***************************************************************** 05/14/07 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 15.113 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** Send News Stories to news@energy-net.org with title on subject line and first line of body NUCLEAR POLICY 1 Daily Yomiuri: YIES / Japan should offer incentives to North Korea, 2 YONHAP NEWS: Seoul-Washington alliance evolving, not facing threat o 3 AFP: Bush promises help to Japan over NKorea abductions - 4 UPI: Rice visits Russia for shield talks 5 [NYTr] Japan closer to changing 'pacifiist' Constitution NUCLEAR REACTORS 6 US: NRC: Oral Comments to Be Accepted in Toms River, N.J., on May 31 7 Daily Yomiuri: Donen not responsible in suicide case, court says 8 Economic Times: India hopes to export reactors if n-deal goes throug 9 US: Platts: NRC's EDO upholds `white' finding at Vogtle plant 10 US: FR NRC: Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Assessment of Material 11 Platts: British Energy brings online 610 MW unit at Hinkley Point nu 12 US: Burlington Free Press: Letter to the Editor: Create incentives f 13 US: Daily Journal: Nuclear complex plans heating up 14 US: Concord Monitor: No one has solved problems with nukes 15 US: Rutland Herald: Two for the trash heap 16 Asia Times Online: Indonesia looks to a nuclear future 17 US: MHNN: Hall continues to hammer Indian Point 18 Hemscott: British Energy gets NII permission to restart Hunterston B 19 Japan Times: Court rejects lawsuit over Monju coverup suicide 20 US: Charlotte Observer: Don't ignore nuclear energy 21 WNN: New nuclear steam turbine plant 22 Rediff: Amend US law, or reject nuclear deal NUCLEAR SECURITY 23 csmonitor.com: 'The Atomic Bazaar': Terrorism and the nuclear arms r NUCLEAR SAFETY 24 [prez_usa_exile] NZ study paves way for N-test cash claim 25 US: Herald News: Study: No cancer, tritium link 26 BBC NEWS: Boost for N-test veterans' case 27 US: Philadelphia Inquirer: Pa. workers get $40.5 million in compensa 28 US: Honolulu Advertiser: Doubts remain about depleted uranium - 29 The Australian: Sailors 'genetically damaged by nuke tests' 30 NZ: TV3: Sailors want their children tested for radiation damage 31 US: WLWT Cincinnati: Nine Neighbors Diagnosed With Brain Tumors - 32 US: FOXNews.com: FBI Employees Ask Congress to Expand Whistleblower 33 US: New Scientist: Depleted uranium weapons linked to lung cancer - 34 Newstalk ZB: Vets"vindicated" by nuke exposure study - 35 Morning Herald: Nuclear test veterans plan class action - 36 AFP: NZealand sailors' health damaged in British nuke tests - 37 Scoop: Nuclear Veterans should be compensated 38 AU ABC: Nuke tests caused NZ genetic damage: report. 39 AU ABC: Nuclear test veterans to push for legal action. 40 NZ: NewsRoom: Government Considering Nuke Test Study NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 41 US: NIRS: Nuclear Weapons Materials Released to Landfills 42 US: RIA Novosti: VTB, Techsnabexport ink memo to produce Namibia ura 43 THERECORD.COM: INSIDER | Nuclear waste is safe 44 THERECORD.COM: INSIDER | A responsible industry 45 US: Cincinnati Business Courier: Baker Concrete to work on plutonium 46 Gloucestershire news: Have Your Say On Nuclear Storage 47 US: FR NRC: California spent fuel pond petition 48 US: Japan Times: Nuclear chief sees possible fuel contract with Russ 49 US: NIRS: Out of Control - On Purpose: DOE's Dispersal of Radioactiv 50 England's Northwest: Sellafield to ship nuclear waste to Sweden PEACE US DEPT. OF ENERGY 51 Hanford News: Viswanath named Fellow 52 Hanford News: Full operations to resume at Hanford landfill 53 Hanford News: Cesium-131 may be right on target 54 Hanford News: Uranium exploration sparks Indian, environmental debat 55 Daily Californian: Hunger Strikers Want End to UC Nuclear Work 56 KNDO/KNDU: Hanford Tour Registration Happening Wednesday, May 16 ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 Daily Yomiuri: YIES / Japan should offer incentives to North Korea, professor says Japan should provide incentives for North Korea as it takes steps toward dismantling its nuclear programs, as agreed to at the last round of six-party talks in February, said Hajime Izumi, a professor at Shizuoka Prefectural University, on Monday. Izumi, an expert on Korean Peninsula affairs who spoke at a Yomiuri International Economic Society lecture at a hotel in Osaka, noted that the six-party talks in February had been able to achieve the first small but practical step in the past 3-1/2 years toward denuclearizing North Korea because of the United States' serious concern over North Korea's nuclear ambitions. He said Washington took North Korea's nuclear test in October as a "great threat" in light of the possibility the nuclear weapons could be transferred to terrorists and used in a possible attack on the United States. The test also changed U.S. policy toward North Korea, according to Izumi. "The Bush administration originally aimed for regime change in North Korea, but shifted their stance to policy change by Kim Jong Il himself," he said, referring to how North Korean leader Kim Jong Il was mentioned by name when U.S. President George W. Bush had referred to North Korea as part of an "axis of evil," but that such provocative comments had not been heard since the nuclear test. Noting that the United States had offered to allow North Korea to obtain its frozen funds from Banco Delta Asia in Macao if it met such conditions as shutting down and sealing its main nuclear reactor in Yongbyon, Izumi insisted Japan also should offer incentives to North Korea if it really wanted to resolve the issues. He also added that although Japan has given top priority to settling the abduction issue when dealing with North Korea, it should consider the denuclearization issue at least equally. The Daily Yomiuri, The Yomiuri Shimbun © The Yomiuri Shimbun. ***************************************************************** 2 YONHAP NEWS: Seoul-Washington alliance evolving, not facing threat of death : ex-State Dept. official 2007/05/14 14:17 KST SEOUL, May 14 (Yonhap) -- The half-century alliance between South Korea and the United States is evolving amid the fast-changing environment surrounding the two allies, and it is far from demising or dying, a former U.S. State Department official said Monday. "There seem to be many views in both Seoul and Washington, most not easily cited, that have consigned the fifty-plus year alliance of the Republic of Korea and the United States to an early grave, if it is not already dead," James Kelly, former assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said at a Seoul forum, referring to South Korea's official name. Kelly said the alliance is "surely evolving, becoming much more an association of equals," but is far from being dead. "The alliance is more than a defense pact now and has gone far beyond the written language of 1954," the former State Department official said in a paper distributed among participants at the Seoul forum. The forum, co-hosted by South Korea's Sejong Institute and the U.S.-based Brooking Institution and sponsored by the Korea Foundation, was held at Seoul's Plaza Hotel. The two-day forum on ROK-US Relations Towards Renewed Trust and Vitality lasts until Tuesday. Kelly said it was necessary for both South Korea and the U.S. to establish why they will continue to need and want an alliance in the 21st century. "Put broadly, South Korea - long an appendage of continental Asia - has now come into its own as a world player," he said. "Within the lifetimes of most, it will inevitably absorb - peacefully we can hope - its northern brother, 21 million potentially talented Koreans trapped in a system that squanders their talents and health," said Kelly. For the United States, he said, it will be necessary to maintain a close relationship with the unified Korea, which "will be, as ever, so close to three larger great powers" in the world. "The United States has critical interests in the part of the world that is most associated with the future," he said. Still, some obstacles remain in the evolving alliance between the two, mainly the North Korea issue, Kelly said. North Korea's nuclear ambition continues to pose serious threats to peace and stability in the region, while the communist nation does not appear to have made "the strategic choice to give up its nuclear weapons," he said. What is important for Washington to understand is that many South Koreans now view North Korea in a "different way than it was a few years ago" and "the tendency is to see the DPRK as more of a sad case than a danger," he said. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Choices for Koreans and for Americans, though in a different way, he said, "have to be faced about just how closely Korea and America should associate." "Mutually beneficial association of the United States and Korea seems to have little downside and plenty of beneficial opportunity to offer enhanced prosperity and a higher degree of safety to the people of both countries," Kelly said. bdk@yna.co.kr (END) ***************************************************************** 3 AFP: Bush promises help to Japan over NKorea abductions - Mon May 14, 1:05 PM ET TOKYO (AFP) - United States President George W. Bush reassured Japan Monday that the two countries would cooperate in solving a dispute over North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals, the foreign ministry here said. Bush made the commitment during a 20-minute telephone conversation with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as a follow-up to their summit meeting at Camp David on April 27, the ministry said in a press release. In September 2002, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il admitted to kidnapping 13 Japanese in the 1970s and 1980s to train spies in Japanese language and culture. Pyongyang says eight of them are dead, but Tokyo believes more Japanese nationals were kidnapped and are still alive in the North. The press release said that Bush and Abe "agreed that Japan and the United States will continue cooperating in solving (the abduction issue.)" "As for the abduction issue, Prime Minister Abe said he had been relieved by President Bush's strong position on what includes the removal of (North Korea's) designation as a terrorism-sponsoring state," the statement said. The Bush call followed reports that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Abe at the summit that the solution of the abduction issue was "not a prerequisite" under US law for the removal of North Korea from the US list of terrorism-supporting states. Rice was the first senior US senior official to refer to the possibility of Washington separating the two issues. Abe has built his career on taking a hardline against the communist state. His government has refused to fund a February deal to supply North Korea with energy in exchange for its nuclear disarmament unless there is progress on the abduction issue. The two leaders also reaffirmed the importance of North Korea taking steps toward denuclearisation in exchange for energy aid under the February agreement aimed at dismantling North Korea's nuclear arms programme. Japan has imposed sweeping economic sanctions on the North and refused to loosen them until the kidnapping row is resolved. As part of its demands to Washington, Pyongyang wants to be taken off the list of terrorism-sponsoring states. Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 4 UPI: Rice visits Russia for shield talks United Press International - NewsTrack - Top News - Published: May. 14, 2007 at 3:49 PM MOSCOW, May. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is working in Moscow to win Russian approval for a missile defense shield in Eastern Europe. Rice is meeting Monday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and is scheduled for Tuesday talks with President Vladimir Putin, Voice of America reported Monday. The secretary is hoping to convince Russia the U.S. plan for the missile defense shield -- which is planned for installation in Poland, the Czech Republic and a third as yet unnamed country -- is necessary to protect Europe from missile attacks. "The Russian side does not believe American statements that these ballistic missile facilities will not be directed against Russia, but are a safeguard against rogue nations which seek nuclear weapons and missile technology to attack the United States and their allies," said Yevgeni Volk, director of the Heritage Foundation in Moscow. "So, I believe both sides can hardly find common ground, because the perceptions of ballistic missiles in Europe are quite different." © Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 5 [NYTr] Japan closer to changing 'pacifiist' Constitution Date: Mon, 14 May 2007 12:23:22 -0400 Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit sent by Steven Robinson (activ-l) AP via San Francisco Chronicle - May 13, 2007 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/05/13/international/i2 04839D66.DTL Japan Closer to Changing Constitution By Chisaki Watanabe The Associated Press Tokyo, Japan -- Japan's parliament on Monday passed guidelines for amending the country's pacifist constitution to give the military a larger global role. If the amendments are eventually made, they would be the first to the 1947 constitution, drafted by U.S. occupation officials in the aftermath of World War II. The vote marked a political victory for nationalist Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who wants to see Japan take more responsibility for global security. The legislation easily passed in parliament's Upper House with support of the ruling bloc's majority. The measure was approved last month by the Lower House. But the bill drew strong criticism from opposition lawmakers who say the legislation is flawed and aimed at boosting Abe's image before key elections in July. Monday's legislation sets up panels in both the lower and upper parliamentary houses to review drafts of proposed amendments. The legislation also calls for discussion of a proposal to lower the voting age from 20 to 18 years. Abe, who is strengthening military cooperation with the United States and requiring schools to teach patriotism, has campaigned to loosen the constitution's limits on military action. The constitution bans the use of military force as a means of settling international disputes, and special legislation is needed for Japanese soldiers to participate in peacekeeping and other missions abroad. A national referendum is needed to amend the constitution, and the new legislation maps out how such a referendum would be carried out. Recent polls show that support for an amendment is mixed. Many Japanese credit the charter's pacifist clause with keeping the country out of war since 1945, preventing a resurgence of wartime militarism and allowing Japan to focus on becoming wealthy. Abe and supporters, however, argue that Japan needs to take more responsibility in maintaining global peace and security. The country dispatched troops on a humanitarian mission to Iraq in 2004-06, the first time since World War II that Japanese soldiers have entered a combat zone. * ================================================================ .NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems . Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us . .339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org .List Archives: https://olm.blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/ .Subscribe: https://olm.blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr ================================================================ ***************************************************************** 6 NRC: Oral Comments to Be Accepted in Toms River, N.J., on May 31 Regarding Proceeding on Oyster Creek License Renewal Application News Release - Region I - 2007-07-027 - U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region I 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa. 19406 www.nrc.gov CONTACT: Diane Screnci (610) 337-5330 Neil A. Sheehan (610) 337-5331 E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov Interested citizens will have an opportunity on Thursday, May 31, to comment on matters of concern related to an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) proceeding regarding the license renewal application for the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant. The remarks, which will be transcribed, will be received by the three-member ASLB panel handling the proceeding. Known as “limited appearance statements,” the comments will be accepted during two sessions to be held in Room 119 of the Ocean County (N.J.) Administration Building, at 101 Hooper Ave., Toms River, N.J. (Directions are available at: http://www.co.ocean.nj.us/ComplexMapPage.aspx .) The first session is scheduled for 2 to 4 p.m. and the second from 7 to 9 p.m. ASLB Judge E. Roy Hawkens, who is chairing the Oyster Creek panel, said there will be an effort to make the sessions as inclusive as possible. While certain parties to the proceeding may not speak, such as an attorney for a party or an individual associated with a party who is acting as its representative by expressing its views, the ASLB panel views the sessions as an opportunity for those attending to speak in their capacity as citizens. “Although these statements do not constitute testimony or evidence in the proceeding, they nonetheless may assist the Board and/or the parties in their consideration of the issues. In particular, these statements may serve to alert the Board and the parties to areas in which evidence may need to be adduced,” a notice on the sessions issued by the ASLB states. Persons wishing to make an oral statement who have submitted a timely written request and who are present when their names are called will be given priority over those who have not filed such a request. To be considered timely, a written request to make an oral statement must be mailed, faxed or sent by e-mail so as to be received by 5 p.m. on Friday, May 25, 2007. The request must specify the requestor’s name and the session (afternoon or evening) during which he or she wishes to make an oral statement. Written requests to make an oral statement should be mailed to: Office of the Secretary, Rulemakings and Adjudication Staff, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001; faxed to (301) 415-1101; or e-mailed to: hearingdocket@nrc.gov. Copies of requests should be mailed to: Administrative Law Judge E. Roy Hawkens, c/o: Debra Wolf, Esq., Law Clerk, Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel, Mail Stop T-3 F-23, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001; faxed to: (301) 415-5599; or e-mailed to: daw1@nrc.gov. In July 2005, AmerGen Energy Co., LLC, which owns and operates Oyster Creek, applied to the NRC for a 20-year license extension. The current 40-year operating license for the plant, located in Lacey Township (Ocean County), N.J., is due to expire on April 9, 2009. Subsequently, the State of New Jersey and a coalition of environmental groups requested a hearing on the application. The coalition includes the Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS), Jersey Shore Nuclear Watch, Inc., Grandmothers, Mothers and More for Energy Safety, the New Jersey Public Interest Research Group, the New Jersey Sierra Club and the New Jersey Environmental Federation. The state’s request was eventually turned down, but the coalition had a single contention admitted. That contention is scheduled to be litigated before the three-judge ASLB panel at an evidentiary hearing in September. Additional information about the Oyster Creek application review is available at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/o ystercreek.html NRC news releases are available through a free list server subscription at the following Web address: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC Home Page at www.nrc.gov also offers a Subscribe to News link in the News & Information menu. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web Site. Monday, May 14, 2007 ***************************************************************** 7 Daily Yomiuri: Donen not responsible in suicide case, court says The Tokyo District Court on Monday dismissed a claim that the suicide of an official at the former Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (Donen) was triggered by the pressure of being forced to make a false statement. The case surrounded the death of Shigeo Nishimura, 49, who was investigating a sodium leak that occurred in 1995 at the Monju fast breeder nuclear reactor in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture. Three members of Nishimura's family sued Donen, the forerunner of the current Atomic Energy Agency, seeking 148 million yen in compensation. Presiding Judge Tsutomu Yamazaki said he could not accept the claim that Donen forced Nishimura to make a false statement. ) The Daily Yomiuri, The Yomiuri Shimbun * ANN © The Yomiuri Shimbun. ***************************************************************** 8 Economic Times: India hopes to export reactors if n-deal goes through- IANS[ MONDAY, MAY 14, 2007 10:50:46 AM] KAIGA: Although the road to the much talked about Indo-US civil nuclear deal remains bumpy, India's nuclear industry hopes to cash in if it finally goes through. "There is demand for our reactors from abroad and we are hoping we will be able to export them soon," a senior official of the Nuclear Power Corp of India Ltd (NPCIL) told the media. "We have received requests from a few countries for building them on turnkey basis," said Harsh Kapoor, site director of Kaiga atomic station in Karnataka. He declined to name the countries saying that talks were still on. The government will make an announcement at the right time, he said. India at present does not have sanction to export nuclear technology and will have to wait until the international community, in the form of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), grants it. This in turn depends on the progress on the outcome of Indo-US negotiations on nuclear cooperation. Kapoor said the export model would be similar to the 220-MW units in Kaiga. The design uses natural uranium as fuel and heavy water as moderator and coolant. A state-owned company, the NPCIL builds and runs nuclear power plants in India. Karnataka, in south India, is one of the sites where NPCIL has three 220-MW power reactors in operation. The fourth unit in Kaiga is nearing completion. The third unit, whose power was fed into the grid last month, and the fourth unit that will go critical in December have been built in a record time of 32 months, Kapoor said. The Kaiga power station would have two more 700 MW units in future after government approval, he said. The NPCIL hopes to build eight 700 MW units and ten 1,000 MW units in the next five years. The plants are expected to come up at nine new sites, in addition to raising the number of plants at the existing stations. Copyright © 2007 Times Internet Limited. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 9 Platts: NRC's EDO upholds `white' finding at Vogtle plant 2007-05-11 Washington (Platts)--11May2007 NRC's executive director for operations, or EDO, has upheld a "white" finding at Vogtle related to an emergency preparedness exercise in March 2006. A white finding is the second-lowest level in NRC's four-category, color-coded safety classification system and denotes low to moderate safety significance. It is rare for a finding to be appealed to the EDO level; Vogtle operator Southern Nuclear Operating Co. had earlier appealed the NRC staff's finding to the Region II administrator, who upheld the staff decision. In a May 3 letter, released publicly May 11, EDO Luis Reyes said, "After careful consideration of all the available information, I have determined that the NRC staff's White finding regarding the post-exercise critique is appropriate." The finding has to do with the Vogtle emergency director's declaration of a site area emergency, or SAE, during the drill; NRC said an alert would have been the correct response. An SAE is a more serious emergency classification than an alert. Reyes' letter said, "Had this been an actual event, the SAE declaration could have resulted in unnecessary and inappropriate public protective actions." Copyright © 2007 - Platts, All Rights Reserved ***************************************************************** 10 FR NRC: Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Assessment of Materials and Equipment Manual Doc 07-2362 [Federal Register: May 14, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 92)] [Notices] [Page 27093-27094] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr14my07-22] DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [Docket No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2006-0957] NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION AGENCY: Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Notice of availability: Reopening of public comment period. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: On January 16, 2007 (72 FR 1708) the Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced for public comment the availability of a draft document, entitled the ``Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Assessment of Materials and Equipment Manual'' (MARSAME). A 90-day comment period was provided for the draft MARSAME that expired on April 16, 2007. A request for an extension to the comment period has been received from several stakeholders. The comment period for the draft manual has been reopened for an additional 30 days. DATES: The comment period for the draft manual has been reopened and now expires on June 13, 2007. Comments received after that date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but no assurance can be given for consideration of late comments. ADDRESSES: Submit your comments by one of the methods: http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments. http://www.marsame.org: Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments. Mail: Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460 or Chief, Rulemaking, Directives and Editing Branch, Division of Administrative Services, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. Hand Delivery: Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA West Building, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docket's normal hours of operation, and special arrangements must be made for deliveries of boxed information. Copies of all comments received by one agency will be periodically copied and sent to the others. Copies of the draft MARSAME and all comments received may be examined or copied for a fee electronically in http://www.regulations.gov, or in hard copy at the HQ EPA Docket Public Reading Room, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Room 3334, Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2006-0957, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, and the NRC Public [[Page 27094]] Document Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852-2747. The HQ EPA Docket Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the EPA HQ Docket Public Reading Room is (202) 566-1744. DOE, EPA, and NRC each have a publication number for MARSAME. They are: For DOE, DOE/EH-707; for EPA, EPA 402-R-06-002; for NRC, NUREG-1575, Sup. 1. A free single copy of the draft MARSAME may be requested by writing to: Distribution and Mail Services Section, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001 or by fax to (301) 415-2289. The document is also available through the Internet at: http://www.epa.gov/radiation/marssim. Instructions for Using the EPA Docket: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2006-0957. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the public docket without change and may be made available online at http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through http://www.regulations.gov. The www.regulations.gov Web site is an ``anonymous access'' system, which means EPA will not know your identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you include your name and other contact information in the body of your comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. All documents in the docket are listed in the http://www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted material, will be publicly available only in hard copy. Instructions for Using the MARSAME comment Web site: Alternatively, you may submit a comment via the http://www.marsame.org comment system without going through http://www.regulations.gov. Users of the MARSAME comment Web site will be asked for their name and e-mail address, and then will receive a username and password at the e-mail address that was submitted. User's names and e-mail address will not appear in any public document or database. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any of the following points of contact for each agency for technical information (See ADDRESSES section above for directions on obtaining a copy of the draft MARSAME.): DoD: Steven Doremus, Phone: (757) 887-7745, U.S. Navy, NAVSEADET RASO, NWS, PO Drawer 260, Yorktown, VA 23691-0260; DOE: W. Alexander Williams, Phone: (301) 903-8149, U.S. Department of Energy (EM-23), 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585; EPA: Kathryn Snead; Phone: (202) 343-9228, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Stop 6608J, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington DC 20460-1000; NRC: George Powers, Phone: (301) 415-6212, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Mail Stop T9-C34, Washington DC 20555. Questions concerning the multi-agency document development project should be addressed to CAPT Colleen Petullo, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/U.S. Public Health Service, OSWER/ERT, PO Box 93478, Las Vegas, NV 89193-3478, (702) 784- 8004. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In March 2007, the MARSAME Working Group received a request for a 90-day extension to the comment period from the Nuclear Information and Resource Service filed on behalf of a number of interested parties, including: Alliance for Nuclear Accountability; International Science Oversight Board; Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter; BE SAFE/ Center for Health, Env. & Justice; Tri- Valley CAREs; Environmental Coalition on Nuclear Power; Bluesky Institute; Citizen's Environmental Coalition; Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes; and Committee to Bridge the Gap. In April 2007, Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center and the Snake River Alliance were added to the request and the MARSAME Working Group received additional requests for a 30-day extension to the comment period from Nuclear Energy Institute, Inc., State of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and State of Washington Department of Health. The requests note that the manual is very important and very technical. The original comment period for the draft manual was 90 days; in general, as proscribed by Executive Order 12889 (December 27, 1993) technical documents are put out for public comment for 75 days. After careful consideration, the agencies have determined that an additional 30 days for review (which now results in a comment period totaling 120 days) to be reasonable and consistent with the agencies' desire to receive informed comments from external stakeholders on the manual. The deadline for comments on any aspect of this manual is extended to June 13, 2007. For the Department of Defense, dated this 30th day of April, 2007. Alex Beehler, Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Environment, Safety and Occupational Health). For the U.S. Department of Energy, dated this 20th day of April 2007. Andrew C. Lawrence, Director, Office of Nuclear Safety and Environment, Office of Health, Safety and Security. For the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, dated this 20th day of April 2007. Juan Reyes, Director, Radiation Protection Division. For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, dated this 24th day of April 2007. Brian W. Sheron, Director, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research. [FR Doc. 07-2362 Filed 5-11-07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 11 Platts: British Energy brings online 610 MW unit at Hinkley Point nuke 2007-05-14 London (Platts)--14May2007 UK generator British Energy brought online Sunday afternoon one unit at its 1,220 MW Hinkley Point B nuclear power station, balancing mechanism data showed. Hinkley Point B unit 8 was generating 100 MW of power at 1200 BST (1100 GMT) Monday, the data showed. British Energy Friday said it received permission from the country's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate to restart one unit at its 1,220-MW Hinkley Point B nuclear power station. "The company expects to receive permission from the NII to restart the second unit at Hinkley Point B and two units at Hunterston B in sequence, as anticipated, over the next few weeks," the country's biggest generator said in a notice to the London Stock Exchange. Hinkley Point B and 1,190-MW Hunterston B nuclear power stations are expected to return at 70% of output. Hinkley Point B has been offline since autumn 2006--one of the station's units went offline in September and the other in October--for inspections and repairs on the cracked boiler tubes. Hunterston, which faces similar maintenance issues, has been completely offline since October. For simliar news, request a free trial to Power in Europe at http://www.platts.com/Request%20More%20Information/index.xml?src=story Copyright © 2007 - Platts, All Rights Reserved ***************************************************************** 12 Burlington Free Press: Letter to the Editor: Create incentives for nuclear expansion burlingtonfreepress.com | Burlington, Vermont Monday, May 14, 2007 Published: Monday, May 14, 2007 Jennifer Clancy's "My Turn: The Shumlin Shakedown: state politics at its worst" (May 5), is on target. In spite of the many costly obstacles that activists have thrown at Vermont Yankee, nuclear power has saved industry and Vermonters millions of dollars. Yankee's recent high profits prove the efficiency of nuclear power. So-called renewable power, such as wind, solar, etc., will never extricate us from our dangerous over-dependency on oil. Nuclear power is the only energy source that can make a difference. Ethanol will prove to be a disaster for the United States. Instead of Shumlin's proposed confiscatory $37 million tax on Yankee, I suggest we provide an incentive for Yankee to expand their nuclear power operation. Global expansion into nuclear power will substantially reduce the demand and price that we pay to the oil rich countries that fund world terrorism. I believe it was Edward Teller, co-developer of the atom bomb, who commented that nuclear waste is the largest nonproblem that we face. BILL HAZELETT Colchester Copyright ©2007 Burlingtonfreepress.com All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 13 Daily Journal: Nuclear complex plans heating up www.thedailyjournal.com - Vineland, N.J. Saturday, May 12, 2007 By JEFF MONTGOMERY Gannett News Service LOWER ALLOWAYS CREEK -- The last time the federal government considered how dangerous the Salem County nuclear complex could be, it came to this conclusion: In the unlikely case of a meltdown, 100,000 people in the region would die within one year, with 75,000 injuries and 40,000 later deaths to cancer. That was 25 years ago. While there has been nothing close to a meltdown, the complex -- the nation's second-largest -- has run erratically, with numerous problems at times earning it a federal ranking as one of the nation's most troubled nuclear installations. Now the facility's owner, PSEG Nuclear, is preparing to apply for 20-year permit extensions for all three of its reactors -- Salem Units 1 and 2 and Hope Creek -- and is considering turning up the heat at its Hope Creek reactor to produce more electricity. All that would be enough to raise the ire of neighbors who want to see the complex shut down because of its unpredictable performance. But the company is going further. PSEG officials said the company likely will take the first step this year to add a fourth reactor, making the complex the nation's largest. "Clearly, the location in South Jersey was originally envisioned for four units. It has three. It makes sense to look at that site, which has some infrastructure advantages," said PSEG spokesman Paul Rosengren. The suggestion of building a fourth reactor comes as the nuclear industry is touting itself as a safe, environmentally friendly source of energy for a nation focused on problems linked to fossil fuel-burning power plants. "If you are going to get serious about carbon emissions, you need to take a serious look at the potential expansion of nuclear power," Rosengren said. Federal officials have said that nuclear power has a safe record, and past meltdown studies might overstate potential losses. But the PSEG plan can expect fierce opposition. "They're going to start a firestorm," said Norm Cohen, who directs the watchdog group Unplug Salem. "They have enough to do to run three old, cranky reactors. They don't need to be building a new one. I can't see the people of South Jersey going for that." Cohen has long argued that the complex has too many mechanical problems, management weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Even more important, he says, the federal emergency planning zone is inadequate. That zone, which currently spans a radius of 10 miles from the complex, takes in 11,722 households in towns as far west as Middletown. Congress sought consideration of a 20-mile zone for distribution of potassium iodine pills, used to protect against thyroid cancers caused by radioactive iodine. But federal officials subsequently found that "it would not be a prudent allocation of resources to purchase [tablets] up to 20 miles when the likelihood of any significant consequence at that range was very small," spokesman Neil Sheehan said. But opposition groups have asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to expand the zone to 20 miles to accurately reflect how many homes and residents would need to be evacuated in case of an accident. An expanded zone would encompass 187,000 households from just north of Dover to the arc of Delaware, west into Cecil County, Md. and east across a big swath of South Jersey. And that's without a fourth reactor. The current 10-mile zone reaches east to the small village of Alloway, but expansion of the zone to 20 miles would bring it past Bridgeton and right up to the western borders of Millville and Elmer. Ed Pearson, an Alloway resident who lives a mile outside the current zone, said expanding the nuclear plant and expanding the zone really don't make his long list of concerns. "I've lived close to the plant for more than 25 years," said Pearson, a chemist now in semi-retirement. "It comes to the point where you really don't even think about it." Although Pearson said he knows people who work at the plant, he declined to talk about concerns from citizen's groups about a possible accident of one of the complex's three reactors or the possible construction of a fourth reactor. The Alloway Fire Department is one of the first facilities that would be called if there were an accident at Salem Units 1 and 2 or Hope Creek in Lower Alloways Creek, Pearson said. Because of the proximity of his house to a major fire company, Pearson said an accident of any size would unlikely require any warning. "If anything happened, we'd hear about it," he said. "But with global warming, the war in Iraq and any number of other problems, that plant is the least of my concerns." Toward Elmer about 10 miles, Robert Lamano milks about 40 cows on the outskirts of Elmer, a country village just outside the proposed 20-mile warning zone. "To tell you the truth, I've never heard anything about any of this," Lamano said of the proposal to expand the 10-mile zone. Should a leak occur at any of the complex's three reactors, Lamano would likely be seriously impacted, even though he's relatively far from the zone. Because prevailing winds blow directly from the plant toward his farm, Lamano said his cows' milk likely would be contaminated in the case of any major leak of radioactivity from the complex. "Our milk is tested regularly with every load that goes out of here," he said. "If there's any sign of contamination from radioactivity, I'd know about it fast." But with feed prices rising and milk prices low, Lamano has more immediate concerns than a possible leak from a plant that hasn't posed any problems in the past. "I just don't think about it because there's really nothing I can do about it," he said. "Besides, if that plant went up, we'd all be in a world of trouble." 5 million people at risk PSEG's reactor cluster on the Delaware River, now rated at a combined 3,400 megawatts, could become the nation's largest nuclear producer if it adds the additional unit. It also could cement its position as one of the nation's top hazards. Although only 33,400 people live within 10 miles of Salem-Hope Creek, more than 5 million live within a 50-mile radius, the region in which radiation could spread in case of an accident. Jane Nogaki, South Jersey representative for the New Jersey Environmental Federation, said her group believes the complex already is a potential target for a terrorist attack. A fourth reactor, she said, would make PSEG's operation even more tempting. "Nuclear plants are vulnerable targets. It's impossible to protect them fully. They're out there in the open, and the radioactive waste is located right there alongside," Nogaki said. "It's too great a risk for that kind of power. We would outright oppose it." New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection last month asked a federal appeals court to order a new environmental study for the Oyster Creek nuclear plant in that state, citing its vulnerability to attack by aircraft and other terror tactics. Agency spokeswoman Elaine Makatura said the department has not yet decided if it will take a similar stand on PSEG's operation. For people like Matthew F. DelPizzo, who operates a carpentry business out of a house near Delaware's Augustine Beach community, the danger outweighs the benefits of more megawatts of nuclear-produced electricity. "I don't think we need any more exposure to possible problems with a new reactor, since the ones there now have been so problematic," DelPizzo said. "I think there's certainly other alternative energy sources out there, especially the wind farm that they want to build on the ocean near Indian River Bay." But for PSEG, great forces are at work -- a changing climate. With global warming becoming a political question, the nuclear industry -- once vilified for the toxic waste it produces and the dangers it presents -- is reinventing itself as green amid the rising clamor for clean electricity. Federal incentives PSEG, Rosengren said, sees increased nuclear power capacity as part of a broad range of steps needed to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases tied to global warming and climate change. Industry analysts say the company has everything to gain from the overture to expand. A federal energy bill in 2005 offered huge tax credits, loan guarantees and risk-insurance benefits to companies that seek licenses for clean-energy projects before the end of 2007. That has led to a rush of companies applying to build new reactors. Although there are 104 licenses to operate nuclear power plants in the United States, no new facility has been built since 1996. But this year so far, about 20 companies have made proposals. Constellation Energy already has proposed building two advanced reactors at Calvert Cliffs, Md., or Nine Mile Point in New York, and at two other undetermined locations, using the same new reactor design already under construction in France and Finland. Eighteen other ventures involving dozens of sites and reactors also are under consideration. Two, in Illinois and Mississippi, already have the needed approvals. "So many others already are in that race that I wouldn't bet a lot of money on that second reactor at Hope Creek," said David Lochbaum, a nuclear engineer with the watchdog group the Union of Concerned Scientists. "But there are a lot of variables involved." Even the industry believes that only a fraction of the reactors proposed will be built. But advocates point to the stack of new applications, spawned in part by federal tax credits, as evidence the nation is once again interested in nuclear power. From the industry's standpoint, recent history favors a nationwide expansion. The notoriety of the 1979 accident at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania may have been a setback, but advocates of nuclear power point to its safe record since then, both here and in Europe. In France, for instance, nuclear energy was embraced 30 years ago, when the rest of the world was dealing with an energy crisis. Today, with 58 plants, the country, with its "City of Lights," Paris, gets about 78 percent of its energy from nuclear plants. It even produces enough to export electricity to England and Germany. Critics argue that no matter the industry's record and the environmental benefits of nuclear energy, there is still the question of what to do with nuclear waste. While burying excess waste under Yucca Mountain in Nevada has created a nationwide stir, France has taken its nuclear waste and reused it, albeit at a cost of more than $1 billion a year. Spent nuclear fuel rods from French plants are sent to a sprawling plant on the coast of Normandy. There, the rods are cooled for years and used to make new fuel. Some critics caution that France might not be gaining much. Although reprocessing reduces the amount of traditional reactor waste, the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research pointed out recently that the process leaves other types of wastes that still require long-term storage, leaving roughly the same overall need for a repository. Mitchell Singer, a spokesman for the industry-backed Nuclear Energy Institute, said that the United States needs to consider nuclear power as one of the methods available to meet future needs while also reducing emissions of carbon dioxide, a heat-trapping "greenhouse" gas linked to global warming and climate shifts. Passing grades The Salem-Hope Creek reactors already produce enough electricity to meet the needs of more than 2 million homes. Nuclear power overall accounts for more than half the electricity generated in New Jersey, and 19 percent of the national total. The older Salem units are pressurized, two-step reactors that use non-radioactive steam to drive turbines. Hope Creek is a boiling water reactor that boils water inside the reactor, sending steam directly to a turbine. All three plants were recently given passing safety grades by the NRC, but local nuclear power critics charge that PSEG's performance has been uneven and, in some cases, dangerous in the past. In the mid-1990s, the NRC put Salem-Hope Creek on its "watch list" of troubled nuclear plants. Regulatory and public pressure eventually forced the company to shut down the Salem units for plant and management overhauls. Problems arose again in 2004, when mishaps and complaints prompted the NRC to put the company under special oversight. "Compared to a couple of years ago, things at Salem and Hope Creek are looking pretty good," said Lochbaum, the nuclear engineer, adding that his group is watching closely as the NRC considers a proposal to increase the output of Hope Creek by increasing the reactor core heat. The plan would hike the core water temperature in Hope Creek to about 535 degrees -- up 15 percent. Steam temperatures would rise even more, with steam pressures rising to more than 1,000 pounds per square inch. Federal regulators have closely examined and then approved virtually all such proposals in the past, despite questions about increased vibration problems in boiling-water reactors similar to Hope Creek. "The NRC is shirking its responsibility to protect the public by allowing clueless plant owners to crank up ... to see what happens," Lochbaum wrote in a 2004 briefing paper. Drawing water from river Equally controversial are company proposals to continue drawing trillions of gallons from the Delaware River each year to cool the Salem units. The plant's intakes kill the equivalent of 354 million juvenile fish each year -- a figure that environmental groups say rises into the tens of billions of organisms when counting larvae and eggs. New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection has put PSEG Nuclear's request for a new cooling-water permit on hold, pending settlement of a similar case at the smaller Oyster Creek plant. For Lois Boyles, who lives along Del. 9 just south of Augustine Beach, the Salem-Hope Creek complex has been a good neighbor. "I've lived here for four years and I don't have any complaints," Boyles said. "When my time comes, it'll come. I can see the stacks, but I'm not concerned about living here." Daily Journal staff writer Miles Jackson contributed to this report. Copyright ©2007 The Daily Journal. ***************************************************************** 14 Concord Monitor: No one has solved problems with nukes May 14, 2007 Cathy O'Connor, Concord For days I've waited for someone else to respond to the tirade against activists who protested nuclear power in the 1970s (Monitor letter, May 1). The writer blamed those peaceniks and environmentalists for today's high energy prices since they tried to discourage the building of nuclear power plants. The writer fails to see the blatant foolishness of generating a radioactive waste with a half-life of hundreds of thousands of years. That doesn't even take into account storage of this highly toxic product, away from our aquifers, oceans and other life-supporting systems - and away from people who would like to make it into bombs. And then of course he neglected to remember Three Mile Island and Chernobyl - just a little minor problem of releasing clouds of toxic gases into the air, causing cancer to the surrounding inhabitants. I'm not familiar with Seabrook Station, though I did protest the Maine Yankee, which was built in Wiscasset, near busy U.S. Route 1, effectively trapping all the people on Boothbay peninsula in the event of an accident. In the '70s after the Arab oil embargo there was some push toward increased automobile fuel efficiency standards and alternative energy for producing electricity and heating, but in the boom times of the '80s these were laughed out of the water. Yes, there haven't been a lot of accidents publicized about nuclear power in the ensuing 40 years, but the concerns of the '70s are still with us today: waste, storage, safety, security and the ultimate disposal to render it safe. Until those concerns are addressed in an appropriate manner, I will continue to decry nuclear power. CATHY O'CONNOR Concord Concord Monitor Online, P.O. Box 1177, Concord NH 03302 Phone: 603-224-5301 | E-mail: cmwebmaster@concordmonitor.com ***************************************************************** 15 Rutland Herald: Two for the trash heap Rutland Vermont News & Information May 14, 2007 The Vermont Legislature ended as it often does in a rush, and it will take weeks if not months to sort out the implications of all the new laws passed at the end of the session. Two things, however, stand out as likely outcomes. First, the governor will veto the new Vermont Yankee tax, and the veto will stand. While improving efficiency is a laudable goal, and expanding Efficiency Vermont to include fuel oils is certainly worth considering, the tax is more the result of a rush to get a bill - any bill - than good public policy. When it became clear that the people were not going to accept a fuel oil surcharge, the legislators should have shelved the project for a year, fine-tuned it, built support, and identified the best possible funding source. Instead, they leapt from one unpopular tax base to another, leaving the appearance that they are more concerned with addressing Senate President Peter Shumlin's pet project than making good laws. Even opponents of nuclear power must cringe at the apparently arbitrary way Shumlin and his inner circle selected a single company to shoulder the burden of their plan. It is exactly this random method of governing utilities that concerns investors when the state's power companies go to Wall Street for support of capital improvements. So tax Yankee today, but pay more for every bond you issue down the road. That's bad policy. Second, the compromise cobbled together to control education spending is not going to work until and unless the cost of health care is controlled. This session, the Legislature passed a bill encouraging school boards to offer universal pre-kindergarten classes, exactly the kind of program growth that drives up education costs. Then, in the waning days, the Legislature turned around and essentially blamed local school boards for driving up costs. But the cost drivers for most school boards - even high-spending ones - are not elaborate new local programs. Year after year, underlying costs like health care for employees and following ever-more-demanding federal and state mandates are why budgets rise faster than inflation. Local voters, recognizing the problem is out of their school boards' hands and not willing to abandon their children's education, pass the budgets. Given that employee pay and benefits are a huge percentage of school budgets, if the state gets health care inflation down to the rate of general inflation, school budget increases will level off in a hurry. Until then, the new law is asking local voters to show more restraint than the Legislature has, and to penalize their own children's education in the process. On the plus side, at least the lawmakers have a head start on two major issues for the second half of the biennium, beginning in January. © 2007 Rutland Herald ***************************************************************** 16 Asia Times Online: Indonesia looks to a nuclear future May 15, 2007 By Tom McCawley JAKARTA - Indonesia is moving ahead with controversial plans to build its first nuclear power plant, which if completed on schedule in 2017 would put the country in Southeast Asia's nuclear-energy vanguard. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last year announced that the government planned to start building the 4,000-megawatt plant by 2010. Construction tenders for the US$1.6 billion facility may be held as early as this year, and the government says it has a total of $8 billion earmarked for four nuclear plants aimed at generating 6 gigawatts of power by 2025. Energy Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said in a speech last month that Indonesia would have to turn to nuclear power as fossil fuels dwindled, adding that in the future, "nuclear power will play a more important role in our energy mix". According to Energy Ministry projections, total demand in the country is projected to reach 450.3 terawatt-hours by 2026 (a terawatt is a trillion watts, or 1,000 gigawatts). Under its current energy blueprint, the government is aiming to contribute some 17% of power demand by 2017 from renewable sources, including nuclear and geothermal energy. "The role of nuclear plants is to stabilize and secure the supply of electricity," Yusgiantoro said, "and protect the environment from harmful pollutants as a result of the massive use of fossil fuels." Indonesia's nuclear watchdog, Badan Tenaga Nuklir Nasional (BATAN), is adamant that constructing the first nuclear plant should go ahead on the foothills of Mount Muria, a dormant volcano on the north coast of Java. BATAN says the plant will be equipped eventually to generate some 2% of national power needs, expected to reach 175 terawatt-hours per year by 2017. Government officials have consistently brushed away complaints about the region's unstable tectonics and the project's high costs, contending that the country can ill-afford to forgo atomic energy. Environmentalists warn that on top of frequent earthquakes and occasional tsunamis, Indonesia has more environmentally sound sources of alternative power to chose from, including geothermals and natural gas. Other states in Southeast Asia may not be far behind Indonesia, with the entire region facing a forecast growth in power demand of up to 16% per annum over the next 20 years. Malaysia foresees two nuclear plants by 2020, and Vietnam has plans for its first nuclear power plant by 2017. Thailand began feasibility studies for nuclear power in March, with the apparent aim of having a plant operational by 2020. Across Asia, energy-hungry countries, including Japan and China, are ramping up their quests for energy security, prompted by record-high oil prices in 2005-06 and rising competition for natural resources. Oil prices of above $60 a barrel were for Indonesia a sharp reminder of the dangers of over-reliance on fossil-fuel imports for national energy needs. A string of power shortages across Indonesia have already stoked fears that over the longer term the country's ample supplies of coal and natural gas won't be adequate to ensure a steady supply of power for its more than 220 million people. Since 2005, Indonesia's most populous island of Java has been flirting with a power-generation crisis, with the state utility PLN dangerously running into reserve supplies on several occasions. Safety debate Dramatic disasters such as the 1986 Chernobyl explosion in the old Soviet Union have shrouded nuclear power with controversy. Plumes of radioactive clouds drifted over Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, resulting in the relocation of more than 336,000 people and radioactive poisoning to this day. The 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear accident near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (in which no one died), inspired a movement against nuclear power in the United States. Indonesia's most vocal environmental group, WALHI (Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia, or the Indonesian Forum for Environment), says even a small leak or nuclear accident at the proposed site of Java's Mount Muria would potentially affect tens of millions of people. (Java, home to 65% of Indonesia's population, is one of the most densely populated islands in the world.) WALHI's main complaint is that Indonesia sits on the seismically unstable "Pacific Ring of Fire". Meanwhile, geologists note that 83% of Indonesia's total land area is prone to disasters, including earthquakes, landslides and floods. WALHI also says the proposed nuclear plant's operations could result in radioactive waste being pumped into nearby waterways. Environmental scientists at the Australian National University in Canberra have devised models forecasting possible regional fallout across Singapore, Malaysia and northern Australia in the event of a nuclear meltdown in Indonesia, though they assert they weren't trying to assess the probability of such a disaster. Sukarman Aminjoyo, head of BATAN, bristles at academic suggestions that nuclear power wouldn't be safe in Indonesia. He points to several other countries with nuclear power programs on the Pacific Ring of Fire, including Japan, China and the US. One of its research facilities, he notes, withstood a 5.9-scale earthquake last year in Yogyakarta, Central Java - where it even served as a temporary shelter for refugees from the quake. Both Parliament and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have already approved Indonesia's first designs for a nuclear power plant. "We will assist Indonesia so that all safety considerations will be properly addressed," said IAEA chief and Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei on a visit to Jakarta in December. The IAEA has so far granted Indonesia a total of $1.34 million in technical assistance to develop eight programs in 2007 and 2008 connected to the safe harnessing of nuclear power. ElBaradei said huge progress in nuclear safety had been made over the past 20 years. "Chernobyl," he said during his Indonesia visit, "was the result of the less-than-optimal reactor design, combined with mismanagement." However, cost factors have been the main driver behind Indonesia's nuclear-power plans, which were first shelved in 1997 amid the Asian financial crisis. A nuclear power plant can produce 1 kilowatt-hour of power for about 4.3 US cents, less than fuel-oil-generated power at 4.5 cents. BATAN says several safety systems will be in place to keep Indonesia's plants safe. The International Nuclear Safety Advisory Group claims that pressurized water reactors (PWRs) are currently used by 443 of the nuclear power plants worldwide and have multiple security systems designed to prevent disasters. The group claims that a PWR has a leakage risk of only one in 10,000; in contrast, Chernobyl had a one-in-1,000 possibility of leakage. For Indonesia's government, however, the safety debate over nuclear power is over. The 550-seat, multi-party Parliament passed the nuclear law last year, including reviewing the current energy blueprint. In the end, however, red tape and unforeseen setup costs could still delay the region's first atomic-energy plant. Potential investors in Indonesia's other large-scale infrastructure projects have complained that only three out of 91 projects tendered two years ago have actually gone ahead. But in the long term, the pressures on Indonesia, and more broadly Southeast Asia, to find new secure energy sources to power industrialization will only get stronger. "It is inevitable," said one official at Indonesia's nuclear-power agency. "China, India and Russia all have nuclear power plants. Why not Indonesia?" Tom McCawley is a Jakarta-based journalist. (Copyright 2007 Asia Times Online Ltd. All rights reserved. Please © Copyright 1999 - 2007 Asia Times Online (Holdings), Ltd. ***************************************************************** 17 MHNN: Hall continues to hammer Indian Point May 14, 2007 Copyright © 2007 Mid-Hudson News Network, a division of Statewide Washington – Hudson Valley Congressman John Hall continues to criticize the Indian Point nuclear power plants and everything related to them. This time, he says the evacuation plans for the 10 mile zone around the plants is weak. “The evacuation plans are so bad that the chairman of the NRC, Dale Klein, when he met with me in my office in Washington, said that they were considering what he called a shelter in place plan instead of evacuation, which I said sounds a little bit to me like duck and cover, for those of us who remember that era of history,” he said. “In other words, stay home, close your windows; don’t go outside if you can help it.” But, Hall said that would only work for a short term transient problem. That is further reason to have an objective look at the plant, its age, condition and management and whether it can safely be re-licensed for another 20 years, he said. Entergy recently applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a new license for both Indian Point 2 and 3 plants. HEAR today's news on MidHudsonRadio.com, the Hudson Valley's only Internet radio news report. ***************************************************************** 18 Hemscott: British Energy gets NII permission to restart Hunterston B nuclear power station LONDON (Thomson Financial) - British Energy confirmed it received permission from Nuclear Installations Inspectorate to restart its Hunterston B nuclear power station. British Energy said it expects to secure regulatory permission to restart a second unit at Hunterston B and another at Hinkley B over the 'next few weeks'. These units had been shut down to allow inspection, repair and the preparation of safety cases related to boiler tube cracking issues. TFN.newsdesk@thomson.com ssa/cmr COPYRIGHT Copyright AFX News Limited 2007. All rights reserved. The copying, ***************************************************************** 19 Japan Times: Court rejects lawsuit over Monju coverup suicide japantimes.co.jp Web Tuesday, May 15, 2007 Kyodo News The Tokyo District Court on Monday rejected a 140 million yen damages suit filed by the family of an official in the institute that ran the experimental Monju fast-breeder nuclear reactor in Fukui Prefecture who killed himself after lying about a probe into an attempt to cover up damage from a sodium leak and fire there in December 1995. Toshiko Nishimura speaks at a news conference Monday after the Tokyo District Court rejected her suit against the operator of the Monju nuclear reactor. At left is a portrait of her late husband Shigeo. KYODO PHOTO The family of Shigeo Nishimura, then a 49-year-old deputy general affairs chief at the government-run Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corp. (Donen), argued he committed suicide in 1996 because Donen forced him to lie at a news conference about its attempt to conceal video footage of damage caused by the leak. But the presiding judge in the case, Tsutomu Yamazaki, said there was no objective evidence proving that Donen, the predecessor of the Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute, forced Nishimura to lie. Nishimura's 61-year-old widow, Toshiko, and her two sons said they plan to appeal. The experimental reactor on the Sea of Japan coast has been idle since Dec. 8, 1995, when a major sodium leak caused a fire. Although nobody was injured in the accident, the operator was lambasted for concealing video footage and falsifying reports on the attempted coverup. The coverup was revealed in probes by the Fukui Prefectural Government and the old Science and Technology Agency, which found that Donen concealed footage of the leak site taken hours after the accident, and released a heavily edited version of other footage taken in the afternoon the day after the leak. Nishimura was asked to carry out an internal probe into how the coverup attempt took place. During a news conference in Tokyo on Jan. 12, 1996, Nishimura said Donen had found out that its own officials were involved in the coverup on Jan. 10. But his own investigative team had known about headquarters' involvement as early as Dec. 25. Nishimura jumped to his death from a hotel room the next morning. In a lawsuit filed in 2004, Nishimura's family charged that his superiors forced him to lie at the news conference because the institute feared that it would get into more trouble for disclosing the headquarters revelation more than two weeks after learning about it. The family also said that even though Nishimura cornered himself with the lie, Donen is still negligent because it failed to ensure the safety of its workers by preventing his suicide. The Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute denied its predecessor forced Nishimura to lie. It is not yet clear why Nishimura committed suicide, but Donen could not have foreseen the incident because there were no visible signs he was likely to commit such an act, the institute told the court. The court determined that there is no evidence to suggest that someone forced Nishimura to lie and said his suicide note made no mention of any complaint against or criticism of Donen. It is reasonable to believe that Nishimura himself just made a mistake — either intentionally or for some other reason — while speaking at the news conference, Judge Yamazaki said. However, the judge pointed out that it was "unnatural" Donen did not immediately try to correct Nishimura's account after the news conference. Toshiko Nishimura said she cannot accept the ruling. "If my husband had said something wrong, other Donen officials who attended the news conference could have corrected the information. I suspect that they did not because of some intentions (on the part of Donen)," Nishimura said, accusing the nuclear institute of "failing to explain what really happened and trying to keep everything under wraps." The Japan Times ***************************************************************** 20 Charlotte Observer: Don't ignore nuclear energy 05/14/2007 | I'd sign mayors' agreement that considers all clean energy sources From Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory: In response to your editorial ("Raise your hand, Mayor," May 7) about the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, it should be clearly stated that over the past 12 years, I have successfully led the effort to implement most of the measures in the agreement by adopting the most aggressive environmental policies in our city's history. Those measures include a 25-year land-use plan, bike ways, sidewalks, tree ordinances, hybrid buses, recycling, green buildings and mass transit -- many to the objection of my "political right." The Climate Protection resolution, due to pressure from the "political left," refuses to acknowledge nuclear power. In fact, those on the left are not allowed to dare mention the word, much less support it. Due to this political pressure, only the "politically correct" energy sources, including solar and wind, were permitted in the Climate Protection resolution. While the Observer presses are running every day partly as a result of nuclear power, the editorial staff should have the courage to ask mayors across the country to raise their hands to support an agreement that includes all clean energy sources. Countries such as France understand that nuclear power must be included in an environment and energy policy to help clean the air and make us more energy independent. In testifying before the U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on energy and air quality last month, I clearly stated that the litmus test used by both the political right and political left should not reduce our options in order for cities and our country to gain energy independence, while protecting the environment. I look forward to signing an agreement that accomplishes that goal. ***************************************************************** 21 WNN: New nuclear steam turbine plant 14 May 2007 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has announced the expansion of its facilities for producing turbines for power generation. Plans include a new plant specifically for steam turbines for nuclear power plants. A high-pressure and intermediate-pressure turbine coupling (Image: MHI) Takasago, in Hyogo prefecture, is MHI's core plant for power turbine production. It produces the different turbines for gas-fired power stations, hydroelectric dams and nuclear power stations, as well as many other power plant components. Takasago-built steam turbines are used in all 23 of Japan's pressurized water reactors. According to MHI, the new dedicated plant would feature integrated processing and assembly of main components such as rotors and forged blades. The plant will produce high-efficiency turbines with blades up to 70 inches (1.78 m) in length with stringent quality control at each step of production. MHI say the investment should bring an expansion in production efficiency and capacity needed to compete to supply new and replacement equipment for nuclear plants in Japan and overseas. The company added that it would "conduct aggressive marketing activities in Japan and abroad." The new plant is slated to begin operation before March 2010, following an investment program beginning this year. Investment is also planned to increase production capacity of large components for MHI's G-type gas turbines. MHI plan to streamline production lines by using new equipment, such as new turbine casing processing machines. Over 40 gas-fired power stations in 20 countries employ MHI combined-cycle gas turbines. ***************************************************************** 22 Rediff: Amend US law, or reject nuclear deal Rediff.com The Web Dr A Gopalakrishnan May 14, 2007 Now that the Henry J Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act 2006 has been signed into law, the 123 Agreement currently being negotiated must conform in letter and spirit with the provisions of that Act. Any modification of the requirements under this Act cannot be brought about through merely word-engineering a cleverly drafted agreement to be settled between the two executive branches of government. Let us not forget this agreement will have to be presented to both Houses of US Congress and approved by each before it becomes part of the overall deal. Therefore, while the recent discussions between the two governments have helped to clarify the Indian stand, the US administration must now present a revised case based on our stand to US Congress and seek appropriate amendments to the Hyde Act. As long as the Act remains what it is today, no 123 Agreement can be used to override its legal provisions. Knowing this, the US efforts are to push India to agree to positions in conformity with the Act's current provisions, rather than take the legal route of getting the Act amended to accommodate the Indian prime minister's assurances to Parliament. In the eagerness to see the deal through, India should not succumb to the US ploy and help their approach by over-dramatizing the importance of the 123 Agreement to the Indian public. If the US administration is not willing to approach its Congress to amend the Act suitably, the only recourse India must take is to outright reject the nuclear deal. In the rapidly changing global strategic environment, the maintenance of a reliable and adequate nuclear deterrent may necessitate future Indian nuclear weapon tests. In the interest of our national security, future Indian governments should not have to face severe economic hardships in case of testing -- and therefore be inhibited from conducting such tests -- because of the type of nuclear agreements we may enter into with the US, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Suppliers Group. This translates into the absolute requirement that India must be assured lifetime fuel and spare-part supplies and stockpiling of unlimited fuel reserves for all nuclear reactors included in the civilian list and put under the IAEA's India-specific safeguards. Simultaneously, amendments to the Act permitting India to retain possession of all assets gained under the deal will also have to be insisted. We must agree to keep these reactors under perpetual safeguards, with the condition that suitable amendments to the Hyde Act are put in place and the law modified beforehand as required. India 'retaining the right to take corrective measures in the event fuel supplies are interrupted,' as the PM stated in the Rajya Sabha on August 17, 2006, is not a solution to the problem. If this means that India will withdraw its civilian reactors from IAEA safeguards, that still would leave us with no fuel to feed the reactors already set up at a huge cost running into thousands of crores of rupees. And such a blatant unilateral violation of a safeguards agreement will lower India to the level of countries like North Korea and could result in Chapter-7 United Nations resolutions against us in the Security Council. As it stands, Section 103(a)(6) of the Hyde Act stipulates that if US exports were to be suspended or terminated pursuant to US law, it will be US policy to seek to prevent transfer of nuclear equipment, material or technology from other sources. Furthermore, according to the Congressional Report, US officials have testified to Congress that America does not intend to help India build a stockpile of nuclear fuel for the purpose of riding out any sanctions that might be imposed in response to Indian actions such as conducting another nuclear test. To cover this aspect, Section 103(b)(10) of the Act is structured to limit nuclear power reactor fuel reserves to an amount commensurate with reasonable reactor operating requirements. These two provisions in the Act directly negate the earlier bilaterally agreed and multi-layered lifetime fuel supply assurances contained in the Separation Plan of March 2, 2006. No clause to be incorporated in the 123 Agreement can override these basic provisions in law, and these sections of the Hyde Act will therefore necessarily have to be amended for India to ensure uninterrupted fuel supplies. Section 123(a)(4) of the US Atomic Energy Act gives the US government the right to require the return of any nuclear material and equipment transferred under this deal and any special materials (like plutonium) produced through the use thereof, if India conducts a nuclear test or terminates or abrogates the IAEA safeguards agreement. Presently, the Hyde Act does not authorize the American President to exempt India from this clause, and if we are to avoid the 'right of return,' Section 104 of the Hyde Act needs to be amended to include this waiver authorization . Another contentious issue is the denial of technology transfer for uranium enrichment, spent-fuel reprocessing and heavy water production. As stated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Parliament, 'ďż˝the objective of full civil nuclear cooperation is enshrined in the July 2005 Joint Statement. This objective can be realised when current restrictions on nuclear trade with India are fully liftedďż˝ We will not agree to any dilution that would prevent us from securing the benefits of full civil nuclear co-operation.' But, the US in recent times has decided that 'full' nuclear cooperation, in its definition, will not include technologies for enrichment, reprocessing and heavy water production. The July 2005 Joint Statement, in effect, accepts India as a de facto nuclear weapon power and yet we are specifically denied these technologies under Sections 103(a)(5) and 104(d)(4) of the Hyde Act, while neither the US Atomic Energy Act nor Article-IV of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty denies the right for these technologies even to non-nuclear weapon States. In future, if we may need any import of nuclear technology know-how, it could be in one or more of these three areas. Therefore, it is important that we insist on a suitable amendment of Sections 103(a)(5) and104(d)(4) to lift the current restrictions in law . Section 123(a)(7) of the US Atomic Energy Act requires that India should provide a guarantee that no material transferred to us under this deal or produced through the use of any material, production facility or utilisation facility transferred pursuant to this deal will be reprocessed, enriched or otherwise altered in form without the prior approval of the US government. In simpler terms, this means India cannot reprocess any spent fuel to be discharged from imported reactors or arising from natural uranium bought from abroad, without prior permission of the US. This restriction on reprocessing will hold even if the nuclear deal is terminated or abrogated, though the fuel would have been fully paid for by India and irradiated in an Indian facility. Without such reprocessing, the major objective of using the separated plutonium from the spent fuel, in a subsequent civilian breeder reactor or AHWR, cannot be met. We, therefore, need to insist on a permanent prior consent for reprocessing built into the123 Agreement and a waiver from Section 123(a)(7) of the US Atomic Energy Act, to avoid our having to seek case-to-case permission in future. There are many more important deviations from the PM's assurances to Parliament and what appears as law in the Hyde Act. None of these deviations can be compensated for through the 123 Agreement, contrary to what the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry for External Affairs would have the Indian public believe. The Department of Atomic Energy is aware of this only too well. And they are resisting the attempts from Delhi for them to compromise. Indication of a shift in the Indian stand can be noted in the recent remarks of the external affairs minister that 'India and the US are committed to implementing the understanding expeditiously in a way that it adheres as closely as possible to the framework of the July 2005 Joint Statement and the March 2006 Separation Plan.' Compare this with the PM's assurance in Parliament on August 17, 2006: 'ďż˝concerns have been expressed regarding possible deviations from assurances given by me in this august House on the July 18, 2005 Joint Statement and the March 2, 2006 Separation Plan. I would like to state categorically that there have neither been nor will there be any compromises on this score and the government will not allow such compromises to occur in the future.' The external affairs minister is a seasoned politician and a staunch nationalist. No one needs to teach him where the national interest lies. But, he must also be aware that any leeway to unilaterally deviate from the prime minister's assurances to Parliament does not any longer lie with him or the MEA, or for that matter with the PM himself. It can only come about, if at all, from a conscious decision of Parliament as a whole, after a detailed debate of the pros and cons. Dr Gopalakrishnan is a former chairman of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board. He can be contacted at agk37@hotmail.com © 2007 Rediff.com India Limited. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer | ***************************************************************** 23 csmonitor.com: 'The Atomic Bazaar': Terrorism and the nuclear arms race the May 15, 2007 edition Building nuclear weapons has become easier and easier for smaller, poor countries threatened by world powers. By Steve Weinberg The Atomic Bazaar: The Rise of the Nuclear Poor By William Langewiesche Farrar, Straus and Giroux 179 pp., $22 It is probably impossible to write an enjoyable book about the proliferation of nuclear bombs. The task is difficult for an author, who must interpret highly technical scientific processes, pierce the secretive political world of espionage, explain all of that for a general readership – while living with the daily reminder that in a flash humanity could end up dead. The task is difficult for a reader, too, who must contemplate the horrible consequences while turning each page. So eliminate the thought of enjoyment while consuming The Atomic Bazaar by journalist William Langewiesche. Instead, come to the book with a mind-set of self-education and a sense of foreboding. There is no other way to say it: This is an important book – an urgent book – that plainly confronts the likelihood of Pakistan or India or Iran or North Korea or a stateless terrorist clique initiating a war by using a nuclear weapon. The US government used nuclear weapons in 1945 twice, both times against Japan. Neither the bombing of Hiroshima nor the bombing of Nagasaki meant the end of humanity. But those bombings could have triggered such an end. Instead, they transformed the merely theoretical into the ugly real. Those dropped bombs also erased any moral authority that so-called civilized nations could exercise to shame less stable governments into renouncing the development of nuclear weapons. Langewiesche unfolds the saga of nuclear proliferation in a four-part narrative. In Part 1, he delineates how the 1945 bombings opened Pandora's box, making the unthinkable thinkable. The best way to stand up to a bully is to become a competing bully. As scientists and politicians, many of them trained in the United States, grasped the relative accessibility and affordability of nuclear weapons technology, why should they resist building their own? As a Russian source tells Langewiesche: "Nuclear weapons technology has become a useful tool especially for the weak. It allows them to satisfy their ambitions without much expense. If they want to intimidate others, to be respected by others, this is now the easiest way to do it. Just produce nuclear weapons. The technology has become so simple that there are no technical barriers, and no barriers to the flow of information that can prevent it. This is a reality you Americans need to understand." In Part 2, Langewiesche explains, step by step, how a terrorist can assemble the materials needed to build a nuclear weapon. He eschews alarmism, using matter-of-fact language and emphasizing the obstacles. He demonstrates clearly, however, that long odds do not equate with impossible odds. In Part 3, the centerpiece of the book, Langewiesche documents the rise of Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, a Pakistani scientist who earned a doctorate in metallurgical engineering during 1972, found employment at a Dutch energy consulting company in Amsterdam, realized that he could steal bombmaking materials without getting caught, and then offered to generate a nuclear bomb for his native country, which feared attack by India. Khan became a hero in Pakistan, then decided to branch out by helping other nations develop nuclear weapons. Langewiesche's narrative is chilling. Part 4 focuses on Mark Hibbs, an American journalist based in Bonn, Germany, who writes for expensive, technical newsletters with names like Nucleonics Week. Although Langewiesche himself deserves credit for his journalistic expos‚s about nuclear proliferation, he crowns Hibbs as the premier reporter when it comes to ferreting out the truth about the ultimate weapon. Hibbs figured out what Khan was doing and how both corporations and governments ignored the welfare of mankind to enable him. How does Langewiesche close his disturbing book? Not with a bang, but not with a whimper, either. "There will be other Khans in the future. It seems entirely possible that terrorist attacks can be thwarted - though this would require nimble governmental action - but no amount of maneuvering will keep determined nations from developing nuclear arsenals.... Now and then a country may be persuaded to abandon its nuclear program, but in the long run, globally, such programs will proceed." Every global citizen, Langewiesche says, will have "to accept the equalities of a maturing world in which many countries have acquired atomic bombs, and some may use them."  Steve Weinberg is a freelance book reviewer in Columbia, Mo. www.csmonitor.com | Copyright © 2007 The Christian Science Monitor. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 24 [prez_usa_exile] NZ study paves way for N-test cash claim Date: Mon, 14 May 2007 10:59:16 -0500 (CDT) Ruth Hill in Wellington May 15, 2007 NEW research showing New Zealand sailors used as "human guinea pigs" in nuclear tests in the 1950s suffered serious genetic damage may pave the way for a multibillion-dollar lawsuit against the British Government. Veterans say a Massey University study that concluded nuclear test veterans had three times the normal rate of chromosome mutations had confirmed their worst fears. The chairman of the New Zealand Nuclear Test Veterans Association, Roy Sefton, whose organisation commissioned the study, said the findings proved what the veterans had known for decades - radiation caused health problems for them and their families, who were also suffering genetic damage. "We were human guinea pigs," said Mr Sefton, who served as a 17-year-old on one of two New Zealand ships sent to observe the tests. "We believe the British Government has a duty of care to us and our children who are still paying the price." Of the 551 New Zealand veterans, more than 400 are now dead, mainly from cancer. They watched the seven megaton and two kiloton aerial explosions from distances of between 52 and 278 kilometres away. Sailors on deck wore denim coveralls, masks and gloves. The rate of genetic abnormalities among their children is about 50 per cent, compared with less than 3 per cent among the general population. The world-first Massey research, the findings of which were released yesterday, will give fresh ammunition to a #13 billion ($30.8 billion) class action being taken against the British Government on behalf of British, New Zealand and Fijian veterans. The New Zealand Prime Minister, Helen Clark, said the Government contributed to the study because "we'd all like to know the truth about what happened". "By today's standards, obviously, it's simply extraordinary that people were ordered to stand on the deck of a frigate and witness an atmospheric test and it would be hard to believe there were not health effects." A lawyer who represents New Zealand veterans in the class action, Gordon Paine, said the new evidence would bolster the case. "It is vindication of what veterans have been saying for years," he said. Mr Paine, who will travel to London to confer with the legal team involved in the class action, said he hoped the British Government would be willing to consider mediation. "For the sake of the victims, we want a speedy resolution," he said. The lead researcher in the study, Al Rowland, said he was initially sceptical he would find any evidence of genetic damage five decades after exposure, but "the results were dramatic". Analysis used to identify radiation damage in people involved in cleaning up Chernobyl had shown alarming levels of gene breakage, which could lead to cancer, Dr Rowland said. The Dominion Post Source: http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/nz-study-paves-way-for-ntest-cash-claim/2007/05/14/1178995077352.html ---- Dahbud Mensch http://www.flyingsnail.com/Dahbud/index.html ***************************************************************** 25 Herald News: Study: No cancer, tritium link HeraldNewsOnline.com Member of the Sun-Times News Group May 14, 2007 By KIM SMITH STAFF WRITER BRACEVILLE -- Tritium leaks did not contribute to an increase of local cancer cases, according to results of a study done by a national toxic substances agency and released Friday. In May of 2006, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin visited the village of Godley. A group of nearby residents known as the Concerned Citizens Awareness Group unveiled a map at the meeting showing 111 cases of cancer that had occurred over the past 20 years on a three-mile stretch of land along West River Road and Illinois 113. There were 11 homes in the area where one or more cases of cancer were reported over the past two decades. "Recent (tritium) spills at the Braidwood plant, along with contamination problems in local wells have raised serious concerns in the community," Durbin said at last year's meeting. "Braidwood-area residents must be given a full and accurate account of how safe their drinking water is. The Braidwood community needs a comprehensive and long-term solution that will keep them safe and informed." Durbin requested that the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry perform an independent health study of the water systems near area nuclear power plants. The results were released by Exelon on Friday and match the findings of other studies conducted by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Will County Health Department. "The letter states that the study found no increases in cancer or mortality rates in the communities near the Braidwood Station," said Neal Miller, spokesman for the Braidwood station. William Cibulas Jr., U.S. public health service director, spearheaded the ASTDR study. He said in the letter that the Illinois Department of Public Health's Division of Epidemiology reviewed data for cancer incidence, childhood cancer mortality, infant mortality, low birth weight and congenital anomalities in Will County and Braidwood. "We found no evidence of an increased cancer incidence rate after the start-up of the nuclear power plants," Cibulas said. The study was done per county as well as by various zip codes which included Braidwood, Braceville, Godley, Wilmington, Custer Park and Ritchie. The ASTDR findings mirror the findings released by the IDPH and Will County where water testing for almost 400 wells found four wells with detectable levels of tritium. The highest tritium level detected was 1,524 picocuries per liter, well below the 20,000 picocuries per liter deemed safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Testing did find unsafe levels of coliform and E. coli. Exelon has donated $11.5 million for the village of Godley to use to bring in a safe water source and has been supplying residents with bottled water while the Godley Water Board studies the best way to provide residents with a clean water source. While maintaining there was never a threat to the health of the public, Exelon admitted to spilling millions of gallons of contaminated water over the past decades and have vowed to clean it up. Residents in the area say the company only admitted fault after various lawsuits were filed. The reason the ASTDR study was released on Friday was unclear. Miller said Exelon only recently became aware of the letter. A representative from Durbin's office was looking into the matter on Friday night. Contact Kim Smith at (815) 729-6067 or ksmith@scn1.com © Copyright 2007 Sun-Times News Group | ***************************************************************** 26 BBC NEWS: Boost for N-test veterans' case Last Updated: Monday, 14 May 2007, 15:12 GMT 16:12 UK Servicemen claim they were not given adequate protection New research shows an apparent link between British nuclear tests in the South Pacific in the 1950s and genetic defects seen in veterans. Massey University in New Zealand said changes to veterans' chromosomes could be attributed to their participation in the tests at Christmas Island. Lawyers for British veterans who served there said the study strengthened their claim against the Ministry of Defence. Radioactive material More than 700 veterans - 400 from the UK and 300 Commonwealth colleagues from New Zealand and Fiji - are currently in the middle of legal proceedings to claim compensation from the UK government. Many of them have claimed they were not given suitable protective clothing during the detonation of nuclear devices in the testing - codenamed Operation Grapple - between 1952 and 1962. Rosenblatts, the London legal firm acting on the veterans' behalf, claim the troops were exposed to significant doses of radioactive material, which has directly led to many of them contracting severe illnesses including cancers. The study by Massey University was carried out on 50 of the New Zealand military personnel who took part in Operation Grapple. DNA tests discovered they had a much higher than expected level of translocation - a chromosome defect which can lead to cancer and other illnesses. The scientists concluded that the probable cause was radiation exposure. Rosenblatts is now calling for similar tests to be carried out on the veterans from the UK. Clive Hyer, the senior supervising partner, said: "The case is progressing and we are extremely pleased with the outcome of this report. This is the last piece of the evidential jigsaw puzzle that we needed." A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: "The Ministry of Defence remains open to new scientific or medical evidence concerning nuclear test veterans and we are reviewing the findings of this latest study. "Previous independent reports have concluded that there is no evidence of excess illness or mortality among the veterans as a group which could be linked to their participation in the tests or exposure to radiation." * BBC Copyright Notice ***************************************************************** 27 Philadelphia Inquirer: Pa. workers get $40.5 million in compensation for nuclear work | 05/14/2007 Philly.com The Associated Press BEAVER, Pa. - The U.S. government will pay Pennsylvania employees 40-point-five (m) million dollars in compensation for work they did in nuclear weapons facilities. Of the more than two-thousand claims made by Pennsylvania workers, 374 have been paid. In Aliquippa, there have been 102 claims. Eleven of them, totaling $900,000 have been paid. In Shippingport, 216 workers from the Shippingport Atomic Power Plant made claims. There have been four payments made, totaling $575,000. ,,, Information from: Beaver County Times, http://www.timesonline.com/ About Philly.com ***************************************************************** 28 Honolulu Advertiser: Doubts remain about depleted uranium - Posted on: Monday, May 14, 2007 By William Cole Advertiser Military Writer The Army says its Stryker armored vehicles have never fired depleted uranium rounds in Hawai'i, and there is no intent for them to ever do so. That leaves Dr. Lorrin Pang unsatisfied. "I guess the community is a little bit worried about (the Army's) credibility, so they would like to set up for monitoring," said Pang, the state Health Department's district officer for Maui County. Pang, who also spent 24 years in the Army and was a preventive medicine officer at Tripler Army Medical Center in the late 1980s — and speaking as a private citizen and not in his official capacity — supported a bill that would have required regular soil testing at Schofield Barracks for the presence of depleted uranium. The bill died in conference committee this past legislative session. The revelation in January 2006 that the Army had found 15 tail assemblies from depleted uranium aiming rounds used in a 1960s weapon, coupled with the Stryker vehicle's ability to fire rounds with the weakly radioactive material, is spreading new concerns that the Army says are unfounded, and some community members say amount to a potential health risk. Uranium is used primarily as fuel material in nuclear power plants. Most reactors require enriched uranium, which is extracted from naturally occurring uranium. The uranium remaining after removal of the enriched fraction is called depleted uranium, or DU, which has about 60 percent of the radioactivity of natural uranium. DU is favored for armor-penetrating ordnance because of its high density, which is approximately twice that of lead. Depleted uranium is self-sharpening upon impact and knifes through armor, while tungsten penetrators tend to become blunt. Increasingly, opponents of the Army's Stryker brigade are linking the 19-ton vehicles and depleted uranium ordnance. A recent chairman's report from the Sierra Club's Moku Loa Group on the Big Island states, "Strykers fire weapons containing depleted uranium (DU), which is radioactive and potentially health-threatening." The group also said the "Army asserted that no DU weapons were used at Schofield. Recently, this claim has been proved wrong." The Army found the 15 depleted uranium tail assemblies and recently confirmed to The Advertiser that it has found even more fragments at the same Schofield firing range. This summer, the Army will conduct radiological testing at Schofield, Makua Military Reservation and Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island for more depleted uranium used in the 1960s with the Davy Crockett, a recoilless rifle that could fire a 76-pound nuclear bomb. Only dummy warheads were fired here, and the depleted uranium came from smaller aiming rounds that were used to simulate the trajectory of the larger bomb. One Army veteran recalled firing inert warheads at Schofield Barracks and the Pohakuloa Training Area. In e-mailed responses from the Pentagon, the Army said although the Stryker Mobile Gun System, a tanklike vehicle, can fire a 105 mm depleted uranium round, it does not intend to use or stockpile such munitions in Hawai'i. Stryker vehicles also can be fitted to fire a 25 mm gun using depleted uranium ammunition. The Army said 27 of the expected 328 Stryker vehicles on O'ahu will be Mobile Gun System variants. Army policy restricts the use of depleted uranium during training to ranges licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. "The U.S. Army does not possess an NRC license to fire DU in Hawai'i, nor do we intend to apply for an NRC license for this purpose," the service said. Although the steel armor of the M1A1 Abrams battle tank is reinforced by a sandwiched layer of depleted uranium, the Army said, "DU is not and will not be used in the Stryker armor." The Army said an NRC license may be required to clean up ranges that were discovered to have the old aiming rounds from the 1960s, which represented one of the Army's first uses of depleted uranium. "This determination will be made after the historical research and initial range surveys are completed this summer," it said. Pang, Maui's district health officer, worries that despite what the Army said, it may still be using depleted uranium at Pohakuloa. "Either that or they are stirring up a whole lot of dust (with depleted uranium) that's there," he said. Pang said the real danger with depleted uranium comes with the vaporized or aerosolized form, which occurs on impact. "Once it's vaporized and breathed in, the alpha particle emitters are the most dangerous form of radiation of all, because it's up in close and it sticks to the cells of your lung," he said. The NRC regulates what it calls "source material," including depleted uranium, "to prevent misuse, to provide for the common defense and security, and to protect the health and safety of the public." The World Health Organization said inhaled uranium particles may lead to irradiation damage of the lung. Measurements at sites where depleted uranium munitions were used indicate only localized contamination within a few yards of the impact site, the organization said. The Defense Department, meanwhile, maintains that even when breathed or eaten, small amounts of depleted uranium carry no expected radiological health effects because the radioactivity is so low. Doug Fox, who lives in South Kona, said he used a Geiger counter to test on April 21 downwind from Pohakuloa, 35 miles from the range, and got a radiation reading of 93 counts per minute. A typical radiation background reading is up to 20 counts per minute, he said. "So this is an elevated reading," he said. He added that he believes Stryker training was being conducted at Pohakuloa at the time. The 3,900-soldier brigade is training for a deployment to Iraq this year and is finishing up rotations with the vehicles to the Big Island. Readings taken elsewhere on the island were not elevated, Fox said. But Russell Takata, program manager for the state Health Department's Noise, Radiation and Indoor Air Quality Branch, questioned Fox's use of a Geiger counter. "I looked it up, and I basically (told him) for background type readings, you really need something that's a little more definitive at the low background levels (to gauge whether radiation levels are high)," Takata said. He added that the rule of thumb is that any readings three times normal background are suspect. Takata said Fox also could have picked up readings for potassium 40, a naturally occurring radioactive material. But to make sure, Takata said, he'll send someone from his office in the next week or two to take readings outside Pohakuloa with a gamma spectrometer and sodium iodide detector, "and it will tell me specifically what kind of isotopes are being kicked up." He doesn't expect to find depleted uranium radiation. "This is not something that's an imminent danger," he said, "(but) we'll go check it out." Fox acknowledges he's not a professional in the field of radiation. "I'm just one citizen trying to find the answers to this because I'm living downwind from this thing," he said. The fact that the Army plans Stryker anti-armor live-fire training "is kind of scary because the anti-armor projectile they use in Iraq is depleted uranium," Fox said. He said he also believes the Geiger counters he's used are accurate. "The real problem about this is you can talk about technical gizmos and stuff," he said, "but if the methodology is no good, it doesn't matter what gadget you've got. The only methodology that's going to work is continuous monitoring." Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com. © COPYRIGHT 2007The Honolulu Advertiser. All rights reserved ***************************************************************** 29 The Australian: Sailors 'genetically damaged by nuke tests' NEWS.com.au | This story is from our news.com.au network Source: AFP * May 14, 2007 NEW Zealand seamen suffered significant genetic damage from British nuclear tests in the Pacific half a century ago, a study released today found. A total of 551 sailors from the country's navy witnessed nine British nuclear tests in 1957 and 1958 from ships as close as 80km away. The tests went ahead on Christmas and Malden Islands, in what is now the island nation of Kiribati. The New Zealand veterans have long complained of health problems, including various types of cancer. A study at Massey University, based at Palmerston North in the nation's North Island, detected genetic damage and blamed radiation exposure. The research, led by Dr Al Rowland, tested 50 seamen involved in the Operation Grapple nuclear tests. His team found exceptionally high numbers of "rogue cells". "The results are indicative of the veterans having incurred long term genetic damage as a consequence of performing their duties relating to Operation Grapple," the study found. The researchers also suggested further analysis be carried out on British and Fijian military servicemen involved in the nuclear tests. New Zealand Nuclear Test Veterans Association chairman Roy Sefton said many of those exposed to the blasts suffered chronic health problems and many died prematurely. Some of the veterans' children have also suffered. "We are at the end of our lives and we won't be here much longer. What we want is for our children to be tested to work out what damage has been passed on," Mr Sefton said. "We had been pushing for a long, long time for some recognition of our concerns from the government that we had been irradiated." Prime Minister Helen Clark said the Government had helped fund the research and military pensions would cover any health costs for the veterans. "By today's standards it seems extraordinary that people were ordered to stand on the deck of a ship and witness a nuclear test," she said. © The Australian ***************************************************************** 30 NZ: TV3: Sailors want their children tested for radiation damage Mon, 14 May 2007 06:03p.m. New Zealand sailors involved in British hydrogen bomb tests in the pacific were medically damaged as a result, according to a study of their DNA by Massey University. Now the survivors are demanding their children be tested to see if the radiation damage has been passed on. Massey University researchers say 551 sailors from the Rotoiti and Pukaki suffered significant genetic damage from the 1957 British tests in the Pacific. comments: 1 14-May-2007 20:01 Just watched the 60 mins on the 1957 British tests in the Pacific with our NZ sailors. (Well presented) I was at Muroroa in 73 and a little concerned of similar issues though not as great with the two frigates Canterbury and Otago. Some of my fellow sailors were onboard at the time have since died all with illnesses at quite an early age. Grant Copyright © - CanWest TVWorks Limited - All Rights Reserved ***************************************************************** 31 WLWT Cincinnati: Nine Neighbors Diagnosed With Brain Tumors - Hanover Township Residents Search For Answers, More Victims UPDATED: 5:33 pm EDT May 14, 2007 HANOVER TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- For Sarah Peterson, the news that she had a malignant brain tumor was devestating. "I was like, I can't do this. I don't know how to do this," she said. But what she discovered since the diagnosis motivated her to search for answers. At least eight other people in her community have also been diagnosed with brain tumors, including a neighbor she read about in an old newspaper clipping. "I remember saying, 'I'll wake up with all my friends or wake up in heaven,'" said Rita Tabler. "There were three tumors, and they were so tangled with facial nerves that it left the damage." Tabler's tumors were benign, but Peterson thought that it was a strange coincidence that her neighbor who lived just a few homes away received such a similar diagnosis even 27 years ago. "Primary brain tumors, the ones that arise in the brain and don't go anywhere else, occur in about 17 people per 100,000 per year," said Dr. Ronald Warnick, a neurosurgeon specializing in tumor treatment at Cincinnati's Mayfield Clinic. Peterson and Tabler thought that it was a coincidence that they both developed brain tumors, but they soon found others in their community with the same diagnoses. "Actually, one of the women in my prayer group with me -- it's her son that has a tumor like mine," said Tabler. The number of those diagnosed with brain tumors in Hanover Township has risen to nine. All attended Ross High School. "There's only one known risk factor, one proven risk factor for brain tumors, and that's radiation," Warnick said. Peterson and Tabler believe that the nearby Fernald plant, that used to process uranium, may be the culprit, but no one is sure what may have caused the tumors. Most clusters of brain tumor patients turn out to be a coincidence, but Warnick said it would take a major study to discover the truth. "Since we don't know why most brain tumors appear, what causes them, I think anything is open to discussion," he said. Peterson finished chemotherapy in November but must get checked by a doctor every two months. Tabler has developed more tumors elsewhere on her body, but all have been benign. Both women are searching for any more residents in the Hanover Township Ross area who have been diagnosed with brain tumors. Copyright 2007 by WLWT.com. All rights reserved. This material may © 2007, Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. ***************************************************************** 32 FOXNews.com: FBI Employees Ask Congress to Expand Whistleblower Protection to National Security Workers - Politics | Republican Monday, May 14, 2007 WASHINGTON ? Two FBI whistle-blowers Monday supported protection for intelligence agency employees who expose government wrongdoing. The comments by Colleen Rowley and Michael German came as 40 public-interest organizations urged Congress to include national security workers in the Whistleblower Protection Act. The act outlawing retaliation against whistle-blowers does not apply to employees of most intelligence agencies. "Freedom to warn is a key concept," Rowley said at a panel discussion on Capitol Hill. Rowley's blistering memo to the FBI director helped focus attention on the law enforcement agency's shortcomings in the run-up to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. National security whistle-blowers often find themselves sidelined, without a security clearance and without a job, the American Civil Liberties Union said in a report. Former FBI agent Michael German, a focus of one ACLU case study, reported serious problems in a counterterrorism investigation, a move he says prompted retaliation that led him to resign in protest. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. © 2007 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 33 New Scientist: Depleted uranium weapons linked to lung cancer - health - 14 May 2007 - * NewScientist.com news service Governments deny it, but many people have long suspected that depleted uranium weapons may cause cancer. It looks as if the suspicions were right. Depleted uranium (DU) is a dense, weakly radioactive metal used in armour-piercing shells. Hundreds of tonnes of them were fired by US and UK forces in Iraq in 2003. Previous research at the US government's Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico found that people exposed to DU dust were at little extra risk of developing cancers. Now the first study of DU's effects on human lung cells suggests otherwise. Toxicologist John Wise and colleagues at the University of Southern Maine in Portland exposed cultures of human bronchial fibroblasts to particles of uranium oxide typically found in DU dust. Chromosomes in the cells mutated and the cells died, genotoxic effects that increased with the particle concentration. This may increase a person's risk of lung cancer, the team conclude Journal reference: Chemical Research in Toxicology (DOI: 10.1021/tx700026r) From issue 2603 of New Scientist magazine, 14 May 2007, page 4-5 * © Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd. Vacancies ***************************************************************** 34 Newstalk ZB: Vets"vindicated" by nuke exposure study - On Air Now: Larry Williams Nuclear test veterans feel vindicated by a report confirming exposure to hydrogen bomb tests has affected their health. The research, carried out by Massey University on behalf of the New Zealand Nuclear Test Veterans Association, examined observers of UK bomb detonations in the Pacific in 1957. It has found the sailors suffered long term genetic damage through changes to their chromosomes. Nuclear Test Veterans Association chair Roy Sefton says the research does not specify likely ailments, but he has no doubt the premature death of many of the veterans is a direct result of the exposure. He says a compensation claim is underway with the British Government. Veterans Affairs Minister Rick Barker says the New Zealand Government is open to new information and analysis. He is encouraging any nuclear test veteran who has a disability they believe is attributable to their service to apply for a War Disablement Pension. Mr Barker says if a pension is awarded, then all medical care for that disability will be fully funded. Related Audio Roy Sefton on nuke exposure report 14/05/2007 17:47:00 Newstalk ZBs Larry Williams speaks with Nuclear Test Veterans Association chair Roy Sefton about a report confirming exposure to hydrogen bomb tests has affected veterans health. Listen Copyright Radio Network 2007 ***************************************************************** 35 Morning Herald: Nuclear test veterans plan class action - www.smh.com.au May 15, 2007 - 5:49AM Australia's nuclear test veterans are planning a class action after the release of a New Zealand study showing sailors irradiated by British hydrogen bomb tests in the Pacific 50 years ago had suffered significant genetic damage. The New Zealand sailors have long claimed health problems stemming from their involvement observing the series of nine air blasts codenamed Operation Grapple in 1957. Now research carried out by Massey University scientists shows exceptionally high numbers of "rogue cells" in a group of the former seamen and suggests this was caused by radiation exposure. Australia's 2,000 nuclear test veterans have been waiting on the New Zealand study before launching a class action, The Australian newspaper reported. Australian Nuclear Veterans Association president Ric Johnstone said the study provided concrete evidence not available in Australia of a direct link between British nuclear tests and long-term illness among those exposed. He has engaged Sydney lawyer Paul Mass and barrister Ben Clarke to develop a case. "We have been trying to establish this in Australia for over 50 years, and the New Zealanders are in there doing it," Mr Johnstone told the newspaper. The federal government has previously resisted providing specific compensation to the estimated 8,000 soldiers and a similar number of civilians who were exposed to radiation in tests conducted for Britain at Maralinga and two other sites between 1952 and 1967. © 2007 AAP Brought to you by When news happens: send photos, videos & tip-offs to 0424 SMS SMH (+61 424 767 764), or us. Copyright © 2007. The Sydney Morning Herald. ***************************************************************** 36 AFP: NZealand sailors' health damaged in British nuke tests - Mon May 14, 12:24 PM WELLINGTON (AFP) - New Zealand seamen suffered significant genetic damage from British nuclear tests in the Pacific half a century ago, a study released Monday found. A total of 551 sailors from the country's navy witnessed nine British nuclear tests in 1957 and 1958 from ships as close as 80 kilometres away. The tests went ahead on Christmas and Malden Islands, in what is now the island nation of Kiribati. The New Zealand veterans have long complained of health problems, including various types of cancer. A study at Massey University, based at Palmerston North in the nation's North Island, detected genetic damage and blamed radiation exposure. The research, led by Dr Al Rowland, tested 50 seamen involved in the Operation Grapple nuclear tests. His team found exceptionally high numbers of "rogue cells". "The results are indicative of the veterans having incurred long term genetic damage as a consequence of performing their duties relating to Operation Grapple," the study found. The researchers also suggested further analysis be carried out on British and Fijian military servicemen involved in the nuclear tests. New Zealand Nuclear Test Veterans Association chairman Roy Sefton said many of those exposed to the blasts suffered chronic health problems and many died prematurely. Some of the veterans' children have also suffered. "We are at the end of our lives and we won't be here much longer. What we want is for our children to be tested to work out what damage has been passed on," Sefton said. "We had been pushing for a long, long time for some recognition of our concerns from the government that we had been irradiated." Prime Minister Helen Clark said the government had helped fund the research and military pensions would cover any health costs for the veterans. "By today's standards it seems extraordinary that people were ordered to stand on the deck of a ship and witness a nuclear test," she told a press conference. Copyright © 2007 Yahoo! Canada Co. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 37 Scoop: Nuclear Veterans should be compensated Monday, 14 May 2007, 4:48 pm Press Release: Green Party The Green Party is calling for veterans who participated in Operation Grapple to be compensated for genetic damage, and for their children to be tested to see if genetic damage has been passed on. "The Massey study released today has confirmed what veterans have long suspected - namely that they incurred long term genetic damage as a consequence of their exposure to hydrogen bomb tests in the Pacific in 1957. "It's time for the government to acknowledge the suffering, adverse health effects and long term genetic damage these veterans have incurred as a result of their participation in Operation Grapple. They deserve an official apology from the government, and compensation for the suffering they have endured," Ms Kedgley says. "The government must also agree to their request that their children are tested as well, to see if genetic damage has been passed on. "If this is done, we can begin to put this sorry saga behind us. Otherwise it will continue to haunt the veterans and their children. "The New Zealand Nuclear Test Veterans Association has been campaigning for decades for recognition of the long term damage they have sustained as a result of their participation in Operation Grapple," Ms Kedgley says. ENDS ***************************************************************** 38 AU ABC: Nuke tests caused NZ genetic damage: report. 14/05/2007. ABC News Online By Peter Lewis New research says New Zealand sailors exposed to British hydrogen bomb tests in the Pacific 50 years ago have significant genetic damage. In 1957, around 550 sailors aboard two New Zealand navy frigates carried out support functions for the hydrogen bomb test program codenamed Operation Grapple in an island group now known as Kiribati. Many of them and some of their children have faced chronic ill health. A Massey University study of test veterans has found evidence of long-term genetic damage, which it attributed to their exposure to nuclear radiation. Armed with these findings, surviving New Zealand veterans want authorities to screen their children to see whether the same genetic abnormalities were passed on. Roy Sexton says he had long suspected his chronic ill health was linked to exposure to nuclear radiation. "The Government really should be looking to fund and arrange genetic research for the children," he said. He says the British should also accept some responsibility for the health fall-out from its nuclear test program in the Pacific. ***************************************************************** 39 AU ABC: Nuclear test veterans to push for legal action. 15/05/2007. ABC News Online The case is based on a study linking exposure to radiation and genetic diseases. (File photo) (ABC TV ) Veterans involved in the nuclear tests at Maralinga in South Australia's outback 50 years ago are planning legal action. Their case is based on a study linking exposure to radiation and genetic diseases. The study by New Zealand's Massey University analysed chromosomes of Navy veterans present at nuclear tests in the Pacific in the 1950s. President of the Australian Nuclear Veterans Association, Ric Johnstone, says the study is more evidence that veterans suffered long-term harm from radiation. "This study vindicates what we've been saying for many, many years," he said. "We've always known that cancer rates have been higher amongst nuclear test participants as have many other genetic type of illnesses." ***************************************************************** 40 NZ: NewsRoom: Government Considering Nuke Test Study 7:30 pm, 14 May 2007 The Government says it needs to consider a new study, which has found that veterans who witnessed nuclear testing in the Pacific in the 1950s suffered genetic damage. The Massey University research found evidence that radiation the servicemen were exposed to during British nuclear tests caused chromosome damage. They'd been stationed on frigates in the Pacific Ocean in 1957 and 1958 where the tests were carried out. The Nuclear Test Veterans' Association now wants funding for genetic testing of veterans' children, whom they say also suffer health effects. The Government helped fund the Massey study and Prime Minister Helen Clark says it will get advice on the need for more research. © NewsRoom 2007 Copyright © NewsRoom.co.nz 1996-2006. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 41 NIRS: Nuclear Weapons Materials Released to Landfills Date: Mon, 14 May 2007 19:18:21 -0500 (CDT) Nuclear Information and Resource Service 6930 Carroll Avenue, #340, Takoma Park, MD 20912 301-270-6477; fax: 301-270-4291; www.nirs.org; dianed@nirs.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 14, 2007 Contacts: Diane D Arrigo, 301-270-6477 ext. 16 Mary Olson (NIRS Southeast) (after 1 PM eastern), 828-675-1792 New Report Finds Nuclear Weapons Materials Released to Landfills Pathways Open for Reuse and Recycling Takoma Park, MD Radioactive materials are being released from nuclear weapons facilities to regular landfills and could get into commercial recycling streams, finds a new report released today by Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS). The report: Out of Control On Purpose: DOE s Dispersal of Radioactive Waste into Landfills and Consumer Products was commissioned to track if and how the Department of Energy (DOE) releases some of the radioactive wastes from nuclear bomb production. The report authors, led by Diane D Arrigo, NIRS Radioactive Waste Project Director, researched seven sites and the DOE national headquarters. The seven sites were: Oak Ridge TN, Rocky Flats CO, Los Alamos NM, Mound and Fernald OH, West Valley NY, and Paducah KY. People around regular trash landfills will be shocked to learn that radioactive contamination from nuclear weapons production is ending up there, either directly released by DOE or via brokers and processors, D Arrigo said. Just as ominous, the DOE allows and encourages sale and donation of some radioactively contaminated materials. The report tracked the laws, guidance and technical justifications that DOE uses to rationalize allowing radioactive scrap, concrete, equipment, asphalt, plastic, wood, chemicals, soil, and more out to landfills, commercial businesses and recreation areas, recycling and reuse in places unprepared to handle radioactivity. Applauding DOE s ban on recycling of radioactive metal from nuclear weapons, the report cautions there are loopholes and it is again threatened. DOE is ignoring public opposition to unnecessary exposures and releasing radioactivity even though the U.S. Congress revoked such release policies, said Mary Olson, director of the NIRS Southeast office and a co-author of the report. DOE is using its own internal guidance to allow radioactive weapons wastes out of control, claiming the doses to people will be acceptable even though they are not enforced or tracked. Under the current system, the DOE and other nuclear waste generators release materials directly, sell them at auction or through exchanges or send their waste to processors who can then release it from radioactive controls to landfills, to recyclers or for reuse. The report found that the State of Tennessee is a leader in licensing processors that can release radioactive materials for the nuclear waste generators. Tennessee is serving as a funnel to bring in nuclear weapons and power waste from around the country to disperse into the landfills and recycling without public knowledge, D Arrigo said. The waste is processed by state-licensed companies and in some cases redefined as special then released to regular landfills. This free release also opens up the potential for the materials to enter the recycling stream to make everyday household and personal items or to be used to build roads, schools, and playgrounds. As long as DOE and other nuclear waste generators can slip their contamination out letting it get Out of Control On Purpose there is really no limit to the amount of additional radiation exposure members of the public could receive, D Arrigo concluded. Only an informed, outraged public can force DOE and agreeable states to shift the goal from dispersal to isolation of radioactive waste. A copy of the full report can be found on the NIRS web site at: http://www.nirs.org/radwaste/outofcontrol/outofcontrol.htm The report authors and contributors include: Diane D Arrigo, NIRS Radioactive Waste Project Director Mary Olson, Director, NIRS Southeast Office Cindy Folkers, NIRS, Health and Environment Project Dr. Marvin Resnikoff, Radioactive Waste Management Associates, NYC -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.467 / Virus Database: 269.7.0/804 - Release Date: 5/14/2007 4:46 PM ***************************************************************** 42 RIA Novosti: VTB, Techsnabexport ink memo to produce Namibia uranium 14:48 | 14/ 05/ 2007 MOSCOW, May 14 (RIA Novosti) - Vneshtorgbank (VTB) and Russia's state-run nuclear exporter have signed a memorandum of cooperation to invest in uranium prospecting and production in Namibia, Russia's second-largest bank said Monday. The government-controlled bank and Techsnabexport are considering the establishment of a joint venture to operate in the southern African state, one of the world's leading uranium producers, under licenses they already hold and through investment in other companies involved in similar activities in the country. Namibia expects a reduction in energy supplies from neighboring South Africa in the next three years and forecasts an energy deficit of 300 megawatts. During his visit to Namibia in March, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov said Russia was ready to build nuclear plants of different types in the country. Techsnabexport, which operates on the world market under the Tenex brand, is one of the world's largest suppliers of nuclear fuel cycle products and services. It has subsidiaries in Germany, South Korea and Japan, and owns uranium assets in Kazakhstan. RIA Novosti ***************************************************************** 43 THERECORD.COM: INSIDER | Nuclear waste is safe COLIN HUNT (May 14, 2007) George Feltham makes a serious error in his May 9 letter, Reactor Waste Not Safe. There is no possibility of, in Feltham's words, nuclear waste becoming unstable and erupting. Natural uranium is not capable of conducting a fission reaction in the absence of a heavy water moderator. As nuclear waste, it has a much lower content of fissionable material than natural uranium, meaning that it also has no chance of conducting a fission reaction. The choices for managing all of Ontario's radioactive fuel wastes were comprehensively reviewed by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization in an exhaustive series of studies and lengthy consultations with Ontario's citizens starting in 2003. They completed their report at the end of 2005, where it now awaits action by the federal government. The central conclusion of their report was that the technology exists today to ensure that all of Canada's nuclear fuel wastes can be managed safely, for both the short and for the very long term. It should be noted that the nuclear industry in Canada has been successfully managing all of its nuclear fuel wastes for more than 50 years. In all that time, not one person has been killed or injured or suffered any harm from that waste. Nor has there been any release of any quantity of that waste to the environment. Colin Hunt Director of Research and Publications Canadian Nuclear Association Ottawa 160 King Street East, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, N2G 4E5 519-894-2231 ***************************************************************** 44 THERECORD.COM: INSIDER | A responsible industry NEIL ALEXANDER (May 14, 2007) I am troubled by the inaccuracies in George Feltham's recent letter Reactor Wastes Not Safe, of May 9. Last year nuclear power provided more than half the electricity used in Ontario, avoiding the production of vast quantities of the greenhouse gases that are causing our planet to warm. The small volume of used fuel that it produced is presently safely stored at the stations and none has ended up in the environment. The industry is leading the way in responsible environmental management. Criticism appears to be based on a belief that the nuclear industry is rushing to put used fuel deep underground. There is no rush, unless you call a plan to begin moving the fuel in about 60 years time to be a rush. In fact, this cautious, well-considered plan is another example of the leading environmental stewardship that I believe we would all be happy to see other industries adopt. Neil Alexander, chair Radioactive Materials Management Subcommittee The Organization of CANDU Industries Toronto 160 King Street East, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, N2G 4E5 519-894-2231 ***************************************************************** 45 Cincinnati Business Courier: Baker Concrete to work on plutonium disposal facility - 2:49 PM EDT Monday, May 14, 2007 A local concrete company will be part of a project to build a facility to dispose of weapons-grade plutonium by processing it into a fuel that can be used by nuclear reactors. Baker Concrete Construction Inc., based in Monroe, said it has won a contract to provide structural concrete for the mixed-oxide (MOX) facility to be built in Aiken, S.C., according to a news release. Construction is expected to begin in August for the facility, which will be operated by Shaw AREVA MOX Services. Shaw AREVA is part of the Shaw Group Inc., headquartered in Baton Rouge, La. The facility is being built as a result of the U.S.-Russia Plutonium Disposition Agreement signed in 2000. Under the agreement the two countries will each dispose of 34 metric tons of plutonium. The United States will accomplish that by processing the plutonium into mixed-oxide fuel at the MOX facility. That, in turn, will be shipped to two commercial nuclear reactors owned by Duke Energy Corp. (NYSE: DUK) in the Carolinas, where the fuel will be used and then disposed of in a national geologic repository, according to the release. Baker Concrete, founded in 1968, operates in 40 states through six regional offices. © 2007 American City Business Journals, Inc. and its licensors. ***************************************************************** 46 Gloucestershire news: Have Your Say On Nuclear Storage (from Gazette Series) By Liza-Jane Gillespie Comment RESIDENTS are being asked for their opinion on a nuclear storage facility. Berkeley Nuclear Licence Site has recently submitted a planning application to Gloucestershire County Council to build a new above ground interim Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) Store. The store would house waste currently on the site in a purpose built facility until a National Repository is made available elsewhere in the country. As part of the application the site has organised two exhibitions, being held in Berkeley and Lydney, to allow members of the public to drop in and ask any questions about the proposed plans. Steven Payne, Berkeley Nuclear Licence Site Stakeholder Relations Officer, said: "As part of our on-going stakeholder engagement activities we are holding two public exhibitions to allow members of the public a chance to ask questions or raise any concerns they might have directly with site staff who will be manning both events." According to the application the proposed ILW store would be a single structure approximately 83 metres long, 24.5 meters wide and 18 metres high. To help integrate it into the surrounding landscape, trees would be planted to the north, east and west of the store. The planting would comprise of a mix of indigenous tree and shrub species, selected to enhance local landscape character. The site's inner security fence would also be extended to enclose the proposed ILW store and it would remain in place while new store is used for ILW storage. If the application's successful construction will commence in October 2007 and be complete by December 2009. The building will be operational from January 2010. The exhibitions will be held at Lydney Town Hall on Friday, May 18, 12pm-6pm and Berkeley Town Hall on Saturday, May 19 12pm-6pm. For more information about the Intermediate Level Waste storage facility planning application visit, www.gloucestershire.gov.uk 1:04pm Monday 14th May 2007Print  Email this Comment Newsquest Media Group A Gannett Company ***************************************************************** 47 FR NRC: California spent fuel pond petition Doc E7-9211 [Federal Register: May 14, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 92)] [Proposed Rules] [Page 27068-27069] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr14my07-10] Federal Register This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules. [[Page 27068]] NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 10 CFR Part 51 [Docket No. PRM-51-12] State of California; Receipt of Petition for Rulemaking AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Petition for rulemaking; notice of receipt. SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is publishing for public comment a notice of receipt of a petition for rulemaking, dated March 16, 2007, which was filed with the NRC by Edmund G. Brown, Jr., Attorney General for the State of California. The petition was docketed by the NRC on March 21, 2007, and has been assigned Docket No. PRM-51- 12. The petitioner requests that NRC rescind its regulations that declare the potential environmental effects of the approval, construction, and operation of high-density pool storage of spent nuclear fuel are not and cannot be significant for purposes of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and NEPA analysis; adopt and issue a generic determination that approval of such storage at a nuclear power plant or any other facility does constitute a major Federal action that may have a significant effect on the human environment; and order that no NRC licensing decision that approves high-density pool storage of spent nuclear fuel at a nuclear power plant or other storage facility may issue without the prior adoption and certification of an environmental impact statement (EIS) that complies with NEPA in all respects, including full identification, analysis, and disclosure of the potential environmental effects of such storage, including the potential for accidental or deliberately caused release of radioactive products to the environment, whether by accident or through acts of terrorism, as well as full and adequate discussion of potential mitigation for such effects, and full discussion of an adequate array or alternatives to the proposed storage project. DATES: Submit comments by July 30, 2007. Comments received after this date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the Commission is able to assure consideration only for comments received on or before this date. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this petition by any one of the following methods. Please include PRM-51-12 in the subject line of your comments. Comments on petitions submitted in writing or in electronic form will be made available for public inspection. Because your comments will not be edited to remove any identifying or contact information, the NRC cautions you against including any information in your submission that you do not want to be publicly disclosed. Mail comments to: Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, ATTN: Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff. E-mail comments to: SECY@nrc.gov. If you do not receive a reply e- mail confirming that we have received your comments, contact us directly at (301) 415-1966. You may also submit comments via the NRC's rulemaking Web site at http://ruleforum.llnl.gov. Address questions about our rulemaking Web site to Carol Gallagher (301) 415-5905; e-mail cag@nrc.gov. Comments can also be submitted via the Federal eRulemaking Portal http://www.regulations.gov. Hand deliver comments to: 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852, between 7:30 am and 4:15 pm Federal workdays. (Telephone (301) 415-1966). Fax comments to: Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission at (301) 415-1101. Publicly available documents related to this petition may be viewed electronically on the public computers located at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), Room O1 F21, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. The PDR reproduction contractor will copy documents for a fee. Selected documents, including comments, may be viewed and downloaded electronically via the NRC rulemaking Web site at http://ruleforum.llnl.gov. Publicly available documents created or received at the NRC after November 1, 1999, are available electronically at the NRC's Electronic Reading Room at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. From this site, the public can gain entry into the NRC's Agencywide Document Access and Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and image files of NRC's public documents. If you do not have access to ADAMS or if there are problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, contact the PDR Reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737 or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov. A copy of the petition can be found in ADAMS under accession number ML070811132. A paper copy of the petition may be obtained by contacting Betty Golden, Office of Administration, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington DC, 20555-0001, telephone 301-415-6863, toll-free 1-800-368- 5642, or by e-mail bkg2@nrc.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael T. Lesar, Chief, Rulemaking, Directives, and Editing Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Telephone: 301-415-7163 or Toll Free: 800- 368-5642. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Petition The petitioner seeks to have the NRC: (1) Consider new and significant information about threats to the environment caused by dense storage of spent nuclear fuel; (2) rescind regulations that bar the consideration of spent fuel storage impacts in NEPA documents, regardless of the reasonable foreseeability of such effects; (3) make a generic determination that environmental impacts from spent fuel storage are significant; and (4) order that any decision to permit high density pool storage of nuclear fuel at any facility be accompanied by an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that complies with NEPA. The petitioner specifically requests that the NRC amend its regulations under 10 CFR 51.23(a) and (b) that concern a generic determination of no significant environmental impact in regard to the temporary storage of spent fuel after cessation of reactor operation. The petitioner asserts that the requested rulemaking actions are [[Page 27069]] mandated by NEPA, the regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), and in particular, the Ninth Circuit decision in San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace v. NRC, 449 F.3d 1016 (9th Cir. 2006), cert. denied 127 S. Ct. 1124 (2007). The petitioner further asserts that the requested rulemaking actions are warranted by the facts and legal arguments set forth in the rulemaking petition filed by the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, docketed by the NRC as Docket No. PRM-51-10 on September 19, 2006, followed by a subsequent publication of a notice of receipt of a petition for rulemaking on November 1, 2006 (71 FR 64169), which the petitioner incorporates by reference. The petitioner requests that NRC's current regulations be amended as these regulations, in the petitioner's view, determine that the effects of high density storage of spent fuel rods may never be significant for purposes of NEPA. The petitioner asserts that the NRC has not properly evaluated the significance of storing spent fuel assemblies in pools that were designed for a smaller number of spent nuclear fuel assemblies, thereby, increasing the possibility of catastrophic accidents involving fire. In this regard, the petitioner asserts that there is new and significant information showing that significant impacts can occur from high density pool storage of spent nuclear fuels, namely, a 2006 National Academy of Sciences study (NAS Committee on the Safety and Security of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage, Safety and Security of Commercial Spent Fuel Storage (the National Academies Press 2006)). The petitioner also asserts that current regulations bar a finding of significance for high density storage despite the threats posed by potential acts of terrorism, as the President of the United States and various other Federal officials have articulated those threats after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Conclusion The petitioner asserts that the current NRC regulations preclude the NRC from carrying out its obligations under NEPA by forbidding it from disclosing and analyzing reasonably foreseeable significant risks that will affect the environment. The petitioner states that under NEPA and the Administrative Procedure Act, the NRC has a duty to amend those regulations as requested by the State of California. Consolidation With Docket No. PRM-51-10 The NRC has determined that this petition raises issues that are substantially similar to those raised by the petition of the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, which was docketed by the NRC as PRM-51-10 on September 19, 2006, followed by a subsequent publication of a notice of receipt of a petition for rulemaking on November 1, 2006 (71 FR 64169). Therefore, the NRC, after the public comment period, may consolidate its response to both petitions in one action. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 8th day of May 2007. For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Annette L. Vietti-Cook, Secretary of the Commission. [FR Doc. E7-9211 Filed 5-11-07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 48 Japan Times: Nuclear chief sees possible fuel contract with Russia japantimes.co.jp Web Tuesday, May 15, 2007 The Associated Press Japan would benefit from a proposed nuclear energy deal with Russia by gaining access to Moscow's advanced fast-breeder reactor technology and uranium enrichment services, the atomic energy chief said Monday. "Russia's nuclear energy world in the past was one solid unit," said Kondo, chairman of the Japan Atomic Energy Commission. "There's been a great effort on the Russian side to divide these two functions." Kondo said he didn't know whether a deal could be concluded by the end of the year. Japan adheres to a strict nonnuclear weapons policy and only cooperates internationally in nonmilitary uses of nuclear technology. Russia's separation of the two functions would allow Japan to cooperate with the country more closely on nuclear energy issues. The government has ambitious plans for the nuclear power industry. Japan now has 53 plants that produce more than 30 percent of its electricity, and the government wants to increase that to 40 percent by 2030. Japan is also placing its bets on so-called fast-breeder reactors, which produce plutonium that can then be reused as fuel. Kondo said Japan hopes to start switching to that technology in 2050. Russia could help with that transition. Kondo said Japan could use advanced Russian fast-breeder technology, and the government also wants to get involved in Russian uranium enrichment services. Japan is dependent on imported uranium. "We also want to diversify our supplier base," Kondo said. The Japan Times ***************************************************************** 49 NIRS: Out of Control - On Purpose: DOE's Dispersal of Radioactive Waste into Landfills and Consumer Products - NIRS Radioactive materials are being released from nuclear weapons facilities to regular landfills and into commercial recycling streams where they can be used to make everyday household items. This is a key finding of a new NIRS report: Out of Control – On Purpose: DOE's Dispersal of Radioactive Waste into Landfills and Consumer Products. The report was commissioned to track the DOE’s policies and procedures for releasing nuclear wastes from nuclear bomb production. The report was released on May 14, 2007. Under the current system, the DOE and other nuclear waste generators either release contaminated materials directly or send their waste to processors who can then release it from radioactive controls to landfills, to recyclers or to auction for reuse. The report includes a detailed assessment of DOE’s policies, and a special focus on Tennessee which licenses companies to bring nuclear waste into the state where it is then processed and in some cases “redefined” as not radioactive or as “special.” It can then be sent to regular trash dumps or other facilities. This opens up the potential for the materials to enter the recycling stream to make everyday household items or to be used to build roads, schools, and playgrounds. The Executive Summary, full report (including executive summary) and all Appendices are available for download below. Read press release here. ***************************************************************** 50 England's Northwest: Sellafield to ship nuclear waste to Sweden Sellafield, the world's largest nuclear plant, has signed an agreement with nuclear services group Studsvik to ship waste to Sweden. Reactive steel and fuel bottles from the plant in Cumbria will be sent to Sweden, where Studsvik will separate the waste from the metal before sending it back to the UK. It is hoped that the move will go some way in addressing the problem of the lack of space in the UK for the treatment of nuclear materials. At present low-level waste is stored at Drigg in Cumbria, while more dangerous waste is kept at the Sellafield plant, which is managed by British Nuclear Group (BNG). A Sellafield spokeswoman told North-West Evening Mail: "We are looking at innovative ways of allowing recycling and re-use of materials as part of our decommissioning operations. "It is only a trial at this stage and no decision has been taken on whether or not to send large quantities of materials to Sweden in the future. We have not reached that stage yet." It is understood that the waste will be sent on commercial ships leaving the east coast of Britain, rather than on BNG ships. ***************************************************************** 51 Hanford News: Viswanath named Fellow This story was published Saturday, May 12th, 2007 By the Herald staff Rampur Viswanath, a scientist at CH2M Hill Hanford, has been named as a fellow by The Institute of Hazardous Materials Management in Rockville, Md. The institute is a national organization for hazardous materials professionals. The honor is given to those who have made outstanding contributions in the field. Viswanath will receive the honor and recognition at a special reception at the National Conference of the Academy of Certified Hazardous Materials Managers in September in Washington, D.C. © 2007 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 52 Hanford News: Full operations to resume at Hanford landfill This story was published Saturday, May 12th, 2007 Annette Cary, Herald staff writer Washington Closure Hanford has been cleared to resume nearly full operations at the Hanford landfill it operates for low-level radioactive waste. However, the contractor plans to delay some unrelated high-hazard work until its new president is confident that Washington Closure Hanford has systems in place with a more formal approach to work. Chuck Spencer has been emphasizing discipline of operations since he was named to lead the contractor in January shortly after falsified data was discovered at the huge landfill, the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility. Operations there have been restricted since mid-January when an audit revealed that a worker was falsifying data on compaction testing. That and other problems led to a $1.14 million penalty levied by the Environmental Protection Agency against the Department of Energy in late March. However, the problems do not appear to have affected the landfill's integrity, said both EPA and Washington Closure. Tests to check for compaction problems have been completed except for a study of long-term settlement. After waste is added to the landfill, it's compacted to preset standards to ensure that settling does not occur that would disturb a future cap over the landfill to keep out water. After problems were discovered, workers only were allowed to place waste in previously unused areas of the landfill. But now Washington Closure has been cleared to also dispose of waste at the 35-foot level. A backlog of waste has built up, including large containers, that needed to be placed at that level. The landfill is a linchpin for cleanup operations. But Washington Closure had been able to find "work arounds" to reduce impacts while the landfill was operating at a reduced level, said Kevin Bazzell, DOE project director. That included doing work inside buildings to prepare them for demolition. Washington Closure still must make improvements in how it and its subcontractor operates the landfill. It is proposing a change of equipment for compaction testing, using a compactor specifically made for landfills that has large wheels with cleats to compress waste and dirt. The compactor would be equipped with a global positioning system, such as farmers use on agricultural equipment, to record where and how many passes have been made. It's also looking at new compaction testing equipment after EPA said the current equipment was being used in a way that gave inconsistent readings. The problems at the landfill were in addition to two other high-profile incidents. In June, sodium dichromate, a hazardous chemical, was spilled twice a half-mile from the Columbia River as pipes were removed. In January, radioactive tritium was tracked out of a radiological work area. The problems occurred as Washington Closure transitioned to more hazardous work, Spencer said. About 10 percent of work is being deferred until Spencer is confident systems have the rigor needed for "looking for a devil in the dirt." The company is digging up old Hanford disposal areas and finding items such as highly radioactive irradiated fuel. One project that will be deferred until fall is the cleanup of the 618-7 burial ground in Hanford's 300 Area just north of Richland. It may contain drums of uranium chips or zircaloy shavings that have the potential to be flammable if they have leaked water or oil. High hazard work that's been pushed out will be replaced on the schedule with lower-risk work, Spencer said. © 2007 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 53 Hanford News: Cesium-131 may be right on target This story was published Sunday, May 13th, 2007 Pratik Joshi, Herald staff writer For years, Floyd Kolmer had heard about the benefits of Cesium-131 for prostate cancer patients. As a contract marketer for IsoRay's medical radioisotope Cesium-131, Kolmer often met with physicians and their patients using the brachytherapy seeds manufactured by the Richland medical company. So, when Kolmer was diagnosed with prostate cancer late last year, he underwent a brachytherapy procedure that involved Cesium-131. In March, the Seattle man had the tiny seeds coated with radioactive cesium - each about the size of a grain of rice - implanted in his prostate to kill the cancer cells. About two weeks ago, cancer specialists from Texas and Illinois reported fewer side effects with the use of Cesium-131. Kolmer also said he hasn't experienced side effects. The studies confirmed for IsoRay that Cesium-131 delivers targeted radiation quickly without collateral damage to healthy tissues because of its quick decay rate, said Roger Girard, IsoRay's chairman and CEO. Its short half-life means radiation leaves the body sooner than other available radioisotopes. "Ultimately, the long-term cure rate will be higher," he said. During an informal poll of radiation oncologists and brachytherapists recently at the 28th annual meeting of the American Brachytherapy Society, 40 percent said they were interested in learning more about Cesium-131. This interest from the scientific community follows IsoRay's recent success in raising more than $21 million and getting listed on the American Stock Exchange in New York. Earlier this month, the company signed a new lease with the Applied Process Engineering Laboratory to get an additional 15,340-square feet of space at the APEL facility in Richland and expand the production of Cesium-131. The move will double IsoRay's production, from 500 cases a month to 1,000 cases a month, said Dave Swanberg, company's executive vice president of operations. Cesium-131 will effectively challenge the market dominance of other radioisotopes, Iodine-125 and Palladium-103, which are used in prostate cancer treatment as an alternative to surgery and external radiation, Swanberg said. Cesium-131 delivers 90 percent of its radiation within 33 days, whereas Palladium-103 takes 58 days and Iodine-125, 204. Cesium-131's design also allows for an even distribution of radiation. Last year, the cancer therapy seed was listed among the world's top 100 innovations in science and technology by R&D Magazine. Studies show Cesium-131 works well in monotherapy and also in conjunction with external beam radiation, Girard said, adding seven new studies are under way. Those results will be available next year. There are about 50,000 to 60,000 brachytherapy procedures done annually in the U.S. And the $360 million brachytherapy market is expected to expand as the population grows older and early checkups detect more prostate cancer cases, Girard said. He expects IsoRay's revenue to jump from $7 million to about $22 million in a year. Since the clinical study results have been revealed, people want to know more about IsoRay's product, said Eric Knipfer, IsoRay's Florida-based national sales director. He said IsoRay is about to sign a deal with a large health care provider, which will give physicians a chance to review Cesium-131 and recommend it to their patients. Kolmer was delighted to hear about the study results. Cesium-131 seeds help improve the quality of life of those under treatment, Kolmer said. He said he walked out of the hospital within a few hours of the procedure. He will soon visit his doctor for a blood test to determine his prostate-specific antigen count. A low count will confirm the cancer has retreated. The Food and the Drug Administration had approved the isotope in 2003 and the first Cesium-131 implant was done at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle a year later. So, far more than 1,000 Cesium-131 implants have been performed. IsoRay, which started in 1998, patented the process of economically separating and purifying cesium. The process of making Cesium-131 begins with nuclear-charged barium carbonate, from which cesium is extracted in the company lab. The cesium is then placed on a ceramic core, which in turn is cased in titanium capsule and welded with a precision laser. The seeds are later washed clean of contaminants and the strength of each seed measured before it's shipped to hospitals, said Matthew Bales, production manger at IsoRay lab in Richland. IsoRay, which has 69 employees, plans to expand its workforce to meet potential demands. The company plans to hire locally, Bales said. The company also will introduce more automation in the production process for enhanced safety and quality of the seeds. IsoRay can provide customized seeds on order. As isotopes decay about 7 percent every day, advance production is not a good idea. "(But) we are ready to produce as many seeds as we need to produce," Bales said. For more information about IsoRay and Cesium-131, visit www.isoray.com and www.cesium131.com © 2007 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 54 Hanford News: Uranium exploration sparks Indian, environmental debate This story was published Monday, May 14th, 2007 By Carson Walker, Associated Press Writer EDGEMONT, S.D. (AP) - Worldwide demand for nuclear power as an emissions-free source of energy has sparked a boom of sorts for uranium, as prices have multipled tenfold. But the promise of radioactive deposits worth millions of dollars has set off a debate on the southwest South Dakota prairie involving American Indians and energy developers over whether the payoff is worth the price if there's a threat to the environment or people. A state board in January awarded the first uranium exploration permit in the state in a quarter century to Powertech, a Canadian company that plans to drill 155 exploratory holes this summer in an area thought to hold 7.6 million pounds of uranium worth more than $500 million. The board amended the permit last week to add a requirement that archaeological sites be reported and avoided if they're found. That change was prompted by a lawsuit filed by Defenders of the Black Hills, an Indian treaty rights group opposed to uranium exploration and mining - partly because it harms the earth. "She is alive, and when you drill these holes in her, you are hurting her," its founder, Charmaine White Face, told the board. Unearthing radioactive material introduces it into the water and air, and some mines abandoned in western South Dakota decades ago are only now being studied for clean up, she has said. But Mike Cepak, engineering director of the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, said low-grade uranium is common in the state, so exploratory drilling poses little risk. And laws are in place to allow its recovery, he said. "You find it just about everywhere," Cepak said. "We're not planning special protection to go out there because we think the risk of uranium exposure is so low it would be similar to natural background levels." The permit is only for exploration. Powertech has posted a $213,500 bond with the state to guarantee its exploration holes will be filled, said Richard Blubaugh, Powertech vice president. Actual mining would be years away and require new permits from the state and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission plus Environmental Protection Agency approval, Cepak said. If Powertech's exploration turns into mining, it plans to pump a solution into deep holes to dissolve the uranium and pull it out of another set of holes, a process that's far safer than surface mining, Blubaugh said. "You don't have open uranium deposits exposed to the water or the environment," he said last month at a uranium summit in Rapid City, organized by Defenders of the Black Hills. An environmental impact statement would be required and the operation would be monitored if Powertech mines the area, he said. But Kim Kearfott, a University of Michigan nuclear engineering professor, said there's always the chance mining will cause problems that can harm the environment and humans. "They might go in and pull out all this uranium and remediate. But when they do that, they may cause other material to move," she said at the uranium summit. "They have to consider what can go wrong." Maybe. But the drought-plagued region has few economic development opportunities, so it's wise to take a good look at it, said Mark Hollenbeck, who has been a state lawmaker and Edgemont's mayor. "I think it's a great thing, financially, for the area," he said as he pointed out old open uranium pits and underground mines that were active from the 1940s to the 1970s, some of them on land he now owns. "After being in a drought for five years, if we don't get rain this year there will be thousands of cattle that leave this area," Hollenbeck said. He worked as a chemical engineer before moving back and said he doesn't worry about the risk of uranium exposure to his four children, all under the age of 4. "I probably have more exposure riding my horse next to the cliffs." © 2007 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 55 Daily Californian: Hunger Strikers Want End to UC Nuclear Work BY Tamara Bartlett Daily Cal Staff Writer Monday, May 14, 2007 photo/ted kwong Matt Gillam, a junior at UC Berkeley studying philosophy, is participating in a hunger strike that protests the university’s involvement in nuclear research. Several UC Berkeley students and alumni have refused to eat since last Wednesday in an effort to demand that the university sever ties with laboratories conducting nuclear research. The protesters, who are camped out in front of Wheeler Hall with a banner stating, “Fasting for a Nuclear Free UC,” are scheduled to end the fast Thursday after the UC Board of Regents meeting in San Francisco, said Chelsea Collonge, a UC Berkeley alumni who is participating in the fast. As of Sunday, 10 students and alumni had joined the fast on the UC Berkeley campus. The fast began the day after it was announced that a UC-led group would manage the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a nuclear research and development lab, for the next seven years. Collonge said the eight-day fast serves as an symbol of support for a university-wide hunger strike in which over 40 protesters across the UC system have chosen to stop eating indefinitely until the university separates itself from nuclear research. “(Education) is the most powerful, positive thing you can do as humans. (But) nuclear weapons are the most destructive, negative thing I can think of,” said UC Berkeley junior Amanda Cocking, who is a conservation and resource studies major participating in the fast. Collonge said the UC Berkeley protesters plan to attend the Thursday regents’ meeting, where several said they hope to speak during the public comment period against the university’s involvement with nuclear laboratories. Protesters also said they plan to rally outside the meeting. UC spokesperson Chris Harrington said the protesters need to understand the effect the fast would have on them physically and advised the students to consult with campus health professionals if they decide to stop eating. “We urge them to eat. This is not a constructive way to open dialogue on a critical issue,” Harrington said. “We urge them to be mindful of the health consequences.” Francisco Ramos Stierle, a graduate student in the astronomy department, said he feels “phenomenal” after fasting for four days. “I convert the anxiety of eating into a spiritual energy,” Ramos Stierle said. “That’s an awesome feeling.” Tamara Bartlett is an assistant news editor. Contact her at tbartlett@dailycal.org. (c) 2005 the Daily Californian Berkeley, California dailycalifornian@dailycal.org ***************************************************************** 56 KNDO/KNDU: Hanford Tour Registration Happening Wednesday, May 16 Tri-Cities, Yakima, WA | RICHLAND, Wash. - The Hanford site is once again being opened to the public in June for several bus tours. If you'd like to go, you'll need to register right at noon this Wednesday, May 16th. The last time Hanford tours were offered, all available spots filled up in two minutes. There are six tours scheduled, happening June 13th and 14th. You can sign up for a 7:30 am, 10:00 am or 12:30 pm start time. Tours last about four hours. Geoff Tyree, a spokesman for Fluor Hanford, says, "On the tour, we'll take participants on a road tour. They'll see the areas of Hanford that are important in its history, in terms of producing plutonium for the Cold War and WWII efforts. We'll also talk about the clean-up that's going on here." The tour will include Hanford's 300 and 100 areas, the Hanford town site, and Hanford's central plateau. For more information, and to sign up, log on to the Hanford web site. All content © Copyright 2000 - 2007 WorldNow and KNDO/KNDU. All Rights Reserved. For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. ***************************************************************** NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: *****************************************************************