***************************************************************** 07/02/07 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 15.154 ***************************************************************** 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 Reuters: Iran, Venezuela in axis of unity against U.S 2 AFP: Iran-Venezuela seal anti-US alliance 3 BBC NEWS: Venezuela deepens ties with Iran 4 IPS-English NUKE PROGRAMME-NORTH KOREA: IAEA says deal reached 5 US: Helena Independent Record: Malmstrom to lose 50 nuclear missiles 6 AFP: Controversy as nuclear-powered US ship docks off S.India - 7 Guardian Unlimited: Putin and Bush hold rapid meeting to mend relati 8 AFP: Putin hits US with new missile defense offer - 9 Hindustan Times: No nuclear warheads on board USS Nimitz - officers- 10 AFP: Bush, Putin to continue summit aimed at warming ties - 11 Guardian Unlimited: Putin Tries Anew to Stop Missile Shield 12 Guardian Unlimited: Bush-Putin Relationship in Choppy Waters 13 RIA Novosti: Informal Russia-U.S. talks friendly, turn to pressing i 14 [NYTr] Israel jails Vanunu (again) over foreign contacts 15 UPI: Japan PM attacks minister's nuke remarks 16 Guardian Unlimited: Abe Rips Official for A-Bomb Comment 17 AFP: Disgraced Pakistan nuclear scientist wants security lifted - 18 Guardian Unlimited: Pakistan Eases Curbs on A.Q. Khan 19 AFP: Japan PM reprimands defence minister for A-bomb remarks - 20 Guardian Unlimited: Pakistan Eases Curbs on Atomic Scientist 21 Guardian Unlimited: Japan will not seek US atomic bomb apology NUCLEAR REACTORS 22 Platts: Two Vattenfall reactors experienced scramming transients Jun 23 US: Democrat & Chronicle: Leak reduces power at Ginna nuclear plant 24 US: The Enquirer: Energy solutions require rational discusssion 25 US: Brattleboro Reformer: Too hot for fish? 26 US: Brattleboro Reformer: VY contractor fired for failing to check r 27 Deutsche Welle: Nuclear Power to Dominate Debate at German Energy Su 28 US: EnergyBiz Magazine: Feeding Nuclear Power 29 US: OurPlanet: A Nuclear Phoenix? : Concern about Climate Change is 30 US: PATRIOT LEDGER: Nuke power option splits greens: Waste issue div 31 NewsRoom Finland: Kemijrvi joins Finnish nuclear queue 32 US: Bay City Tribune: STP moves closer in permitting two new units 33 US: Bay City Tribune: County may gain new nuclear plant NUCLEAR SECURITY 34 US: Baltimore Sun: Fast action needed to avert nuclear terror strike NUCLEAR SAFETY 35 Guardian Unlimited: More than 40 years on, Spain revisits a nuclear 36 US: Hemscott: Judge orders OSHA to release toxic info 37 Dunn County News: All Iraq combat vets exposed to deadly DU 38 US: NAS: Project: Gulf War and Health: Updated Literature Review of NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 39 US: UPI: Wesdyne, NFS win nuke down-blend contract 40 barrow in furness: Sellafield issued warning over quarry waste PEACE US DEPT. OF ENERGY 41 Platts: Wesdyne, Nuclear Fuel Services win downblending contract 42 Hanford News: Nuclear energy using new momentum to take on old obsta 43 Hanford News: Director resigns from The Reach 44 Tri-City Herald: DOE seeks contractor for $8.2 billion in tank farm 45 Knoxville News Sentinel: ORNL wins 6 research awards 46 WNN: NNSA awards Reliable Fuel Supply contract 47 DOE: Energy Department Awards Small Business Contract for Legacy 48 SF New Mexican: Los Alamos lab delivers first bomb-ready nuke trigge ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 Reuters: Iran, Venezuela in axis of unity against U.S Mon Jul 2, 2007 1:32PM EDT By Parisa Hafezi ASSALOUYEH, Iran (Reuters) - The presidents of Iran and Venezuela launched construction of a joint petrochemical plant on Monday, strengthening an "axis of unity" between two oil-rich nations staunchly opposed to the United States. Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who both often rail against Washington, also signed a series of other deals to expand economic cooperation, ranging from setting up a dairy factory in Venezuela to forming an oil company. "The two countries will united defeat the imperialism of North America," a beaming Chavez told a news conference during an official visit to the Islamic Republic, which the United States has labeled part of an "axis of evil". "When I come to Iran Washington gets upset," he said. The two presidents -- whose countries are members of the OPEC oil producing cartel -- earlier attended the ceremony to start building a methanol facility with an annual capacity of 1.65 million tons on the Islamic Republic's Gulf coast. "Iran and Venezuela -- the axis of unity," read one of many official posters at the site near the port town of Assalouyeh, showing the two leaders hugging each other and shaking hands. Ahmadinejad -- who came to power two years ago pledging to revive the values of the 1979 Islamic revolution -- hailed the event as a step towards boosting "brotherly" ties of the two "revolutionary" nations. Iran is embroiled in a worsening nuclear standoff with Western powers. WESTERN "BARBARIANS" Chavez, who last week pushed two U.S. oil giants out of his country as part of his self-styled socialist revolution, said: "This is the unity of the Persian Gulf and the Caribbean Sea." Continued... ***************************************************************** 2 AFP: Iran-Venezuela seal anti-US alliance Monday July 2, 2007, 10:24 pm Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez sealed their anti-American alliance Monday by laying the foundation stone of a joint petrochemical plant. The two leaders pledged to "stand against all enemies," a reference to the United States, as they inaugurated construction of a 700-million-dollar methanol plant in the Asaluyeh industrial zone on the Gulf coast. Chavez, on his third trip to Iran since Ahmadinejad took office in 2005, promised to "unite the Persian Gulf and the Caribbean" and even adopted Persian slang for the benefit of reporters assembled for the occasion. "We as two united countries will build a better world. I thank God that Iran and Venezuela are standing together forever," he said on the last day of a trip which has already taken him to Russia and Belarus. "We are going to unite the Persian Gulf and the Caribbean. We are together and we want to go forward with a multi-polar world," he said. The two members of the powerful OPEC oil cartel pledged to boost cooperation and trade ties during a day of talks between Chazez and leaders of Iran's Islamic regime on Sunday, while predicting the downfall of the United States. Ahmadinejad lauded the "brotherly ties" between the two countries, one a Shiite clerical regime and the other a deeply Catholic socialist democracy. Despite their cultural differences, the two are major oil producers and staunch opponents of US "hegemony and imperialism." "A long step was taken to bolster brotherly ties between the two revolutionary, people's governments of Iran and Venezuela, whose goal is to build their countries and stand against all enemies," Ahmadinejad said. "It's a glorious day. We're determined to build things together and give it as a gift to our nations," he added, as Chavez chimed in with snippets of Persian such as "eyval" or "bravo." "Viva Iran and Venezuela and all revolutionary nations and death to the enemies," Ahmadinejad said. The methanol plant, set to come on stream in four years, will have a capacity of 1.65 million tonnes a year and a similar project is planned for Venezuela, an Iranian petrochemical official said. The Venezuela plant would give Iran better access to Latin American and Brazilian markets and provide easier reach to India and Pakistan for Venezuela, the state news agency IRNA said. Chavez met Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Sunday in a rare honour for a non-Muslim visiting foreign dignatory. "The United States is incapable of hurting Iran and Venezuela... cooperation between the two independent states is natural and it must be expanded," state television quoted Khamenei as telling Chavez. Chavez arrived in Tehran on Saturday for a two-day visit on the last leg of a tour of nations at loggerheads with Washington, which has already taken him to Russia and Belarus. He was accompanied by his foreign, communications, energy, industry and economy ministers, and was expected to sign 20 agreements with Iran for projects in his country. Ahmadinejad toured Latin America in January in a bid to seek support from the region's leftist leaders who share his scornful defiance of the United States. Chavez is the most vocal cheerleader in Latin America for Iran and its nuclear programme, which is feared by the West to be a cover for weapons development although Tehran insists it is purely peaceful. The United States, which broke diplomatic ties with Iran in 1980 after Islamist revolutionaries occupied its embassy, has been spearheading the international campaign to stop Iran's enrichment programme. Copyright © 2006 AFP. All rights reserved. All information ***************************************************************** 3 BBC NEWS: Venezuela deepens ties with Iran Last Updated: Monday, 2 July 2007, 12:49 GMT 13:49 UK Mr Chavez (l) and Mr Ahmadinejad are both vocal critics of the US Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Venezuelan counterpart, Hugo Chavez, have launched construction of a joint petrochemical plant in Iran. The plant will cost some $700m and take four years to complete, with a second one scheduled to be built in Venezuela. This is the Venezuelan leader's third visit to Iran in two years. "Iran and Venezuela - the axis of unity," read the official posters at the site of the plant in Assalouyeh on the Gulf coast. Mr Chavez and Mr Ahmadinejad marked the official start of building by instructing the drivers of two mechanical diggers to start working, Reuters news agency reported. The plant will be a facility to produce methanol - an alcohol which can be used as a solvent or an element in fuel. Mr Chavez's visit comes as Iran faces the threat of toughened sanctions from the United Nations over its refusal to freeze uranium enrichment. The US and the European Union accuse Iran of enriching uranium as part of a nuclear weapons programme, but the Iranians say its activities are for peaceful energy production. Mr Chavez has been a vocal defender of Iran's right to have a nuclear programme. * BBC Copyright Notice ***************************************************************** 4 IPS-English NUKE PROGRAMME-NORTH KOREA: IAEA says deal reached Date: Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:35:07 -0700 NUKE PROGRAMME-NORTH KOREA: IAEA says deal reached on nuclear disarmament steps Att.Editors: The following item is from the Emirates News Agency (WAM) SEOUL, Jun. 30 (WAM) - A top U.N. nuclear inspector confirmed Saturday North Korea and his agency have agreed on how the nuclear facilities in the communist state will be shut down and monitored in line with the six-party agreement. "We have now reached an understanding on how we are going to monitor the sealing and shutting down of the Yongbyon nuclear facility," South Koreas Yonhap News reported on Saturday in its news dispatch from Beijing quoting Olli Heinonen, deputy director of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as having told reporters there. Heinonen had just ended a five-day trip to the communist state with three other IAEA members, carried out under a landmark February deal that calls for North Korea's nuclear dismantlement in return for economic and political concessions. During the visit, Heinonen visited North Korea's one and only nuclear reactor at Yongbyon, marking the first trip by officials of the U.N. nuclear watchdog since inspectors were expelled from the communist country in 2002. On Friday, Heinonen said North Korea and the IAEA had agreed on the methods that would be used in monitoring the shutdown of the nuclear facilities. "We have concluded this understanding, what our monitoring and verification activities are in principle,'' Heinonen said on Associated Press Television News. But he did not disclose the timeline for the shutdown, only saying the six-party talks -- involving North Korea, South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia -- would be tasked with the matter. "This is for the six parties to decide," he said. "You have to ask them the time scale." (WAM) (WAM) ***************************************************************** 5 Helena Independent Record: Malmstrom to lose 50 nuclear missiles BY SUSAN GALLAGHER Associated Press HELENA Montanas lone Air Force base will lose a quarter of its nuclear missile stockpile, the U.S. military said Monday. Fifty Minuteman III missiles and five missile-alert facilities overseen by the 341st Space Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base near Great Falls will be deactivated, said Col. Sandra Finn, the wings commander. The Pentagon said last year that it would reduce by 10 percent the nations stockpile of missiles. The states congressional delegation had vowed to fight the plan, citing security concerns. Copyright Helena Independent Record; a division of Lee Enterprises Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ***************************************************************** 6 AFP: Controversy as nuclear-powered US ship docks off S.India - Mon Jul 2, 5:46 AM ET CHENNAI, India (AFP) - A nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier docked off the coast of southern India on Monday, an official said, as leftist parties denounced its presence in Indian waters. The USS Nimitz, one of the word's largest battleships, was docked two nautical miles (3.7 kilometres) from the city of Chennai in southern Tamil Nadu state, where it will remain until Thursday, a port official said. A number of Chennai residents will arrive on board later on Monday for celebrations with US sailors ahead of US independence day on July 4, officials from the United States consulate in the city said. But festivities could be marred by a protest planned by left-wing political parties which say the Congress-led government should not allow a US warship to dock in Indian waters. "This is a blatant violation of the assurance given at the time of government formation that we will be strictly non-aligned," D. Pandian, an official of the state branch of the Communist Party of India. There was also concern about whether the vessel was carrying nuclear warheads. But the ship's captain Michael Manazir told reporters on Sunday it was "the general policy of the US government not to deploy nuclear weapons on board its ships." Some political parties and environmentalists also expressed concern about nuclear radiation from the warship, but US officials called the Nimitz's safety record "outstanding." A large Muslim party will on Tuesday protest the ship's activities in the Persian Gulf, after the vessel made its first visit to the Middle East in June, where it was "conducting maritime operations and supporting the global war on terrorism," according to the ship's web site. The Indian government has defended the visit by the 333-metre long warship which has a crew of 5,000, including nuclear reactor engineers, radiation experts and aviators and more than 60 fighter jets on board. "Port calls by naval ships of friendly countries are a routine activity to promote goodwill amongst the navies," a defence ministry spokesman said in New Delhi ahead of the Nimitz's arrival. India and the US have stepped up joint military exercises as part of improved ties, which were boosted in 2005 when they set aside Cold War mistrust and signed a historic civilian nuclear energy transfer deal. Copyright 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 7 Guardian Unlimited: Putin and Bush hold rapid meeting to mend relations Ed Pilkington in New York and Luke Harding in Moscow Monday July 2, 2007 George Bush and Vladimir Putin at the recent G8 summit in Germany. Photograph: Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images President George Bush last night welcomed his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to his summer retreat in Kennebunkport, Maine, at the start of an encounter of less than 24 hours designed to patch up deteriorating relations between the two powers. Mr Putin becomes the first foreign leader to be invited into the Bush family's New England estate, a switch from the normal entertaining grounds of Crawford, Texas, where Mr Bush has preferred to focus his diplomacy. Relations between the US and Russia are at their worst for a decade. Washington has been critical of creeping authoritarianism on the part of the Putin regime, while the Kremlin has been incensed by the Pentagon's plan to site elements of its missile defence shield in Poland and the Czech Republic. Before he boarded his flight yesterday, the Russian president characterised his relations with Mr Bush as "friendly". "In politics there is nearly always competition going on. The important thing is that this competition should be in accordance with definite rules and that each others' interests should be respected," he said. From Washington's perspective, a key topic will be Iran and how further to turn the screws on Tehran over its nuclear enrichment programme. Mr Bush wants to increase an embargo on Iran as the next step, but has to overcome the resistance of Russia, which has significant trading links with the country. The other priority for Washington will be Kosovo's desire for independence, which it backs, but such a move is opposed by the Kremlin, which fears it would encourage secessionist movements elsewhere. On their side, Kremlin officials said that Mr Bush and Mr Putin would discuss a series of issues at the heart of recent US-Russian tension including the US's controversial missile defence shield in central Europe, the future of Kosovo, and possible reductions in nuclear arsenals. The Kremlin was keen to address the issue of what would happen when the Sort treaty - or treaty on strategic offensive reductions - expires in 2009, officials said. The treaty, signed in 2002, limits the US and Russia to a strategic nuclear arsenal of 1,700-2,200 operationally deployed warheads each. The Kremlin says it has been dismayed by the gradual disintegration of strategic cold war era arms agreements - and by Mr Bush's unilateral decision to withdraw from the 1972 anti-ballistic missiles treaty. Mr Putin has responded by issuing a Russian moratorium on the conventional armed forces in Europe treaty - and by test-firing a new nuclear missile equipped with multiple warheads. In the months before last night's meeting, Mr Putin has accused Washington of seeking to dominate the world. Guardian Unlimited Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 ***************************************************************** 8 AFP: Putin hits US with new missile defense offer - Tuesday July 3, 09:40 AM Russian leader Vladimir Putin Monday proposed broadening US missile defense plans in Europe by bringing NATO into the project that has strained relations with the United States. "It is possible to widen the number of European partners who might be interested in resolving this question" as part of a "platform of Russia-NATO cooperation," Putin told reporters here, where US President George W. Bush hosted him at the Bush family's seaside retreat. Bush did not back down however on his insistence that parts of the shield should be located in central Europe. The United States says the system aims to ward off attack from "rogue states" such as Iran, but Russia fiercely opposes it, viewing it as a threat to its own security. After informal talks aimed at soothing recent rancor between Moscow and Washington, Putin said he was ready to bring a new early warning radar facility stationed in southern Russia into the US plans. Putin last month offered to switch the site of the US installations to Azerbaijan. He also proposed on Monday setting up an online "information exchange center" in Moscow as part of the system, with a similar installation in a European city. "In this case, there'd be no need to place any more facilities in Europe -- I mean, the (radar) facility in Czech Republic and the missile base in Poland," the Russian leader said. Bush called Putin's offer a "very constructive and bold strategic move" that needed further examination. But he insisted that "the Czech Republic and Poland need to be an integral part of this system." "President Putin proposed a regional approach to missile defense, that we ought to work together bilaterally as well as work through the Russia-NATO Council. And I'm in strong agreement with that concept," he said. He also lauded progress towards getting Russia on board for tougher sanctions against Iran's nuclear drive. "We're close on recognizing that we got to work together to send a common message," he said. Putin, however, said the Islamic republic was showing signs of cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog, and with the European Union. Iran said on Saturday that the IAEA's deputy chief would visit Tehran on July 11 to try to resolve outstanding issues over its nuclear program, which the West suspects is a secret drive to build atomic weapons. Putin was the first foreign leader to be hosted by Bush at his parents' vacation home in Kennebunkport. US officials hoped that the relaxed, outdoor setting of the so-called "lobster summit" would inject a warmer tone into the frosty relationship. Appearing without jackets and ties, the US and Russian leaders bid to defuse tensions over irritants including missile defense and Kosovo, that have led some observers to fret about a return to Cold War-era mistrust. Putin said the "warm" welcome given to him at Kennebunkport -- including from the 41st president and current leader's father, George Bush -- went "way beyond" the obligations of protocol. After the former president had greeted the Russian leader Sunday evening, a snappily dressed Putin offered a bouquet of flowers to First Lady Laura Bush, who displayed informal ease by adjusting his tieless collar. "Yes, I trust him," Bush said of Putin. "Do I like everything he says? No. And I suspect he doesn't like everything I say. But we're able to say it in a way that shows mutual respect." Responding to the US anti-missile plans, Putin had threatened at one point to once again train Russia's nuclear warheads on Europe. But he then issued his surprise offer at last month's Group of Eight summit to install part of the system in the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan. After two hours of talks on Sunday beside the rugged Maine coast, Bush and Putin held a breakfast meeting on Monday before a fishing trip on which Bush said Putin caught a fish -- reportedly a striped bass. Putin insisted it was "a team effort." Copyright 2007 Yahoo! All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 9 Hindustan Times: No nuclear warheads on board USS Nimitz - officers- Chennai, July 02, 2007 Officials on board the USS Nimitz, to be docked in Chennai on Monday, have for the first time said there are no nuclear warheads in the warship. Senior officer on board Rear Admiral John Terence Blake told the visiting media on Sunday that Nimitz was "no longer providing support to ground forces" in Iraq and Afghanistan. The left parties in India are opposing the Nimitz visit because it was used in the Gulf to mount operations against countries like Iraq and Afghanistan and intimidate Iran and North Korea. Commanding officer of the USS Nimitz Captain Michael C Manazir told the visiting reporters: "The ship is being monitored continuously ... In the last 32 years of its service, we have not come across any unpleasant incident." "We guarantee you that you are in a safe environment", he said, adding that the ship's reactors were "well-shielded". Apprehensions increased in Chennai following the refusal of the warship's senior officers, Manazir and Blake, to categorically deny that nuclear weapons were on board on Saturday. But Sunday, as Nimitz drew closer to the Indian coast, the captain of the ship, Manazir said, "I am very confident about my ship." "Anybody can test any water or any air outside the force protection zone", he added. This is about a kilometre all around the warship. An Indian radiation monitoring vessel is being berthed about a km from the Nimitz to monitor radiation, if any, from the ship in Indian territorial waters. The morale of the crew is very high, Manazir said, adding that they were looking forward to their visit to Chennai. It is the monsoon rain in Goa and Mumbai that has brought Nimitz to India's east coast. The visitors are expected to be on land by on Monday evening. ***************************************************************** 10 AFP: Bush, Putin to continue summit aimed at warming ties - by Laurent Lozano Mon Jul 2, 8:12 AM ET KENNEBUNKPORT, United States (AFP) - US President George W. Bush and Russia's Vladimir Putin were to continue their talks here Monday aimed at defusing tensions which have spiked over irritants such as missile defense. The Bush family swept Putin off Sunday for an evening boat ride and a lobster dinner, followed by a two-hour informal discussion that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described as "very friendly." However, the two sides avoided discussion of specific issues, focusing instead on setting the tone for their subsequent meetings, according to Russian presidential adviser Sergei Prikhodko. "Today we concentrated on the philosophy of the moment rather than specific problems," Prikhodko told reporters. A face-to-face breakfast meeting, another possible boat ride and a news conference were planned for Monday. Despite harsh verbal exchanges in recent months, the US and Russian leaders made every effort to show that their rapport remained congenial as the brief summit kicked off at the Bush family's summer retreat on the Atlantic coast. After former president George Bush went to greet Putin in person and escorted him to his residence, a snappily dressed Putin offered a bouquet of flowers for First Lady Laura Bush and exchanged kisses with her mother-in-law, Barbara Bush, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The Russian leader described his relations with Bush as "friendly" ahead of the Kennebunkport talks, which aides expected to also address sharp differences over Kosovo and human rights. "I hope that the dialogue with this person with whom I've formed good, I would say friendly relations, will take place in exactly that spirit," Putin was quoted by Interfax as saying before he left Moscow. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be going and wouldn't have received the invitation." Nevertheless, both sides warned not to expect any formal agreements out of the summit. Bush has criticised the state of democracy in Russia, which, flush with cash from an energy boom, has become more forceful in its dealings with Europe and the United States. Putin has condemned what he calls US efforts to dominate the world and has lashed out furiously at US plans to station missile-defense batteries and radar systems in eastern Europe. US officials hoped that during their brief time at Kennebunkport, the two leaders could regain the kind of personal relationship that six years ago led Bush to speak approvingly of gaining an insight into Putin's "soul." Russia, however, showed no sign of backing down on issues like the missile defense scheme, which the US administration insists is intended to counter "rogue states" such as Iran. "If the US is deploying a radar in the Czech Republic this radar will be aimed against us, because there won't be any other targets for that radar," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told foreign journalists Friday. But Peskov brushed aside suggestions the two countries were sliding toward a new Cold War. "Presidents facing a new Cold War don't invite each other to their fathers' houses," he argued. The White House said efforts to curtail Iran's and North Korea's nuclear ambitions could also be on the agenda. The United States on Friday conferred with Russia and other members of the UN Security Council about a US proposal to require all countries to inspect cargo to and from Iran for possible illegal nuclear-related material or arms, The New York Times reported on Sunday. Asked if Bush would lobby Putin to support such sanctions, National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said "issues related to Iran are likely to come up, but let's let the meeting take place first." As Putin arrived, protesters staged a mock funeral for the "death of liberty" in Bush's America, and some of the demonstrators castigated Russia's policy towards rebellious Chechnya. Copyright 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The ***************************************************************** 11 Guardian Unlimited: Putin Tries Anew to Stop Missile Shield Monday July 2, 2007 11:16 PM By JENNIFER LOVEN Associated Press Writer KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine (AP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin sought anew Monday to bat down U.S. plans to build a missile defense shield in Eastern Europe, proposing that the system be expanded and largely Russian-based. Neither President Bush nor his aides reacted definitively to the surprise idea, Putin's second in less than a month on the topic that has sent U.S.-Russian relations into a tailspin. From Sunday afternoon through lunch on Monday, Bush used personal charms, his family's wealth and a slew of traditional Maine treats to woo Putin and heal fissures that have the Washington-Moscow alliance at its lowest point since the Cold War. There was lobster, blueberry pie and striper fishing in the Atlantic from his dad's prized speedboat - all from the spectacular setting of the century-old Bush summer compound on a craggy peninsula. But with all Bush's efforts, it was Putin who appeared to leave Kennebunkport with the upper hand - a situation aptly, if coincidentally, illustrated by Putin's singular success among their group at outsmarting fish. On substantive issues, the Russian leader appeared to neither lose ground or give any. He emphasized more talking with Iran about its suspected nuclear weapons program over the tougher U.N. sanctions on Tehran that Bush wants. There was no sign that Putin came closer to the Western view that the Serbian province of Kosovo should be allowed independence. Most dramatically, Putin again showed up at a meeting with Bush with a proposal on missile defense that caught the president off guard. As Putin said at the end of his appearance with Bush before reporters on the sun-drenched lawn of Walker's Point's main stone-and-shingle home: ``We are here to play.'' As a result, Putin traveled on to Guatemala for a decision meeting on the site for the 2014 winter Olympics likely boosted in the eyes of the world by the respectful treatment and lavish compliments given him by the globe's only superpower. There are many fissures in the Washington-Moscow relationship. The anti-terror bond forged after the 2001 terrorist attacks has meant continued cooperation on fighting terrorism and weapons proliferation. But disputes quickly developed, from the Iraq war, the fate of democracy in Russia, NATO expansion and sniping over what each side views as meddling in former Soviet republics. No issue has done as much damage, as fast, as Bush's announcement in January than the U.S. would base a new missile defense system in the Czech Republic and Poland. Putin is convinced the shield in his backyard is aimed at Russian missiles, not potential Iranian ones as Washington insists. He threatened to suspend participation in a conventional forces treaty, said Russia's missiles would be re-aimed toward Europe and compared Bush's foreign policies to those of the Third Reich and Stalin. Last month in Germany when the two met on the sidelines of a summit of world economic powers, Putin suggested replacing the U.S. plan with existing radar in Azerbaijan. While loath to offend Putin with an outright rejection, U.S. officials have hinted the aging Soviet-era facility is up to little more than providing supplemental information. On Monday, Putin tried again. He offered to modernize the capabilities of the Azerbaijan radar, as well as link to the system a new radar facility being built in southern Russia. He proposed making the shield more regional by bringing in NATO and setting up joint early warning missile launch centers, one already agreed to in Moscow and another in a European capital such as Brussels. Following this model, Putin said, would mean ``no need to place any more facilities in Europe.'' A wary U.S. president called the Russian idea a ``bold strategic move'' but otherwise treaded carefully. ``I'm in strong agreement with that concept'' of involving NATO, Bush said, complimenting Putin for being ``very sincere'' and ``innovative.'' The president showed some give, saying the Czech Republic and Poland must be the shield's anchor - ``an integral part of the system'' - but leaving the door open to supplemental facilities. Stephen Hadley, Bush's national security adviser, argued that Putin displayed seriousness about cooperation with his proposal. ``He's willing to see it in a very strategic context. And I think that's a very encouraging sign,'' Hadley said. On Iran, the leaders projected a united front that masked continuing differences about the best way to keep the hardline regime in Tehran from developing nuclear weapons, The United States is discussing with U.N. Security Council members - which include the U.S. and Russia - a proposal for a third, more punitive round of sanctions against Iran if it continues to defy U.N. demands to stop enriching uranium. Two previous rounds of sanctions have been modest, at the insistence of Russia and China, which have economic ties with Iran, and have had little effect. ``I have been counting on the Russians' support to send a clear message to the Iranians,'' Bush said. ``We discussed a variety of ways to continue sending a joint message.'' Said Putin: ``So far we have managed to work within the framework of the Security Council, and I think we will continue to be successful on this track.'' But Putin stressed the need for ``further substantial intercourse.'' Hadley announced that the two nations reached agreement on civilian nuclear cooperation. Also, on Tuesday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are to sign a document addressing the two nations' strategic nuclear forces after the 2009 expiration of the START I. Putin is seen as wanting his legacy to be Moscow's renewed stature as a world power, a goal supported by growing nationalism and economic wealth in Russia. Aware of this, Bush chose compliments certain to resonate. He commented on ``an amazing transformation'' taking place in Russia, such as eliminating debt, growing its middle class and becoming a ``significant international player.'' By contrast, he barely mentioned the setbacks in Russian democracy overseen by Putin. ``Is it perfect from the eyes of Americans? Not necessarily. Is the change real? Absolutely,'' Bush said. ``And it's in our interests, the U.S. interests, to have good solid relations with Russia.'' Putin requested the meeting that came in the waning days of both men's presidencies, and Bush chose his parent's coastal summer home to show respect and create a relaxed atmosphere - the first time he has extended such an invitation to a world leader. Specific disagreements aside, the main goal of the get-together that amounted to three meals, two boating trips and one set of serious talks was a relationship patch. Both leaders insisted there was less amiss than people think. ``Do I trust him? Yes, I trust him,'' Bush said. ``Do I like everything he says? No. And I suspect he doesn't like everything I say. But we're able to say it in a way that shows mutual respect.'' Said Putin: ``We are seeking the points of coincidence in our positions, and very frequently we do find them.'' Guardian Unlimited Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 ***************************************************************** 12 Guardian Unlimited: Bush-Putin Relationship in Choppy Waters Monday July 2, 2007 11:16 AM By DEB RIECHMANN Associated Press Writer KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine (AP) - U.S. relations with Russia are on simmer, so President Bush's meeting Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin will be judged on how respectfully the two leaders agree to disagree. They have different views on democracy and missile defense, NATO expansion into Russia's backyard and independence for Kosovo. They both want to stymie Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions, but they don't see eye-to-eye on whether Iranian missiles currently pose a threat. It was all handshakes, smiles and kisses when Putin arrived at the Bush family estate that overlooks the rocky Atlantic seacoast. Putin gave pecks on the cheeks to first lady Laura Bush and the president's mother, Barbara Bush, and handed them bouquets of flowers. Before disappearing from public view, Putin was seen aboard former President George H.W. Bush's speedboat, zooming along the coastline, grinning and waving to photographers. There was ``family style dialogue'' about coming elections in both countries as they dined on lobster and marinated swordfish, but the two leaders didn't have in-depth talks about policy differences, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Sunday night. He denied any tense discussions. ``Definitely not,'' Peskov said. ``We could not have predicted the warmness and hospitality from President Bush. The Russian president was very much satisfied with that.'' But for all the pleasantries and talk about patching up the Bush-Putin friendship and forging fresh relations with Russia as it transitions from its communist past, the rhetoric coming out of the Kremlin of late seems mired in the Cold War. Buoyed by a strong economy, Putin has become more assertive on the international stage. At home, he's stoked nationalism, encouraging Russians who want their country to be viewed with respect - as a powerful player, not a world power wannabe. In short, Putin feels he's gotten the brush-off from Bush. ``It's vital that this relationship be doctored a bit,'' said Sarah Mendelson, Russia policy expert and senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. In February, Putin blasted the United States, saying it had ``overstepped its national borders'' in every way. And Putin has taken a tough stance against a U.S. missile system planned for Europe, even threatening to reposition Russian rockets in retaliation for an American-engineered missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic. Last month, Putin surprised Bush in Germany by proposing the shared use of a Russia-rented early warning radar in Azerbaijan as a substitute for radar and interceptors the United States wants to place in Poland and the Czech Republic. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said the United States will not embrace the facility in Azerbaijan as a substitute, but Peskov says Putin wants to hear that from Bush himself at Kennebunkport. Putin has repeatedly rejected U.S. assurances that the planned missile defense installations pose no danger to Russia and are meant to counter a potential threat from other nations, such as Iran. ``We know that Iran is not a threat,'' Peskov said. ``If radar will not have any missiles to track from the Iranian parts, then the job of radar will be inevitably to work against Russian military infrastructure. And this is a problem for us. This is a threat for our security.'' While both sides downplayed expectations for the meeting, the two leaders were expected to call their missile defense experts to a joint meeting so they can learn about the installations the United States is proposing and the capabilities of the Azerbaijan system. They might also come to a closer understanding about getting a third, tougher round of U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran because of its refusal to stop enriching uranium. The U.S., Russia and their fellow permanent U.N. Security Council members have told Iran they will hold off on new sanctions if it stops expanding its enrichment activities while they seek to restart talks about the program with Tehran. Diplomats say the Iranian government has not yet responded to the proposal. This tiny seacoast town has welcomed the Russian delegation, but an estimated 1,700 demonstrators interrupted a peaceful Sunday afternoon. They called for the impeachment of Bush and an end to the war in Iraq. ``We have a job to do and that job is to hold this administration accountable and take this country back,'' said John Kaminski of Maine Lawyers for Democracy, a group of 80 attorneys pushing for impeachment proceedings. Other demonstrators targeted Putin, who is accused of suppressing mostly Muslim, separatist rebels in the breakaway region of Chechnya. Victoria Poupko, who moved from Moscow to Boston 17 years ago, said Bush and Putin are ``both criminals'' for torture, war crimes and abuse of power, among other things. She carried a sign that said: ``Stop imperialism. Bush out of Iraq. Putin out of Chechnya.'' Bush, who feels Putin has tried to muzzle free speech, would have approved of a chant led by one demonstrator. ``Tell me what democracy sounds like,'' she yelled to her followers. ``This is what democracy sounds like,'' they screamed. --- Associated Press Writer David Sharp in Kennebunkport contributed to this report. Guardian Unlimited Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 ***************************************************************** 13 RIA Novosti: Informal Russia-U.S. talks friendly, turn to pressing issues 10:07 | 02/ 07/ 2007 KENNEBUNKPORT (U.S.), July 2 (RIA Novosti) - After discussing domestic issues Sunday on the first day of their two-day informal talks, the presidents of Russia and U.S. will address Monday the most pressing issues, Russia's presidential insiders said. Differences between the two countries have sent U.S.-Russian relations to their lowest point since the Cold War. The meeting at the Bush family home in Kennebunkport, Maine, could be the last opportunity for both Vladimir Putin and George Bush to reverse the decline before their presidential terms expire next year. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the Russia-U.S. informal talks Sunday a "lobster summit," where the two leaders were treated to Maine's most traditional cuisine. "The conversation was truly friendly," Lavrov said. "U.S. and Russian developments and the evolution of democratic systems in the two countries were discussed in detail and with good humor." Prikhodko said the presence of George Bush, Sr., and his wife, "people with plenty of experience and liberal opinions of life in general and a history of bilateral relations," had a positive impact on the talks. "Bush Jr. and Bush Sr. were most interested in some aspects of the economic situation in Russia," Russian President Vladimir Putin's aide Sergei Prikhodko said. "They asked about [the country's] specific economic achievements and plans." Prikhodko said he was surprised at the level of awareness on developments in Russia demonstrated by Bush Jr. and his father. Lavrov said Putin and Bush will address Monday "the fight against terrorism, international crime, drug trafficking, conflicts in the Middle East, the North Korean nuclear program, and Iran's nuclear problem." Both leaders are also expected to discuss such sensitive subjects like U.S. plans to deploy a missile defense system in Central Europe, allegedly aimed against "rogue states" like Iran and North Korea, as well as Russia's alternative proposal concerning the shared use of a radar in Azerbaijan, Prikhodko said. RIA Novosti ***************************************************************** 14 [NYTr] Israel jails Vanunu (again) over foreign contacts Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2007 15:48:38 -0400 Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit sent by Tim Murphy The Guardian - Jul 2, 2007 http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,2116746,00.html Israel jails Vanunu over foreign contacts By Mark Tran and agencies An Israeli court today sentenced Mordechai Vanunu, who served 18 years for revealing nuclear secrets, to six months in prison for violating a ban on speaking to foreigners. Mr Vanunu completed his sentence in 2004, and his parole terms forbade him from holding contacts with foreign nationals or giving interviews to the press. Israel limited his movements and personal contacts following his release from jail on the grounds that he could reveal new details of his past work at the Dimona nuclear reactor. Today, he was found guilty of giving interviews to international media outlets over the past three years. "While returning a man to prison after he served 18 years there does not bring joy to anyone, there was no other choice but to take this step to make clear that the nation will defend its secrets and protect its security," the prosecutor, Dan Eldad, said in a statement issued by the justice ministry. The statement read: "The order stemmed from the fact that the accused had hoarded in his memory classified information that has not been released, and the release of which could harm the security interests of Israel." Mr Vanunu has insisted he only wants to pursue a peaceful anti-nuclear campaign. "All I want is to be free, to leave the country," he said. He received his 18-year sentence after telling the Sunday Times about his work as a technician at Dimona, with the disclosures tearing away the veil of secrecy around an assumed Israeli nuclear arsenal. * ================================================================ .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 ================================================================ ***************************************************************** 15 UPI: Japan PM attacks minister's nuke remarks United Press International - International Intelligence - Briefing Published: July 2, 2007 at 11:51 AM TOKYO, July 2 (UPI) -- Comments by a Cabinet member defending the U.S. nuclear bombing of two Japanese cities have been criticized by Japan's prime minister. On Monday, Shinzo Abe reprimanded Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma's comments over the weekend. The minister said that the U.S. decision to drop nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II was an inevitable way to end the war. Abe told reporters, "Japan is the only country that suffered an atomic bomb. We need to always consider and stand in the position of the survivors." But Abe said he would not fire Kyuma, who later apologized for his remarks. Atomic bomb survivors in particular have been clamoring for the minister's resignation, which they regard as particularly insensitive as they continue to live with the consequences of the nuclear attacks. Kyuma himself is from Nagasaki. While the defense minister is not expected to step down as a direct result of his comments to university students, the latest controversy is expected to weigh against Abe's government as Japan prepares for a parliamentary election later this month. Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 16 Guardian Unlimited: Abe Rips Official for A-Bomb Comment Monday July 2, 2007 9:16 AM By KANA INAGAKI Associated Press Writer TOKYO (AP) - Japan's prime minister sternly reprimanded his defense minister on Monday for saying the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were an inevitable way of ending World War II, and asked him to refrain from making similar remarks. Speaking to reporters, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he told Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma to ``strictly refrain from making remarks that cause misunderstanding.'' ``Japan is the only country that suffered an atomic bombing. We need to always consider and stand in the position of the survivors,'' Abe said he told Kyuma. The defense minister's comments offended survivors of the bombings who believe the use of atomic weapons was excessive, but the minister is not expected to resign. ``I want Minister Kyuma to seriously consider the gravity of his remarks and, having reflected on them, work toward nuclear disarmament,'' Abe said. The United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki near the end of World War II, in the world's only nuclear attacks. ``I understand that the bombing ended the war, and I think that it couldn't be helped,'' Kyuma said in a speech at a university in Chiba, just east of Tokyo. Kyuma, who is from Nagasaki, said the bombing caused great suffering in the city but said he did not resent the U.S. because the bombs prevented the Soviet Union from entering the war with Japan, according to Kyodo News agency. Kyuma said if Japan had not surrendered, northern Japan could have been occupied by the Soviet Union, which had begun invading Manchuria on the same day Nagasaki was attacked, according to Japanese media. The remarks, rare for a Japanese Cabinet minister, were quickly criticized by atomic bomb victims. Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue reportedly called the bombings the ``indiscriminate massacre of ordinary citizens'' and the opposition Social Democratic Party called for Kyuma's dismissal. Five survivor groups in Nagasaki have sent a letter of protest to the Defense Ministry saying they will not allow Kyuma to attend this year's memorial on Aug. 9, which he has been attending every year. About 90 people staged a sit-in protest at Nagasaki Peace Park Monday, according to organizers. Kyodo said about 160 people staged protests in Hiroshima. On Aug. 6, 1945, the U.S. dropped a bomb nicknamed ``Little Boy'' on Hiroshima, killing at least 140,000 people in the world's first atomic bomb attack. Three days later it dropped another atomic bomb, ``Fat Man,'' on Nagasaki where about 74,000 are estimated to have been killed. Japan, which had attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor, surrendered on Aug. 15, 1945. Guardian Unlimited Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 ***************************************************************** 17 AFP: Disgraced Pakistan nuclear scientist wants security lifted - by Rana Jawad Mon Jul 2, 8:10 AM ET ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Disgraced Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan said Monday that he remains under virtual house arrest after more than three years but he hopes the authorities will ease the restrictions. In rare public comments since admitting in early 2004 that he passed atomic secrets to Iran, North Korea and Libya, Khan said he was still suffering health problems having been diagnosed with cancer last year. "No, we have not been informed, there is no such information with us," he told AFP by telephone from his closely-guarded house in an upscale Islamabad neighbourhood when asked about reports that the rules had been relaxed. "Obviously I would have wished that it was true but it doesn't seem to be the case. If they tell you they have lifted the restrictions, come and meet me and see for yourself," Khan added. Khan, 71, a national hero and the founder of Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme, fell from grace after he publicly confessed in February 2004 to proliferating nuclear secrets. He was immediately pardoned by President Pervez Musharraf, but while not officially under detention, Khan has since been forbidden from leaving his house or receiving visitors who are not approved by the government. In August 2006 officials announced that he was suffering from prostate cancer. When asked how he was feeling, Khan replied: "God is kind. I am not young, I am an old man and disease is part of old age. I miss my friends." Khan said he now spent most of his time "sitting home and watching TV and sleeping." He would not answer further questions. Khan's wife also denied reports -- first carried in an Urdu-language daily newspaper -- that the restrictions on her husband had been lifted by the authorities. "This is disinformation, although we wish it was true," Henny Khan said. "Three months ago he was allowed to see five old friends as a one-time favour, this week they gave the permission again for these five friends to visit him." The scientist was suffering from blood pressure problems but was otherwise OK, she added. Pakistan, which carried out nuclear tests after regional rival India in 1998, has denied any government involvement in Khan's atomic blackmarket. Musharraf refuses to let foreign investigators meet Khan, saying that Pakistan was able to interrogate him without the assistance of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency or other world organisations. Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam told reporters on Monday that there was "no change in status" regarding the restrictions on Khan. "He continues to live a quiet life with his family," Aslam said. A senior security official speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed that the restrictions on Khan remained the same despite him being allowed to see a few friends. Copyright 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 18 Guardian Unlimited: Pakistan Eases Curbs on A.Q. Khan Monday July 2, 2007 9:16 AM By MUNIR AHMAD Associated Press Writer ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Authorities have eased the virtual house arrest imposed on A.Q. Khan, the scientist who sold Pakistan's nuclear secrets to Iran, North Korea and Libya, officials said Monday. Khan can now meet friends and relatives at his home in the Pakistani capital and travel to meet them elsewhere, two senior officials told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because Khan's case remains sensitive. In his first public comment in years, Khan told The Associated Press he was recovering from treatment for cancer but declined to discuss other topics. Guardian Unlimited Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 ***************************************************************** 19 AFP: Japan PM reprimands defence minister for A-bomb remarks - Tuesday July 3, 05:27 AM Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sternly rebuked his defence minister Monday for suggesting that the US atomic bombings of Japan were the inevitable way of ending World War II. Survivors of the bombings also told Defence Minister Fumio Kyuma to stay away from future memorial ceremonies in Nagasaki after his suggestion Saturday that the nuclear attacks on Japan by the United States "couldn't be helped." The gaffe-prone defence minister was summoned by Abe and reprimanded for his controversial remarks. "We must not hurt the feelings of atom bomb sufferers in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I want you to strictly refrain from making remarks that would cause people's misunderstanding," Abe told Kyuma, Jiji Press reported. "I was told by the prime minister to be careful about my comments. I'll follow his instruction," Kyuma told reporters after the meeting with Abe. The controversy comes at a delicate time from Abe, who is already battling falling public support ahead of key upper house elections on July 29. "The remarks poured oil on the fire ahead of the upper house election," said Tetsuro Kato, a professor of politics at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo. "This is another negative element for Abe at a time when people's distrust with the government has grown after the pension fund issue came to light," Kato said. Abe's poll ratings nosedived after a government agency admitted it misplaced millions of payments to the pension system, a sensitive issue in the rapidly ageing country. Support for Abe's cabinet has fallen to an all-time low of 28 percent just weeks ahead of the key election, according to a weekend poll published Monday by the Asahi newspaper. Kyuma, who represents Nagasaki in parliament, on Sunday apologised during a news conference in the southern port city for his remarks, which were denounced by ruling party and opposition lawmakers as well as victims of the attacks. "His comments ridicule atomic bomb victims who have been campaigning to abolish nuclear weapons, fighting relentlessly despite their physical weakness," said Hirotami Yamada, a member of a group of A-bomb victims. "We have sent a letter to Minister Kyuma saying that we will never allow his attendance at the peace memorial ceremony held on August 9," he told AFP by telephone. Some 100 demonstrators staged a rally at Nagasaki Peace Memorial Park in light rain Monday, carrying a banner protesting that the defence minister's remarks "would lead to the justification of nuclear bombings." "I want to express my strong feeling of regret (over Kyuma's remark) as it gave such a great shock to atom bomb survivors and the people of Nagasaki," Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue told the city assembly separately. "I will visit Tokyo as early as (Tuesday) and tell Defence Minister Kyuma and Prime Minister Abe how the city of Nagasaki feels," the mayor said. Top government spokesman Yasuhisa Shiozaki, however, reiterated the government had no plan to dismiss the beleaguered defence minister. "We expect (Kyuma) to continue fulfilling his duties as a minister keeping in mind the prime minister's stern words," he said. On August 9, 1945, a US nuclear bomb, codenamed "Fat Man" after British wartime prime minister Winston Churchill, killed more than 70,000 people in Nagasaki. The bomb was even larger than "Little Boy" which was dropped three days earlier on Hiroshima, killing some 140,000 people. Japan surrendered on August 15, ending World War II. Copyright 2007 Yahoo!7 Pty Limited. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 20 Guardian Unlimited: Pakistan Eases Curbs on Atomic Scientist Monday July 2, 2007 7:01 PM By MUNIR AHMAD Associated Press Writer ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - A.Q. Khan, the scientist who became a national hero for developing Pakistan's atomic bomb and went on to sell nuclear secrets abroad, can leave house arrest to meet with friends and relatives, officials said Monday. In his first public statement in years, Khan told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that he was recovering for treatment for prostate cancer. Khan confessed in 2004 to heading a network that supplied sensitive technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya. The ring had been in operation for nearly three decades. Many Pakistanis still regard Khan as a hero because of his role in developing the country's nuclear deterrent against its larger neighbor India. He was pardoned by President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, though he was still confined to his plush villa in Islamabad. Two senior government officials told the AP that the restrictions were eased several months ago, and that Khan could now meet friends and relatives either at his home or elsewhere in Pakistan. ``He is virtually a free citizen,'' said one of the officials, who is attached to the nuclear program. However, the second official said Khan was only allowed to meet associates and relatives on a list approved by authorities, who continue to provide him with a security detail that restricts his movements. Both asked for anonymity because of the sensitivity of Khan's case. Asked whether the government has relaxed restrictions on Khan, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said ``there is no change in his status. He continues to lead a quiet life with his family.'' ``He meets his friends. He talks to people. This was happening even before the news reports,'' which first surfaced in Pakistan's Nawa-i-Waqt newspaper on Monday, she said. Reached by telephone at his residence, Khan declined to discuss the restrictions. ``I am feeling much better, though I can't say I am 100 percent fit,'' said Khan, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in August last year. Pakistan launched a formal investigation into Khan's dealings in 2003 after the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, wrote a letter to Pakistan saying that Khan was operating a black market in weapons technology and know-how. Pakistan's government insists it was unaware of his dealings, but refuses to allow the IAEA to question him. Several U.S. lawmakers warned last week that Khan's network could still be in business and pressed for Pakistan to provide more information. However, Pakistan says it has shared the findings of its own probe and the Bush administration has repeatedly praised Islamabad for its help in preventing further nuclear proliferation. One of the officials who spoke Monday said no country had asked to ``directly interrogate'' Khan and reiterated that the investigation was over. Mahdi Hassan, a retired professor and political analyst, said news of the eased restrictions was leaked because the U.S. government had recently expressed satisfaction over the way Pakistan has handled the investigation. ``It is only because of the clearance we have received from the U.S. government,'' he said. Khan has not been seen in public since his confinement began 3 years ago - although he has been seen sitting on the verandah of his villa, sometimes chatting on a cell phone or waving to passers-by. Guardian Unlimited Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 ***************************************************************** 21 Guardian Unlimited: Japan will not seek US atomic bomb apology Associated Press in Tokyo Monday July 2, 2007 The Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, said yesterday he had no plans to seek an apology from the US over the atomic bombings of Japan during the second world war. "I think it's more important to focus on nuclear disarmament than to use our energy seeking an apology from the United States," he said during a political debate. His remarks came as the Japanese defence minister, Fumio Kyuma, came under fire for saying the US atomic bombings of Japan during the second world war were inevitable. In a speech on Saturday, Mr Kyuma said: "I understand that the bombing ended the war, and I think that it couldn't be helped." Amid mounting criticism from survivors of the bombs and lawmakers, from both opposition and ruling blocs, he apologised yesterday. "I am sorry if my comments gave the impression I disrespect the victims," Mr Kyuma said at a news conference in Nagasaki, where he is from. The US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki near the end of the second world war. The defence minister tried to quell criticism by saying his comments had been misinterpreted. Mr Kyuma told reporters late on Saturday he meant to say the bombing "could not be helped from the American point of view". Useful links Imperial War Museum spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk The Second World War Experience Centre Guardian Unlimited Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 ***************************************************************** 22 Platts: Two Vattenfall reactors experienced scramming transients June 29 007-2J London (Platts)--2Jul2007 Two Vattenfall reactors experienced scramming transients June 29 at a critical political moment in the utility's battle to persuade the federal government to permit life extension of one of the affected units. The Kruemmel BWR had a turbine-side fire and a short circuit, and the Brunsbuettel BWR scrammed after a short circuit, Vattenfall said. Vattenfall is now investigating the cause of the two incidents. In response, Gitta Trauerknecht, the Social Democratic Party politician responsible for routine oversight of Brunsbuettel in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, said shortly after the announcement of the incidents that they underscored the risks in allowing aging reactors to keep operating longer than scheduled under Germany's phase-out. Last week Trauerknecht encouraged the federal government not to allow Brunsbuettel to continue operating after its lifetime expires in 2009. Vattenfall has petitioned the federal government to allow its lifetime to be extended. For more news, request a free trial to Platts Nucleonics Week at http://www.platts.com/Request%20More%20Information/index.xml?story or subscribe now at http://www.platts.com/infostore/product_info.php?cPath=22_41&products_id=67 Copyright 2007 - Platts, All Rights Reserved ***************************************************************** 23 Democrat & Chronicle: Leak reduces power at Ginna nuclear plant Wire reports (July 2, 2007) Constellation Energy Group Inc. reduced output Sunday at its Ginna nuclear reactor in Wayne County to examine and repair a steam leak in the turbine building. The unit was operating at 35 percent of capacity this morning, according to a report by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The leaking pipe was repaired and the reactor should reach full output later today, Sue Devipo, a spokeswoman for Baltimore-based Constellation, said in a telephone interview. The reactor can supply about 585 megawatts to the grid, enough power for 468,000 average U.S. homes, based on a U.S. Energy Department estimate. Ginna is in Ontario, about 20 miles east of Rochester. Copyright 2007, The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, All rights reserved. Users of this site agree to the Terms of service and Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Policy (Terms updated March 2007) Mailing Address: 55 Exchange Boulevard | Rochester, New York 14614 | (585) 232-7100 ***************************************************************** 24 The Enquirer: Energy solutions require rational discusssion Last Updated: 12:31 am | Monday, July 2, 2007 As a native Cincinnatian and a veteran of 27 years developing energy projects around the world, I feel a need to respond to Ray Miller's Your Voice column ("Energy solutions must be multi-pronged," June 27). It is virtually impossible to extract a coherent alternative position on energy policy from Mr. Miller's diatribe, which substitutes an attack on "Al Gore and the rest of the narrow-minded people" for an informed discussion of Mr. Gore's (and others') positions on ethanol. First, let's deal with Mr. Miller's bizarre obsession with Al Gore. He seems to think that Mr. Gore is pushing corn-based ethanol as "the answer to global warming and our dependence on oil," and he veers from declaring the case for global warming "inconclusive" to advocating a Manhattan Project-scale "integrated energy program to get us off fossil fuels and into a low-pollution, electric-based energy system," presumably in order to solve the very same problem. Mr. Gore has not advocated corn-derived ethanol for reasons with which I suspect even Mr. Miller would concur, though Gore is a supporter of cellulosic ethanol using agricultural waste and non-food biomass as feed stocks, (a very promising technology that is nearing commercialization), and while Mr. Gore has realistic concerns about how big a role nuclear will play in the overall solution he is not opposed to nuclear in principle. Mr. Miller seems wholly uninformed about any of this. As for his proposed solutions, they constitute a mixed bag of ideas some of which appear promising, others not so much, and one of which (200 mph-plus trains) is inexplicably thrown in as a solution to "the problems with the airline industry." Some of his ideas, like advanced nuclear technologies and electric cars, are indeed receiving serious attention and should certainly find a place - alongside cellulosic ethanol, a revolutionary shift in energy efficiency and other important initiatives - in a sustainable energy future. But rants like Mr. Miller's that revolve around uninformed ad personem attacks have no place in a rational discussion of such deadly seriousness. Mr. Miller is right on at least one point - the solution will need to come from real science, not talk radio polemics. Michael T. Hogan of Boston, a former Hyde Park resident, is a consultant in the energy industry and a former senior vice president of Upstream Gas & Power in Ontario. He has supervised the development of numerous power plants. Copyright 2007 The Enquirer. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 25 Brattleboro Reformer: Too hot for fish? BRATTLEBORO, VT By BOB AUDETTE, Reformer Staff Monday, July 2 NEWFANE -- It's about fish and water temperature. And for David Deen, one of three river stewards for the Connecticut River Watershed Council, hearings to determine whether Entergy should be allowed to let the cooling waters of Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant raise the overall water temperature of the Connecticut River by 1 degree are also about river flow. Last Wednesday, Deen checked flow meters in Bellows Falls and Turners Falls, Mass., finding flows of 1,400 and 1,800 cubic feet per second, respectively. The reason for the increased flow south of Vernon is tributaries such as the West and Deerfield Rivers. There are about 7.5 gallons of water in each cubic foot. Vermont Yankee is permitted to draw in up to 800 cubic feet of river flow per second and release it back into the river, heated. That's about 40 percent of the water that was flowing in the river Wednesday, said Deen. That's an issue that hasn't been addressed yet during ongoing hearings of the Vermont Environmental Court, in Newfane to determine whether Entergy should be granted the amended discharge permit. Entergy witnesses called to the stand last week testified that they found no evidence the plume of heated water leaving the power plant was effecting Atlantic salmon and shad and seven other species of fish, shellfish and wildlife. But the model that Entergy is using to justify its claim that the temperature increase won't effect fish and wildlife is faulty, said Deen. It's based on a flow of 3,400 cubic feet per second, and his reading last week at Bellows falls didn't show half that flow. And the temperature built into a scientific model had an average temperature that was exceeded 50 percent of the time and was below the average the rest of the time, said Deen. "You have to question their model if that's what they are using as their average flow and temperature," he said. "This is an important issue for us as an organization," said Chelsea Gwyther, the executive director of the watershed council, adding the non-profit organization with 2,000 members has invested significant amount of resources in the hearings. The Connecticut River Watershed Council's three river stewards monitor the river from the Connecticut Lakes in New Hampshire to the river's outflow into Long Island Sound at New Haven, Conn. Migratory fish such as Atlantic salmon and shad are vital to the resident species of the river, said Deen, serving as a food source for fish such as striped bass. If Yankee's thermal discharge is keeping shad and salmon from developing properly, it means the biodiversity of the river upstream from Vernon is also compromised. "If there is a temperature barrier that prevents them from getting to their native stream, there is an impact," said Gwyther. Gwyther, who works out of Greenfield, Mass., said increased temperaturs can confuse juvenile shad and salmon and can delay hatching of eggs, disrupting the life cycle. These species are also undergoing a restoration effort because of their importance as a food source for other fish. "Having a healthy level of fish also strengthen the local resident species," added Deen. "Every species has its place," adding the striped bass is ""voracious" and "everything feeds the bass." Turners Falls Dam and striped bass predation below the Holyoke Dam are the reasons shad and salmon are not found in abundance in the pool of water gathered behind Vernon Dam, Entergy experts said last week. The dam itself has poor "passage efficiency," they said, meaning the fish want to get upstream, but can't get through the dam's fishway for some reason. Evan Mullholland, an attorney representing the New England Coalition, said with discharge water at 100 degrees, the temperature of Vernon Pool is effected by how much water is actually flowing in the river at any given time Though the temperature of water leaving the plant can reach 100 degrees at its outflow pipe, shad exposure to those temperatures is "very short term," said Lawrence Barnthouse, an environmental impact assessor called to the stand by Entergy, during testimony Thursday and Friday. If there was no way for the fish to escape, he said, shad exposed to temperatures above 86 degrees would die. Patrick Parenteau, an attorney from the Vermont Law Center representing the watershed council asked Barnthouse if it was true that as temperature increased the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water decreased? "The hotter the water, the lower the dissolved oxygen," said Barnthouse, adding oxygen saturation also depends on factors such as turbidity. Since Vermont Yankee began operating in 1972, the overall temperature of the river has risen five degrees. The amended permit requests the state allow the plant to increase that by 1 more degree during the summer season of mid-May through mid-October. "Increased temperatures could cause juvenile shad to leave prematurely from the Vernon Pool?" asked Parenteau. "I don't believe that's a concern I have heard," said Barnthouse. One reason why juvenile shad might not be found in the Vernon Pool is because the habitat of the dammed up water "is not good habitat," said Barnthouse. Because the lower end of the pool is the headwaters of the dam, it is too deep. It also has unfavorable vegetation and an unsuitable river bed, he said. Parenteau insisted that there were studies that should be conducted to determine the full effect of heated water on fish like American shad, but Barnthouse insisted that the models used by him and the other scientists called to the stand were valid and had produced quantifiable results. So shouldn't studies of shad in the Vernon Pool also take into account the oxygen consumption of shad in different water temperatures? said a persistent Parenteau. "If that were an important thing to do, it could be done," said Barnthouse, who maintained the heated water leaving Vermont Yankee was not harming the fish. Parenteau also wanted to know why Barnthouse used a baseline of 1991 to determine how many fish were in the river, and not a baseline prior to the plant's operation. "Because the discharge was there," said Barnthouse. "There's no way to know what the return rate would have been if there had been no discharge." Hearings in Newfane continue July 5 and 6. Bob Audette can be reached at raudette@reformer.com or 802-254-2311, ext. 273. ***************************************************************** 26 Brattleboro Reformer: VY contractor fired for failing to check room's radiation levels BRATTLEBORO, VT By BOB AUDETTE, Reformer Staff Article Launched: 07/02/2007 02:56:34 AM EDT BRATTLEBORO -- A contracted employee was fired from his job at Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant after he violated Entergy policies and Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations. The contractor, with 31 years of experience as a radiation protection technician, was fired for not conducting a radiation survey of the reactor's water clean up room "prior to allowing access to an auxiliary operator," according to a statement from the NRC. No one was harmed by the technician's failure to check the radiation level in the room, said Larry Smith, spokesman for Vermont Yankee, and Entergy does not tolerate such violations. "He is no longer working for Entergy," Smith said. The incident in question occurred Aug. 17, 2006, when the contractor failed to check the occupational dose limits of radiation in the room and allowed a plant technician to enter the room, according to the NRC statement. "The NRC further determined that the technician's actions were willful, in careless disregard for the requirements," wrote David C. Lew, the director of the NRC's division of reactor projects. Vermont Yankee supervisors were not to blame for the incident, wrote Lew. Because the contractor had 31 years of experience, wrote Lew, "it was reasonable to expect (that he) would not need significant oversight to perform this task." Therefore, "the violation appeared to be an isolated action of the employee without management involvement and was not caused by a lack of management oversight." Entergy is required to report such incidents to the NRC and was commended for its quick response in the matter. "The NRC gave us a non-cited violation because of our strong and prompt actions following the incident," he added. Bob Audette can be reached at raudette@reformer.com or 802-254-2311, ext. 273. ***************************************************************** 27 Deutsche Welle: Nuclear Power to Dominate Debate at German Energy Summit 02.07.2007 Nuclear power's contribution to reducing CO2 levels is at the heart of advocates' arguments Germany's coalition government has a commitment to decommission the country's nuclear power stations by 2021. But demands to cut CO2 emissions may see a reversal. The topic is likely to light up Tuesday's energy summit. German Chancellor Angela Merkel hosts the third federal energy summit in Berlin on Tuesday with a huge question mark hanging over the source of Germany's future energy supplies and the environmental impact of those sources currently available. Merkel will discuss Germany's future energy needs and how best to conserve energy with business and political leaders from around the country. However, while the summit is likely to address such issues as reducing CO2 output by 40 percent before 2020, the upgrading of renewable source technology such as solar, wind and biomass energy and the economic impact of the new technology, the main discussion is likely to be on the highly divisive topic of nuclear power. Current German legislation requires all 17 of Germany's existing nuclear power plants to close by 2021 but, using the argument of nuclear power's ability to help reduce carbon-dioxide emissions, plant operators and center-right politicians have been calling for a reprieve. However, safety issues surrounding nuclear power have weakened this position, especially after two nuclear power stations went offline last week. The transformer at the Krümmel Power Station, east of the port city of Hamburg, was destroyed by fire last Thursday, two hours after a short-circuit had knocked out another nuclear site at Brunsbüttel on the far side of the city. While the Brunsbüttel power station was back in service the next day, the Krümmel station remained closed pending an investigation. Calls for extended lifespan Bildunterschrift: Koch leads CDU voices advocating an extension Despite the incidents, a number of politicians from Merkel's Christian Democratic Union party (CDU) called on Monday for an extension to the nuclear power grid's lifespan. Powerful Hessen State Premier Roland Koch, Merkel's second-in-command in the CDU, told ZDF television that the ruling coalition government could still decide on lengthening the lifespan of the power stations which, he claimed, would be the most inexpensive way of protecting Germany's energy supply and reducing CO2 output. Both CDU energy expert Katherina Reiche and the Lower Saxony Prime Minister Christian Wulff agreed with Koch's views in separate statements. When faced with the question of plant security, Koch suggested new power stations could take the place of older plants which are more susceptible to malfunctions over time. "The coalition has a lot of freedom to make this decision," Koch added. Social Democrats support decommission Bildunterschrift: Gabriel warns about relying on aging plants Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel of the Social Democrats (SPD), the CDU's coalition partner in the federal government, doesn't agree. Gabriel is against any extension of nuclear's lifespan and warned that any attempt to get more use out of aging power plants could be catastrophic. "The longer a power station operates, the more susceptible it is to malfunctions," he said. The gradual shutdown of all Germany's nuclear power plants was agreed upon in 2000 by the government of former Social Democratic Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and his coalition partners at the time, the Greens. However, in the light of rising energy prices and Germany's dependency on foreign energy, mainly from Russia, Chancellor Merkel wants a broader energy mix. Merkel believes Germany should continue to use the edge in nuclear technology it has acquired over the years and members of the CDU are pushing for the chancellor to take advantage of clauses in the "coalition contract" on the shutdown of nuclear power to extend its lifespan to reverse the decision. Effective, yet vilified power source Bildunterschrift: Will Merkel do a u-turn over nuclear power? Merkel is expected to temper the unease over a potential u-turn on nuclear power at the energy summit of Tuesday by advocating a 30 percent increase in renewable energy use which would reduce CO2 output by 41 percent. However, a reprieve for nuclear power would lead to a 45 percent reduction of carbon dioxide emissions which would make it the most attractive of the scenarios to reach the desired reduction in CO2 output by 2020. DW staff (nda) Two nuclear power plants near Hamburg were shut down Thursday after a fire broke out in one and a short-circuit in a switching unit occurred in another. The public was at no point at risk, stressed the state government. (29.06.2007) * Germany to Become World's Most Energy-Efficient Country The German Environment Ministry this week unveiled a set of highly ambitious proposals that would lead Germany to become the world's most energy-efficient country in the coming years. (29.04.2007) * Merkel Asks for Realistic Alternatives to Nuclear Energy German Chancellor Angela Merkel asked the opponents of nuclear energy in Germany to come up with realistic solutions to the country's energy needs while paying heed to environmental issues. (15.01.2007) 1. 2007 Deutsche Welle ***************************************************************** 28 EnergyBiz Magazine: Feeding Nuclear Power July 2, 2007 Ken Silverstein, EnergyBiz Insider Editor-in-Chief Will nuclear energy's progression be slowed by an inability to get uranium to feed the reactors? Some say that underutilized mines have taken a toll and will lead to hardship. Others disagree, saying that the mines can gear up and the free market can respond to changing conditions. A recent study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology says that the nuclear industry has lived off commercial and government uranium inventories that are nearly depleted. Globally, uranium production now meets only 65 percent of current reactor requirements, which has led to uranium prices rising from $7 a pound in 2000 to as much as $120 per pound just recently. "Just as large numbers of new reactors are being planned, we are only starting to emerge from 20 years of underinvestment in the production capacity for the nuclear fuel to operate them," Thomas Neff, a research affiliate at MIT's Center for International Studies. "There has been a nuclear industry myopia; they didn't take a long-term view." Current demand throughout the world is met by accessing mines, using utility inventories and through new fuel efficiencies that make plants more productive. It's also met by decommissioning nuclear weapons. The United States, for example, gets about half its uranium from obsolete Russian nuclear missiles under a non-proliferation nuclear treaty called Megatons-to-Megawatts. That program ends in 2013. But fears of global warming and projected fuel shortages are propelling nuclear power forward after nearly three decades of sitting on the sidelines. Globally, the International Atomic Energy Agency is predicting as many as 100 new reactors in 20 years, causing the demand for uranium to rise 200 million pounds to 240 million pounds, annually. The agency says uranium resources are more than adequate to meet projected requirements. At the same time, newer technologies are emerging and may allow spent fuel to be re-processed and then re-used, all of which would prolong that time frame. And advanced breeder reactors that are expected to be commercially available within two decades are able to produce as much fuel as they consume. They, furthermore, use a different type of uranium than plants today and one that is far more prevalent. Much of the uranium used in this country is mined in Australia, Canada and Nambia while small amounts are derived in the western United States. But those foreign sources will also get fully tapped by other nations -- China, India and Russia -- with aggressive nuclear plans, says MIT. If the United States can even access those supplies, it will pay high prices. "The take-home message is that if we're going to increase the use of nuclear power, we need massive new investments in capacity to mine uranium and facilities to process it," says Neff. Boom Times There are several different forms of uranium. To start a chain reaction in a nuclear reactor, the most important one is uranium-235. But Neff points out that current enrichment tools can only utilize a fraction of the atoms in that particular kind of uranium after it is mined. He says that new technology can be used to recover slightly more, although it would not be enough to meet expected future global demand. The past may be catching up. Because the nuclear industry has been sidelined for nearly three decades, so too have the uranium mines used to supply its plants. That sector was not helped when recent flooding caused the "Cigar Lake" and "Ranger" mines to postpone millions of pounds of production for a period. Now, though, nuclear power seems to be in favor. But Michael Winkler, an engineer with Schatz Energy Research Center at Humboldt State University, says it will be hard for the industry to live up to its promise. Within 50 years, he says that -- using current data -- the demand for uranium will permanently outstrip current supplies, causing prices to rise to a level not seen before. If demand spikes, that time frame could come sooner, he says. There are larger quantities of low-grade ore that could be used to fuel nuclear reactors, he adds. But those sources would actually result in a net loss of energy. Winkler adds that the reprocessing of spent fuel and the pending breeder reactors that would upgrade to Uranium-238, which is more abundant, are both "problem plagued." "Overall fuel supply is a serious problem for nuclear energy," says Winkler. "Whether it can be solved in the foreseeable future is not yet clear." Others say that those concerns are unjustified. They say that simple economics will prevail. That is, higher prices will lead to more uranium production and an ever-increasing level of investment flowing in. That, in turn, will speed the development of newer and safer mining techniques along with the introduction of modern new reactors that can take advantage of other types of uranium. In this country, developers are gearing up for a uranium boom. Thousands of drilling permits are in the works in states such as Colorado, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming while the number of registered producers in recent years has increased from just a handful to several hundred. While current drilling techniques are less disruptive than prior ones, local residents oppose new mines because they say the process pollutes local drinking water supplies. Any nuclear revival might be threatened by an inability to extract enough uranium to feed future demand. While there's disagreement as to whether current supplies of uranium are adequate to meet present production levels, there is no argument that the market will tighten. If markets can respond and commercialize new fuel and reactor technologies while perfecting mining processes, nuclear energy may rise to the occasion. More information is available from Energy Central: The Rebirth of Nuclear, EnergyBiz, May/June 2007 Copyright 1996-2007 by CyberTech, Inc. All rights reserved. Energy Central is a registered trademark of CyberTech, Incorporated. ***************************************************************** 29 OurPlanet: A Nuclear Phoenix? : Concern about Climate Change is Spurring an Atomic Renaissance (By Jim Motavalli) By Jim Motavalli Sitting in the belly of the beastDominions 2,000-megawatt Millstone nuclear power plant in Waterford, Connecticutthe companys chief nuclear officer, Dave Christian, seems an unlikely environmentalist. But he says concern about climate change is what got him involved in the peaceful pursuit of the atom in the first place. I started studying climate science in the 1970s after reading a book [published in 1974] entitled Technology, Society and Man by Richard C. Dorf, Christian says. It was a very thoughtful study of the feedback mechanisms that go into global warming. Dominion is the kind of big power player that has long had an antagonistic relationship with the environmental movement. In addition to Millstone Units 2 and 3 (Unit 1 was shut down in 1998), the $45 billion company operates two nukes in Virginia, owns 7,900 miles of interstate natural gas pipelines, 6,000 miles of electrical transmission lines and 965 billion cubic feet of underground natural gas storage. The case for Dominion as a friend of the Earth is based on a few simple facts: It generates 45 percent of Connecticuts electricity and 30 percent of Virginias without taking a huge toll in smokestack-emitted global warming gas. In fact, there are no smokestacks, because (aside from the occasional release of radioactive material) the only thing nuclear power plants vent is steam. Whats more, in contrast to the modest current capacity of wind and solar power, nukes can produce very large amounts of electricityenough to counter global warming by taking highly polluting coal-burning plants offline even as electricity demand increases. Nuclear advocates will be the first to tell you that their U.S. plants avoid the emission of almost 700 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. Worldwide, its two billion metric tons. Given this reality, some prominent environmentalists have signaled a cautious dtente with the nuclear power industry. While stopping short of endorsing the Bush Administrations push for hundreds of new nukes in the U.S., they say that nuclear power merits reconsideration. But theyre being met by equally powerful arguments from the scientific community that nuclear power has never been and never will be a solution to global warming. The Big Push As worldwide emissions soar, people wait for a white knight. Newsweek columnist Robert J. Samuelson wrote recently, We Americans want it all: endless and secure energy supplies; low prices; no pollution; less global warming; no new power plants (or oil and gas drilling, either) near people or pristine places. This is a wonderful wish list, whose only shortcoming is the minor inconvenience of massive inconsistency. Growing awareness of this inconsistency makes it difficult to dismiss the technology out of hand. Nuclear power has already won some powerful allies in the environmental community. Fred Krupp of Environmental Defense says, We should all keep an open mind about nuclear power. Jared Diamond, best-selling author of Collapse, says, To deal with our energy problems we need everything available to us, including nuclear power, which should be done carefully, like they do in France, where there have been no accidents. To which Stewart Brand, another apostate green who founded The Whole Earth Catalog and Whole Earth Review, adds, The only technology ready to fill the gap and stop the carbon dioxide loading of the atmosphere is nuclear power. James Lovelock, originator of the Gaia theory about the planets self-regulating systems, has called for, to quote The Independent, a massive and immediate expansion of nuclear power. Actor Paul Newman visited New Yorks Indian Point plant and praised its climate role. In many cases, these environmentalists see nuclear as only a temporary fix. Are todays nuclear power plantslike Connecticuts Millstonea climate solution? Stan Horner/Millstone Theres no questioning the credentials of these environmental leaders, but other nuclear cheerleaders are suspect. For instance, Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore has been widely quoted supporting nukes, but he left Greenpeace many years ago, turned 180 degrees, and has supported many anti-environmental initiatives. He is now the co-chair (with former Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Christine Todd Whitman) of an industry-funded initiative called the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition. Not all the newspapers and magazines printing his commentaries have noted that hes on the payroll. The industry is moving ahead with its attempt to revive commercial nuclear power, but its unlikely to happen quickly. Dave Christian of Dominion says that although 30 new nuclear power plant licenses are pending, the first of these probably wont be online until 2015 or 2016. The success of the industry moving forward depends on how these first units work out, he says. Christian acknowledges that the chance of some of those license applications succeeding is only five percent. Theyre taking a leap of faith, he says. It may be that the funding issue alone derails the nuclear push: A Standard and Poors report last year priced nuclear at $1,500 per kilowatttwice the cost of a new coal plant. And cost overruns, it said, are highly probable. The base price for a plant is $3 billion today. Most of the proposed new nuclear stations are in the Southeast, and (partly to minimize local antagonism) most are on the site of existing units. Targeting the South Entergy Nuclear operates New Yorks Indian Point as well as nine other stations. At a recent press conference, Steve Melancon of Entergy stood in front of a PowerPoint map of the U.S. dotted with proposed new plants: in New York, North Carolina, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi and Virginia. According to Melancon, Entergy, in conjunction with eight other utilities, has settled on two existing locations to apply for combined construction and operating licenses: Grand Gulf, near Port Gibson, Mississippi and Bellefonte, near Scottsboro, Alabama. Actual operations would not begin until at least 2014. Its not surprising that Port Gibson (spared by Ulysses S. Grant during the Civil War because it was too beautiful to burn) is 80 percent African-American, rural and something less than affluent, with a third of the population living below the poverty line. And its also not surprising that some city residents welcome the revenue it brings to an otherwise impoverished community. Moft Headley II, who is both a former Port Gibson county supervisor and the father of a current one, says that the Grand Gulf nuclear plant has been a good neighbor that has made it possible for the county to do some positive things it otherwise couldnt have done, including fixing up a building on Main Street and constructing a new library. Were hoping we get the new plant, says Headley, because the few industries we had around here have all dried up. We dont worry about safety too much because weve never had any plant accidents. Jared Diamond, best-selling author of Collapse, says, To deal with our energy problems we need everything available to us, including nuclear power, Theres no constant in nuclear plant sitings. Scottsboro, Alabama, site of the famous 1931 Scottsboro Boys case is today an almost exclusively white community with a median family income of $42,000. It has never tasted revenues from nuclear power, and local officials seem primed by the prospects of 400 permanent jobs and 2,000 construction positions. Many of us grew up watching that plant get built, so were excited about finally seeing it operate, Goodrich Rogers, president of the Jackson County Economic Development Authority, told Greenwire. The Cost of Nukes There are 103 operating nuclear reactors in 31 states, capable of producing 100 gigawatts, or some 20 percent of U.S. power needs. Dominions Christian says many of these plants are aging, and if we let them retire after 60 years, theyd have to be replaced with an annual input of 3.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas or 200 million tons of coal. Replacing nukes is also an issue for the activists who want to shut down the two reactors at the Indian Point nuclear power station in New York. Of similar size to Millstone, Indian Point generates 2,000 megawatts of electricityenough to power two million homes. Calling for a shutdown, increasingly vocal Westchester County residents hired a consultant to prepare a feasibility study, and Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) commissioned a National Academy of Sciences report on the subject, which was released last year. It concluded that replacing Indian Point was feasible, in part by repowering existing coal or fuel-oil plants to run on cleaner fuels such as natural gas. But it could cost $3 billion, says Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano. Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore has been widely quoted supporting nukes, but he left Greenpeace many years ago, turned 180 degrees, and has supported many anti-environmental initiatives. Meanwhile, Indian Point has hardly been making a good case for its continued existence. After a transformer fire early last spring forced it to shut down for the second time in a week, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) downgraded its safety assessment. Is nuclear power cheap? The industry likes to cite a figure of 1.72 cents per kilowatt-hour, cheaper than climate-aggravating coal. But Michael Levi, a fellow for science and technology at the Council on Foreign Relations, calls this a specious claim because it ignores the capital costs. Including these expenses, an influential Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) report entitled The Future of Nuclear Power prices nuclear at 6.7 cents per kilowatt-hour, markedly more expensive than coal at 4.2 cents. The MIT report, released in 2003, says that nuclear power is not now cost competitive with coal and natural gas, but it concludes that nukes could be one option for reducing carbon emissions. However, the industrys stagnation and decline makes that unlikely. Taking the Scare Out Proponents say better monitoring makes a major nuclear accident almost impossible. Peter Hyde/Millstone To get the public to accept a major expansion of nuclear power, the industry will have to convince Americans terrified by the specter of Chernobyl, Three Mile Island and intentional terrorism-related sabotage. Don Miley, a pro-nuclear spokesman for the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), stood on a hotel patio in downtown Idaho City and, before an audience of horrified reporters, knowingly exposed himself to radiation. Miley was exposing himself to Coleman lantern mantles, Fiesta dinnerware, and an old Exit signall made with radioactive materials. It was cheap theatrics, but each item set off a Geiger counter. On average, Miley said, Americans receive 360 millirems of naturally occurring radiation per year, just from the sun, rocks and soil. If youre an airline pilot, it goes up to about 1,000 millirems. A smoker gets 1,300 with or without a frequent flyer card. In 14 years working at INL, close to a nuclear reactor, Miley says hes been dosed with only 13 millirems of extra radiation. In one trip to the dentist, he adds, he took in 150 millirems. Hours later, the delegation was taken inside INLs Advanced Test Reactor, the largest of its kind in the world, and looked down into 20 feet of cool, rippling water, below which lay highly radioactive nuclear fuel rods that could kill in an instant. When Miley was asked if hed take a swim in this deceptively attractive cooling pond, he offered to don his trunks. Back in Connecticut, Dominion spokesman Pete Hyde stopped at a padlock-protected fence and pointed across to an unassuming concrete bunker. This was the site of Millstones dry-cask nuclear storage, what the company calls an interim measure until long-delayed federal storage options are available. The steel-reinforced bunker has five-foot-thick walls. Some 32 highly radioactive spent fuel rods are loaded into a 40-ton steel canister and stored horizontally in the bunker. As many as 135 of these canisters can be stored on site, so Millstone is not likely to run out of storage space soon. The obvious question, however, is whether these on-site storage facilities are vulnerable to determined terrorist attacks. Hyde says computer simulations show no breach of the fuel (and only an inch of movement in the concrete) when an engine from a commercial airliner hits the bunker at 600 miles per hour. That may sound reassuring, but a federal National Academies of Science report released in 2005 argued that a high-temperature fire caused by the loss of cooling water in a spent fuel pool could release large amounts of radiation. The report found that dry cask storage of the type found at Millstone is safer, in part because the fuel rods are stored separately. Meanwhile, plans to relocate Americas nuclear plant waste to a secure federal site at Yucca Mountain in Nevada are slowly inching forward. The facility is designed to house 77,000 tons of nuclear waste, including the 50,000 tons already waiting for storage at reactor sites in dozens of states. The project director, Edward Sproat, said that a 2017 start date is now unlikely, and that the waste facility may never be built without increased Congressional funding. The current plan is to transport the waste to Yucca Mountain, stored in reinforced casks, by truck and rail through 43 states. The watchdog group Public Citizen says this plan would put the waste within half a mile of 50 million people. And it adds that more waste would be shipped in the first year alone than has been shipped in the U.S. in the past three decades. These facts led an increasingly skeptical Atlanta Constitution to write, [W]orldwide, it would take some 2,000 new nuclear power plants, at a cost of over $1 trillion, to make a dent in greenhouse gas emissions. Those plants would require a new Yucca Mountain-sized repository every few years to store the tidal wave of highly radioactive nuclear waste. With no answer to its radioactive nuclear waste, it is clear that nuclear energy will not be the answer to global warming. Blocking the gates at Vermont Yankee, Entergy's reactor in Vernon, Vermont, last January. Mary-Ann Palmieri Federal Incentives The renaissance of nuclear power benefits from significant federal incentives. Vice President Cheneys energy task force in 2001 called for the construction of 1,300 to 1,900 new power plants, many of them nukes, and since then the Bush administration has done what it can to stimulate new construction and licensing. The administrations energy legislation, enacted in 2005, contains billions of federal dollars for nuclear tax breaks and loan guarantees. A Public Citizen analysis says these incentives add up to $10.1 billion, including $5.7 billion in production tax credits ($18 per megawatt-hour of new generation, up to 6,000 megawatts). The loan guarantees mean that the public could subsidize as much as 80 percent of new reactor costs, the group said. There is a tsunami of new nuclear plant applications, says Dr. Harold McFarlane, president of the American Nuclear Society. The revival is coming after so many years of inactivity that McFarlane notes there are now fewer than 200 nuclear-qualified welders in the U.S. Still, the industry is forging ahead, aided by an administration determined to streamline the licensing process. Hoping to avoid the debacle, common in the nuclear-phobic 1970s, of fully built plants unable to begin operations, the industry is now seeking to receive both construction and operating permits before it puts the first spade in the ground. The Mixed Picture Around the world, the nuclear picture is mixed. Six U.S. reactors have closed since 1996, and seven in Canada are unlikely to operate again. Although a large 10,000-megawatt plant is slated to begin construction in India next year, other countriesincluding Germany and Swedenhave been working on formal phase-outs of the technology. But even there the future is uncertain. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called the phase-out of the countrys 17 plants (which produce a third of German electricity) by 2020 disastrous, and some are worried that replacing the nukes with coal or natural gas plants could make it difficult to meet the provisions of the Kyoto Treaty. The Netherlands, Belgium and Spain have agreed not to build any more plants. (Switzerland, by contrast, failed to renew its nuclear ban in a 2003 referendum.) Nuclear programs in Eastern Europe, South Korea and Japan have slowed pace, but in other countries the technology is going strong. France has 59 reactors generating more than three quarters of the countrys power. Pakistan, Egypt, Finland and Iran each hope to build nuclear power plants, and China plans to increase nuclear capacity. Nuclear power supplied about 17 percent of the worlds needs in 2002. According to researchers at MIT, global energy demand could grow by 75 percent by 2020. Anti-nuclear activists are deeply worried that public apathy in the 18 years since the devastating Chernobyl meltdown will allow the emergence of a dangerous and radioactive new world. Dominions 2,000-megawatt Millstone nuclear plant in Waterford, Connecticut. Peter Hyde/Millstone An Unacceptable Risk? In spite of its obvious benefits, nuclear power may simply be too risky. Opponents of the nuclear renaissance point to a host of serious concerns. Theyre proposing a replay of a demonstrated failure, says Paul Gunter, director of the reactor watchdog project at the Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS). The financial risks have only gotten worse, and our concerns about safety issues are heightened now that these plants are known terrorist targets. Alex Matthiessen, director of Hudson Riverkeeper, declares, In the post-9/11 era, nuclear power plants pose an unacceptable risk. He points out that NRC studies conclude that a serious accident at one of Indian Points two working reactors could cause 50,000 early fatalities. Al Qaeda operatives have, by their own admission, considered attacking nuclear facilities. And according to Riverkeeper, only 19 percent of Indian Point guards think they can protect the facility from a conventional assault, let alone a suicidal mission. Riverkeeper says that the proposed evacuation plans for the area are woefully inadequate, and the site is vulnerable to an airborne attack. Plant operator Entergy refutes these charges, and says that the 3.5-foot steel-reinforced concrete containment structures protecting the reactor and other radioactive materials are among the strongest structures built by man. The U.S. nuclear industry has avoided serious accidents since the near-catastrophic accident at Pennsylvanias Three Mile Island plant in 1979. But there have been near-misses. In March 2002, workers repairing a cracked nozzle at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Ohio discovered a football-sized cavity in the reactor. Because of corrosion, all that was holding back the 2,400-pounds per square inch (psi) pressure of the core was a bulging stainless steel liner approximately 3/16th of an inch thick. If the liner had failed, a loss-of-coolant accident similar to Three Mile Island would have occurred. Millstone also had its share of troubles before Dominion bought it in 2001. In the mid-1990s, the four nuclear power plants run by then-owner Northeast Utilities were cited for more than 100 safety violations in two years. In late 2000, Millstone reported two lost fuel rods. The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) says, The [NRC] must stop allowing plant owners to conduct fewer inspections and to defer inspections for economic reasons. More recently, in July of 2006, the Forsmark nuclear reactor 1 on Swedens east coast experienced a short circuit and went into emergency shutdown. Two of four emergency-cooling diesel engines did not start as expected, disabling control room operationsand thus human controlfor a critical 23 minutes. According to the German magazine Der Spiegel, For critics, the incident shows yet again how vulnerable nuclear power plants are to a failure in electricity systems. In early April of this year, operators of the Vogtle Nuclear Plant near Augusta, Georgia received low marks for their response to a simulated nuclear accident. The NRC judged that the emergency director had overdiagnosed the problem (a pump shaft breakage that caused metal parts to fall into the reactor coolant system) and gave the plant a poor grade. Nuclear defenders point out that these are the problems of aging Generation II plants, and the new Generation IV units will have many safety and efficiency advantages. Pebble bed reactors, for instance, are now in the planning stages in China and South Africa, and supporters say a meltdown is nearly impossible with that design. Pebble beds simplify waste storage and can be built quickly, they say, without the crippling cost overruns. Economists question if the technology is cost-effective. The U.S. Energy Information Administration has stated that even if next-generation nuclear plants can be built efficiently, their costs are likely to be two to four times greater than building natural gas, coal or wind plants. Both the Congressional Budget Office and the private firm Standard and Poors concluded that investing in loans to build nuclear power plants is an unwise risk. A host of insurance analysts have come to the same conclusion. The last American nuclear power plant to go online, the Tennessee Valley Authoritys Watts Bar, fired up in 1996 after 23 years of construction and billions of dollars of over-budget spending. A Renaissance under Fire In its 2003 study, The Future of Nuclear Power, MIT researchers concluded that some 1,000 to 1,500 new reactors would have to be built worldwide by 2025 in order to put a serious dent in global warming. There are only 400 atomic power plants online now, and any major expansion would meet a host of economic, political, security and NIMBY (not-in-my-backyard) challenges. Because of planned plant retirements, the industry will have to work hard simply to keep up current nuclear capacity, let alone ramp it up to offset global warming. Current projections by the U.S. Energy Information Industry show very little nuclear growth by 2030. The uranium supply is also an issue. On the spot market, uranium prices have soared as existing reactors have worked through supplies from mothballed plants. Demand is projected to exceed supply and push prices higher. The shortfall in uranium mining can be at least partly made up in uranium enrichment (an outgrowth of atomic bomb development), but capacity is limited there, too. Uranium enrichment also aggravates both global warming and ozone depletion. The single remaining uranium enrichment plant in the U.S., Paducah Gaseous Diffusion in Kentucky, emits highly destructive chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), used to dissipate heat generated by the compressors. And the plant is fired by two large, extremely dirty coal power plants. Although nukes avoid the smokestack problem, the nuclear process is not emission-free. The cycle from uranium mining to milling and processing, as well as waste storage and transportation, all involve greenhouse gas emissions. In his book Insurmountable Risks: The Dangers of Using Nuclear Power to Combat Global Climate Change (IEER Press), Brice Smith admits that, when compared to fossil fuels, nuclear power emits far lower levels of greenhouse gases, even when mining, enrichment and fuel fabrication are taken into account. But to effectively challenge the global warming problem, he says, a new reactor would have to come online somewhere in the world every 15 days on average between 2010 and 2050. Even with this growth, he calculates that the proportion of electricity coming from nuclear sources would grow only slightly, from 16 to 20 percent over the period. Also, says Smith, a huge nuclear expansion would increase the dangers of nuclear proliferation. The worlds capacity to enrich uranium would have to go up dramatically by a factor of 2.5 to six. A dozen new enrichment plants would produce thousands of tons of highly deadly plutonium each year. And just one percent of that capacity would be enough to support the construction of 210 nuclear weapons per year. NIRS argues that, in the next 60 years, the industry is capable of building only half the 1,500 new reactors needed to significantly offset global warming, and that the enormous construction costsestimated in the many trillions of dollarswould be much more effectively spent on renewable energy projects. Even under an ambitious deployment scenario, new plants could not make a substantial contribution to reducing U.S. global warming emissions for at least two decades, says the Union of Concerned Scientists. JIM MOTAVALLI is editor of E. Did you enjoy this article? Subscribe to E/The Environmental Magazine! SIDEBARS The Clean Energy Path:: Renewable Options No Nukes, Go Nukes: Two Views Nuclear Hydrogen: The Clean Byproduct Living With Radiation: Human Health and Nuclear Exposure CONTACTS Clean and Safe Energy Coalition Nuclear Information and Research Service Phone: (301)270-NIRS Editors, if you are interested in reprinting this article, please contact Featurewell / (212) 924-2283 E MAGAZINE.COM A service of E/The Environmental Magazine. Copyright 1995 - 2004. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 30 PATRIOT LEDGER: Nuke power option splits greens: Waste issue divides environmentalists SouthofBoston.com The Patriot Ledger 400 Crown Colony Drive P.O. Box 699159 Quincy, MA 02269-9159 (617) 786-7000 By KAITLIN KEANE The Patriot Ledger Steve Perdios and Judeth Van Hamm are environmentalists who understand the importance of reducing greenhouse gases. They both support building windmills, making vehicles more fuel efficient and using solar energy. But one so-called green initiative has them divided. Perdios, spokesman for Quincy Environmental Network, says he supports nuclear power and appreciates its environmental benefits. But Van Hamm, president of Hull-based Sustainable South Shore, says the waste from nuclear power plants is too significant a problem to overlook. The two South Shore residents are an example of the dilemma environmental advocates face in their efforts to stop global warming as nuclear energy is being promoted as a way to provide abundant power free of carbon emissions. The United States has 104 commercial reactors, including Pilgrim in Plymouth, that supply about 20 percent of the countrys power. The Department of Energy projects a 45 percent growth in electricity demand by 2030, meaning 35 to 50 new nuclear plants would be needed by then just to maintain nuclears share of the energy market, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been notified that several companies will pursue licenses for up to 33 new reactors, with the first one online in seven years at the earliest. But for some environmentalists, like Van Hamm, the potential dangers posed by nuclear waste outweigh the benefits to global warming. There are just such better options that dont have the danger (of nuclear power) involved, Van Hamm said. One of the alternatives is wind power, which Hull has embraced more than any other community on the South Shore. In Massachusetts, we are sitting on the gold mine of wind energy, and so far we have only a handful of wind turbines up, she said. Other members of Van Hamms Sustainable South Shore, an organization with representatives from 18 communities that raises global warming awareness, disagree. Sustainable South Shore members disagree about the use of nuclear power, so the organization has taken no position about whether it is a good way to help reduce global warming. Perdios said Quincy Environmental Network has no position on nuclear energy because it is an issue that has no effect on Quincy. Instead, the group focuses on reaching local goals such as installing wind power and reducing motor vehicle emissions. Despite concerns about the waste, nuclear power advocates insist it would be impossible to rule it out as a partial solution to the nations energy needs. There is not one single energy source that does not have pros and cons, said Kelle Barfield, a spokeswoman for Entergy, the company that owns Pilgrim nuclear power plant. Nuclear energy is one of the few that doesnt pollute the air and, once built, the cost is competitive. Entergy, the second-largest nuclear power company in the country with 11 nuclear reactors in nine locations, has plans to expand its nuclear program in the coming years, Barfield said. Entergy is one of the most aggressive companies in believing that when you look at all of the choices for energy, you simply cannot ignore nuclear energy, Barfield said. Barfield cites the unreliable price of gasoline and the pollution caused by coal as reasons that nuclear energy remains an important player in the energy business. But some, such as Quincy Sen. Michael Morrissey, chairman of the Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change, believe nuclear power has too many obstacles to make it a long-term viable alternative to meet the nations growing energy needs. The environmental hurdles and the cost make (nuclear energy) impractical, Morrissey said. Kaitlin Keane may be reached at kkeane@ledger.com . Copyright 2007 The Patriot Ledger Transmitted Monday, July 02, 2007 The Patriot Ledger, 400 Crown Colony Drive P.O. Box 699159, Quincy, MA 02269-9159 Telephone: (617) 786-7000 ***************************************************************** 31 NewsRoom Finland: Kemijrvi joins Finnish nuclear queue 27.6.2007 at 9:06 Kemijrvi decided unanimously on Monday it would provide technical assistance to Fennovoima should the consortium opt to survey the inland town in Finnish Lapland as a possible site for its planned nuclear power station. The matter was treated as urgent in the meeting of the municipal government. Fennovoima has briefed Kemijrvi about its goals and the process of choosing the location of the possible station. Heikki Nivala, the chairman of the municipal government, said he was pleased that Fennovoima had contacted the council. "I think it is a positive thing that the company contacted us, considering Kemijrvi is in the interior," Mr Nivala said. Should Fennovoima win government approval for the project and pick Kemijrvi, the power station would be built on the banks of Kemijoki, Finland's longest river at about 550km. Fennovoima is a consortium set up with the sole purpose of building a nuclear power station in Finland. Its founders are German utility E.ON, Finnish steel maker Outokumpu, Swedish smelter Boliden and Finnish local utilities Rauma Energia and Kattern. In addition to Kemijrvi, the municipalities of Kemi, Simo and Tornio in the southwestern corner of Lapland and Loviisa in southern Finland have welcomed Fennovoima. /STT/ Copyright STT 2007 1995 2005, Virtual Finland Produced by: Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland Department for Communication and Culture/Unit for Promotion and Publications ***************************************************************** 32 Bay City Tribune: STP moves closer in permitting two new units Monday, July 2, 2007 By Mike Reddell Bay City Tribune One of the first steps that STP will take in getting federal approval for its proposed two new nuclear reactors came at a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) hearing Wednesday night at Bay City Civic Center. An estimated 250 people were at the NRC public outreach meeting, where the agency explained the steps it will take once it receives STPs combined operating license application (COLA) expected later this year for Units 3 and 4. The hearing, as one NRC official put it, was a preliminary step in long process getting STPs two new reactors permitted. This is one part in a long process, said NRCs Chip Gammon, who was the meetings moderator. NRC officials at the hearing talked about individual aspects of the COLA process that will involve intensive studies on environmental impact, safety, quality assurance and security. Well be responsible for all environmental issues to be resolved before the start of the plant, said Tom Bergman, NRCs deputy director, licensing operations under the division of new reactor licensing. Issuing a combined license is considered a major federal action, said Allen Fetter, NRCs project manager over environmental review. STPs units 1 and 2 went through separate permit processes in the 1980s. Throughout the process well try to make the appropriate decisions and keep the process as transparent as possible, said George Wunder, senior project manager of the overall combined license application review. Wunder said NRC will assemble review teams of people with several different technical backgrounds. Were growing a workforce, County Judge Nate McDonald told the NRC. He was referring to the new synergy training center on Avenue F South where STP is recruiting people for its units 3 and 4 and Wharton County Junior College is offering associate-degree level instruction in power technology courses. Were committed at the county level to support STP, the judge said. Bay City Mayor Richard Knapik thanked citizens for coming out and showing support for STP. And I thank NRG for its confidence in STP by selecting this site for the two new reactors. STP has been a great neighbor, Knapik told NRC officials. Believe it or not, STP and the NRG have shared goals, said Joe Sheppard, the nuclear plants president and chief operating officer. Its important that this be a public process, Sheppard said. Were very aware that we operate in the community at your discretion. We understand that involves a special trust and we take that very seriously. Were very dedicated to public safety, he said. Referring to a question about the source of the plants uranium fuel, Sheppard said while its a global commodity, some 50 percent of the uranium fueling U.S. nuclear plants over the last 10 years comes from 10,000 converted warheads from the U.S. and the former USSR. Sheppard said the STP impacts lives with involvement in the community. Were also providing high-quality and high-compensation jobs. I believe nuclear reactors are good for the environment and for the United States. Elmo Duke introduced himself as a resident of Tin Top, saying I live near STP...Im very comfortable with STP. He asked NRC officials to educate the public more on what type of plant is going in. Other key points discussed at the meeting included: n As for NRC staffing of STP during the permit process, Bergman said the agency began preparing for the STP review when it got the notice of intent for adding the new reactors in 2006. In the next year or so, Bergman said, NRC will have 350 to 500 people to review the combined operating license application. n The overall technical review will take 30 months while construction is under way. Once the technical review ends, another 12 months will be devoted to the hearing process for a total of 42 months. n STPs proposed new units will be GE Advanced Boiling Water Reactors. Sheppard said the ABWR technology is already NRC approved and similar reactors are operating in Japan. 2007 Bay City Tribune. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 33 Bay City Tribune: County may gain new nuclear plant Monday, July 2, 2007 By Shelly Gormey Bay City Tribune Matagorda County has been selected by Exelon Nuclear as the primary site for a federal Combined Construction and Operating License application that will allow the company to build and operate a new nuclear plant if they decide to build one. The Matagorda County site selected is a 1,250-acre tract of land about 10 miles south of Collegeport, north of Oyster Lake. One of the major factors in Matagorda County being selected is it proximity to the Gulf of Mexico as a water source, said Beth Rapczynski, Exelon Communications manager. A secondary site considered by Exelon Nuclear is in Victoria County, about 20 miles south of Victoria. The Victoria site would require the construction of a cooling lake. We are not announcing an intention to actually build, only to file an application, said Rapczynski. Exelon has not decided about when or if it will build on either of these sites, said Tom ONeill, Exelon Nuclears Vice President of New Plant Development, in a press release Thursday. Exelon must first find a solution for disposing used fuel, gain public acceptance for a new nuclear plant and be assured that a new plant using new technology can be financially successful, the release said. The new technology includes enhanced safety built into plant designs, such as passive safety features that rely more on natural forces such as convection and gravity rather than pumps and valves to maintain high safety margins. Exelon Nuclear plans to submit the Combined Construction and Operating License application, expected to cost about $23 million, in November 2008. Until that time, Exelon will continue to research both sites to make sure they meet all suitability criteria required by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. It can take 42 months from the time the application is filed until it is accepted, said Rapczynski. Because there are no definite plans to build, no decisions have been made for the type of reactors or storage of spent fuel, Rapczynski said. We want to start the education process on who Exelon is our philosophy on safety and security and how we produce safe, clean electricity, said Rapczynski. We are excited to be here and already have the support of some of the key stakeholders, she said. This would be a huge benefit for the county, said Bay City Mayor Richard Knapik. We couldnt get two jobs here 10 years ago, now we have a chance for thousands, Knapik said. Exelon Nuclear, part of Exelon Corporation, is the nations largest operator of nuclear plants with 10 stations and 17 reactors. They employ 600 800 full-time employees at each of their nuclear generating stations with annual payrolls of $37 to 63 million and property tax payments ranging from $570,000 to $28 million. The Department of Energy projects that electricity demand in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas will rise 48 percent by 2030, which means that Texas will need 24 gigawatts of new generating capacity, ONeill said. Nuclear energy is a safe, clean, reliable source for meeting those additional energy needs, Rapczynski said. Nuclear energys safety record is unparalleled, it is a reliable source of energy and no greenhouse gases are released into the environment, she said. The average generating capacity factor percentage of electricity actually produced, compared to the total potential the energy plant can produce for nuclear plants in 2006 was 89.9 percent, giving it a higher reliability than any other energy source, said Rapczynski. The nations 104 nuclear units supply about 20 percent of the electricity used in the United States, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute. 2007 Bay City Tribune. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 34 Baltimore Sun: Fast action needed to avert nuclear terror strike on U.S. - baltimoresun.com By Graham Allison Originally published July 2, 2007 Before 9/11, most Americans found the idea that international terrorists could mount an attack on their homeland and kill thousands of innocent citizens not merely unlikely but inconceivable. After nearly six years without a second attack on U.S. soil, some skeptics suggest that 9/11 was a 100-year flood. The view that terrorists are preparing even more deadly assaults seems as far-fetched to them as the possibility of terrorists crashing passenger jets into the World Trade Center did before that fateful Tuesday morning in 2001. And yet the danger of a nuclear attack by terrorists is not only very real but disturbingly likely. To assess the threat of nuclear terrorism, it is necessary to answer five questions: 1. Who could be planning a nuclear terrorist attack? Al-Qaida remains a formidable enemy with clear nuclear ambitions. Former CIA Director George J. Tenet wrote in his memoirs that al-Qaida's leadership has remained "singularly focused on acquiring WMD" - weapons of mass destruction - and willing to "pay whatever it would cost to get their hands on fissile material." 2. What nuclear weapons could terrorists use? They could acquire an existing bomb from one of the nuclear weapons states or construct an elementary nuclear device from highly enriched uranium made by a state. Theft of a warhead or material would not be easy, but attempted thefts in Russia and elsewhere are not uncommon. Once a terrorist group acquires about 100 pounds of highly enriched uranium, it could conceivably use publicly available documents and items commercially obtainable in any technologically advanced country to construct a bomb such as the one dropped on Hiroshima. 3. Where could terrorists acquire a nuclear bomb? If a nuclear attack occurs, Russia would be the most likely source of the weapon or material. Russia has more nuclear weapons and materials than any other country, much of them vulnerable to theft. A close second would be North Korea. Pyongyang has boasted that it not only possesses nuclear weapons but might export them, saying, "It's up to you whether we ... transfer them." Finally, research reactors in 40 developing and transitional countries still hold the essential ingredient for nuclear bombs. 4. When could terrorists launch the first nuclear attack? If terrorists bought or stole a nuclear weapon in good working condition, they could explode it today. If the weapon had a lock, detonation would be delayed for several days. If terrorists acquired 100 pounds of highly enriched uranium, they could have a working elementary nuclear bomb in less than a year. 5. How could terrorists deliver a nuclear weapon to its target? The illicit economy for narcotics and illegal immigrants has built up a vast infrastructure that terrorists could exploit. Based on current trends, a nuclear terrorist attack on the United States is more likely than not in the decade ahead. As horrific as that vision is, the most important but largely unrecognized truth is that this ultimate catastrophe is preventable. There is a feasible, affordable checklist of actions that, if taken, would shrink the risk of nuclear terrorism to nearly zero. I have proposed a strategy for a no-loose-nukes agenda under a "Doctrine of Three Nos": 1. No unsecured nuclear weapons or weapons-usable material. All such material should be locked down as quickly as possible. 2. No new domestic capabilities to enrich uranium or reprocess plutonium. Highly enriched uranium and plutonium are bombs about to hatch. The crucial challenge to this principle today is Iran. Preventing Iranian completion of its nuclear infrastructure will require a combination of incentives and credible threats to persuade Tehran to accept a grand bargain for denuclearization. President Bush must be prepared to give Tehran assurance of security if and when it gives up its nuclear weapons program. 3. No expansion of the nuclear club beyond its current 8.5 members, the half being North Korea. Faced with the possibility of an American Hiroshima, many Americans are paralyzed by a combination of denial and fatalism. Either it hasn't happened, so maybe it's not going to happen, or if it is going to happen, there's nothing we can do to stop it. Both propositions are wrong. Citizens must press their elected officials to adopt a clear agenda for action and then hold them accountable for following through. Graham Allison is director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. He is a former assistant secretary of defense and author of "Nuclear Terrorism: The Ultimate Preventable Catastrophe." His e-mail is graham_allison@harvard.edu. Copyright 2007, The Baltimore Sun | Get Sun home delivery ***************************************************************** 35 Guardian Unlimited: More than 40 years on, Spain revisits a nuclear accident Dale Fuchs in Madrid Monday July 2, 2007 Workmen assisting in an atomic bomb search after a US plane crash above Palomares in 1966. Photographh: Bettman/Corbis The year was 1966, the height of the cold war and the final years of the Franco dictatorship, when an American B-52 bomber carrying four thermonuclear bombs collided with a supply plane above the village of Palomares in south-eastern Spain. Two bombs landed intact, one just outside the village of 1,200 people in the province of Almera, the other salvaged, unscathed, by a fisherman five miles offshore in the Mediterranean, at a depth of 760 metres (2,500 feet). The third and fourth bombs were damaged by a chemical explosion on impact, releasing about 20kg (44lb) of plutonium into the centre of Palomares and surrounding hills. Nobody died or is known to have developed cancer, but Spain's worst nuclear accident took three months and the work of 1,600 US specialists to clean up before it was promptly forgotten outside of Spain. The amnesia was helped along with a now legendary stunt by the former minister of tourism under Franco, Manuel Fraga, who took a much-photographed swim in the Mediterranean with the American ambassador to prove the waters - and budding tourist industry - were safe. More than 40 years later, the Spanish nuclear regulatory agency and a national research centre on the environment, energy and technology, CIEMAT, have concluded the first large-scale study of the extent of radioactive contamination around the village, now perched in the middle of the nationwide building frenzy. It found that the area of soil contaminated with americium, a radioactive metal derived from plutonium, is more than three times larger than was previously thought: 300,000 square metres. The largest pocket of contamination was discovered to the east of Palomares in the Almagrera hills, where one of the bombs released a cloud of smoke and radioactive particles that was spread by the winds. The nuclear regulatory agency is expected to prohibit building or selling produce grown inside the contaminated area at its meeting today, according to El Pas. "There is no health risk," Teresa Mendiz bal, director of environmental studies for CIEMAT, told El Pas. "The dose of radiation is very low, and we are only restricting use of the land where there is americium, but only as a precaution." Experts sampled a total of 6.6m square metres, and only about 4.5% showed radiation above accepted limits. "We've looked at an enormous area in detail and the results are reassuring," she said. The €200,000 (135,000) study, subsidised partly by the US government, was belatedly commissioned when it became clear that this arid and once sparsely populated slice of southern Spanish coastline was being engulfed by housing developments and golf courses. Palomares is located next to the growing resort areas of Vera and Cuevas de Almanzores. As plans for holiday villas spread to Palomares, environmental experts feared that moving the soil during construction could release dangerous particles into the air. Useful links Spanish interior ministry Basque autonomous government Basque nationalism interactive guide Catalan government El Mundo newspaper El Pais newspaper Guardian Unlimited Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 ***************************************************************** 36 Hemscott: Judge orders OSHA to release toxic info WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal judge has ordered the Labor Department to share with the public the results of years of toxic substance sampling in American workplaces. Federal officials said Monday they were reviewing the decision. The decision, by U.S. District Judge Mary L. Cooper, came in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by former Labor Department official Adam Finkel, who now is a whistleblower. Finkel was a chief regulator and regional administrator for the Labor Department's Occupational Health and Safety Administration from 1995-2003. He sued the Labor Department in 2005 after they refused to tell him the results of beryllium tests on OSHA inspectors. Beryllium is a lightweight metal that is used in aerospace components, semiconductor chips, jet engine blades, transistors, nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. It often is mixed with other metals to form an alloy. Scientists have learned that exposure to low levels of beryllium dust, fumes, metal, metal oxides, ceramics or salts even over a short period of time can result in chronic beryllium disease, lung cancer or skin disease. The Labor Department argued that releasing the information would invade its inspectors' privacy, put at risk trade secrets of the companies involved and make it harder to inspect companies in the future. 'The Court finds the public interest in disclosing information that will increase understanding about beryllium sensitization and OSHA's response, thereto, is significant,' Cooper wrote in her decision. Finkel also asked for the entire OSHA database on toxic exposures, including how much was found, the company where it was found and the code number for the inspector who found it. The database includes more than 2 million analyses conducted during roughly 75,000 OSHA inspections of workplaces since 1979. 'Ordinary citizens paid to collect these data, and I look forward to analyzing this public database to help OSHA find its way back to its original mission,' said Finkel. He is now a professor of environmental and occupational health at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey School of Public Health, and a visiting professor at Princeton University. The Labor Department said it was still reviewing the decision, since officials were just notified of the judge's ruling on Monday. Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Hemscott PLC - Serious Investment Research ***************************************************************** 37 Dunn County News: All Iraq combat vets exposed to deadly DU Updated Jul 02, 2007 - 10:21:53 am CDT To the editor: Many people felt we should have used nuclear bombs on Iraq when we first went to war. It might have been better if we had. During and after the first Gulf War, Dr. Doug Rokke, the Armys expert on depleted uranium (DU), warned that everyone who entered the combat zone, during or after the conflict, would receive a massive dose of radiation everyone. Iraqis, U.S. soldiers, civilian contractors, the press everyone who has been in Iraq since the first Gulf War has been exposed, more than 300,000 alliance personnel and up to 35 million Iraqis. Your sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, husbands and wives who serve(d) in Iraq have all been exposed. Since the US military officially (despite their own study results) denies any radiation risk, no soldier ill from radiation exposure will have their case handled as a battle injury. Uranium, among other things, destroys the kidneys and greatly increases the incidence of lung cancer. The U.S. is in violation of the United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights rulings on the use of weapons of indiscriminate effect, or WIE, which specify that depleted uranium (DU) weapons cause superfluous and unnecessary suffering. Only the British and the U.S. refuse to acknowledge the danger of DU weapons. Thats the short on DU. Chemical exposure is another story... Charles M. Barnard 214 18th St N. Menomonie POST A COMMENT Copyright 2007 The Dunn County News. All Rights Reserved. All ***************************************************************** 38 NAS: Project: Gulf War and Health: Updated Literature Review of Depleted Uranium PIN: PHPH-H-06-01-A Major Unit: Institute of Medicine Sub Unit: Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice RSO: Mitchell, Abigail Subject/Focus Area: Project Scope A committee of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) will review, evaluate, and summarize scientific and medical literature regarding the association between exposure to depleted uranium and chronic human health effects. The study committee will focus on literature published since the IOM's 2000 report, Gulf War and Health, Volume 1: Depleted Uranium, Pyridostigmine Bromide, Sarin, and Vaccines was written. The committee will make determinations on the strength of the evidence for associations between exposure to depleted uranium and human health effects. The report might include recommendations for additional scientific studies to resolve areas of continued scientific uncertainty. The findings will not be limited to veterans of the 1991 Gulf War. They also will be applicable to veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. This project is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The start date for the project is September 18, 2006. A report will be issued at the end of the project in approximately 15 months. Project Duration: 15 months Provide FEEDBACK on this project. Contact the Public Access Records Office to make an inquiry or to schedule an appointment to view project materials available to the public. Committee Membership Meetings Meeting 1 - 03/22/2007 Meeting 2 - 06/28/2007 Meeting 3 - 09/27/2007 Reports Reports having no URL can be seen at the Public Access Records Office Email: info@nas.edu ***************************************************************** 39 UPI: Wesdyne, NFS win nuke down-blend contract United Press International - Security & Terrorism - Briefing Published: July 2, 2007 at 3:18 PM WASHINGTON, July 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration has awarded a contract to down-blend more than 17 tons of uranium. The NNSA, an agency of the U.S. Department of Energy, announced Friday that it had given the contract to a consortium of Wesdyne International -- a subsidiary of the Westinghouse Electric Co. -- and Nuclear Fuel Services. The two companies will "down-blend 17.4 metric tons of U.S. highly enriched uranium and store the resulting low-enriched uranium for the Reliable Fuel Supply program," the NNSA said in a statement. "Building on key non-proliferation and energy initiatives of President Bush, the United States will provide reliable access to a nuclear fuel supply to countries not pursuing their own enrichment and reprocessing technologies," the agency said. "Setting up the Reliable Fuel Supply program demonstrates U.S. leadership on non-proliferation by setting aside fuel for countries to use if supplies are disrupted so that they don't have to pursue sensitive fuel cycle programs on their own," said William Tobey, head of NNSA's nuclear nonproliferation programs. The work will be carried out at the NFS plant in Erwin, Tennessee. It will start in 2007 and should finish in 2010, the NNSA said. The project "will produce about 290 metric tons of low-enriched uranium, most of which will constitute the Reliable Fuel Supply," it said. The NNSA said Wesdyne International would "store the low-enriched uranium at the Westinghouse fuel fabrication facility in Columbia, S.C. The fuel will be available for use in civilian reactors by nations in good standing with the International Atomic Energy Agency." The program is part of Bush's strategy of reducing the U.S. nuclear stockpile and making it safer and more efficient. Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 40 barrow in furness: Sellafield issued warning over quarry waste Published on 02/07/2007 SELLAFIELD’S operators have been warned that if they decide to import massive amounts of quarry waste from Wales they will be harming local firms. British Nuclear Group wants the aggregate to make concrete for extensions to its low level nuclear waste repository at Drigg. But former Sellafield works secretary, Councillor Tim Knowles, told fellow county councillors: “There is major construction work going ahead at the Drigg site and I am very concerned to hear that the aggregate may be sourced from Wales and the North West of England. “It will be a scandal if this happens. “We have quality quarries here in Copeland; there is no need to go outside the county and deprive local firms of such business. We have to move heaven and earth to prevent this happening.” Councillor David Southward, of Beckermet and St Bees, who worked as a Sellafield engineer for many years, said: “The point is valid but at the same time we are talking here about phenomenal quantities of material which needs to be transported to the site by rail so as not to cause nuisance to residents and Drigg village itself.” Cllr Knowles said disruption in Drigg would be minimised by using Eskett Quarry near Frizington who he thought could meet BNG’s requirements within the timescale. Concerns were also expressed at the Copeland Local Committee meeting that Ghyll Scaur quarry in the Millom area was missing out on the Drigg nuclear work. There is no rail link at the quarry and councillors are pressing the county council to look into the possibility of developing one. British Nuclear Group said an invitation to tender for the Drigg work materials had been issued but no contract let as yet. View this story and the latest newspaper in full digital reproduction, just like the printed copy at www.nwemail.co.uk/digitalcopy ***************************************************************** 41 Platts: Wesdyne, Nuclear Fuel Services win downblending contract 2007-06-29 Washington (Platts)--29Jun2007 DOE has awarded a contract to Wesdyne and Nuclear Fuel Services to downblend 17.4 metric tons of high-enriched uranium to low-enriched uranium, the department announced June 29. Most of the resulting LEU will become part of the US "reliable fuel supply," a stockpile that will be made available to countries with clean nonproliferation records if their fuel supply is disrupted, DOE said. The US and other countries are pursuing such supply mechanisms as a way to provide incentives to countries to refrain from building their own uranium enrichment plants. According to DOE's press statement, Wesdyne International, a subsidiary of Westinghouse, "will sell a small fraction of the resulting low-enriched uranium on the market over a three- to four-year period" to cover the project's cost. Nuclear Fuel Services is to blend down the HEU at its Erwin, Tennessee site. Copyright 2007 - Platts, All Rights Reserved ***************************************************************** 42 Hanford News: Nuclear energy using new momentum to take on old obstacles This story was published Monday, July 2nd, 2007 By Jay Lindsay, Associated Press Writer BOSTON (AP) - Thanks to global warming, nuclear energy is hot again. Its promise of abundant, carbon emissions-free power is being pushed by the president and newly considered by environmentalists. But any expansion won't come cheap or easy. The enormous obstacles facing nuclear power are the same as they were in 1996, when the nation's last new nuclear plant opened near the Watts Bar reservoir in Tennessee after 22 years of construction and $7 billion in costs. Waste disposal, safe operation and security remain major concerns, but economics may be the biggest deterrent. Huge capital costs combine into an enormous price tag for would-be investors. There is also fervent anti-nuke opposition waiting to be re-stoked. Jim Riccio of Greenpeace said nuclear advocates are exploiting global warming fears to try to revive an industry that's too risky to fool with. "You have better ways to boil water," Riccio said. But environmentalists aren't in lockstep on the issue. Bill Chameides, chief scientist for Environmental Defense, said anything that helps alleviate global warming must be an energy option. "I think it's somewhat disingenuous that folks who agree that global warming is such a serious issue could sort of dismiss it out of hand," he said. "It's got to be at least considered." The U.S. has 104 commercial reactors which supply about 20 percent of the country's power. The Department of Energy projects a 45 percent growth in electricity demand by 2030, meaning 35 to 50 new nuclear plants will be needed by then just to maintain nuclear's share of the energy market, said Scott Peterson of the Nuclear Energy Institute, the industry's chief lobbyist. That growing demand, not global warming, "has been the single biggest factor in companies looking at building large nuclear plants again," Peterson said. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been notified that several companies will pursue licenses for up to 33 new reactors, with the first one online in seven years at the earliest. Earlier this year, projects at existing plants in Illinois and Mississippi received permits for their proposed sites, but it's no guarantee they'll be the first projects completed. Many of the new plants are proposed at or near existing plants where there's more acceptance of nuclear energy, such the southeast. President Bush visited there Thursday when he promoted nuclear energy at the Browns Ferry's Unit 1 reactor in Alabama. But any major expansion will require selling nuclear in new places, where local opposition may be intense and winning approval may be costly. "This isn't just a bunch of environmentalists who think this is a bad idea," Riccio said. "It's most people who aren't being paid to think otherwise." Nuclear power is produced when neutrons split the nucleus of uranium atoms, releasing heat which is used to boil water and produce the steam that drives a plant's turbines. The process is emissions free and the radioactive waste is contained inside the plant. The waste is currently stored at individual plants, awaiting permanent transfer to the national Yucca Mountain Repository in Nevada. But Yucca Mountain has faced stiff opposition and won't open until the early 2020s at the earliest. By then, it will be too small to hold the waste produced nationally. Recycling used fuel, which contains 90 percent of its original energy after one use, can reduce waste. "Reprocessing" also produces a plutonium that's nearer to weapons grade, raising fears that widespread reprocessing could increase the risks of nuclear proliferation. Nuclear energy critics also see the plants themselves as devastating terrorist targets - "predeployed nuclear weapons," as Paul Gunter of the anti-nuclear Nuclear Information and Resource Service calls them. While opponents fear catastrophe, money may be what kills a nuclear revival. Peterson estimates each new plant will cost about $3 billion, but the industry has a history of construction delays and cost overruns. The 2005 energy bill passed by Congress provides subsidies for the first six plants, which the industry sees as a one-time "jump start," Peterson said. "If we can't be competitive after those first few reactors, then companies will stop building them," he said. "No one is building nuclear plants because they have a religious belief in nuclear." The industry hopes new standardized plant designs will help control costs by taking advantage of cheaper, offsite modular construction. Standardization could also allow plants to share parts and work crews, Peterson said. He said the new designs are also safer because they incorporate the lessons of Three Mile Island, which had a partial meltdown in 1979 after workers misread a valve and mistakenly thought cooling water was getting into the reactor. The new systems have fewer valves and less piping, relying primarily on gravity to deliver cooling water to the reactor. Peterson said the industry has proven it can safely store its waste, and will be able to do so until Yucca Mountain is open. Nuclear plants also have elaborate security, including heavily armed guards trained to deal with various attack scenarios, including multiple truck bombings and suicide attack by wide bodied airplane, similar to the Sept. 11 attacks, Peterson said. Patrick Moore, a Greenpeace co-founder who's become a fervent nuclear energy advocate and industry consultant, said the industry needs to prepare for such worst case scenarios, but those shouldn't drive the debate over nuclear energy. Moore said his former environmentalist allies, some of whom now deride him as a corporate shill, are stuck in a Cold War mentality that lumps together the benefits and dangers of nuclear technology. "You don't ban the beneficial uses of a technology just because that same technology can be used for evil," he said. "Otherwise we would never have harnessed fire." Chameides of Environmental Defense said he thinks nuclear power is safe and that the waste problem has a technical solution, but he needs convincing to endorse a nuclear resurgence. He's waiting to see the industry move aggressively to address concerns about waste and security. He's also skeptical the nuclear industry can survive without continued subsidies, which he opposes. "I'm a scientist not an economist," Chameides added. "I'm willing to possibly be wrong." © 2007 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 43 Hanford News: Director resigns from The Reach This story was published Saturday, June 30th, 2007 Michelle Dupler, Herald staff writer Ken Gibson resigned as development director for the Hanford Reach Interpretive Center this week after about two months on the job. Gibson came to The Reach on April 16 after 20 years working with nonprofit organizations including the Metro Parks Foundation in Tacoma, Point Defiance Zoological Society, Pacific Science Center and Seattle Children's Museum. He was paid a salary of $75,000 a year to organize and coordinate all activities related to the fundraising campaign for the interpretive center. Gibson notified the board overseeing development of the interpretive center at the end of May that he planned to return to Tacoma, where his wife and three children live. Gibson said Friday he and his wife hadn't been able to sell their house in Tacoma as planned, and having homes in two cities was becoming a strain. The Reach interpretive center is intended to serve as the gateway to the Hanford Reach National Monument, as well as highlight the natural history of the region and Hanford's role in ending World War II and winning the Cold War. Design and construction of the building and exhibits are expected to cost $40.5 million, with about $20 million already coming from local, state and federal government sources. A campaign to raise the rest of the money needed for construction kicked off in November. Hiring Gibson was intended to be a critical step toward accomplishing that goal. Ron Hicks, The Reach project manager, said Gibson raised about $350,000 for construction of the interpretive center in the short time he was there, Hicks said. "We are really saddened by his decision, but we completely understand it," Hicks said. The Richland Public Facilities District oversees hiring of employees for the interpretive center, and will hire an executive director before it looks for another candidate for Gibson's job, Hicks said. That person then will take the lead on finding a new development director. The district's board has narrowed the field to two candidates and likely will pick one at its next board meeting on July 16, Hicks said. © 2007 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 44 Tri-City Herald: DOE seeks contractor for $8.2 billion in tank farm work Published Monday, July 2nd, 2007 By Herald staff The Department of Energy released its request today for bids for $8.2 billion of work at Hanford's tank farms. The farms include 177 underground tanks holding 53 million gallons of radioactive waste from the past production of plutonium for the nation's nuclear weapons program. The new contract, replacing the expiring contract of CH2M Hill Hanford Group, would allow current employees to continue to benefit from the traditional Hanford pension plan. But new employees would be switched to a 401(k)-style retirement package. The request for proposals specifies that 15 percent of work in the contract be done by small businesses. The contract would cover five years with a possible extension for five more years. Last week, DOE requested bids for $6.3 billion of work to clean up central Hanford. That work is being done under an expiring contract held by Fluor Hanford. For more information, read Tuesday's Herald. © 2007 Tri-City Herald, Associated Press & Other Wire Services ***************************************************************** 45 Knoxville News Sentinel: ORNL wins 6 research awards Updated 11:08 a.m., July 2, 2007 OAK RIDGE — Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory won six R&D 100 Awards, the lab announced today. The awards are given to the nation’s top inventions or technological achievements. Since the awards program began in 1963, ORNL has won 134 — more than any other Department of Energy lab and second overall to General Electric. R&D Magazine chooses the winners. This year’s ORNL winners:  Piranha — A “knowledge discovery engine” that uses intelligent agent technology and a cluster computer to accurately analyze huge volumes of data. The ORNL team included Mark Elmore, Brian Klump, Robert Patton, Thomas Potok, Joel Reed and Jim Treadwell.  Pharos — A neutron detector that can be used to identify nuclear materials at airports or other locations. Researchers were Richard Riedel, Ronald Cooper and Lloyd Clonts.  Cast nickel aluminide — An alloy with a unique combination of high-temperature strength and oxidation resistance. The team included Vinod Sikka, Michael Santella and Jeffrey McNabb of ORNL and Anthony Martocci, a consultant.  High-performance superconducting wire — A wire with high strength, flexibility, and throughput that can be produced at low cost and used for power-grid applications. The team included Parans Paranthaman, Amit Goyal and Tolga Aytug.  Large area imager — A search instrument capable of finding radiation sources within a 100-meter area while traveling at about 25 miles per hour. Research collaborators were Lorenzo Fabris, Thomas Karnowski, and Klaus-Peter Ziock.  Armstrong Process — A new method of producing titanium power for many manufacturing uses. The research team members were Craig Blue, Jim Kiggans, Stephen Nunn, Phil Sklad, Will Peter, John Rivard, and Art Clemons, as well as several industrial partners. 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co. ***************************************************************** 46 WNN: NNSA awards Reliable Fuel Supply contract EXPLORATION & NUCLEAR FUEL 02 July 2007 Wesdyne International and Nuclear Fuel Services (NFS) have been awarded a contract by the US Department of Energy's (DoE's) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to down-blend 17.4 tonnes of surplus US highly enriched uranium (HEU). Under the terms of the contract, NFS, a subcontractor, will down-blend the HEU to low-enriched uranium (LEU) at its Erwin, Tennessee, facility. The down-blending is scheduled to start in 2007 and to be completed in 2010. The down-blending will result in some 290 tonnes of LEU. Wesdyne, the prime contractor, is a subsidiary of Westinghouse Electric Co. It will store the resulting LEU at the Westinghouse fuel fabrication plant in Columbia, South Carolina. This will form part of the Reliable Fuel Supply program and will be available for use in civilian reactors in countries not pursuing their own enrichment and reprocessing technologies. It will only be available to qualifying countries that face a disruption in supply that cannot be corrected through normal commercial means. The fuel would be sold at the current market price. The down-blending, storage and operation of the reliable supply will be overseen and managed by NNSA, and the down-blending will be eligible for inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). To cover the cost of the project, Wesdyne will sell part of the resulting LEU on the market over a three to four year period. In 2005, US Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman announced that the USA would set aside 17.4 tonnes of HEU declared excess to the US nuclear weapons program. In November 2005, the NNSA requested proposals from companies interested in competing for the contract to down-blend the material. "Setting up the Reliable Fuel Supply program demonstrates US leadership on non-proliferation by setting aside fuel for countries to use if supplies are disrupted so that they don't have to pursue sensitive fuel cycle programs on their own," said William Tobey, head of NNSA's nuclear non-proliferation programs. ***************************************************************** 47 DOE: Energy Department Awards Small Business Contract for Legacy Management Work to S.M. Stoller Corporation July 2, 2007 WASHINGTON, DC The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the award of a prime contract for the Departments Office of Legacy Management (LM) Support Services work to S.M. Stoller Corporation for surveillance and maintenance and technical support at more than 100 of DOEs legacy sites. The three-year contract, with one two-year extension option for a total of five years, is valued at approximately $170 million over the life of the contract and is one of the largest 100% small business contracts within DOE. The contract includes responsibility for legacy sites that have been closed and no longer support the Department's ongoing national security, energy and science missions, including the Rocky Flats and Fernald sites. Together, the Department of Energys Office of Legacy Management and S.M. Stoller will continue to ensure the long-term protection of human health and the environment at over 100 legacy sites across the country, Michael Owen, Director of the Office of Legacy Management, said. We look forward to working with our new prime contractor, the S.M. Stoller Corporation, to manage the Departments post-closure surveillance, monitoring, and maintenance responsibilities. The contract will provide support services for DOEs Office of Legacy Management in the following areas: long term surveillance and maintenance; land and facility reuse; project and program planning; environmental systems and applications; information technology management; records inquiry and processing; site active and inactive records management; real and personal property management; and community and public involvement. The mission of the Office of Legacy Management is to manage the Departments post-closure responsibilities and ensure the future protection of human health and the environment. LM controls and has custody of legacy land, structures, and facilities and is responsible for maintaining them at levels suitable for their long-term use. In April, LM was designated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as the second high performing organization, or "HPO", in the federal government and the first in the Department of Energy. An HPO is equivalent to a "most efficient organization" as defined by OMB standards for performance and cost. Read additional information about DOEs Office of Legacy Management. Media contact(s): Megan Barnett, (202) 586-4940 U.S. Department of Energy | 1000 Independence Ave., SW | Washington, DC 20585 1-800-dial-DOE | f/202-586-4403 ***************************************************************** 48 SF New Mexican: Los Alamos lab delivers first bomb-ready nuke trigger in 18 years Mon Jul 2, 2007 10:31 pm By MATT MYGATT / ASSOCIATED PRESS Los Alamos National Laboratory has delivered to the federal government the first plutonium core certified for use in nuclear warheads in 18 years. The National Nuclear Security Administration certified the plutonium pit — a softball-size sphere of enriched uranium encased in stainless steel — in early June. The pit, used as a trigger for nuclear weapons, was delivered shortly after that to the NNSA’s Pantex plant, 17 miles northeast of Amarillo, Texas, Kevin Roark, a lab spokesman, said Monday. Pantex maintains the safety, security and reliability of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. Politicians — including Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., and Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M. — along with Energy Department and Defense Department officials gathered in Los Alamos Monday to “congratulate the lab for a job well done,” Roark said. The pit is designed for the W88 nuclear warhead carried by submarine-launched missiles, Roark said. The NNSA, the semiautonomous agency within the Energy Department that oversees the nuclear weapons program, has asked the lab to deliver 10 pits a year in the near term, Roark said. The NNSA also has asked the lab to “go through the exercise to see whether it is possible to deliver between 30 and 50 per year” between 2012 and 2014, he said. Los Alamos lab has fashioned about 20 test plutonium pits since 2002, he said. “Based on those tests, you refine your manufacturing process and certification process and reach the conclusion along with the NNSA that you’ve satisfied all requirements,” Roark said. Certified pits have not been made since 1989, when the federal government’s main pit factory in Colorado, Rocky Flats, was closed because of safety concerns and the end of the Cold War. The facility, 16 miles northwest of Denver, was severely polluted after four decades of nuclear weapons production. The test pits were needed because the lab could not produce them “in the way that Rocky Flats did,” Roark said. “A lot of changes had to be made.” The pit was delivered some six months after the NNSA released a study saying the plutonium pits used in nuclear weapons have a longer shelf life than once believed. The study pegged the expected minimum life span for pits at 85 to 100 years, depending on the warhead. The government had long assumed that plutonium would deteriorate to the point it no longer could be relied upon in 45 years to 60 years. The research was done by nuclear engineers at Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories and reviewed by an outside panel of nuclear physicists and weapons experts. The new certified pit is not related to plutonium’s life span but is “driven by stockpile stewardship requirements,” Roark said. The government has been “taking apart a certain number of W88s per year and destructively testing them” to ensure they are aging as expected, he said. He declined to reveal any numbers. “We’ve been doing that since 1989 and not replacing any of them. There comes a time when you’ve got to start putting them back. That’s why the nation has to recapture this ability,” he said. Susan Gordon, director of the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability in Seattle, said that’s ludicrous. “We have thousands of plutonium pits in storage in this country. We just don’t need thousands,” she said. The alliance represents a network of citizen groups near federal nuclear weapons facilities. Jay Coghlan, executive director of Nuclear Watch of New Mexico, said the federal government re-established the pit program because “it actually wants to produce newly designed pits for new types of nuclear weapons.” “We have too many weapons and they ought to be retired anyway,” he said. “There’s 10,0000 intact weapons and there’s 15,000 pits in storage in Pantex,” Coghlan said. Santa Fe-based Nuclear Watch monitors activities at the Los Alamos lab. Gordon said the nation is “stuck in a Cold War analysis in the usefulness of nuclear weapons in the 21st century.” “It’s clear when looking at the war in Iraq and the struggles in Iran and North Korea that our nuclear weapons are not serving as a deterrent anymore,” she said. Gordon and Mike McCally, executive director of Physicians for Social Responsibility, said the nation’s nuclear labs can play important roles in non-nuclear areas. “If I were a lab director, I would see nuclear weapons production as a fading industry,” McCally said. “The bid demands are in technology dealing with environmental problems — global warming and climate change — and we’re worried about terrorism, pandemic disease,” he said. Physicians for Social Responsibility, based in Washington, D.C., advocates policies to stop nuclear proliferation and halt global warming. Privacy Policy / Terms of Use | 2007, Santa Fe New Mexican ***************************************************************** 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. 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