudsmen. Thirty months and 147
witnesses later, he now has an answer: the snipers were not abandoned.
According to his final report, obtained by Maclean's, "The snipers, as a
group, were treated fairly by the Canadian Forces before, during and after
their service in Afghanistan." The report will not sit well with some, writes
Maclean's senior writer, Michael Friscolanti.

    About Maclean's:

    Maclean's is Canada's only national weekly current affairs magazine.
Maclean's enlightens, engages and entertains 2.9 million readers with strong
investigative reporting and exclusive stories from leading journalists in the
fields of international affairs, social issues, national politics, business
and culture. Visit www.macleans.ca.

For further information: Suneel Khanna, (416) 764-1219,
suneel.khanna@rci.rogers.com

© 2005 Groupe CNW Lt
*****************************************************************
 31 West Australian: Howard urges Australians to go nuclear

thewest.com.au

28th April 2007, 10:45 WST

Prime Minister John Howard has promised to remove all excessive
restrictions on mining, processing and exporting of Australian
uranium as a possible step to embarking on domestic nuclear power
generation.

Mr Howard said expert advice to the government clearly showed
Australia was giving up a major economic opportunity as a result of
the excessive barriers on uranium mining and export.

He said a key theme of that advice was that Australia should do what
it could to expand uranium exports and remove unnecessary barriers
that were impeding efficient operation and growth of the industry.

"In light of the significance of global climate change and as the
world's largest holder of uranium reserves, Australia has a clear
responsibility to develop its uranium resources in a sustainable way
- irrespective of whether or not we end up using nuclear power," he
said in a statement.

Mr Howard said nuclear energy was a fact of life and a key source of
clean energy in 30 countries across Europe, Asia and North America.

It already supplied 15 per cent of the world's electricity and was
set to grow.

"I am announcing today a new strategy for the future development of
uranium mining and nuclear power in Australia," he said.

"The government will implement this strategy to increase uranium
exports and to prepare for a possible expansion of the nuclear
industry in Australia."

Mr Howard said the government's strategy would involve some
immediate steps.

The government will move to remove unnecessary constraints on
expansion of uranium mining, such as overlapping and cumbersome
regulations relating to the mining and transport of uranium ore.

It will also make a firm commitment to Australia's participation in
the Generation IV advanced nuclear reactor research program.

Mr Howard said the government would develop an appropriate nuclear
energy regulatory regime including measures to govern any future
potential nuclear energy facilities in Australia.

The government will also move to lift skills and technical training
to address for a possible expanded nuclear energy industry and
embark on enhanced research and development.

It will also embark on an information campaign to explain to the
nation what needs to be done and why.

Mr Howard said relevant ministers and their departments were to
start this work immediately and to report to Cabinet by around
September.

Work plans are to be implemented in 2008, he said.

"The government's next step will be to repeal commonwealth
legislation prohibiting nuclear activities, including the relevant
provisions of the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act 1999. This will be addressed soon," he said.

"My government's strategy is in response to the findings of three
major recent reports and inquiries into the complex issues relating
to uranium mining and nuclear power."

Mr Howard said Australia had 36 per cent of the world's low cost
uranium reserves.

"Policies or political platforms that seek to constrain the
development of a safe and reliable Australian uranium industry - and
which rule out the possibility of climate-friendly nuclear energy -
are not really serious about addressing climate change in a
practical way that does not strangle the Australian economy," he
said.

AAP

West Australian Newspapers Limited 2007. All Rights Reserved
*****************************************************************
 32 Reuters: No silver bullet to cut emissions - IEA chief 

Fri Apr 27, 2007 1:24PM EDT

By Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA (Reuters) - There is "no silver bullet" to solve the world's
energy challenges, but a host of technologies must be harnessed to
cut heat-trapping carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, the International
Energy Agency chief said on Friday.

IEA Executive Director Claude Mandil noted that energy consumption
was forecast to rise by nearly 50 percent by 2030, with fossil fuels
such as oil, coal and gas still accounting for the "lion's share."
But this was "not sustainable," he said.

The world is producing some 25 billion metric tons of CO2 each year,
which rises by about 1 billion metric tons every two years,
according to Mandil. He said that the aim should be to eliminate one
billion metric tons of CO2 emissions a year.

"We can reach a long-term sustainable energy future with known
technologies and at a cost that is not out of reach," he told a
United Nations forum on sustainable energy policies.

Burning fossil fuels for energy produces CO2, a greenhouse gas
widely linked to a rise in world temperatures. Mandil said that
cleaner sources of energy must be promoted alongside efforts to curb
emissions.

"In the long term we recognize that energy efficiencies will not
alone solve the problem," he said. "There is no silver bullet.
Nothing can be achieved with one technology alone."

Replacing coal power plants with "zero-emission" plants, using solar
electricity, wind, nuclear power, more efficient lighting, as well
as carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) can all help to reduce CO2
emissions growth, according to Mandil.

"But we're afraid that in 2030, carbon capture and sequestration
technologies would not be available at an affordable cost on a large
scale at that time," he said.  Continued...


© Reuters 2007. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 33 Reuters: U.S., India to try again to salvage nuclear deal

Fri Apr 27, 2007 3:18PM EDT

By Carol Giacomo, Diplomatic Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and India next week will
make another attempt at salvaging their controversial nuclear
cooperation agreement but U.S. officials, with little room to
maneuver, are cautious about the likelihood of progress.

Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns, who will hold talks on
Monday and Tuesday in Washington with Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv
Shankar Menon, told Reuters, "We think the Indian government wants
to achieve the agreement," but the two sides had not found a way to
bridge serious differences.

Recent technical-level negotiations did not make substantial
progress, so "our intention is to make progress during these talks
and accelerate our joint efforts towards a full agreement," Burns
said of next week's talks.

The much-heralded deal would give India access to U.S. nuclear fuel
and reactors for the first time in 30 years, despite the fact that
New Delhi tested nuclear weapons and has never signed the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.

But disputes over India's intentions on nuclear testing and
reprocessing have not been resolved and both U.S. President George
W. Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh are under political
constraints that limit their ability to compromise.

The Indian ambassador in Washington has told U.S. congressional
aides that "nothing is insurmountable." But some U.S. experts say
differences are so profound, it is increasingly unlikely the deal
can be done before Bush leaves office in January 2009.

Philip Zelikow, a former State Department official who helped craft
the deal first announced in 2005, said the agreement has "veered
toward the precipice at every stage" and is again unraveling because
of ambivalence in both countries' bureaucracies.

TIME FOR LEADERS TO STEP IN  Continued...

© Reuters 2007. All rights reserved.

*****************************************************************
 34 NRC: NRC to Hold Public Meetings on May 2 at Browns Ferry Nuclear 
Plant on Regulatory Findings for Restart Decision

News Release - Region II - 2007-027 - 

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
Tennessee Valley Authority officials on Wednesday, May 2, to discuss
regulatory findings prior to an NRC decision on TVA&rsquo;s
requested restart of Browns Ferry Unit 1, which has been shut down
since 1985.

Two meetings will be held at the plant training center, located on
the plant site at 10833 Shaw Road near Athens, Al., and are open to
the public. The first meeting will begin at 10:00 a.m. (CDT) when
the NRC will discuss with TVA officials the results of an NRC
Operational Readiness Assessment Team inspection which has just been
completed at Unit 1. The second meeting will begin at 1:00 p.m.
(CDT) at which time NRC officials will discuss the conclusions of an
NRC Browns Ferry Unit 1 Restart Oversight Panel which will then make
a recommendation on TVA restart readiness to the NRC Region II
Administrator in Atlanta.

TVA has retained Browns Ferry Unit 1's operating license during the
extended shutdown but requires approval of the Region II
Administrator prior to restart. That decision is expected to come as
soon as feasible after Wednesday&rsquo;s meetings.

NRC officials will be available at the conclusion of both meetings
to answer questions from the audience.

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.

Friday, April 27, 2007
*****************************************************************
 35 Reuters: U.S. and Japan commit to ease global warming, no targets 

Fri Apr 27, 2007 1:19PM EDT

By Elaine Lies

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Japan and the United States on Friday renewed
their commitment to fight global warming but steered clear of
specific steps, including ways for Washington to cooperate on a
post-Kyoto protocol framework.

Tokyo has long said that the United States, which pulled out of the
Kyoto protocol in 2001, needs to be on board for whatever framework
is agreed when the current pact expires in 2012.

"I believe you can say that we took a step forward," Japanese Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe told a news conference after a summit meeting
with President George W. Bush at Camp David.

"We will continue to work closely together on this issue."

In a joint statement issued after the meeting, the two leaders
agreed that dealing with climate change and energy security requires
sustained global action.

"We remain committed to the ultimate objective of stabilizing
greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that
would prevent dangerous ... interference with the climate system,"
the statement said.

"We will further explore the steps forward to this objective," it
added, saying these would include cooperation on clean energy
technology and energy efficiency, including alternative and
renewable fuels such as nuclear energy.

"We are working to ensure that the energy on which our economies
depend remains reliable, affordable and secure."  Continued...

© Reuters 2007. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 36 UPI: Indian president urges thorium nuke work

United Press International - Energy - Briefing

Published: April 27, 2007 at 10:04 AM

ATHENS, Greece, April 27 (UPI) -- Indian President A.P.J. Abdul
Kalam has reiterated the country's need to adopt thorium-based
nuclear reactors.

"India has to go in for nuclear power generation in a big way using
thorium-based reactors," he said in Athens in a speech to Greek
scientists Thursday. "Thorium, a non-fissile material, is available
in abundance in our country."

The comments were reported by the semi-official Press Trust of India.

India, a nuclear weapons state, is negotiating with the United
States a deal that would get it U.S. know-how and investment in its
civilian nuclear sector, which runs, like most reactors worldwide,
on uranium.

Because India is a not a signatory to the nuclear nonproliferation
treaty it has had trouble securing uranium supplies on the open
market for its civilian nuclear program, which contributes 3 percent
of the country's energy mix.

Because thorium is available freely in India, it is thought that a
move toward thorium-based reactors would cut the need for energy
dependence. Such technology is far away, however.

"Intensive research is essential for converting thorium for
maximizing its utilization and generating electric power through
thorium-based reactors," Kalam said.

India says it plans to achieve energy independence by 2030 through
increased used of renewable energy, nuclear energy and hydropower.

© Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights
Reserved.
*****************************************************************
 37 UPI: Putin orders Russia nuke energy overhaul

United Press International - Energy - Briefing

Published: April 27, 2007 at 12:30 PM

MOSCOW, April 27 (UPI) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an
ordinance Friday aligning the country's entire nuclear industry
under one state-owned company.

The Itar-Tass news agency quoted a source at the Federal Atomic
Energy Agency as saying the holding will be called Atomenergoprom.
The process of consolidation will be complete by next January, and
Atomenergoprom will be wholly owned by the government.

Joint stock companies, which will make up the holding, will be
registered by July 1, Itar-Tass reported. "Fifty-five unitary
enterprises will be corporatized and included in the holding by Dec.
1," it said.

All enterprises and companies that produce atomic energy machinery,
build and operate nuclear power plants, produce and enrich uranium
and make nuclear fuel will be incorporated in the holding.

The move, which has been in the works for some time, will likely
further bolster Moscow's stance as an energy superpower.

Russia has by far the largest reserves of natural gas and is the No.
2 producer of oil. And while the state's arms stretch farther into
European and Asian oil and gas markets -- both as a supplier and
operator -- its nuclear industry is making its own headway.

Russia -- as part of the Soviet Union -- and the United States were
the first countries in the atomic field. While the U.S. nuclear
industry has slowed over the past few decades, Russia hasn't. The
state owns part or all of dozens of nuclear-related firms and their
subsidiaries, from nuclear plant construction to operations to
mining, enriching and delivering the fuel.

It plans to nearly double its own nuclear electricity output, and is
building plants and delivering fuel to numerous countries.

© Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights
Reserved.
*****************************************************************
 38 UPI: Indian President wants energy independence

United Press International - NewsTrack - Top News - 

Published: April 27, 2007 at 7:05 PM

ATHENS, Greece, April 27 (UPI) -- Indian President A.P.J. Abdul
Kalam said during a visit to Greece Friday his country is determined
to achieve energy independence by 2030.

Kalam -- a noted scientist credited with developing India's space
program before becoming president -- told scientists at Athens
National Center for Scientific Research that India has to boost its
nuclear power production in a big way, using thorium which is
abundantly available in the country.

He said thorium needs to be converted into a fissile material using
fast breeder technology, the Press Trust of India reported.

"Energy independence is India's first and highest priority," said
Kalam. "We are determined to achieve this by the year 2030 through
three different sources -- renewable energy, electrical power from
nuclear energy and hydro-power for the transportation sector."

He called for greater cooperation between India and Greece, which is
a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

"India has to go in for nuclear power generation in a big way using
thorium-based reactors ... Intensive research is essential for
converting thorium for maximizing its utilization and generating
electric power through thorium-based reactors," Kalam said.

© Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights
Reserved.
*****************************************************************
 39 PDM: Czech Senate head says border blockades over Temelin unacceptable -

Prague Daily Monitor

By Prague Daily Monitor/CTK / Published 27 April 2007

Prague, April 26 (CTK) - Czech Senate chairman Premysl Sobotka today
sharply condemned the Austrian activists' intention to block
Austrian-Czech border crossings in protest against the Czech nuclear
plant Temelin on Friday.

He said the blockades go counter to the removal of frontiers within
the EU and reflect their authors' effort to create new dividing
lines.

"This is inadmissible pressure whose impact has nothing to do with
the matter-of-fact problem of the Temelin nuclear power plant's
safety," Sobotka (Civic Democrats, ODS) said in a statement released
to CTK.

He said it is disquieting that the "unprecedented" acts of the EU
inner border blockade have actually been held with Austrian state
bodies' consent. This clearly reflects Austria's way of "assessing
the values the EU wants to base [its development] on," Sobotka
writes in the statement which he also sent to the Austrian
ambassador to Prague.

Austrian opponents of Temelin are to block 10 of 16 Austrian-Czech
border crossings, Atomstopp Oberoesterreich association has
announced.

The staff at Temelin unhooked the plant's first unit from the grid
again today for problems with one of the circulation pumps, Temelin
spokesman Vaclav Brom told CTK.

It is the second such fault in as many days. The reactor was
unhooked on Wednesday for a pump defect as well.

The critics view Prague's decision to end the Melk process as a
violation of the agreement the two countries' PMs signed in Melk,
Lower Austria, in 2000, and want Vienna to bring an international
lawsuit against the Czech Republic.

Under the Austrian law, a blockade is considered legal unless the
state bodies ban it by the deadline set.

The Czech government has not taken special diplomatic steps or
traffic measures over any of the previous blockades so far. Czech PM
Mirek Topolanek (ODS) says the blockades are not directly supported
by the Austrian government, therefore the Czech government does not
react to them either.

Sobotka in his statement pointed to the fresh Czech-Austrian
agreement to form a joint parliamentary group to assess Temelin's
safety.

"The blockade of the Czech-Austrian border has therefore no meaning
except for the effort to create new frontiers and new dividing lines
in Central Europe now, almost 20 years after the fall of communism,"
Sobotka added.

Temelin is situated 60 km away from the Austrian border and Austria
continues to challenge its safety.

At the late 2000 meeting in Melk the then Czech and Austrian PMs,
Milos Zeman and Wolfgang Schuessel, agreed on a procedure to check
Temelin's safety and to upgrade it where necessary. Austria in
exchange pledged not to block the EU accession negotiations the
Czech Republic then conducted.


This story copyright 2007 CTK Czech News Agency
The Prague Daily Monitor and Monitor CE are not responsible for its
content.

copyright 2007 monitor ce media services s.r.o. | all rights reserved
*****************************************************************
 40 MHNN: Indian Point is operating safely, says NRC, but the feeling is not
unanimous

April 27, 2007

  Copyright © 2007 Mid-Hudson News Network


Cortlandt Manor - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission&rsquo;s annual
assessment meeting for Indian Point was held in larger quarters this
year, to accommodate a larger crowd.  About 300 attended, but the
mood was quieter than in previous years when catcalls and rubber
duckies added to the ambience.

&ldquo;Entergy continued to operate both units safely&rdquo;, said
the NRC, in its slide presentation.

While the assessment itself appeared to be generally favorable, a
dominant point of concern was what the NRC termed &ldquo;a
substantive cross-cutting issue concerning human performance&rdquo;.
 It was noted that while there were very few incidents not
classified as &ldquo;low level&rdquo;, it was the number of such
incidents that raised concern, according to Regional Administrator
Sam Collins.

&ldquo;What I meant to portray is that there is a fairly significant
volume of work and a fairly significant volume of regulatory issues
there that deserves their attention and our attention.&rdquo;

Entergy&rsquo;s plant manager Fred Dacimo did not disagree.
&ldquo;They are low-level issues, and this is a very large facility.
 So you can&rsquo;t expect to run a facility flawlessly.  Having
said that, we try to run our facility flawlessly and we need to
improve our performance.&rdquo;

There were dissenters.  There is growing pressure for an
&ldquo;Independent Safety Assessment&rdquo;, and that is getting
support in high places, including Gov. Eliot Spitzer, and several
area members of congress. 

In a statement released separately, the environmental group
Riverkeeper applauded Spitzer for making a formal request of Nuclear
Regulatory Commission Chairman Dale E. Klein.

An aide to Spitzer attended the assessment meeting to read the
governor&rsquo;s letter to Klein.

The Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition held a brief news conference
prior to the NRC session to complain about the format of the
meeting, and to emphasize their own call for an ISA.

We asked coalition member Mark Jacobs if they would accept
relicensing if an ISA were done, and found no critical problems.
&ldquo;No, we wouldn&rsquo;t support its being relicensed, still,
because there are problems that cannot be solved.  For example, the
high-level radioactive waste.  We don&rsquo;t know what to do with
it.  There is no plan.  All there is are lawsuits, as a result of
the fact that the federal government has promised to take care of
the high level radio active waste and has failed to do so.&rdquo;

Former Indian Point Chief Nuclear Officer Jim Knubel, representing
the New York Affordable Reliable Electric Alliance, suggested the
critics need to let the system run its course. &ldquo;The
relicensing process will look at all the things they are concerned
about, so I don&rsquo;t understand, kind of, what their motives
are.&rdquo;

The process will include stepped up oversight by the NRC.

&ldquo;It will be a very active year&rdquo;, said Collins.

HEAR today's news on MidHudsonRadio.com, the Hudson Valley's only
Internet radio news report.

*****************************************************************
 41 KTVB.COM: Proposed nuclear power plant faces many obstacles 

Boise, Idaho News, Weather, Sports & Traffic | IDAHO NEWS

10:52 AM MDT on Friday, April 27, 2007

Joni Shriver Idaho's NewsChannel 7

An artist's rendering of what a proposed nuclear power plant along
the Snake River would look like.


BOISE -- NewsChannel 7 has learned a proposed nuclear power plant
near Mountain Home is off the map for many officials in charge of
licensing.

Alternate Energy Holdings, a Virginia-based business, wants to build
a 1600-megawatt nuclear power plant that could provide all the
energy for the state and then some.

But a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission says they've
never heard of the company.

“The only thing that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has heard,
with regards to Alternate Energy Holdings, is what we have seen in
the media," said Scott Burnell, NRC.

“So our first step is county permission approval and if we get that,
hopefully this summer, then that will start the next large process,
which is the nuclear regulatory approval,” said Don Gillispie,
Alternate Energy Holdings.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the company is getting the
cart before the horse.

Alternate Energy Holdings also needs approval from the Idaho
Department of Environmental Quality and the Idaho Department of
Water Resources. Neither government agency has been contacted.

Also, Owyhee County officials say they have not yet received an
application for a building permit.

Edward R. Murrow award for best NW region website - 2004, 2005,
2006, 2007
Idaho Press Club award for best website - 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005

© 2007 KTVB-TV
*****************************************************************
 42 Financial Express: 'India has to go for nuclear power in a big way'

Friday, April 27, 2007
   
AGENCIES

ATHENS, APRIL 27:  Asserting that energy independence is India's 
first and highest priority, President A P J Abdul Kalam said the 
country has to go for nuclear power in a big way using 
thorium-based reactors.

"Energy independence is India's first and highest priority. We 
are determined to achieve this by the year 2030 through three 
different sources--renewable energy, electrical power from 
nuclear energy and hydro-power for the transportation sector," 
Kalam said addressing scientists of Greek's National Centre for 
Scientific Research Demokritos.

Pointing out that energy independence threw very important
technological challenges to the world, Kalam told the scientists of
Greece, a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, that there was a
need for converting thorium into a fissile material using fast
breeder technology.

"India has to go in for nuclear power generation in a big way using
thorium-based reactors. Thorium, a non-fissile material is available
in abundance in our country. Intensive research is essential for
converting thorium for maximising its utilisation and generating
electric power through thorium-based reactors," Kalam said.

Calling for greater cooperation between Greece and Indian
scientists, the President listed seven areas–energy sector, nuclear
power generation, Proteomics, HIV/AIDS, stem cell, earthquake and
rainfall--where the two countries could begin research together.


 © 2007: Indian Express Newspapers (Mumbai) Ltd. All rights reserved
*****************************************************************
 43 Telegraph: General Electric in race for UK nuclear market | 

By Katherine Griffiths, City Correspondent

Last Updated: 11:13pm BST 27/04/2007

The Government last year backed a plan to build six to ten new 
reactors to replace Britain's ageing fleet


General Electric has fired the starting gun in the race to build a
fleet of new nuclear power stations by writing to the Government to
say it will compete for a slice of the multi-billion-pound work.

The American group's move surprised some nuclear experts because it
came ahead of the Energy White Paper, which is expected in the week
starting May 21.

The Government will give guidelines in the White Paper on how it
wants companies to bid for the first British nuclear building
programme in a generation and several players are waiting until they
see the document before putting their hats into the ring.

Andy White, chief executive of GE's nuclear business, said he
decided to push ahead because "we have been looking at the UK for a
couple of years now and we are very interested in this market".

GE operates 79 nuclear power stations around the world, including 35
in the US.

While GE currently has no presence in the UK nuclear sector, it has
more than 15,000 employees in the UK.

Mr White has travelled to the UK several times for meetings both
with the Government and with potential commercial partners.

He wrote to the Department of Trade and Industry and the Nuclear
Installations Inspectorate (NII) on March 29 to say formally that GE
would put its latest reactor design, the ESBWR (Economic Simplified
Boiling Water Reactor), forward for a licence.

The NII must approve reactor designs before their makers can apply
to build power stations.

The Government last year backed a plan to build six to 10 new
reactors to replace Britain's ageing fleet. By 2023 only one
reactor, Sizewell B in Suffolk, will still be in operation.

But its pro-nuclear policy was knocked sideways by an unexpected
court victory by Greenpeace in February, which forced a judicial
review of the process.

The Government will press ahead with its nuclear plan, but will use
the White Paper to launch a consultation on how nuclear new-build
can be financed and what to do with nuclear waste.

The focus is turning to nuclear new-build at an unfortunate time.

The Government has had to launch an official inquiry into why body
parts were secretly removed from nuclear workers after their deaths.

Other major contenders to build nuclear power stations in Britain,
will be France's Areva and Westinghouse, which was sold by the
British Government to Toshiba last year.

All three have held intense talks with various utilities over
possible partnerships. The reactor builders are expected to team up
with utilities such as EDF, RWE and E.On to deliver
nuclear-generated electricity to customers.

Separately, GE and Areva have applied for licences for their latest
reactor designs in the US to take part in the nuclear building
programme there.

Westinghouse has already received certification, while the GE and
Areva reactor designs are in the application process.

&copy; Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2007. | Terms
*****************************************************************
 44 Russia Newswire: IBS Develops Information System for Chernobyl 
Nuclear Plant â€“ Integrated Shelter Database

Newsmaker: IBS Headquarters: Moscow Date: 27/04/2007 Length: 
Approx. 702 words
 

MOSCOW (RNWire) â€“ IBS, the leader in the Russian market of IT and
consulting services, and the Chernobyl center of nuclear safety
problems, radioactive waste and radioecology (Ukraine) has completed
a project launched to develop the information system called "The
Integrated Shelter Database"[1] (ISDB) for the Chernobyl Nuclear
Power Plant.

The information system provides information support for designees
responsible for safety at the Chernobyl NPP. The system also
supports decision making related to further actions to eliminate
consequences of the major accident at Chernobyl NPP Power unit 4,
and fulfillment of an international program seeking to transform the
'Shelter' into an ecologically safe system.

ISDB merges data from several information systems used at ChNPP into
a unified data bank and provides comfortable access to it. Apart
from helping to operate the Shelter more efficiently and to monitor
its state, the system enables coordinated actions of the
subdivisions responsible for nuclear, radiation, general industrial
and fire safety at the Chernobyl NPP. Deployment of ISDB made it
possible to enhance safety for the Chernobyl NPP staff, and also for
the population and the environment.

According to Valery Nikitin, Head of Integrated Solutions
Department, IBS, "To implement the set objectives it was necessary
to fuse competences in controlling nuclear facilities and in
developing and deploying large-scale IT solutions. The completed
project is absolutely unique in terms of its complexity, scale as
well as its international and social significance."

The Integrated Shelter Database comprises the following subsystems:
- E-archive control. Collection and storage of unstructured
information on the facility spanning more than 20 years.
- Data processing. Reports and supplementary information and also
control over accounts and access rights.
- Support for the projects' planning, monitoring and control.
- Support of safety during operations. Staff and contractors
registration and accounting, access tracking (information on
certification, radiation exposure, medical check-ups). Moreover the
subsystem tracks premises, evacuation plans, supports a 3D model of
the Shelter and enables simulation of processes and events.
- Interaction with the automated information system for radiation
control. Analysis and display of current dosimetry data.

The project involved design and development of the system, its
deployment, including delivery of necessary equipment, training of
the system's users and administrators.

Integration with information systems available at the Chernobyl NPP
is performed by data replication into the unified data base.
Solutions are based on Microsoft and Oracle software products for
server and database control. The system comprises solutions for
simulation by Rockwell Arena, a GIS system by ESRI ArcGIS and a
number of other solutions. The innovative technologies used and the
solutions developed during the project can be replicated and used at
other NPPs.

The project spanned 2.5 years. In its course IBS acted as the head
of the project managing distributed teams of implementers working in
Moscow, Kiev and Slavutich. A great number of additional resources
were attracted besides 5 basic teams. The system was launched for
industrial use in March 2007.

"I wish to thank the Consortium's employees and commend their high
level of skill displayed in implementing this project," comments
Nikolay Yefimenko, Head of the Chernobyl NPP GUP POM projects.
"Guided by this experience we hope for further cooperation with IBS
in implementing Chernobyl NPP projects related with informational
technologies."

About the Chernobyl center of nuclear safety problems, radio-active
waste and radioecology

It was founded on April 26, 1996, under the Decree of the President
of Ukraine, as a research institution subject to the Cabinet of
Ministers of Ukraine and supported by the Department of Energy of
the United States of America. The head office of the Chernobyl
Center is located in Slavutich. The basic activities of the center
are: ensuring nuclear and radiation safety, decommissioning of
nuclear installations, radio-ecological research, and taking actions
in case of emergencies at nuclear facilities. The center consists of
a laboratory of engineering developments and technologies, an
international radio-ecological laboratory, a laboratory of safety
analysis (Kiev), a centre of the projects monitoring (Kiev).

[1] The 'Shelter' is a sarcophagus over Power unit 4 at the
Chernobyl NPP. Upon its erection at the site of the 1986 disaster
international environmental organizations concerned over
environmental safety of the facility proposed a program for
comprehensive monitoring of the facility. The radiation control
project is funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development in Ukraine.


*****************************************************************
 45 Scotsman.com: City scientists' sparkling idea for waste-free 
nuclear power

Fri 27 Apr 2007

SCIENTISTS from Edinburgh are working on a project aimed at 
developing waste-free nuclear power that does not contribute to 
global warming.

Researchers from Heriot-Watt University are among those looking 
at using carbon composite tiles, similar to those used on the 
space shuttle, to cover a nuclear fusion reactor and cover that 
with a lining made of diamond.

The inside of the reactor would reach temperatures close to those of
the Sun, so the material needs to be able to withstand extreme heat.

Professor Phil John who is leading the research said: "The ultimate
energy source is the Sun. Confining the fusion power of the Sun on
Earth has long been the goal of scientists searching for a benign
source of energy.

"In prototype fusion reactors the internal walls are lined with
carbon composite tiles.

"Even this material may not be sufficient to withstand the
enormously hot plasmas envisaged for the next generation of fusion
reactors, and erosion of the tiles would mean frequent close-downs.

"To prevent this, we intend to coat the tiles with diamond, a
material unique in its ability to withstand high temperatures."

This article: http://news.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=651682007

Last updated: 27-Apr-07 12:04 BST


©2007 Scotsman.com | contact | terms &amp; conditions
*****************************************************************
 46 asahi.com: Sachihiko Harashima Power plants cut out of new assessment plan - 

POINT OF VIEW/ 

04/27/2007

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

The recent scandals at electric power companies, in which workers
had covered up accidents at nuclear power plants, altered key data
and done other illegal practices, have cast grave doubt on the
reliability of the nuclear power generation industry.

While the companies involved have made their apologies, I wonder if
they truly repent their actions.

My suspicions have grown along with the industry's staunch
opposition to new environmental assessment rules that would require
early disclosure of relevant information affecting future projects.

This became clear at the March 27 meeting of the Environment
Ministry's research commission tasked with introducing crucial early
environmental assessments in Japan, of which I am a member.

The panel at the eleventh hour removed power plants--and only power
plants--from the 13 project categories set to be targeted by its new
shared guideline.

In Japan, the standard approach has been to conduct such assessments
just prior to launching a project. This inevitably limits the sphere
of environmental protection measures because there is seldom time to
thoroughly work out ways to protect the environment sufficiently.

Assessments should be made long before work actually begins--they
should be done in fact while a project blueprint is under study.
Internationally, such assessments at the decision-making stage are
called Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs).

The move toward SEAs in Japan was part of a new plan proposed by the
panel that was geared to examining location, scale and other project
parameters at the initial feasibility study stage.

Why were power plants excluded when they are a classic example of
the type of project that obviously should undergo evaluation for
their effects on the environment? In other countries, such
assessments occur at the feasibility stage, and multiple proposals
are examined, requiring full disclosure of the facts revealed by
such studies.

The commission included a member sympathetic to the domestic
electric power industry and affiliated fields. The member insists he
doesn't see why new environmental assessment rules are needed for
their sector.

Yet the need can hardly be more obvious. The impact of a nuclear
power plant on the flora and fauna of its vicinity is huge and
unavoidable.

The industry also claims early information disclosure at the project
planning stage is detrimental to corporate interests because it
makes it more difficult to build new facilities.

Globally, early public examination of project plans is the norm not
only in the industrialized nations, but among developing countries
as well. I have never heard of a case in which this approach has
undermined corporate profits or competitiveness. When it comes to
disputes over facility locations, early information disclosure can
lead to faster resolution of issues.

The commission discussions also have shown how illogical are the
opposition's reasons against early information disclosure.

At an earlier panel meeting in late February, we reached agreement
on a proposed guideline that included power plants within the limits.

Yet at the final guideline meeting on March 27, a proposal was
tendered that effectively disregarded all the debate up to that
point.

The final draft contained a new, last-minute clause that effectively
removes power plants from the list.

The clause reads: "In view of the fact that no conclusion has been
reached with regard to power plants, it is necessary to adopt an
approach that takes this fact into consideration."

As expected, this sly move prompted fierce arguments. Of 12 panel
members in attendance, only one approved the change.

Normally, this additional section would have been tossed out, but
resistance from bureaucrats in the panel secretariat prevented that
from happening.

As their grounds for making such a highly irregular move, the
secretariat officials cited strong opposition from the Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry in negotiations with other ministries.

It is ridiculous to allow such advance negotiations to affect the
final report. This is backward logic at its worst, like putting the
cart before the horse.

Normally, negotiations over the panel's guideline would have
happened only after the commission's report had been handed down.

It is neither logical nor fair to exclude electrical power stations
from strategic environmental assessments.

Akira Amari, the minister of the economy, trade and industry,
earlier said in response to the nuclear power industry's accident
cover-up scandal: "I want to eliminate this culture of cover-ups."

Well, here is a golden opportunity to do just that in the plan to
adopt the new environmental assessment rules, by including
information transparency.

I retain a small hope that the electric power industry voluntarily
will adopt the new environmental assessment rules.

In doing so, the industry could demonstrate it is serious about
making progress in its corporate social responsibility. Without such
a response, however, the industry cannot expect the public to
believe it is earnestly trying to deal with the serious issues
facing the environment.

* * *

The author is a professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology who
specializes in environmental planning and will be president of
International Association for Impact Assessment in 2008-2009.
(IHT/Asahi: April 27,2007)

* The Asahi Shimbun Company
*****************************************************************
 47 OVER 25 THOUSANDS DU CYLINDERS setting out site
 
Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2007 12:05:46 -0700



  over 25 THOUSANDS  DU  CYLINDERS setting in the yard at the  USEC plant
in PIKETON ,OHIO


Local News

Severe storms hit southern Ohio


By JEFF BARRON
PDT Staff Writer
Friday, April 27, 2007 12:05 AM EDT

 
Thursday night's severe weather led to reports of two tornadoes touching
down near Ohio 32 and Ohio 124 in Pike County, according to the Pike County
Sheriff's Department.

The reports were called in by citizens but not confirmed, however.

“We've not been able to get anyone to confirm them,” said National Weather
Service meteorologist Don Hughes.

He said the NWS usually relies on law enforcement to confirm tornadoes. It
also can send its own people out, Hughes said.

“Lots of times, people will say they've seen a funnel cloud,” he said. “But
sometimes its hard to tell when you're looking through trees.”

There wasn't much damage to report around 9 p.m., according to Hughes.

 
However, he said some Pike County roads had about an inch of water on them.

“That's not significant unless you hit it at 55 mph,” Hughes said.

There was no damage reported in Scioto County, although strong
thunderstorms rocked the area during the evening.

“But sometimes you don't find out about the damage until the morning,”
Hughes said.

 
 
Waverly Fire Department Capt. Chuck Valentine said warning signals have
been activated and firefighters were out looking for signs of damage.

“We've had no tornadoes reported in the Waverly area and no damage,” he
said. “We've been watching ONN (Ohio News Network) to see what's going on.”

Scioto County Sheriff Department dispatcher Jim Detty said there were no
reports of tornadoes or damage in the county. However, he said officials
were monitoring another storm system in Kentucky that was headed for the
county.

The Ohio Department of Transportation also was monitoring the weather.

ODOT District 9 Public Information Officer Kathleen Fuller said the
department was looking for flash flooding on southern Ohio roads.

She said flooding probably will occur in the next day or so in Scioto and
Pike counties as the Scioto River rises.
 

printable version e-mail this story 

 
 
  












 
 
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 48 [NukeNet] "DU--from Appalachia to Afghanistan to Iraq" Conference,
 
Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2007 15:42:37 -0700

Register now for an unprecedented conference and encampment focused  
on Depleted Uranium production in Appalachia, and help us stop the  
production of weaponized nuclear waste !

Sponsored by the Christian Peacemaker Team Stop-DU Campaign, "DU-- 
from Appalachia to Afghanistan to Iraq" will feature Pentagon  
whistleblower Doug Rokke, Afghani social scientist Dr. Mohammed Daud  
Miraki (author of Afghanistan After Democracy) as well as  
inspirational writer & speaker Cathy Garger.

The only cost for this conference is a $15 lunch/registration fee.   
Our hope is that you will then have room in your budget for the  
purchase of Dr. Miraki's book which will benefit the medical care of  
DU victims in Afghanistan.

Following are the conference and "Camp DU" details.  Please send your  
check for the Conference &/or RSVP for  the encampment to Anthony  
Pittman.

Peace,
Linda.


DEPLETED URANIUM CONFERENCE & "CAMP DU"

EVENT #1:
Conference on Depleted Uranium:  "DU -- from Appalachia to  
Afghanistan to Iraq
Sponsor:  Christian Peacemaker Team Stop-DU Campaign
Location:  East Tennessee State University, Rogers Stout Hall, Room  
102, Johnson City, TN  37614
Speakers (to date):  Doug Rokke, Dr. Mohammed Miraki, Cathy Garger
Date:  May 19, 2007, Saturday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Registration/Lunch Fee*:  $15.00
Payable to Organizers:  First Tennessee Progressives
Mail Fee to:  Anthony Pittman, Secretary - FTP, 712 Wilson Ave.,  
Johnson City, TN   37604

EVENT #2:
Tent Camp Presence across from DU Weapons Factory:  "Camp DU"
Sponsor:  Christian Peacemaker Team Stop-DU Campaign
Location:  Roger's land across from Aerojet Ordnance on Old State  
Route 34, Jonesborough, TN   37659
Dates:  May 18, 2007 through May 27, 2007
Free:  Bring your own Tent**
RSVP:  Anthony Pittman @ apittman2002@yahoo.com

*If you'd like to attend, but don't have $15 right now, just mail  
Anthony a note to let us know you're coming.
**If you don't have a tent, but would like to be a part of this  
action, please email Anthony and we'll round up a tent for you.



Linda Modica, Co-founder
First Tennessee Progressives
266 Mayberry Road
Jonesborough, TN   37659
H:  423-753-9697
C:  423-676-2925
E:  linda.c.modica@mac.com

"Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper  
meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with  
our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may  
prosper together." 	-- Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961


_______________________________________________________________________
Subscribe/Unsubscribe Here: http://www.energyjustice.net/nukenet/
Change your settings or access the archives at:
http://mail.energyjustice.net/mailman/listinfo/nukenet_energyjustice.net


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*****************************************************************
 49 The Australian: Government denies radiation leak cover-up

NEWS.com.au |

* April 27, 2007

THE federal government has denied it covered up a radioactive leak
at a Brisbane army barracks four years ago.


A leak of a substance called tritium was detected in a workshop at
the inner-city Bulimba barracks in February 2003, forcing the
closure of the facility for six months.

Tritium is a cancer-causing substance used to make gunsights and
compasses.

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) today said that after an
examination by an independent authority the facility was
decontaminated and refurbished.

Several Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency
(ARPANSA) recommendations to the ADF about its handling of tritium
made after the leak had been implemented, an ADF spokeswoman said.

Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Peter Lindsay today said no
adverse health affects were detected as a result of the leak.

&ldquo;As soon as we detected there had been a small release of
tritium, and I mean small release of tritium ... all of the building
was immediately closed, the workers were checked, all of their
clothing was checked, all of their homes were checked,&rdquo; Mr
Lindsay said.

&ldquo;(It was) a very, very thorough process, and this resulted in
the determination that there was no adverse health effect at
all.&rdquo;

Mr Lindsay rejected claims from opposition defence spokesman Joel
Fitzgibbon that there had been a cover-up of the potential health
risk.

&ldquo;There's nothing to hide, there's nothing to cover up, there's
been no cover-up,&rdquo; Mr Lindsay said.

The Queensland government and health department were fully informed
of the leak, he said.

Queensland Health's senior director for population health, Dr Linda
Selvey, today confirmed the department was contracted by the
Department of Defence in February 2003, to help in scientific
testing and decontamination of the barracks.

Dr Selvey said Queensland Health then reported its findings to
ARPANSA in a preliminary report in February 2003, and presented its
final report three months later.

&ldquo;The assessment showed that the level of radiation exposure
for the workers and the community was likely to have been much lower
than is considered acceptable and safe for people,&rdquo; Dr Selvey
said.

Dr Selvey said Queensland Health was regularly involved with
radiation safety and waste disposal activities under contract to the
Department of Defence.

- AAP

© The Australian
*****************************************************************
 50 recordonline.com: Radiation pills available

April 27, 2007

Nearly one month after the current supply of radiation protection
pills expired, Orange County officials will be handing out fresh
supplies tomorrow in Highland Falls.

Known as KI, the pills are meant to protect the thyroid gland in the
event of a release of radioactive iodine. They do not protect
against other forms of radiation exposure, however; health experts
say the best defense is evacuation.

Health experts say the old pills, which expired March 31, would
still work in the event of an emergency. But Orange County emergency
officials are following New York State orders by making the new
pills available. KI is recommended for residents in the Town of
Highlands and the Village of Highland Falls, as well as portions of
Cornwall, Woodbury and Tuxedo.

Distribution will be at the Highland Falls Middle School on Mountain
Avenue, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information contact the
county's division of emergency management at 1-800-942-7136.

Greg Bruno


by the Times Herald-Record, serving New York"s Hudson Valley and 
the Catskills. Phone: (845) 341-1100
*****************************************************************
 51 Workers World: 'Poison DUst' director explains video

Milwaukee bureau


Published Apr 26, 2007 9:54 PM

Community members and political activists attended the Milwaukee
premier film screening of the Peoples Video Network (PVN)
documentary “Poison DUst” on April 21 at the Center Street Library,
an important gathering space for the Black community. The event was
dedicated to long-time International Action Center organizer Rachael
Nasca, who died unexpectedly on March 22.

A slate of community activists spoke before Sue Harris, director of
“Poison DUst,” screened the documentary and engaged in a question
and answer session.

IAC-Milwaukee member Bryan G. Pfeifer opened the program by
describing the origins, history and mission of the IAC. He hailed
recent youth actions in Wisconsin—including a recent protest against
an Army recruiting station for which 21 youth were arrested, youth
protesting restrictive racist policies at Mayfair Mall, and the
occupation of the multi-millionaire Sen. Herb Kohl’s Madison office
by dozens of members of the Campus Anti-War Network. He ended by
calling on all those present to support the May 1 “Day without
Latinos” statewide civil rights march and boycott sponsored by
Milwaukee-based Voces de la Frontera.

Leaflets for the May 1 action were distributed, as were “Stop the
War on Iran” posters and announcements of upcoming events sponsored
by the Industrial Workers of the World, the Latin American
Solidarity Committee at UW-Milwaukee and Africans on the Move.

People’s poet De’Shawn Ewing (Pyramid) electrified the crowd with
two of his poems connecting the domestic war and the U.S. war on
Iraq and other countries. Ewing’s words interspersed these themes
with themes of the Black freedom struggle, including the murder of
Emmett Till.

Ammar Nsoroma, a member of Africans on the Move and the Pan African
Revolutionary Socialist Party and a well-known people’s artist in
Milwaukee with many murals throughout the city to his credit, said
that the war on Iraq is an outgrowth of capitalism and imperialism
and that to end all wars for profit these economic systems must be
abolished and replaced with socialism.

During the question and answer session Harris described how “Poison
DUst” has been screened numerous times publicly throughout the
United States and internationally, including in Cuba, Korea and
Japan.

One woman described her outrage at not hearing about depleted
uranium anywhere in the corporate media until she received a leaflet
for this event. She said she would now be getting the word out and
asked for more information, as did many others.

During and after the event many took copies of “Poison DUst” for
personal viewing but also to screen for loved ones, veterans and at
other community spaces.

Longtime community activist and people’s poet Eric Jefferson closed
with his poem “Blessed Summer.”

The Peoples Video Network donated a copy of “Poison DUst” to the
Center Street Library and a copy to the Central Library that could
potentially be circulated throughout the 30 branches in the
Milwaukee County Library System.

To obtain a copy of “Poison DUst” call PVN at 212-633-6646 or see
www.peoplesvideo.org.

Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011 Email: ww@workers.org 
Subscribe wwnews-subscribe@workersworld.net Support independent 
news http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php
 
*****************************************************************
 52 AU ABC: Brisbane radiation leak no threat to residents - Defence. 

27/04/2007. ABC News Online

The Federal Government denies there was a cover-up over a radiation
leak at a Brisbane Army base four years ago.

The Defence Department has confirmed that highly radioactive tritium
gas leaked at the Bulimba logistics unit in 2003 but says there were
no adverse affects on army personnel or nearby residents.

The volatile substance is used in gun sights and compasses and is
known to cause cancer and genetic mutations.

But Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Peter Lindsay says residents
did not need to be informed.

"Defence every day has 50,000 people out there, 90,000 people out
there," he said.

"There are always things happening but are dealt with internally
otherwise you'd spend your time doing other things that weren't
defence."

The Australia Defence Association's Neil James says it was a very
low level incident.

"It would appear there were minor breaches of the duty of care at
the time and the people preparing the material weren't adequately
protected, but there would appear not to be any major health risk to
the people concerned and certainly no wider health risks," he said.


*****************************************************************
 53 kvue.com: Perchlorate showing up in nation's milk supply 

11:26 AM CDT on Friday, April 27, 2007

By CHRISTINE HAAS KVUE News

Chances are you put it on your cereal, or drink it everyday.  In 
our latest Defenders investigation, a look at the chemical 
surfacing in milk and food that has lawmakers on Capitol Hill at 
odds.  This week, they’re battling over legislation that would 
mandate testing for a potentially harmful chemical that we found 
in Austin’s milk supply.

If there’s one constant in a school cafeteria, it’s milk.  It’s
considered an essential backbone of nutrients for our most precious
commodity, our children.

So, consider the federal government’s reaction when its latest test
results revealed an unexpected ingredient surfacing in milk across
the country:  rocket fuel.

The Food and Drug Administration has found the primary ingredient in
rocket fuel, a chemical called perchlorate, in milk.

According to the federal government, perchlorate is contaminating
water sources for more than 11 million people across the country,
mainly in areas where the Department of Defense is manufacturing
weapons and rocket fuel.  One of the theories is dairy cows are
drinking that contaminated water, and, as a result, producing milk
laced with perchlorate.

But milk is not the only concern.  Researchers have also found
elevated levels of perchlorate in vegetables like lettuce and
spinach, even breast milk.

Pediatrician Dr. Ari Brown says perchlorate is particularly
concerning for people with underactive thyroid, pregnant women and
young children, who rely on milk for their nutrition.

“In some ways, it's a scary thing because there's only so much we
can control and try to protect our children from these hazards,” he
said. 

So what are those health hazards?  Research is still underway, but
some studies reveal perchlorate could cause thyroid tumors in
adults, even mental retardation in infants and toddlers.  However,
at this point, there’s not a clear cut answer.

“We're really not certain a child who is drinking milk with
perchlorate is suddenly going to become mentally retarded or is
going to have ADD.  Those are answers we just don't have yet,” said
Dr. Brown.

There is one thing we do know for certain:  perchlorate is showing
up in Austin’s milk supply.  We tested four different types and
brands of milk, and all but one tested positive for perchlorate. 

To understand the results, you must know the Environmental
Protection Agency has set no limit on the chemical in our
environment.  But two states, Massachusetts and California, have
stepped ahead of the EPA and set their own safety guidelines for
drinking water.  Massachusetts’ limit is two parts per billion and
California advises four parts per billion.

Here’s what we found in Austin:  organic whole milk had the highest
levels, with 11 parts per billion, while two-percent had just over
six parts per billion and one-percent nearly six parts per billion. 
Soy milk was the only sample that had no perchlorate. 

We took our results to Texas Congressman Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin,
who is co-sponsoring legislation that would mandate the EPA
investigate and set safety standards for perchlorate, beginning with
water.

"I believe it's a nationwide problem with the federal government
responsible for the activity that produced most of the contamination
and we should move quickly to set the standard," he said. 


And that standard, he proposes, would make perchlorate testing
mandatory in Texas water.

When we checked in February, Austin water records revealed it’s been
four years since city water was screened for the chemical and the
city has no plans to do so.  Congressman Doggett says that should
change.

“We don't want to be alarmists, but I think this is one of several
substances in our environment that contribute to disease,” he said.

Doggett says it’s clear there are still more questions than answers,
but the answers need to be found because the American government has
spent billions launching rockets and we now know one by-product of
the Defense program could be costing us what money can’t buy, and
all of us are paying the price.

We want to be clear:  we are not suggesting anyone should avoid
milk, or any other foods out of fear over perchlorate
contamination.  At this point, doctors are only urging consumers to
become more educated about the risks of environmental hazards in the
foods you eat.  If you have questions, you should talk with your
doctor.

Teresa Wagner, a spokesperson for the dairy industry, released the
following statement on perchlorate:  “Scientific reports have
concluded low levels of perchlorate have no effect on human health,
including sensitive populations such as pregnant women and infants. 
Federal health agencies are reaffirming the benefits of drinking
milk far outweigh any risks outlined in current studies."

With that said, the Government Accountability Office released a
report Wednesday urging the EPA and the Defense Department to
formally track perchlorate contamination because, it says, “the
current data is lacking.”


© 2007 KVUE Television, Inc.

*****************************************************************
 54 Sydney Morning Herald: Uranium mine ban curbing wealth - Swan - 

www.smh.com.au

April 27, 2007 - 10:34AM

Dumping Labor's long-held ban on more uranium mines will help create
more wealth for Australians, opposition treasury spokesman Wayne
Swan says.

Labor Party members this weekend will vote on a controversial push
to end the ALP's 25-year ban on new uranium mines, with many members
including Queensland Premier Peter Beattie and his Western
Australian counterpart Alan Carpenter opposed to the change.

Mr Swan stressed that changing Labor's policy would help Australia
become wealthier by boosting exports.

Asked what would happen if the Labor conference passed the new
uranium policy but Queensland and WA refused to allow uranium mining
in their states, Mr Swan replied: "We'll cross that bridge when we
come to it".

"But we are absolutely committed to changing the platform on uranium
because it's an essential part of creating wealth, lifting exports
for this country.

"There will be no retreat. We will move and win this debate."

Mr Swan's comments came after he outlined Labor's economic policy to
party delegates at the ALP national conference, which began in
Sydney on Friday.

The economic policy focuses on ensuring Australia's economic
prosperity is sustained by improving education and skills,
developing better infrastructure and a new export strategy.

"Creating wealth is our number one objective," Mr Swan said.

"Creating a prosperous society without throwing the fair go out the
back door is our central objective and it's reflected in this
platform."

Mr Swan said Australia's mining boom had camouflaged Australia's
current economic problems and the federal government's failure to
address climate change sooner.

He said the environment and the economy were intertwined, warning
the economy could suffer because of the effects of climate change.

"It's not a question of a choice between the economy on one side,
the environment on the other," he said.

"If the predictions about dangerous climate change in terms of its
impact on water, the tourist industry and so on come to pass as the
scientists expect, that's the biggest threat to prosperity into the
future."

Mr Swan said Labor was ready to fight the government on its economic
credentials ahead of the federal election.

"They don't have the political strength on the economy that they
pretend because their complacency and inaction in so many policy
areas endangers our future, puts our future at risk," he said.

Queensland Premier Peter Beattie says he will abide by the decision
if Labor decides to overturn the ban, even though he's against such
a move.

On his way into the conference, Mr Beattie said that while he
opposed the proposed policy change, if the conference voted in
favour of it he would adhere to it.

"If the decision's left to us, then there won't be uranium mining,"
Mr Beattie told reporters to loud chants from anti-uranium
protesters.

"The important thing is if there's a national approach we'll follow
it. But if not, then we will stick with the existing position in
Queensland.

"If there's a national policy that lifts the number of mines that
will mean more uranium mining in South Australia. If the position is
it's left to Queensland, then we won't mine uranium."

Mr Beattie also said the three-day conference highlighted it was
time for a fresh start for Labor.

"I think the most important thing that will come out of the
conference is not just the debates but the fact that this is a fresh
start for the Labor Party," he said.

"We've got a new leader, a leader with ideas who's fresh.

"That's all we wanted.

"Australia wants a change. I mean it is time. I know it's the old
slogan, but it is time for change and Kevin Rudd offers a fresh
approach."

© 2007 AAP

Copyright © 2007. The Sydney Morning Herald.
*****************************************************************
 55 AU ABC: Rio Tinto wants expanded uranium mining in WA

ABC Home Radio Television News &#

ABC Perth | Local News

(ACST)Friday, 27 April 2007. 13:00 (AWST)

The head of one of the world's biggest miners, Rio Tinto, says the
company wants to use its Kintyre deposit in Western Australia to
significantly increase its production of uranium.

Leigh Clifford has been addressing Rio Tinto shareholders in Perth,
at his last annual general meeting as the company's chief executive
before retiring on Monday.

WA Premier Alan Carpenter has said there would be no mining of
uranium while he is Labor leader.

However Mr Clifford says the Kintyre deposit has significant
potential despite holding a fairly modest 25,000 tonnes of uranium.

He says he hopes there continues to be sensible debate about opening
up uranium mining in Australia.

"You can be rest assured we'll be looking to expand our capacity and
I think there's a real opportunity for Australia and Western
Australia to participate in that," he said.

Mr Clifford also says both uranium and coal should play a
significant role in the future of Australia's energy market.

Rio Tinto mines both uranium and coal and Mr Clifford says that
while Rio Tinto is striving to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions,
any suggestion of shutting down the coal industry is ridiculous.

"It's a little bit ridiculous I think to say that something has to
shut down in so many years or what have you, when it's an important
part of the Australian economy," he said.

"I think the part that we can play is contributing to the debate."

Mr Clifford also says the company's iron ore production in WA could
rise to 300 million tonnes a year due to the continuing demand from
China.

He says Rio Tinto is aiming to lift its production to 220 million
tonnes a year by 2009, but there are already plans for a significant
lift in capacity beyond that.

"We're not talking about a few tens of millions of tonnes, I think
we're talking numbers in the order of 300 million tonnes," he said.

*****************************************************************
 56 West Australian: Labor, Coalition facing uranium dilemmas 

thewest.com.au

27th April 2007, 16:37 WST

As Labor grapples with whether to overturn a 25-year ban on new
uranium mines, the federal government is considering selling
yellowcake to a one-time cold war enemy.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer revealed Australia may soon be
selling uranium to Russia after discussions this week on upgrading a
nuclear safeguards agreement between the two countries.

The discussions centred on expanding a 1990 agreement which only
allowed Australian uranium to be processed in Russia by third party
countries, but prevented the former Soviet power from using
Australian supplies of the fuel itself.

"The proposed new agreement would allow Australian uranium producers
to supply Russia's nuclear power industry, and would retain and
build on the strict safeguards conditions contained in the current
agreement," Mr Downer said.

Australia has had a change of heart after Russia last year announced
plans to separate its military and civilian nuclear programs,
bringing the latter under the watch of the International Atomic
Energy Agency.

The government's plan to expand uranium sales comes as Labor
approaches a difficult ideological debate at its national conference
in Sydney on whether to scrap a policy which prevents the opening of
any new uranium mines.

Labor has already decided that in government it would not allow
nuclear energy in Australia.

Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd is widely expected to win the vote -
which will occur late on Saturday afternoon - but is facing strict
opposition from members of his frontbench, including Anthony
Albanese, Peter Garrett, Tanya Plibersek, Penny Wong and Kim Carr.

The leader and his office weren't discussing the uranium issue on
Friday, leaving his contribution to his keynote speech to the
conference, where he attacked the federal government as out of touch
with modern Australia.

Deputy Labor leader Julia Gillard again predicted Mr Rudd would
prevail in the debate but predicted it would be a passionate
discussion.

"This is an area on which views differ and they're deeply held," she
said.

"I expect as I've always expected that Kevin Rudd's view will
prevail."

Some political pundits believe Labor powerbrokers have timed the
uranium vote to avoid the weekday news cycle and the worst of the
damage from a contentious debate.

Mr Albanese is leading the push against the Rudd proposal and will
put forward his own motion proposing Labor delay any decision until
after it has firm safeguards in place to deal with nuclear
non-proliferation and waste.

"I think that delegates know that while you can guarantee that
uranium mining will lead to nuclear waste you can't guarantee that
it won't lead to nuclear weapons," he told AAP.

"Delegates will be very cautious before they exercise their vote to
remove Labor's ban on new uranium mines."

The anti-uranium mining lobby was unwilling to concede that
overturning the ban was a fait accompli.

"This is a democratic conference and people I believe on this will
very much listen to the arguments that are put forward on the floor
of the conference," Mr Albanese said.

Former Midnight Oil frontman and Labor's environment spokesman Peter
Garrett said he had strong views on the issue and was looking
forward to the opportunity to express those views to the conference.

Mr Garrett stood for the Senate on a nuclear disarmament platform in
the 1980s.

"I am focusing on putting a point of view which I think needs to be
put, which I know has the support of Labor Party members and which I
know has the support of many members of the public," he said.

"This party is big enough to have a decent, respectful and robust
debate about any issue, including this one."

As Labor debates uranium policy, Prime Minister John Howard is
tipped on Saturday to announce a plan to change legislation and open
the way for nuclear power stations in Australia. AAP


West Australian Newspapers Limited 2007. All Rights Reserved
*****************************************************************
 57 Japan Times: Under new mayor, Kochi town snubs nuke waste plan | 

japantimes.co.jp    Web
 
Friday, April 27, 2007

Kyodo News

The government said Thursday it has approved a request from the town
of Toyo, Kochi Prefecture, to cancel an application for conducting
research to see if it can host a nuclear waste disposal site in
exchange for state subsidies.

Toyo's refusal to host the site, which came after Sunday's election
of a mayor opposing the plan, dealt a blow to the government because
other municipalities may become hesitant about filing similar
applications. The town was the first municipality to respond to the
government's call for such an application.

Toyo lodged the request after Yasutaro Sawayama defeated former
Mayor Yasuoki Tashima. Tashima filed the application in January for
commencing documentation research into the possibility of hosting a
dump site in the town.

The application, however, drew protests from locals who do not want
to host a long-term nuclear waste facility.

A senior industry ministry official said the ministry is "very
sorry" that Toyo has dropped the application. He said the government
must make greater efforts to persuade the public of the "safety and
necessity" for disposal of nuclear waste, especially when his
ministry is seeking to promote atomic power as the most promising
and environment-friendly energy source for the future.

"Nuclear power is very important for our nation's energy policy, as
it ensures stable energy supply," said Takao Kitabata, vice minister
of economy, trade and industry. "It is also key to tackling global
warming (as it emits no carbon dioxide).

"We hope we will receive applications from municipalities other than
the town of Toyo."


The Japan Times
*****************************************************************
 58 AU ABC: ALP to vote on uranium mines policy. 

28/04/2007. ABC News Online


Warren Snowdon will vote against Labor expanding its uranium mining
policy. (File photo) (ABC TV) 


The Australian Labor Party will vote on its uranium policy at the
national conference in Sydney today.

The Member for Lingiari in the Northern Territory, Warren Snowdon,
will vote against Labor expanding its uranium mining policy.

His decision flies in the face of the NT Chief Minister's decision
to support Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd's bid to end Labor's 'no new
mines' policy.

But Mr Snowdon has told ABC TV's Stateline program the NT Labor
branch still has the same concerns over uranium mining as it did
decades ago.

"I sought advice and indeed direction if you like from the rank and
file of the party and those who attended those meetings were very
strong in their view that we shouldn't change the policy," he said.

"So as president of the party I feel it my duty that I represent
that view accurately on the floor of conference and I will."

Meanwhile businessman and chair of Australia Nuclear Energy, Hugh
Morgan, says South Australia should market itself as the hub of the
nuclear industry.

He says the state remains one of the world's best options for the
growing nuclear industry.

"There are options, quite clearly options I think, of having an
international atomic energy agency engaged with international
companies, international governments making Adelaide a centre for
nuclear physics study and having a waste repository in South
Australia," he said.

*****************************************************************
 59 News & Star: Questions posed for Sellafield organ scandal inquiry

Published on 27/04/2007

THE Government has spelled out the questions that will be posed by
the independent inquiry into claims that organs and tissue samples
were taken from the bodies of dead Sellafield workers without
permission.

The controversy has been fuelled by growing evidence of the secrecy
that surrounded the testing of human tissue, including that of
workers from other nuclear plants.

Earlier this week, Arlecdon woman Angela Christie, 39, told how she
discovered her father was among 65 workers from whom samples were
taken.

She said she had been appalled at the secrecy sur rounding the tests.

She spoke out as Trade and Industry Secretary Alis tair Darling set
out the terms of the inquiry, which will be headed by Michael
Redfern, the QC who conducted the inquiry into the scandal of organs
taken from children's bodies at Liverpoolâ€™s Alder Hey Childrenâ€™s
Hospital.

Key questions include:

Who authorised the tissue to be taken?

What happened to it?

Was permission sought?

How and when was it destroyed?

When and why the practice ended?

It is hoped the inquiry will provide some answers to families in
West Cumbria who have found themselves caught up in the drama.

Angela Christie, whose father was just 36 when he died, said she has
now been told scientists had taken her fatherâ€™s liver, both lungs,
and some vertebrae after his post mortem in 1971.

She added: â€œI shudder to think, but knowing what I do about
Sellafield, my worry is that it [the ash of her fatherâ€™s remains]
will have ended up in the Drigg low-level waste dump.â€

In statement to MPs yes terday, Mr Darling revealed that nuclear
authorities â€œbelieveâ€ similar testing was carried out at
Harwell, Oxfordshire, and â€œpossibly at other sitesâ€.

Samples may have been taken from non-nuclear workers. Workington MP
Tony Cunningham called for an immediate investigation after being
alerted by unions that body parts were removed from at least 65
corpses for testing, over a period spanning 30 years. He said: â€œI
welcome the inves tigation. It has to be thor ough and handled
properly.â€

It is husbands, brothers and fathers.

â€œIt must be carried out sensitively and provide the answers."

The controversy only came to light because NDA scientists at the
Westlakes Research Institute asked to re-examine historic files as
part of new studies.

It was one of a number of groups within the nuclear industry which
wanted to collate data on issues around epidimiology - the
scientific factors affecting the health and illness of populations.

A specialist was appointed, and questioned where the previous data
came from.

The News and Star reported last week that British Nuclear Group
(BNG) says it has records confirming that the sampling of autopsy
material did occur between 1962 and 1992.

However it says in at least 61 of the cases there was official
permission from the coroner or other legal bodies.

The N&S believes that between 1962 and 1992 two coroners based at
the West Cumberland Hospital, Whitehaven, granted the Sellafield
doctor permission to access deceased if they had died unexpectedly.

It is not thought body parts were taken from anyone who died of old
age or apparent natural causes.

The Government has asked Mr Redfern to report "as soon as possible".

*****************************************************************
 60 Leg Council Backs Nuclear Oversight Committee
 
Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2007 15:59:28 -0700


<x-flowed>
*http://www.dailynexus.com/article.php?a=13918

*Leg Council Backs Nuclear Oversight Committee
By Mackenzie Weinger / Staff Writer
Published Thursday, April 26, 2007

Natalie Engber presents some of the 1,000 paper cranes passed out at the 
Legislative Council meeting on Wednesday in order to win support from 
the council for a student nuclear oversight committee.

/Cricket Clark presents some of the 1,000 paper cranes passed out at the 
Legislative Council meeting on Wednesday in order to win support from 
the council for a student nuclear oversight committee./


Matt O'Leary / Daily Nexus

With 1,000 paper cranes as well as 50 students in attendance, the 
Associated Students Legislative Council passed two bills and three 
resolutions last night.

During its three-hour meeting, council members approved a previously 
rejected bill to create a student oversight committee of the UC-managed 
nuclear research laboratories. Nearly 50 students came in to support the 
measure, and leaders threw 1,000 paper cranes throughout the room — a 
memorial to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Meanwhile, the council also passed a bill to create a technology 
committee devoted to such aims as wireless Internet access across 
campus, and resolutions in support of the Isla Vista Teen Center; 
International Workers’ Day this May 1; and a recent student hunger 
strike at the University of Vermont.

At the council’s April 18 meeting, the bill to create a student 
oversight committee of the UC-managed nuclear research laboratories 
failed with a vote of 12 in favor, 8 against and 2 abstaining. The A.S. 
Legal Code requires a two-thirds vote to create a new committee.

The committee aims “to provide student oversight of UC’s nuclear warhead 
research, design and production labs in order to ensure that the UC and 
United States government obey their treaty obligations to work toward 
the abolition of nuclear weapons.”

Organizers videotaped the meeting and made presentations for an hour and 
a half, including one given by a Hiroshima bombing survivor, Shigeko 
Sasamori.

“My mission is to tell how horrible [it is] once war starts,” Sasamori, 
who was a child during the bombing, said. “Even innocent civilians get 
hurt.”

A representative from the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, Will Parrish, 
said the creation of the committee would be historic.

“We can play a role liberating our planet from these nuclear weapons,” 
Parrish said. “All future generations are going to be thankful to us. 
All of us have a chance tonight to play a role in that process.”

Fourth-year Spanish major Cricket Clark said she represented the 
students who are against nuclear weapons. She said this group wished to 
be officially acknowledged by the council.

“All we’re really asking is that Leg Council legitimizes this group of 
students that want this oversight committee - the UC Regents aren’t 
doing a good job,” Clark said. “Our fingers are bloody even now paying 
our tuition.”

Several council members expressed support for the committee and the 
large group of students in attendance.

“This is a direct UC issue and the creation of a committee directly 
supported by elected officials is a strong catalyst for change,” 
Rep-at-Large J.P. Primeau said.

The council passed the bill with consent after brief discussion. After 
the passage of the bill, audience members in favor of the committee, as 
well as several members of the council, joined in a “solidarity clap.”

Meanwhile, the council approved resolutions to support the I.V. Teen 
Center and close the A.S. offices on May 1 for International Workers’ 
Day. Additionally, the council passed a resolution to show “Solidarity 
with Hunger Strikers for a Living Wage.” According to the resolution, 12 
students at the University of Vermont are on a hunger strike until the 
school’s administration raises its workers’ wages to a “livable wage.” 
The resolution also demands a living wage for workers everywhere, 
including UCSB

Will Parrish

Youth Empowerment Director

Nuclear Age Peace Foundation

PMB 121, 1187 Coast Village Road, Suite 1

Santa Barbara, CA 93108

wparrish@napf.org <mailto:wparrish@napf.org>

Phone: (805) 965-3443; Fax: (805) 568-0466

www.wagingpeace.org/youth <http://www.wagingpeace.org/youth>; 
www.ucnuclearfree.org; www.thinkoutsidethebomb.org



-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	[NukeNet] Leg Council Backs Nuclear Oversight Committee
Date: 	Fri, 27 Apr 2007 14:10:28 -0700
From: 	Will Parrish <wparrish@napf.org>
To: 	<nukenet@energyjustice.net>



NukeNet Anti-Nuclear Network (nukenet@energyjustice.net)



</x-flowed>
*****************************************************************
 61 PANTEX Nuclear Weapons Guards on Strike
 
Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2007 23:58:08 -0500 (CDT)


http://thehill.com/the-executive/amid-contractors-strike-at-nuclear-plant-lawmakers-eye-federalizing-security-guards-2007-04-25.html

Amid contractor's strike at nuclear plant,
lawmakers eye federalizing security guards

By Jessica Holzer
April 26, 2007

Amid a strike by the contract security guards at the country's only
nuclear-weapons assembly plant, House staffers are drafting legislation
to federalize the force protecting highest-security sites that make
or store nuclear materials.

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), the chairman of the investigations panel
of the House energy committee, said he aims to attach the legislation
to the defense authorization next month, setting up a clash with
the Department of Energy (DoE), which is opposed to transforming
the force into one of federal workers.

Nearly 550 guards at the Pantex plant in Amarillo, Texas, walked
off the job earlier this month, protesting a reduction in retirement
security that came just as more stringent fitness standards were
putting older guards out of work.

By federalizing the heavily armed forces guarding such high-risk
sites, DoE would be able to implement human-resources policies
better suited to the heightened security levels since the Sept. 11,
2001, terror attacks, Stupak argued.

"We ask them to protect our most dangerous, most secretive weapons
and yet we treat them like they're third-class citizens," he said.

The guards protecting "category 1" nuclear sites, such as the Los
Alamos, Sandia and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories, long
have been employed by a patchwork of private companies offering
varying benefits and pay. The Pantex guards work for BWX Technologies.

A 2004 report from a DoE task force recommended federalizing the
guards as the best way of transforming them into an "elite protective
force" capable of repelling the most aggressive attacks from armed
terrorists.

"In principle, the best long-term organizational foundation for
achieving the secretary's objective is the conversion of existing
contractor protective forces to federal status," the former
administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA),
Linton F. Brooks, wrote to a former deputy energy secretary, Kyle
McSlarrow. NNSA is the DoE agency charged with overseeing category
1 nuclear sites.

In January 2005, McSlarrow endorsed the report's findings and ordered
that its recommendations be implemented. The department later
abandoned the idea, despite the conclusions of previous analyses,
noted in the report, that federalizing the workers would not increase
costs.

In a recent meeting with House staffers, NNSA officials said they
believed that federalizing the protective force would result in
lower pay for the guards and therefore would be unpopular.

Asked for the DoE's view on the issue, a department spokesman
Wednesday said: "We have taken a look at this issue in the past in
a number of studies. The department's protective force structure,
coupled with our security policy initiatives, are providing heightened
levels of protection for our facilities that hold our sensitive
national assets in the current threat environment."

Critics of contracting the security at the facilities cite the
potential for work stoppages due to labor disputes and argue that
contractors' drive to increase profits could lead them to cut corners
on security.

The guards themselves are trying to federalize, believing that they
would gain better retirement security and greater freedom to move
into less strenuous positions as they age. They have cited frustration
over what they call a steep decline in security standards due to
contractor mismanagement.

"Once that's exposed, the people that have allowed those security
degradations to take place should be held accountable," said Mike
Stumbo, a Pantex guard and the head of the council of unions that
represent the DoE protective forces.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) asked the DoE inspector general to
investigate the plant late last year after employees sent a letter
complaining of lax security standards and poor working conditions.
The senator also sent a request to the Government Accountability
Office (GAO) last year asking analysts to review the cost of
federalizing the protective forces. A spokesman from the lawmaker's
office said Grassley was not planning to introduce legislation.

Meanwhile, the Senate Armed Services Committee staff has contacted
the GAO on the issue in recent weeks, though it has made no formal
request for information. And a staffer from the House Energy Committee
said several lawmakers on the House Armed Services panel have
expressed interest in Stupak's legislation.  Federalizing the
protective force would be a complex task, both legally and
administratively, but Stupak argued that it was a crucial step for
shoring up the security of nuclear sites.

"I just don't think you get the dedicated employees when it's
privatized," he said. "They see it as a dead-end job, not rewarded
or appreciated."
*****************************************************************
 62 Tri-City Herald: DOE seeks dismissal of damage claims

Published Friday, April 27th, 2007

ANNETTE CARY, HERALD STAFF WRITER

YAKIMA -- In the three weeks since the Department of Energy agreed
to do a natural resource damage assessment at Hanford, the Yakama
Nation has heard nothing from the federal government, according to
an attorney representing the tribe.

If DOE had started discussions on how to do the assessment, the
parties involved in a 2002 legal case over natural resource damages
might not have needed to spend Thursday afternoon in federal court
in Yakima, said attorney Raymond Givens.

It's "business as usual" for DOE, he said.

The Yakamas, joined by the Nez Perce and Umatillas and the states of
Washington and Oregon, want the federal court to order DOE to begin
a natural resource damage assessment and pay any of their costs for
assessing injuries to natural resources.

Attorneys for the Department of Energy argued for partial dismissal
of the case Thursday, saying it was too soon for plaintiffs to bring
claims.

Federal Judge Lonny Suko made no ruling in the federal government's
request to dismiss part of the case. A busy trial schedule next
month will prevent him from making a decision quickly, he said.

He also indicated that he would consider the matter carefully,
expecting whatever ruling he made to be appealed to a higher court.

Under federal Superfund law, the Department of Energy is required to
assess how pollution at the Hanford nuclear reservation has affected
natural resources, such as plants, animals, ground water and the
Columbia River. It's joined by two other federal trustees for the
site where plutonium was produced for the nation's nuclear weapons
program, the Interior Department's Fish and Wildlife Service and the
Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.

DOE reversed its policy three weeks ago and said it is not too soon
to start an assessment of damage to natural resources at Hanford.

But it's still too early for the tribes and states to make legal
claims, said Cynthia Morris, a Department of Justice attorney.

No claims may be filed until DOE has made final cleanup decisions
for the areas in the suit, which covers the 300 Area where reactor
fuel was fabricated, the 100 Area where nine reactors operated and
the 200 Area where plutonium was separated from irradiated fuel,
Morris said.

"We are not asking to dismiss this claim forever," she said.

When final cleanup decisions are made, they may address injuries to
natural resources not already being addressed by interim decisions
and other work, she said.

"Then the federal government controls when a party can come in and
ask for damages?" Suko asked.

DOE plans to mothball most of its plutonium-producing reactors for
75 years to allow radiation to decay to lower levels before taking
further action, Givens pointed out.

DOE does not plan to wait 75 years to make final decisions, Morris
countered.

Although the federal government argued that claims may not be made
before final decisions were made, the language of the law only
addresses decisions and does not draw a distinction between interim
and final decisions in the relevant section, said Elliott Furst,
senior counsel for the Washington state attorney general.

Givens agreed that requiring final decisions would circumvent the
intent of the law.

It was intended to "ensure prompt and efficient cleanup and that
those responsible bear the costs," Givens said.

Suko said he was inclined to look at the meaning of the wording of
the law and the intent of Congress when he ruled.

&copy 2007 Tri-City Herald, Associated Press & Other Wire Services
*****************************************************************
 63 Denver Post: Flats workers to confront panel

Denver Post Staff Writer

Article Last Updated: 04/27/2007 08:29:20 AM MDT

Charlie Wolf managed Facility 771 - called by some the nation's 
most dangerous - for five years. He faces the mask in which his 
head was immobilized during radiation treatment for a brain 
cancer. (Post / Helen H. Richardson)

Many of the workers who made the nation's nuclear triggers at the
Rocky Flats weapons plant have cancer. Some are dying; others have
already died.

The nation promised help. Congress six years ago created a
compensation program for nuclear plant workers.

But the search for the documents necessary to make claims, and the
difficulty in determining whether a cancer or illness is related to
their work, led to delays. And more delays.

The inaction has left the former workers bitter.

"We're expendable," said Mike Logan, 50, a former plutonium handler
facing a risky surgery to remove a tumor on his spine. "I thought
they only treated people like this over in Russia, or Iraq."

Thus far,


Multimedia


* Watch video of Mike Logan, Judy Padilla and Charlie Wolf talk
  about their experiences at Rocky Flats and the health issues
  they've encountered.


only 776 payments have been made to Rocky Flats workers out of 6,140
claims filed.

But starting Tuesday, a federal panel of independent scientists and
doctors will meet with workers at the Westin Westminster Hotel. They
have the authority to approve the workers for fast-tracked
assistance of $150,000 each plus medical costs.

Federal officials say they are working to help the former employees
as quickly as they can.

"Nobody can deny these folks are angry and upset," said Fred
Blosser, a spokesman for the Department of Heath and Human Services'
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. "There's no
intent to stonewall. ... We don't deliberately do things slowly."

U.S. Department of Labor officials declined to comment on the record.

Inadequate Cold War-era rec ord keeping and scientific uncertainty
surrounding the effects of exposure to plutonium and other
radioactive materials are such that "you're never going to know for
sure" what caused a cancer case, said Margaret Ruttenber, a Colorado
Department of Public Health and Environment official who ran a
10-year federally funded study of workers.

"So why have a compensation program for the workers if


(Post / Helen H. Richardson)


you are not going to compensate them?" she said. "You have to be
more flexible," considering how little can be proven, she added.

"They lied to us"

Thousands of Coloradans worked at the Rocky Flats factory between
Denver and Boulder, making plutonium triggers for the nation's
nuclear arsenal until 1989 - often as protesters lined fences
warning of health risks. Some workers led the cleanup of the plant's
heavily contaminated buildings.

Now the complex is mostly dismantled and contractors have been
convicted of environmental crimes. Federal officials plan a wildlife
refuge on the site.

Any federal action to speed stalled payments to workers now would
matter as much for "vindication" as


Mike Logan, 50, worked at Rocky Flats for 25 years as a janitor,
garage attendant and metallurgical operator. He now faces risky
surgery for a tumor on his spine and worries about leaving his wife
to face a pile of bills if he's paralyzed. A federal committee that
will hear from Flats workers Tuesday could decide to make many of
them eligible for $150,000 plus medical costs. Of 6,140 medical
claims filed by the bomb plant's former workers, only 776 have been
paid. "We're expendable," Logan says. (Post / Helen H. Richardson)


for the money, said former Rocky Flats worker Judy Padilla, 60, who
had a breast removed after contracting cancer.

"We helped win the Cold War. And we're being tossed aside like a
dirty Kleenex. They really scammed us," Padilla said.

"I'd have never gone to work out there had I not been told my
government was making sure I was safe. They lied to us, bald-face
lied."

The 11-member Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health plans to
vote Wednesday night on whether to grant workers "special exposure
cohort" status. That would mean workers with any of 22 cancers could
automatically receive compensation and medical help.

Former employees from 18 of the nation's nuclear-weapons facilities
already have been granted this status.

Health and Human Service Secretary Mike Leavitt would have to sign
off on the panel's decision.

Claims often denied

"I want to make sure everybody who got cancer gets rewarded for what
they did, like the soldiers over there in Iraq," said former worker
Bob Carlson, 82, who worked at Rocky Flats for 27 years and
responded to fires in contaminated buildings.

He had colon cancer and now may have prostate cancer. Federal
officials denied his claims for compensation three times.

For Charlie Wolf, 48, who supervised work in contaminated buildings
and now is battling brain cancer, five denials of his claims
convinced him "our system is broken."  

This year, Wolf received $250,000, which he said will help defray
$800,000 in medical costs.

"Hole-in-the-head gang"

His doctors tell him he could die any day despite surgery to remove
cancerous tumors.

He meets now and then with other former workers with brain cancer -
"the hole-in-the-head gang," he calls them.

Health permitting, he hopes to weigh in with federal officials next
week.

"The problem is, there's a lot of guys who are sick, and trying to
prove it, the way the system is set up, you can't," Wolf said. "It
shouldn't be that way."

Staff writer Bruce Finley can be reached at 303-954-1700 or
bfinley@denverpost.com.



All contents Copyright 2007 The Denver Post or other copyright
*****************************************************************
 64 Rocky Mountain News: A vow unfulfilled for ill nuclear workers

5,600 awaiting money promised three years ago

George Barrie inhaled and ingested plutonium.

By Ann Imse, Rocky Mountain News
April 27, 2007

The government still hasn't paid the money it promised 5,600 sick
nuclear weapons workers up to three years ago, the Rocky Mountain
News has learned.

The former employees received letters authorizing them for a program
that pays for medical care, lost wages and permanent health
impairment. But none has received the cash, which can reach $250,000
for total disability.

The Department of Labor didn't discover the problem until late 2006.
Officials said that more than half of the 5,600 eligible workers did
not file the necessary paperwork, even though the department says it
issued proper instructions.

But the Rocky found two workers who were given incorrect information.

It isn't clear why the workers who followed procedures haven't been
paid, Labor Department officials said.

Congress created the compensation program in 2000 to help workers
who sacrificed their health in the dangerous process of building
nuclear weapons during the Cold War. To qualify, workers must prove
that radiation or toxic chemicals caused their illnesses.

The program has been plagued with problems, from slow processing to
missing radiation records. Ill workers, including thousands from the
Rocky Flats plant near Denver, have been frustrated by long waits
for badly needed money.

The Labor Department is contacting the 5,600 workers to re-explain
the procedures for collecting under the program's Part E, said
Assistant Secretary of Labor Victoria Lipnic. A third, or about
1,900, have responded seeking information, she said.

So far, 887 have spoken with staffers about applying, Lipnic said.
She said she did not know how many have filed.

Lipnic announced the unpaid claims on the department's Web site, but
she didn't reveal that 5,600 workers were involved until questioned
by a Rocky reporter. If workers have been waiting years for their
money, "that is unacceptable," she said.

"There's no deliberate delay going on," she said. "It's my
experience that everybody in this program has been imbued with the
sense of urgency because of so many people who are elderly."

A department spokesman said that normal processing time should be
closer to three or four months.

The Department of Energy ran the compensation program from 2001 to
late 2004, spending $95 million on paperwork and paying 31 workers.
Congress transferred it to the Labor Department, which took over a
backlog of 25,000 aid applications 2 1/2 years ago.

Former Rocky Flats worker George Barrie, who inhaled and ingested
plutonium while working at Rocky Flats, has 30 ailments.

The Craig resident was approved for one illness in March 2004 but
didn't receive a medical insurance card for that ailment until
December 2005. That's when he was told he had to write a letter to
claim compensation for his lost wages and impairment, even though he
and his wife repeatedly have told claims administrators they wanted
to apply.

Today, three years after his original approval, he has not been
paid. In the meantime, he must do without needed medical care, said
his wife, Terrie, an activist seeking reform of the program.

She said that officials are failing to act on a claim that he has
gastritis while they decide her husband's appeal of their denial on
other ailments. In particular, the Barries are pushing a claim for
kidney tubal disease, saying that tests prove he processed uranium
through his kidneys.

James Turner won approval years ago for his claim for beryllium
disease caused by his work at Rocky Flats, and he was given health
care and compensation under another section of the program called
Part B. But he didn't apply for impairment and lost wages under Part
E until March 2006. Thirteen months later, his Part E claim has been
approved but not paid. Approval should have been automatic because
he was a Rocky Flats worker already approved for Part B.

A Rocky Flats worker who died last year was approved for Part E
medical care in September 2005. The letter approving his medical
benefits said he could not get lost wages or impairment benefits
until after a certain set of rules took effect. In fact, those rules
had taken effect three months earlier.

He was never told that he needed to apply, according to his widow,
who asked not to be named. Now, she is eligible for only half of the
$250,000 that her husband might have received.


Corrections 2007 © The E.W. Scripps Co.
*****************************************************************
 65 lamonitor.com: Study: What's the plan?

The Online News Source for Los Alamos


ROGER SNODGRASS Monitor Assistant Editor

Thursday's account reported on a newly released independent
evaluation of the Reliable Replacement Warhead Program, the driver
for a proposed transformation of the nuclear weapon complex. This
concluding piece considers the panel's analysis about the long-range
plan, known as Complex 2030.

Part two

There were more questions about the second part of the recently
released assessment by the American Association for the Advancement
of Science. That part had to do with the long-range plans for the
nuclear weapons complex as a whole whose facilities include the
three nuclear weapons laboratories along with a number of production
and manufacturing sites under the supervision of the National
Nuclear Security Administration.


While the study found it relatively easy to go along with NNSA's bid
to create one Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW-1), at least far
enough to obtain more details on what the short-term plan entailed,
the panel found less assurance about the complications of a 25-year
transition.

"There is no budgetary estimate, yet, for the transformation plan
for NNSA," the report stated. Elsewhere, the panelists suggested
that money might be made available by cannibalizing parts of the
current program, but they weren't sure how much that would be.

Panel chair C. Bruce Tarter, a former director of Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory commented during a teleconference preceding the
release of the study that "a lot of money" would be needed up front
to rebuild the complex, while maintaining the existing inventory and
refurbishing process.

Or, as the report puts it, "A key point is that, even with an RRW
program, much of the legacy stockpile most likely will have to be
sustained for decades."

And, adds the report, "Most important, the first RRW would be built
essentially with the existing production complex."

It would take "a long time to see the benefits," Tarter said.

Challenges

Specifically, the study found that the question of producing
plutonium pits, for the replacement warheads should have the highest
priority for future planning.

The question posed by the panelists was: How will NNSA accommodate a
plan that can incorporate the benefits of the existing stockpile
with the anticipated benefits of the RRW while at the same time
modernizing the manufacturing process?

The question becomes more urgent considering that the current
capacity for producing plutonium pits, the nuclear triggers on the
warheads, at Los Alamos National Laboratory is significantly lower
than the 100 pits required, and lead time for new pit production is
10 to 15 years.

NNSA commended the report in a press release Tuesday without a
detailed response, but did note that NNSA and LANL will deliver the
first production certified pit to the stockpile in nearly two
decades.

Further complications arise because the Department of Defense, the
customer is not just a single entity, but three - the Navy and Air
Force that procure nuclear weapons from the Department of Energy and
the Office of the Secretary of Defense, which sets policies and
guidelines. The specific needs and numbers each of them will require
has yet to be meshed with the NNSA vision.

Some have detected a lack of interest from the military in taking on
a major new nuclear project.

In an earlier report by the Congressional Research Service, Barry
Hannah, chairman of the RRW coordinating group for the Navy stated
that he was very happy with the life extension program under use
with the existing weapon, known as the W-76. "I believe it meets the
Navy's needs," he told the researcher, Jonathan Medalia.

This is the same warhead, used on the missiles carried by the
Trident submarine, that the first RRW is designed to replace.

The report acknowledged that it had not considered other issues that
have been broached concerning the short and long-range programs,
including whether or not the RRW weapon could be called "new," which
might then have important implications for international relations,
particularly with the other signatories of the Nuclear
Nonproliferation Treaty. The treaty specifically proscribes new
nuclear weapons.

"There is ambiguity," said Robert Selden, a former senior manager
from Los Alamos National Laboratory, now retired, speaking about the
report's assessment of Complex 2030. "It's probably too soon to know
which path is riskier - going on as we have been or taking off on a
new approach."

The new approach, he emphasized has the advantage of making the
stockpile easier to maintain and making the manufacturing complex
more efficient and enabling a significant reduction in the numbers
of warheads that need to be kept in use.

National consensus

Finally, the report advised the Bush Administration on what it
needed to do from a public relations perspective in order to
establish a program that has enough bipartisan momentum that it can
survive several administrations and several new Congresses over the
next quarter of a century.

"We do not observe that basis has yet formed in the government,"
said Tarter.

Greg Mello, executive director of the Los Alamos Study Group, a
frequent critic of the laboratory, commented on the report this
week, agreeing that he did not see any consensus on nuclear weapons.

"Nuclear weapons will be a contested political terrain for the
foreseeable future, in part because current policies are at odds
with world opinion and the desires of most other states which have
endorsed nuclear disarmament."

He said a workable compromise was possible, but that it involved "a
downward glide path, toward a smaller and much less intrusive
arsenal and much less investment."

He acknowledged that these were goals of the RRW and Complex 2030
program, but emphasized a distinction.

"NNSA already knows what the consensus looks like because they're
using it in their public relations effort," he said. "The reality
just needs to match the rhetoric."


            © 2003 Los Alamos Monitor All Rights Reserved.
*****************************************************************
 66 Rocky Mountain News: Last chance for Rocky Flats workers

Javier Manzano 

Levi Samora, left, Michelle Dobrovolny, Mark Dobrovolny and Cora
Tafoya belong to an extended family of 16 people who worked for the
Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant. Seven are now sick or have died.
Michelle Dobrovolny holds pills she takes for a disease that is a
precursor to liver cancer. Mark and Cora hold photos of three family
members who have died. Sick and dying workers from Rocky Flats
expect a decision Thursday from a federal panel meeting in Denver on
a request to give automatic compensation to Flats workers with one
of 22 cancers.


By Laura Frank, Rocky Mountain News
April 27, 2007

They see it as their last chance.

Sick and dying workers from the former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons
site have a final opportunity to plead for help at a presidential
advisory board meeting Thursday in Denver.

The workers will argue that those with radiation-related cancers
deserve automatic medical coverage and compensation. Those benefits
have been awarded to 21 other groups of ill workers at atomic
weapons sites across the nation.

Then thousands of Rocky Flats workers wouldn't have to spend months
and often years trying to prove that their toxic exposure at work
caused their cancers.

Some developments this week could bolster the workers' case:

One method for granting compensation has been deemed scientifically
invalid by an auditor of the program, the Rocky Mountain News has
learned. The workers say that calls into question other methods, too.

A top scientist who advises the presidential board told the Rocky
that the current technique for determining who gets help is not
working. He said the government has taken too many shortcuts to
guarantee a reliable result for everyone.

The scientist who created part of the system for linking illnesses
to exposures has outlined weaknesses in how exposures are estimated.

Long wait

In 2001, a federal law ended half a century of government denial and
acknowledged that some nuclear weapons workers had job-related
illnesses.

The law laid out two ways workers could be compensated. In the
first, the government uses medical monitoring data and inventories
of toxic substances at atomic weapons plants to figure out if
workers' exposure could have caused their illnesses. That's called
dose reconstruction.

At sites where records are missing, inaccurate or incomplete, the
alternative is to automatically cover workers with cancers known to
come from radiation, the law says. That is done by designating a
group of workers as a "special exposure cohort."

Rocky Flats workers say the government cannot accurately estimate
their dose of poisons while doing the dangerous and complex work of
making plutonium bomb triggers at the weapons site northwest of
Denver. So they petitioned for a special exposure cohort.

The panel appointed by President Bush to advise him on the
compensation program consists of scientists, physicians and workers.
The panel will listen to the Rocky Flats workers Thursday morning.
Then it's expected to rule on the petition, which would cover
workers with any of 22 radiation-related cancers. Each worker would
receive reimbursement for medical expenses and $150,000 in
compensation.

Rocky Flats workers have been waiting for an answer to their
petition more than two years ? 807 days by Thursday. The average
wait for other sites granted such status was 284 days.

"The advisory board has put in a lot of time on this," said Jennifer
Thompson, a former Rocky Flats manager who helped write the petition
to the President's Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health. "I
think they're trying to do the right thing. But there is tremendous
political pressure to not approve our petition."

Granting such status has become a political hot potato because of
the potential cost of covering thousands of workers.

If the Rocky Flats petition is granted, it would likely be the
largest special cohort so far. More than 20,000 people worked at
Rocky Flats during 50 years of bomb-making, and any worker who
developed one of the 22 cancers would be eligible for compensation.
An estimated 500 workers with those cancers already have applied. No
one is sure how many more might follow.

Workers whose ailments are not on the list of 22 cancers would still
have to go through a dose reconstruction.

If the petition is denied, all sick workers would have to try to
document that their cancers came from work exposure.

New findings

Thousands of former nuclear weapons workers across the country have
been rejected under the dose reconstruction method. Others have
simply given up. The process has been criticized as scientifically
questionable and ultimately unfair.

"Our people shouldn't have to fight (the government) at the same
time they're fighting for their lives," said Thompson, who helped
write the Rocky Flats petition. "So it's really important that this
be granted."

Thompson said people close to the board have told her members are
near an even split on granting the petition. That could change this
weekend as board members review a new report saying dose
reconstruction for a certain type of exposure is probably impossible.

The report, according to board member Mark Griffon, says the
government has failed to find a valid formula for estimating Rocky
Flats workers' doses of neutron radiation ? one of the most
dangerous forms. The report says finding a reliable formula is
unlikely.

Some of the nation's top experts in dose reconstruction say it is a
powerful tool if used correctly. But some question whether the
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH, has
the resources to do an adequate job.

Lynn Anspaugh, a biophysicist and expert in dose reconstruction,
works as a consultant to the auditor that is reviewing NIOSH's dose
reconstruction work. He said government scientists have ongoing
discussions about the validity of dose reconstruction.

"Basically, I think it's possible to do a pretty accurate dose
reconstruction if you're going to spend enough time and enough
money," Anspaugh said. "I say you can't do it accurately and well on
a very large scale. There's not enough money available and not
enough people available. The situation is extremely difficult."

NIOSH is not using up-to-date data, said James Ruttenber, an
epidemiologist at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
who has extensively studied Rocky Flats workers.

"I don't know why," Ruttenber said. "Part of it is that this is all
a work in progress."

Thompson, who will speak Thursday on the workers' behalf, said
Congress never intended for the process to drag on for years while
scientists search for new methods.

"The fact that it's taken more than two years and they still haven't
got it right shows that they can't reconstruct the dose," Thompson
said.

Early concerns

Scientist F. Owen Hoffman developed part of the government formula
for linking a nuclear worker's ailments to work exposure. He
declined to comment for this article.

But in a 1991 paper, he described dose reconstruction as an "inexact
science" that depends on "an extensive amount of judgment."

Two different investigators given the same data would come up with
different doses, he wrote, so at least two sets of scientists should
perform each reconstruction.

But to save time, NIOSH has taken shortcuts. Officials say they've
tried to make up for those shortcuts with "claimant friendly"
estimates, meaning they try to err on the side of overestimating
doses.

How often does that lead to unfair decisions?

"It's probably a relatively small percentage," Ruttenber said. "But
the only way to know is to have oversight on the process."

And oversight has been limited.

NIOSH has 88 people, mostly with contractors, conducting thousands
of dose reconstructions. Not all have degrees in health physics, but
all have at least two years experience in that field, NIOSH
spokeswoman Amanda Harney said.

NIOSH has 13 people on staff who have reviewed nearly 2000 dose
reconstructions in the past five months. That averages to each
staffer reviewing at least 1 1/2 cases each work day.

The nuclear weapons workers worry that the contractors have
conflicts of interest because some were responsible for health and
safety at the sites they are reviewing.

Meanwhile, the costs of dose reconstruction continue to grow while
workers wait years ? and sometimes die ? before their compensation
arrives.

The largest contractor, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, receives
more than $4 million a month for dose reconstruction, according to
Richard Miller, a former energy workers union analyst who has
reviewed the invoices.

"The dose reconstruction effort has become hideously expensive,"
said scientist Anspaugh. "Maybe it would be cheaper just to pay
everyone who has a presumptive cancer."

Doing an accurate dose reconstruction for everyone might take too
long, he added.

"If you want to complete the process before every one of them and
their children are dead, your choice is to do it badly or don't do
it," Anspaugh said. "Maybe badly is not the right word. You're going
to make a lot of simplified presumptions, and you can't possibly pin
down everything to the level of detail you'd like."

Rocky Flats meeting


Who: Former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant workers who are ill or
dying are asking for automatic compensation for 22 radiation-related
cancers.

What: The Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health, appointed
by the president, will consider the request.

When: The panel meets Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Rocky Flats
workers will present their case at 8:15 a.m. Thursday. A decision by
the panel is expected Thursday afternoon.

Where: Westin Westminster hotel, 10600 Westminster Blvd.,
Westminster.

Info: 1-800-356-4674

frankl@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5091

Bobby, cousin

Last name withheld at family's request

By Rocky Mountain News
April 27, 2007

Job: production foreman, inventory and shipping of radioactive
materials, 1961-1992.

Illness: lung and brain cancer that spread. Died in 2006.

Compensation: Applied in 2003. Coverage approved after his death for
his widow.

Bobby was an old-fashioned, steak-and-potatoes man who served in the
Navy and went on to build nuclear weapons at Rocky Flats for 37
years.

He paid for his patriotism with his life ? and three years of
debilitating illness, as radiation-caused cancer from Rocky Flats
spread throughout his body.

But he didn't want people to know he was sick. Instead, he exercised
his photographic memory, remembering every detail of his friends'
lives and stories. He delighted those with minds quick enough to
catch his deadpan humor. And he became a substitute father to his
young grandson.

Bobby was diagnosed with lung and brain cancer in 2003, after his
wife, Elaine, noticed he was walking funny, and he veered into
another car at a stoplight. "He fought it vigorously," she said. He
endured chemotherapy and radiation until the cancer had spread to
his legs and he could not walk.

Right after being diagnosed, he applied for compensation. Every six
months or so, someone would call and say, "We just want to know if
you want to continue." Baffled by the question, the family would
say, "Of course," Elaine recalls.

Bobby called the program regularly, seeking action on his case. As
he lay on his deathbed in hospice, his wife resorted to a white lie.
"I told him we got a letter, and we got the settlement, even though
it wasn't true," Elaine said.

After his death, Elaine kept up the fight, calling sometimes weekly
and resending documents the program had lost.

"I found out the file was on someone's desk for four months," she
said. "I really had to pursue it, just to get them to work on it. If
I performed my job like this, I would not have a job."

When she finally received the paper for collecting $150,000, "I
hand-carried it to the office in Denver. Because otherwise it would
get lost, or they'd say this was filled out wrong."

Then she was told she had to reapply as a widow because Bobby had
died. She fought that, too. "The paperwork said it was for him or
his next-of-kin.

"If they would just pay everybody, it would probably be cheaper than
fighting it," she said.

Michelle Dobrovolny

Job: Engineering specialist, 1985-2001

Location: Delivered engineering documents all over Rocky Flats.
Based in a building found to have three feet of black gunk in the
ventilation system.

Illness: Depressed immune system and Sjogren's disease.

Compensation: Denied.

Michelle Dobrovolny is plagued by extreme fatigue, body pain,
infections, a brain lesion and seizures. Sjogren's disease causes
her immune system to attack her moisture-producing glands, and she's
been told it can lead to liver failure or liver cancer. Twice, her
liver has nearly failed; once, she nearly died.

She's appealed the denial of her claim for compensation six times
because it left out key information. Many of her exposure records
are missing, so she can't prove she was caught repeatedly in
radiation alerts.

She's raised three sons on her limited federal disability allowance,
and she struggles to pay for her 22 pills every morning.

She'd like to see Congress simply provide medical care for everyone
who worked at Rocky Flats.


Julie Poole, cousin

Job: metallurgical and chemical operator, lab tech, radiation
monitor, 1983-1995

Location: buildings "hot" with radiation

Illness: Fibromyalgia, depressed immune system.

Compensation: She didn't apply. She said she didn't think she'd get
it because her relatives didn't.

Poole has not been able to work due to the fibromyalgia, which
causes pain in muscles, ligaments and tendons. The cause is unknown.
She is easily infected with everyday germs.

Her health problems began in 1990, after she'd spent six years
working with plutonium in powder, liquid and solid forms and
suffering "very high" exposures to radioactivity. She remembers
being told that all the exposure records for 1987 and 1988 had been
lost. She has copies of only a few. Many of her Rocky Flats medical
records show only dates, without details of her medical problems.

Another relative fighting cancer has also been denied for
compensation. He chose not to be interviewed.


Emil Dobrovolny, father-in-law

Job: Carpenter, working all over the plant. 1984-1995

Illness: Lung cancer. Died in 1995.

Compensation: Son has not filed.

"I took care of him for the last six weeks of his life," recalls
Michelle Dobrovolny. "I watched him die a terrible death."

Mark Dobrovolny doesn't know if working at the plant caused his
father's death. "There's no way to prove it one way or the other,"
he said.

A yes vote on automatic coverage for workers likely would cover a
survivor's claim for him.


Janet Ahern, cousin

Job: administrative support and research specialist, 1964-66 and
1981-95.

Location: Hot buildings, including 771, 776 and 779.

Illness: Ovarian cancer. She died in 2001.

Compensation: Denied.

Ahern's estimated radiation dose to her ovaries was not enough to
reach 50 percent likelihood that it caused her cancer.

Program officials said the level needed to qualify for compensation
varies, depending on such factors as the intensity of exposure and
type of radiation.

The denial letter said she was not monitored for radiation exposure
in five of her 18 years at the plant, which must mean she was not in
dangerous areas. Since Ahern was dying when the compensation program
was created, she could not provide details of her work.

Ahern's mother, Cora Tafoya, now 83, says compiling the endless
paperwork for her claim was a painful reminder of her loss of both
her daughter and son-in-law to cancer she blames on Rocky Flats. "It
opened up the wound every time they wrote to me," she said.

Even today, tears come to her eyes when she talks of her smart,
reserved daughter.

She wanted her daughter and son-in-law to leave Rocky Flats because
she knew it was dangerous from her brief employment there in the
1960s. "You could hear the sirens when somebody got burned," Tafoya
recalled. "I saw one man come in, and he was just purple."

A yes vote this week on granting automatic coverage to workers with
any of 22 radiation-related cancers might grant her survivor's
compensation for her daughter, because ovarian cancer is listed in
the law.

Pat Ahern, Janet's husband

Job: Communications technician, pre 1981-1993

Illness: Hodgkin's disease (cancer of the lymph). Died at age 56 in
2000.

Compensation: Denied.

Pat Ahern crawled into the ceilings all over the plant running phone
wires. He took ill in 1993, suffering through 41 radiation
treatments. He had lung and breathing problems and dropped from 225
to 110 pounds before dying in 2000.

"None of us will ever get over it," said his sister, Kathy Ahern of
Stanwood, Wash. Their elderly mother spent five years fighting for
compensation. But program officials denied the claim, saying the
cause of Hodgkin's is unknown and not related to toxic exposures at
Rocky Flats.

"I'm sure he did feel his work made him sick," said Marge Mills, a
friend from work. "They gave him only six months to live when he
retired." But he hung on for years, as his health crumbled.

A yes vote this week on automatic coverage for workers would make no
difference in Pat Ahern's claim because Hodgkin's is not one of the
22 cancers named in the law as possibly caused by radiation.




*****************************************************************
 67 KNDO/KNDU: Deadline Beat for 300 Area Cleanup

Tri-Cities, Yakima, WA | 

RICHLAND, Wash.- Washington Closure Hanford beats a cleanup deadline
on a site just yards from the Columbia River.

It's part of cleanup in a burial ground at the 300-Area.  

Anything they needed to throw away went in the burial grounds, even
some plutonium that was just tossed in.

It doesn't look like much right now cause it's been filled with more
than 15 feet of dirt, but it's so clean you could build a house on
it.

During cleanup though, it wasn't that way, they didn't know what was
buried in there, and that makes beating the tri-party deadline even
more impressive.

"You're out digging up things where the records are scarce, if not
non-existent totally, and so we're out digging and have to be very
careful as we go through the burial grounds and the sites we're
digging up," said Washington Closure Hanford President Chuck Spencer.

One of the things they found in there was a safe with plutonium from
the site's earliest days.

Things like that slowed cleanup down, but now that it's gone, it
can't seep into the groundwater and get closer to the river.


 All content © Copyright 2000 - 2007 WorldNow and KNDO/KNDU. All
*****************************************************************
 68 Rocky Mountain News: Rocky Flats Q&A

By Laura Frank, Rocky Mountain News
April 27, 2007

Many former workers at the now-defunct Rocky Flats nuclear weapons
plant northwest of Denver have become ill ? and some have died ?
after exposure to radiation and other toxic substances during their
work at the site. They are asking a presidential advisory board to
grant special status to them so they can automatically receive
compensation through a federal program.

Q. What is a special exposure cohort?

A. It's a status granted to groups of nuclear weapons workers whose
individual exposure to radiation or toxic substances can't be
determined because of missing or faulty records. Rocky Flats workers
want to be granted this status so they don't have to go through the
arduous process of dose reconstruction.

Q. What is dose reconstruction?

A. It's a technique the government uses to estimate the dose of
radiation that workers received on the job. It involves using
available medical records and historical records from the job site,
then supplementing what's missing with estimations to "reconstruct"
the workers' likely dose over time.

Q. What difference would an SEC make to Rocky Flats workers?

A. With an SEC, any of the 20,000 former Flats workers could bypass
dose reconstruction if they develop one of 22 cancers with known
radiation links. They would automatically be granted reimbursement
for health care and $150,000 in compensation.

Q. Why don't the workers trust dose reconstructions?

A. Many former Flats workers tell tales of frustration with the
process. Some say key information about their exposure was missing
because records were lost or exposure was underreported. Thousands
have been rejected for compensation because reconstruction
determined too low a likelihood that they got sick because of their
work at Rocky Flats.


*****************************************************************
 69 Rocky Mountain News: Family full of Flats workers deals with death and illness

By Ann Imse, Rocky Mountain News
April 27, 2007

For Michelle Dobrovolny and her relatives, working at the Rocky
Flats nuclear weapons plant was a family affair.

Now, dying is.

Sixteen members of Dobrovolny?s extended family worked at the bomb
factory northwest of Denver.

Seven are sick or dead.

Four of the seven have been denied medical care and compensation by
a federal program meant to help nuclear weapons workers sickened by
radiation or toxic chemicals on the job. They cannot prove Rocky
Flats took their health.

The aid program paid a claim for one family member ? but not until
after he died. Two others have never applied.

This week, the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health meets
in Denver to recommend whether exposure records at the
now-demolished Rocky Flats are so poor that every former worker who
comes down with one of 22 radiation-related cancers should
automatically be granted compensation. The presidential advisory
board's decision goes to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human
Services, who has generally followed the panel's recommendations.

Giving this "special exposure cohort" designation to all Rocky Flats
workers could mean compensation for up to three more of Dobrovolny's
relatives who've had cancer.

It could also help the healthy ones, if they later come down with
one of the cancers named in the law.

Meanwhile, they watch what is happening to their family members and
wonder if they are next.

"Everyone who worked out there wondered if they would get cancer,"
says Mark Dobrovolny. He's Michelle's former husband, a former Rocky
Flats worker and son of a Rocky Flats worker who died of lung cancer.

Many whole families went to work at Rocky Flats during the Cold War,
as workers spread the word about good jobs and great pay. Officials
found it easier to do security clearances on relatives of employees
who'd already been cleared.

Mark Dobrovolny painted walls and floors at Rocky Flats ? fixing
radioactive particles from spills under a coating so they could not
float into the air they breathed.

"Your mind says you're safe," he recalls.

Mark still believes that. He has never requested his exposure
records. "Actually, I don't want to know," he said. "And I don't
know that I would believe the information that was there."

For Michelle Dobrovolny and one of her cousins, this week's vote
won't offer any immediate help. Their immune systems are ruined, but
they can't prove that Rocky Flats is the cause.

Michelle has a disease that she's been told can lead to liver
failure or liver cancer. She's too sick to work, but the program
won't help because she doesn't have cancer yet.

"Do you have to die before you get help?" asks her father, Enoch
Samora.

Still, struggling with repeat bouts of pneumonia, brochitis and
other infections is not the worst part of her life.

"The hardest thing is watching my family members around me die," she
says.

An eighth family member is healthy but has warning signs his lungs
eventually will be ruined by beryllium disease, from working with a
rare material used at Rocky Flats. "They've told me it's not a
matter of if, but when," said Levi Samora, Michelle's brother.

Samora is relieved that he has full health insurance as a Rocky
Flats retiree. He made his 25 years just 15 days before he was laid
off at the completion of demolition in September 2005. Without that
insurance, he believes employers would not touch him.

He dismantled pipes and equipment in buildings contaminated with
radiation and corrosive, toxic chemicals, including the so-called
infinity room where the radiation was so high the meter went off the
scale ? into infinity. At times, the work was so dangerous that he
wore a respirator inside a bubble suit.

He thought he was taking precautions, but he worries about what he
didn't know.

"We were completely and totally misled" about the dangers of
beryllium and other toxics at the plant, he said.

imsea@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5438

    
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