***************************************************************** 07/03/07 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 15.155 ***************************************************************** 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 IPS-English INDIA/US: Protests, Hypocrisy at Nuclear Carrier's 2 US: UPI: U.S. back in nuclear warhead business 3 UPI: Bush, Putin agree to nuclear cooperation 4 US: Public Citizen: Democrats Should Not Let Senate Republicans Bloc 5 US: Public Citizen: Groups Urge Senate to Enact FOIA Reform on the 6 AFP: US, Russia begin nuclear reduction talks - 7 AFP: Bush and Putin more in tune, but discord still jars - 8 Guardian Unlimited: Putin: I Don't Expect Quick Bush Answer 9 Guardian Unlimited: US, Russia Pursue Nuclear Weapons Cuts 10 Daily Yomiuri: Embattled Kyuma had no option 11 BBC NEWS: Nuclear arms suspect extradited 12 Reuters: Pressure mounts for Japan defense minister to quit 13 UPI: Pakistan says curbs on Khan not lifted 14 AFP: Japan's defence minister resigns over A-bomb row - 15 Guardian Unlimited: Japanese minister resigns over atomic bomb remar NUCLEAR REACTORS 16 US: NRC: NRC Sends Special Inspection Team to North Anna Nuclear Pla 17 US: Platts: Perry shut down to replace recirculation pump motor 18 Earth Times: Merkel affirms CO2 cuts but world must join in 19 US: CapeCodTimes.com: NRC safety check puts Pilgrim closer to licens 20 EUX.TV: German utilities debate energy issues with Merkel 21 US: NRC: NRC, Entergy to Meet on July 9th to Discuss Status of Emerg 22 US: NRC: Virginia Electric And Power Company Surry Power Station, Un 23 Reuters: Merkel rejects call to moderate emissions cuts 24 Reuters: GE sees nuclear projects in Europe, China: report 25 Reuters: U.S., Russia launch nuclear energy initiative 26 UPI: India, Japan work out energy plans 27 UPI: German nuclear plan unchanged 28 SPIEGEL ONLINE: Energy Summit: Merkel Nudges for Nuclear Power Comeb 29 SMN: Bulgaria: Bulgaria's N-Plant Kozloduy Overshoots H1 Output Targ 30 Deutsche Welle: Merkel Calls for Policy Change After Energy Summit NUCLEAR SECURITY 31 edmontonsun.com: Dangerous radioactive devices disappearing in Canad NUCLEAR SAFETY 32 US: NRC: NUREG-1556, Volume 13, Revision 1, ``Consolidated Guidance 33 UPI: Russia reports 140 nuclear violations 34 US: NNSA announces new nuke trigger 35 Medical News Today: UK Military Personnel Involved In The 2003 36 US: PEER: OSHA ORDERED TO RELEASE TOXIC EXPOSURE DATABASE — More tha NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 37 US: Ventura County Star: Fliers warn of Halaco dangers 38 barrow in furness: Campaigner’s warning over nuclear proposal PEACE US DEPT. OF ENERGY 39 SF New Mexican: Domenici: Building for nuke pits needed 40 Tri-City Herald: DOE seeks bids for $8.2 billion tank farm work 41 Knoxville News Sentinel: ORNL's Fischer leaving for top Battelle pos 42 Knoxville News Sentinel: New ORNL director ready for challenge 43 Albuquerque Tribune: Los Alamos to start producing triggers 44 knoxnews.com: ORNL's Fischer leaving for Battelle 45 KNDO/KNDU Tri-Cities: DOE Asks for Tank Farm Cleanup Bids 46 Darien Suburban Life: Argonne scientists propose advanced nuclear la ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 IPS-English INDIA/US: Protests, Hypocrisy at Nuclear Carrier's Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2007 14:43:11 -0700 ROMAIPS AP WD DV IP CS NU INDIA/US: Protests, Hypocrisy at Nuclear Carrier's Port Call Praful Bidwai* NEW DELHI, Jul 3 - The port call of a United States nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to Chennai in southern India has provoked strong protests from a spectrum of political parties, trade unions, peace groups and environmentalists. It has also exposed a yawning gap between India's professions of non-alignment and foreign policy independence, and its practice of cultivating a close military and political relationship with the U.S. The carrier USS Nimitz is on a five-day ”friendly” call to Chennai at the invitation of the Indian government. The Indian left and centrist parties like the All India Anna Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam, the main opposition in Tamil Nadu, held demonstrations in Chennai on Monday. So did transport and port workers' unions and civil society organisations, including the Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP), a broad-based umbrella organisation of over 250 groups. The carrier arrived in India's territorial waters from the Persian Gulf region, where it had been despatched two months ago as part of a 50-ship armada: ”The function of that mobilisation was to threaten and intimidate Iran over its nuclear programme,'' says N.D. Jayaprakash, a CNDP activist and National Coordination Committee member. Adds Jayaprakash: ”The political message of the current visit of the Nimitz is unmistakable. It is to tighten the India-U.S. strategic embrace at a time when the U.S. is engaged in its disastrous occupation of Iraq, which has destabilised West Asia.” The port call of the Nimitz has precipitated controversy for other reasons too. ”It is entirely possible that the aircraft carrier carries nuclear weapons on board,” says Deepak Nayyar, a distinguished economist and until recently vice-chancellor of Delhi University. ”In that case, it would flagrantly violate India's well-established, often-reiterated policy of disallowing foreign nuclear weapons into its territorial waters.” Nayyar is one of 11 public intellectuals who last week signed a statement protesting the visit of the ship, including celebrated writers Arundhati Roy and Mahashweta Devi, former civil servants S.P. Shukla and Sudeep Banerjee, and social scientists Romila Thapar, Prabhat Patnaik and Amit Bhaduri. The statement points to the contradiction between the Indian government's claim that the Nimitz is ”not known to be carrying nuclear weapons,'' and the U.S.'s well-reiterated policy to ”neither deny nor confirm” the presence of nuclear weapons on its warships under any circumstances. The statement expresses dismay at the fact that New Delhi ”gratuitously granted this certificate to the U.S., when Washington itself does not do so”, and says this speaks poorly of India's foreign and security policies. The visit of the warship marks a reversal of India's past policy opposing the transit of nuclear weapons in its neighbourhood. In the 1970s and 1980s, India campaigned against the U.S.'s naval base at Diego Garcia (or Chagos Islands) in the Indian Ocean and wanted the entire Ocean to be declared a ”zone of peace”. New Delhi has rationalised the visit of the aircraft carrier by saying that at least 10 other nuclear-powered foreign warships called at Indian ports in recent years. These include four visits by French naval ships, one by a British ship and five by U.S. naval vessels. ”These precedents cannot justify the present visit”, argues Anuradha Chenoy, a professor of international relations at the Jawaharlal Nehru University. ”It is deplorable that India allowed these port calls in the first place without sharing the reasons for the underlying policy shift with parliament or the public. Besides, the Nimitz is visiting India just when public opinion in West Asia is highly polarised because of the occupation of Iraq and the U.S.'s threatening gestures towards Iran.” The carrier's visit has special symbolic significance because of its role in the Iran crisis. The U.S. has been mounting pressure on India to drop a proposed natural gas pipeline from Iran to India through Pakistan. There is a good deal of lobbying on Capitol Hill in Washington to get the Bush administration to drop the nuclear cooperation deal with India, which was initialled two years ago and is under negotiation. Last week, ”The Hill” newsletter reported that several senators and congressmen want that the nuclear deal, which would make a special one-time exception for India in the global non-proliferation regime, be made conditional upon a cancellation of the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline project. ”The visit of the Nimitz is clearly no routine or innocent affair”, says Chenoy. ”India is aware of and has always been sensitive to the importance of symbolic gestures, including subtle and not-so-subtle forms of U.S. gunboat diplomacy.” During the Bangladesh war with Pakistan in 1971, the U.S. dispatched another aircraft carrier, the Enterprise, to the Bay of Bengal. This was widely seen as signalling Washington's opposition to the further continuation of the war after the Pakistan army surrendered to Indian troops in Dhaka and Bangladesh became independent. ”India-U.S. relations have turned a full circle,'' says Jayaprakash. ”Now India is willing to indicate its uncritical support for the U.S. military and enter into an unequal strategic relationship with Washington. This is a shameful departure from India's independent strategic and foreign policy orientation. It also means that the India-U.S. strategic partnership is being strengthened at the expense of third countries.” Jayaprakash is appalled that some of the Nimitz's 5,000-plus personnel will engage in a public relations exercise by doing community service in Chennai, including visits to people affected by the tsunami of December 2004. ”This is sanctimonious posturing,” he says. ”After committing horrendous crimes in Iraq, U.S. military personnel are trying to pretend that they have a humanitarian mission as well.” Trade unionists and environmentalists have also objected to the carrier's visit on the ground that it is liable to present another hazard, in the form of radiation from its two nuclear reactors. The Indian government says it will periodically monitor radiation levels; in any case, the Nimitz is anchored two miles outside Chennai port proper. However, the protestors are not satisfied given that India's own nuclear programme has a poor safety record and its Navy's ability to monitor radiation hazards is not independently established. ”What is galling is that Indian officials are bending over backwards to speak on behalf of the U.S. and allay the public's apprehensions,” says Jayaprakash. ”That is completely out of order.” In recent years, the U.S. and India have held high-level military exercises, including some that involved U.S. nuclear submarines. But the Nimitz visit even lacks such a strategic rationale. ”The docking of USS Nimitz is not a neutral or normal affair, but a strong political-strategic statement,'' says Chenoy. The statement runs counter to the promise of the ruling United Progressive Alliance to correct the strongly pro-U.S. bias in India's policy under the previous government led by the right-wing pro-West Bharatiya Janata Party, and to fight for a balanced, multipolar world free of nuclear weapons. (*IPS Correspondent Praful Bidwai is a committed anti-nuclear activist and the author of several books on peace and disarmament) ***** +CHALLENGES 2006-2007: Nuclear Disarmament Gets Critical (http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=35994) +ENVIRONMENT-INDIA: Mega Nuclear Plant Hits Popular Opposition (http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=38119) +Like Mushrooms ű IPS Special Focus (http://www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/nuclear/index.asp) ***** + CHALLENGES 2006-2007: Nuclear Disarmament Gets Critical (http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=35994)) + ENVIRONMENT-INDIA: Mega Nuclear Plant Hits Popular Opposition (http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=38119) + Like Mushrooms ű IPS Special Focus (http://www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/nuclear/index.asp) (END/IPS/AP/WD/IP/NU/DV/CS/PB/RDR/07) = 07030816 ORP006 NNNN ***************************************************************** 2 UPI: U.S. back in nuclear warhead business United Press International - NewsTrack - Science - Published: July 3, 2007 at 10:23 AM LOS ALAMOS, N.M., July 3 (UPI) -- The Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico has resumed production of plutonium detonators, the first production since 1989. The first detonator, known as a "pit," was completed last month and shipped to Texas, but on Monday, the laboratory hosted a ceremonial stamping of approval of a second pit for dignitaries, including U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., The Albuquerque (N.M.) Journal reported. The devices are designed for W88 warheads used on nuclear submarines and the lab intends to produce 10 of them a year to replace older ones in rotation, lab Director Michael Anastasio told the Journal. The United States hasn't produced nuclear warheads since 1989 when a facility in Rocky Flats outside Denver was closed due to environmental problems. As the ceremony concluded, the Physicians for Social Responsibility group had a news conference at a Los Alamos hotel denouncing the resumption. "Nuclear weapons development is just not needed," spokesman Mike McCally said in the Journal report. "We rather should be moving toward reducing our weapons stockpile." © Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 3 UPI: Bush, Putin agree to nuclear cooperation United Press International - NewsTrack - Top News - Published: July 3, 2007 at 11:40 AM WASHINGTON, July 3 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a statement Tuesday in Washington agreeing to increased cooperation on nuclear issues. A White House statement said the two leaders had agreed "to initiate a new format for enhanced cooperation" that would strengthen the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Among the topics the leaders initialed was to ensure the International Atomic Energy Agency has the resources it needs to meet its safeguards responsibilities as nuclear power expands worldwide. The talks were held before the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START, expires in 2009. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov also issued a joint statement highlighting mutual desires to reduce nuclear weapons stockpiles. "The United States and Russia reiterate their intention to carry out strategic offensive reductions to the lowest possible level consistent with their national security requirements and alliance commitments," the statement said. © Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 4 Public Citizen: Democrats Should Not Let Senate Republicans Block Ethics Reform; McConnell Refuses to Allow Reform Bills to Proceed to Conference June 29, 2007 Statement of Joan Claybrook, President, Public Citizen Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is again obstructing passage of the landmark lobbying and ethics reform package (S. 1), and Democrats shouldn’t stand for it. McConnell has refused to allow the appointment of Senate conferees to negotiate the differences between the Senate and House reform bills, a necessary step for passage of the final legislation. But this isn’t just any legislation – these bills make key ethics and lobbying reform improvements, which voters clearly told Congress last November they desired. It is unconscionable that McConnell, a longtime foe of any type of ethics reform, should stand in the way of voters’ wishes. In January, McConnell attempted to kill the lobbying and ethics reform bill when he rallied his Republican colleagues to prevent a floor vote on the legislation. A vote to place a time limit on consideration of S. 1, known as a cloture vote, backfired as the Republican caucus was viewed by the public as voting against ethics. McConnell and the Republicans quickly backpedaled on their obstructionist effort and let the bill pass in the Senate by a vote of 96-2. The House recently approved its own version of the lobbying and ethics reform legislation (H.R. 2316), which must be reconciled with the Senate bill in conference before becoming law. McConnell claims to be representing another unnamed Senate Republican by now preventing the appointment of conferees. McConnell has demanded that, before the ethics reform legislation can proceed, he receive leave to offer a mystery amendment to an unrelated piece of legislation requiring electronic reporting of campaign finance reports (S. 223). This is nothing but partisan obstructionism – obstructionism against the ethics reform bill and against full disclosure of Senate campaign finance records. McConnell is not offering anything useful. McConnell and his colleagues merely want to stop reform. Public Citizen strongly urges Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) not to surrender to McConnell’s partisan tricks. McConnell has no leg to stand on. If the Senate Republicans continue to block the conference process, the Democratic leadership should force them to go on public record in a cloture vote – and watch how quickly they will turn tail once again. ### ***************************************************************** 5 Public Citizen: Groups Urge Senate to Enact FOIA Reform on the Law’s 41st Birthday July 3, 2007 WASHINGTON, DC - As the 41st birthday of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) approaches, a coalition of groups urged the U.S. Congress to pass a bill - currently locked behind a closed door - that would reform the FOIA and make it work better for the public. The OPEN Government Act (S. 849) would enact common-sense reforms to the FOIA and put in place incentives for federal agencies to process FOIA requests from the public in a timely manner. When President Lyndon Johnson signed the landmark law on July 4, 1966, he declared: "A democracy works best when the people have all the information that the security of the nation will permit." Indeed, when members of the public have diligently pursued information under the FOIA, they have identified government waste and mismanagement and exposed significant controversies about government programs. Our government is not at its best, however, when it takes up to 20 years for a FOIA request to be processed, agencies routinely lose FOIA requests because they have no tracking system and the government leads requesters into litigation only to release requested documents on the eve of a judicial decision, as several studies have demonstrated. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) proposed the OPEN Government Act of 2007 (S. 849). The bill aims to solve some of the FOIA’s persistent problems by: • Creating a tracking system for FOIA requests so they are not lost, forgotten and ignored; • Clarifying the time limits for agency responses; • Authorizing the recovery of reasonable attorneys fees for requesters who prevail in FOIA litigation, including when a government agency releases records in response to a lawsuit before a judge rules on the case; • Requiring reports to Congress on how agencies handle FOIA requests; and • Creating a FOIA ombudsman to help resolve disputes between members of the public and agencies without litigation. The bill has strong bipartisan support. The United States House of Representatives passed a similar bill by an overwhelming majority vote (308-117) in March 2007, which included 80 Republican members of Congress. The concerns raised by some federal agencies have been addressed by the managers’ amendment SA 1147 and lack merit. And a new suggestion - that attorneys fees be permitted only when the person making the FOIA request can prove that the government acted in bad faith - would actually weaken FOIA, making it virtually impossible for FOIA requesters to obtain records under the FOIA. In contrast, the attorneys fees provision currently in the bill, which would restore the ability of FOIA requesters to receive attorneys fees when their cases cause an agency to release records before the court makes a decision, would strengthen FOIA and the democratic principles it promotes. The OPEN Government Act of 2007 is supported by a wide range of organizations and individuals across the ideological, political, and economic spectrum: • The United States Chamber of Commerce; • The National Association of Manufacturers; • More than 100 public interest organizations, historical groups and associations, including: the American Library Association, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the National Taxpayers Union and the Liberty Coalition; • The Sunshine in Government Initiative, a coalition comprised of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, the Associated Press, the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, the Coalition of Journalists for Open Government, the National Association of Broadcasters, the National Newspapers Association, the Newspaper Association of America, the Radio-Television News Directors Association, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and the Society of Professional Journalists; • Public Citizen; • The American Civil Liberties Union; • The National Security Archive; • 10 members of the Arizona State Senate; • The Open Society Policy Center; • David Keene, Chairman, American Conservative Union; • John W. Whitehead, President, The Rutherford Institute; • Thomas R. Pickering, former Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs and United States Ambassador to the United Nations; • Bob Barr, former member of Congress; • Veterans for Common Sense; • The Andrew Jackson Society; • Americans for Tax Reform; and others. In addition, editorial and op-ed pages in newspapers across the country have reflected strong public support for the reforms. The undersigned groups called upon the Senate to permit this good government measure to be brought to the floor for a debate and vote, and not to allow it to be brought down by legislative tactics and poison pill amendments. For more information, click here. ### Organizations Issuing the Release: American Association of Law Libraries American Civil Liberties Union American Library Association Association of American Physicians and Surgeons Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) Cyber Privacy Project Doctors for Open Government (DFOG) Electronic Frontier Foundation Ethics in Government Group Georgians for Open Government Liberty Coalition National Coalition for History National Freedom of Information Center National Security Archive National Taxpayers Union National Whistleblower Center Natural Solutions Foundation OMB Watch OpenTheGovernment.org Pain Relief Network Public Citizen Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Republican Liberty Caucus Semmelweis Society International (SSI) Student Health Integrity Project (SHIP) The New Grady Coalition The Pullins Report The Rutherford Institute United States Chamber of Commerce US Bill of Rights Foundation VA Whistleblowers Coalition ***************************************************************** 6 AFP: US, Russia begin nuclear reduction talks - by P. Parameswaran Tue Jul 3, 5:36 PM ET WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States and Russia on Tuesday pushed for peaceful nuclear energy use and said they had begun talks to trim their nuclear arsenals "to the lowest possible level" ahead of the expiry of a landmark strategic weapons agreement. The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), which led to the reduction and limitation of strategic offensive weapons under the largest arms control accord in history, expires in 2009. "The United States and Russia reiterate their intention to carry out strategic offensive reductions to the lowest possible level consistent with their national security requirements and alliance commitments," US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov said in a joint statement issued in Washington Tuesday. "To this end, ministers discussed development of a post-START arrangement to provide continuity and predictability regarding strategic offensive forces," they said, a day after US President George W. Bush and Russian leader Vladimir Putin held summit talks. Rice and Lavrov had met on the sidelines of the summit at the US leader's parents' vacation home in Kennebunkport, Maine. On the instructions of their leaders, Rice and Lavrov said Moscow and Washington would continue these discussions "with a view toward early results" on the reduction of their nuclear arsenals. Bush and Putin in May 2002 signed the Treaty on Strategic Offensive Reductions, limiting the two powers to a strategic nuclear arsenal of 1,700 to 2,200 operationally deployed warheads each. It expires in 2012. There are no immediate targets that have been set under the nuclear talks for any new agreement replacing START, officials said. "Well, I think it would be too early to announce any numbers because we haven't agreed to them," Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Kislyak told reporters in Washington, saying START may have outlived its objectives. "It doesn't mean that we necessarily need to continue the treaty as it stands today, because a lot of things that are provided for in the treaty has been already completed," he said. He expected "progress, at least in basic understanding, somewhere in the months to come." Rice and Lavrov also emphasized "the importance of confidence-building and transparency, and continuing the dialogue," said US special envoy for nuclear nonproliferation Robert Joseph. In a joint declaration Tuesday, Bush and Putin said they were determined to play an "active" role in pushing for the peaceful use of nuclear energy, in particular among developing countries, "provided the common goal of prevention of proliferation of nuclear weapons is achieved. "To this end, we intend, together with others, to initiate a new format for enhanced cooperation," they said, citing a bilateral agreement signed on the sidelines of the summit by Rice and Lavrov for cooperation in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy. Amid concerns over Iran's defiance in pursuing sensitive nuclear activities, Bush and Putin said any expansion of nuclear energy "should be conducted in a way that strengthens the nuclear nonproliferation regime." Bush had said after the talks with Putin on Monday that the Russian leader agreed on the need to send a "common message" to Iran over its disputed nuclear program. He did not mention whether he had won Putin over to the prospect of tougher international sanctions against Iran for its refusal to suspend its nuclear activities despite international pressure. Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but the United States and several other powers suspect it wants to develop a nuclear weapon. Lavrov also said that a nuclear reactor plant Russia was constructing in Iran could not be completed in two months as expected by Tehran, citing "technical and economic questions." The Iranian time frame for the Bushehr plant is "too ambitious," he said. Iranian officials have previously accused Russia of being half-hearted in finishing the project at a time when the United States is pushing for more sanctions over Tehran's nuclear program. Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 7 AFP: Bush and Putin more in tune, but discord still jars - Tue Jul 3, 3:50 AM ET KENNEBUNKPORT, United States (AFP) - The US and Russian presidents dressed down and went fishing at informal talks designed to diminish the heat on months of rancor reminiscent of the Cold War, but the tensions still simmer. While George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin angled for a truce at their "lobster summit" at the Bush family's idyllic summer retreat, missile defense and Iran's nuclear ambitions were two issues guaranteed to disturb the waters. The Russian leader had the catch of the day Monday, and not just for the striped bass that he plucked out of the waters on a boating trip with Bush and Bush's namesake father, the 41st US president. Having last month offered to host a controversial US missile defense system on a Russian base in Azerbaijan, Putin grabbed the headlines with a proposal to extend the US scheme to other parts of Europe, with NATO participation. While welcoming the idea as "very constructive and bold," Bush checked Putin by insisting that the Czech Republic and Poland must remain "integral" to the system. The exchange was a reminder that the United States and Russia are navigating through some of their choppiest waters since the Soviet Union's demise allowed the former Warsaw Pact nations to turn their gaze westwards. "The Kennebunkport meeting seems to have succeeded in rekindling a sense of camaraderie between the two leaders," commented Charles Kupchan, professor of international affairs at Washington's Georgetown University. "But there doesn't seem to have been substantial progress on reaching concrete agreements on any of the major areas of dispute," he told AFP. For Russia, Washington's plans to install a radar station in the Czech Republic and anti-missile batteries in Poland are an incursion into its backyard that could undermine its own offensive capability. Although the United States insists the system is aimed at "rogue states" like Iran, for Russia the planned deployment is a step too far coming with the NATO alliance already stretching deep into its former sphere of influence. Putin's surprise offer could be a "serious proposal that could provide an alternative to the current plan," said Kupchan, who headed European affairs on the National Security Council under president Bill Clinton. "It's also possible that he's simply trying to throw a wrench into the works and divert the US from proceeding with the planned deployment in Poland and the Czech Republic." But Bush's national security adviser Stephen Hadley said after the meetings that they showed a tangible advance. "What you saw was a very interesting shift and some real progress on this issue," Hadley said. "Is (Putin) really interested in cooperation with the United States and other nations in the area of missile defense? And I think he answered that question very much in the affirmative. "Is there a lot of work to do? Is there complete harmonization between the two sides? Of course not," Hadley said. "We're at the beginning of a process." In between speedboat trips near the rocky Maine shore and meals of lobster and swordfish, Bush and Putin finalized an agreement allowing civil nuclear cooperation between the United States and Russia. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov were expected Tuesday to sign documents assuring the right of countries to pursue peaceful nuclear development without allowing weapons proliferation. Bush said he and Putin had agreed on the need to send a "common message" to Iran over its nuclear program, which the United States and European allies say is a drive for atomic bombs that should be punished by tougher UN sanctions. "When Russia and America speak along the same lines, it tends to have an effect," the US leader said. But Putin said Iran had been more willing to cooperate with UN nuclear inspectors and with the European Union on its nuclear program. "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," Putin said. In terms of mood music at least, Bush and Putin struck the right notes after months of heated rhetoric that included a veiled comparison by Putin of the US administration to Adolf Hitler's Third Reich, and Bush's counter that Putin is dismantling Russia's nascent democracy. With some foreign leaders, Bush averred, there was the nagging doubt that he was hearing less than the truth. "I've never had to worry about that with Vladimir Putin. Sometimes he says things I don't want to hear. "But I know he's always telling me the truth," he said. Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 8 Guardian Unlimited: Putin: I Don't Expect Quick Bush Answer Tuesday July 3, 2007 10:46 PM By JOHN RICE Associated Press Writer GUATEMALA CITY (AP) - Russian leader Vladimir Putin said Tuesday he doesn't expect President Bush to react immediately to Russia's proposals for changes in the U.S. plan for a missile defense system in eastern Europe. But he said that if the Washington agreed, ``the world will be safer'' and a U.S.-Russia partnership enhanced. Speaking at a news conference in Guatemala, where he was promoting Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi for the site of the 2014 Winter Olympics, Putin defended the results of his meeting with Bush in Kennebunkport, Maine, on Sunday and Monday. He said commitments to reductions in nuclear-armed missiles announced Tuesday by Russian and U.S. officials in Washington were ``important from the point of view of the creation of a safer and transparent world.'' Putin also expressed hope the United States will accept the ideas he proposed for modifying the U.S. plan for the missile defense project, which would include a powerful radar station in the Czech Republic and anti-missile missile launchers in Poland. The Kremlin fears the shield in Russia's backyard is really aimed at Russian missiles and not Iranian ones as the U.S. says. Putin has threatened to again target Russia's missiles on Europe, and the issues has further strained U.S.-Russian relations. Putin last month proposed using a Soviet-era early warning radar in Azerbaijan as a substitute for the radar and interceptor bases proposed by the United States. On Monday, he suggested modernizing the Azerbaijan station and letting more European nations help decide how the shield is structured. He also suggested information-exchange centers in Moscow and possibly Brussels as a way to strengthen relations. Bush called the idea ``innovative,'' but U.S. officials expressed reluctance to embrace the whole. ``We don't demand immediate answers to all our offers,'' Putin said. ``Our goal is to formulate the offer and talk to our partner about it ... We will be waiting for the final response.'' Putin said that under his plan, ``the world will be safer and this will contribute to the further development of Russian-U.S. relations.'' Indicating a possible connection, he immediately added that the two governments ``will be moving toward a strategic partnership over Iran,'' an issue important to the Bush administration, which is concerned that Iran may be trying to develop nuclear weapons. Russia has pushed for further negotiations with Tehran, rather than further U.N. Security Council sanctions as sought by the U.S. and some of its allies. Two previous rounds of sanctions have been modest, at the insistence of Russia and China, which have economic ties with Iran. Speaking about the Olympics, Putin said he was promoting Sochi, where he often skis, as a ``unique site.'' ``It has a very gentle climate and a great deal of snow'' in the spring, he said. Putin is leading Russia's presentation to the International Olympic Committee, which will choose the site of the 2014 Games on Wednesday. Also competing were Salzburg, Austria, and Pyeongchang, South Korea. Putin spoke after meeting with Guatemalan President Oscar Berger. He said at least one large Russian company was interested in investing in power generation in Guatemala but added there were no formal proposals. He did not identify the company. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 ***************************************************************** 9 Guardian Unlimited: US, Russia Pursue Nuclear Weapons Cuts Tuesday July 3, 2007 8:46 PM By BARRY SCHWEID AP Diplomatic Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - The United States and Russia pledged Tuesday to reduce their stockpiles of long-range nuclear weapons ``to the lowest possible'' level, although they have not yet agreed on specific numbers. ``We have a way to go in our discussion,'' U.S. envoy Robert G. Joseph said at a news conference. Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Kislyak said ``it would be too early to announce'' new and lower limits on arsenals of long-range nuclear warheads. ``We haven't agreed on that.'' As an outgrowth of the latest round of talks between President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the two countries also said they were fully committed to preventing the spread of nuclear weapons technology. A pivotal 1991 treaty called for reduction of long-range U.S. and Russian nuclear missiles by about one-third, or to a maximum of 6,000 deployed strategic warheads, apiece. It is due to expire in December 2009. The 2002 Moscow treaty went further, calling on each side to reduce its operationally deployed strategic warheads to 1,700 to 2,220. In an exchange of data last January, the Russians claimed to have 4,162 strategic warheads, and the United States claimed 5,866 in the U.S. arsenal. The Moscow treaty, which expires in December 2012, sets a limit of 1,700 to 2,200 operationally deployed warheads on each side. A senior Republican senator, Richard Lugar of Indiana, who specializes in arms control, urged Bush before his talks Monday with Putin in Kennebunkport, Maine, to make sure the 1991 treaty was extended with binding language. In a joint statement issued Tuesday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the two sides intended to carry out strategic offensive reductions ``to the lowest possible level consistent with their national security requirements and alliance commitments.'' The countries will work toward developing an arrangement ``to provide continuity and predictability'' about their arsenals, the brief statement said. Bush and Putin instructed the two sides to produce ``early results,'' the statement said. So far, Joseph said, ``We haven't come to agreement on what will replace START,'' while Kislyak said it has not yet been determined whether there will be a successor treaty or the ceilings that might be placed on warhead totals. Daryl Kimball, executive director of the private Arms Control Association, said, ``the two countries still possess bloated Cold War arsenals.'' In an interview, he called on Bush and Putin to ``not simply promise deeper reductions'' but ``to set the table to pursue cuts well below current levels, which they did not.'' He said a more ambitious approach was vital ``especially given Russia's concerns'' about U.S. plans to install missile interceptors in Europe. On other weapons issues, a declaration released with the joint statement said the United States and Russia would seek the cooperation of other countries to guard against the proliferation of nuclear weapons. And, the declaration said, the U.S. and Russia would expand their cooperation in the field of using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 ***************************************************************** 10 Daily Yomiuri: Embattled Kyuma had no option Under siege from all sides, Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma eventually had no option but to fall on his sword and resign over his comments that could be taken to justify the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. His comments sparked criticism not only from atomic bomb victims but also from New Komeito members, incumbent ministers and candidates planning to run in this month's House of Councillors election. A group of A-bomb victims called on Kyuma to quit as the defense minister, saying his resignation was "a matter of course." However, the Defense Ministry was rattled and seemingly caught off-guard by Kyuma's sudden decision to step down. As news of Kyuma's resignation broke shortly after 1 p.m., the minister's public relations section was inundated with telephone inquiries. "We haven't confirmed the media reports yet," one official said to a caller. "As soon as we get confirmation, we'll respond to you." Earlier Tuesday, Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue had lodged a protest with Kyuma and asked him to retract his remarks. Kyuma apologized to the mayor, saying, "I'm terribly sorry for causing such trouble." But his voice was barely above a whisper and some ministry officials were concerned by Kyuma's downcast response. One section chief of the ministry, meanwhile, said Kyuma's resignation "could not be helped." "Although he was elected in Nagasaki, his comments were different in nature from the 'birth-giving machine' remarks by Health, Labor and Welfare Minister [Hakuo] Yanagisawa. Mr. Kyuma wasn't able to escape resigning," the section chief said. In January, Yanagisawa came under fire for calling women birth-giving machines and later was reprimanded by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for his comments. A senior Defense Ministry official was surprised by Tuesday's news. "I never imagined the resignation would come so quickly. I wonder what's going to happen next. Honestly, I didn't expect this to happen," the official said. The Nagasaki mayor also was surprised by Kyuma's resignation. "I was astonished [to hear about the resignation] soon after I met with him," Taue said. "But as he repeatedly offered words of apology and remorse when we met, I wondered if he might have been thinking about resigning." Miyoko Watanabe of Nishi Ward, Hiroshima, who is a victim of the A-bomb attack on Hiroshima and has since spoken in public about her experience of the war, welcomed Kyuma's decision to step down. "It's a matter of course that he resigned," Watanabe, 77, said. "When I heard his comments, I was furious as an A-bomb victim. I don't want any other ministers to make similar remarks that could justify a nuclear bombing." Nori Tohei, who co-chairs the Japanese Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, echoed Watanabe's feeling. "I think [Kyuma] got what he deserved. The remarks were intolerable to the A-bomb victims who died and other victims who are still suffering," Tohei said. "The comments could also leave room to legitimize nuclear weapons, making him unfit for the post of defense minister." === Nagasaki assembly protests Also Tuesday, the Nagasaki Prefectural Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution to protest Kyuma's comments. The resolution says the remarks were "nothing but imprudent if we consider the current situation of the many A-bomb victims who have suffered and the feelings of families of the deceased." "As a prefecture that suffered an atomic bombing, we have made every effort to eradicate nuclear weapons and seek permanent world peace. We cannot accept under any circumstance the comments, and we therefore lodge a strong protest [with Kyuma]," the resolution added. ) © The Yomiuri Shimbun. ***************************************************************** 11 BBC NEWS: Nuclear arms suspect extradited Last Updated: Tuesday, 3 July 2007, 13:40 GMT 14:40 UK Dara is accused of ordering the equipment from a German chemist A man accused of ordering illegal nuclear equipment has been extradited to Germany. Pakistani national Iqtidar Mahmood Dara was extradited from Heathrow Airport. The 44-year-old is accused of ordering the equipment from a German chemist with the aim of developing nuclear weapons in Pakistan. It is alleged that, between 14 August 2002 and 24 November 2003, Dara ordered a liquid waste monitor, two detection systems and an alpha-gamma spectrometry system. * BBC Copyright Notice ***************************************************************** 12 Reuters: Pressure mounts for Japan defense minister to quit Mon Jul 2, 2007 11:19PM EDT By Linda Sieg TOKYO (Reuters) - Pressure mounted on Japan's defense minister to resign for remarks that appeared to accept the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, when a ruling coalition partner said he should "decide his own course", a phrase that is often code for urging a politician to quit. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's support rates have already been slashed by outrage over government mishandling of pension records, and the remarks by Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma have only added to his headaches before a July 29 upper house poll. "Mr. Kyuma should be aware of what he has said and decide his own course," Kyodo news agency quoted Toshiko Hamayotsu, acting chief representative of the New Komeito, the junior partner in the coalition led by Abe's Liberal Democratic Party, as saying on Tuesday. Opposition parties, keen to press their advantage ahead of the poll, were seeking a meeting with Abe or his aides to press their demand that he fire the 66-year-old defense minister. Abe can ill afford another furor as his ruling coalition heads into the upper house election. A weekend survey by the Asahi newspaper showed Abe's support rate had slipped to 28 percent from 31 percent in the previous survey a week earlier -- the weakest result for the once popular leader since he came to office last September. Kyuma has already built a reputation for verbal gaffes since taking office, angering Washington in January by calling the invasion of Iraq a mistake. The defense minister apologized for his latest blunder again on Tuesday. "All I can do is apologizes to the victims of the atomic bombings and to others not directly involved," Kyuma, whose election district includes the city of Nagasaki, told reporters. ELECTION HEADACHE He added that he also regretted making things harder for fellow ruling party lawmakers, who face tough battles in this month's election for parliament's upper house. Continued... ***************************************************************** 13 UPI: Pakistan says curbs on Khan not lifted United Press International - NewsTrack - Top News - Published: July 3, 2007 at 12:49 AM ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 3 (UPI) -- Pakistan says there's been no change in the status of its disgraced nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan, who has been under virtual house arrest since 2004. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasneem Aslam Monday rejected some media reports that Khan's travel restrictions have been relaxed, the Voice of America reported. "There is no change in (Khan's) status," she said. "He continues to lead a quiet life with his family." Khan, who remains popular in Pakistan for helping the country become a nuclear power, was placed under house arrest after confessing to selling nuclear technology to countries such as Iran and North Korea. Some local media reports, citing government sources, recently said Khan is now allowed to attend dinner parties and visit friends around the capital of Islamabad, VOA reported. After Khan's confession, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf placed him under virtual house arrest. Musharraf has not permitted international experts to question Khan about the scope of his nuclear smuggling network. The VOA report said the latest developments come in the wake of new demands from U.S. lawmakers for direct access to Khan because of concerns among some of them that smuggling network may still be active. But Pakistan already has rejected these concerns. © Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 14 AFP: Japan's defence minister resigns over A-bomb row - by Kyoko Hasegawa Tue Jul 3, 8:25 AM ET TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's defence minister resigned Tuesday after sparking outcry with remarks appearing to justify the 1945 US atomic bombings in yet another blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ahead of a crucial election. Fumio Kyuma angered atomic bomb survivors over the weekend by saying the 1945 nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States "couldn't be helped" as they ended World War II. His comments triggered a fierce political row in Japan, the only country to have been attacked with nuclear weapons, adding to the troubles of Abe whose popularity is plunging just weeks ahead of his first major election test. At 52 Japan's youngest post-World War II prime minister, Abe has tried hard to shake off perceptions that he cannot control the old guard of his party, which has ruled Japan almost continuously since 1955. Abe had stood by Kyuma, who said it was his own decision to stand down. "My careless remarks should not affect the upcoming election which Prime Minister Abe is working hard for," the 66-year-old veteran politician told reporters. Abe accepted the decision, saying, "Resigning is the most serious way for a politician to take responsibility. I respect Kyuma's will." Kyuma, who represents Nagasaki in parliament, on Sunday apologised for his remarks, but that failed to assuage atomic bomb survivors, who fear his comments have undermined their campaign to abolish nuclear weapons. "We should never allow anyone who has the same views to take the post of defence minister," said Sunao Tsuboi, secretary general of the Japanese atomic bomb sufferers' organisation. Japan's premier is battling to avoid a heavy defeat in the July 29 upper house elections, with one weekend newspaper poll showing support for his cabinet at an all-time low of 28 percent. Abe moved quickly to try to draw a line under the row, naming his national security advisor Yuriko Koike as the first woman ever to take the post. But analysts said the resignation of Kyuma, the third minister to leave Abe's cabinet since its formation in September last year, would only make things tougher for the hawkish young premier. "Kyuma's resignation may reduce pressure from the opposition on the subject, but it's not going to help raise support for Abe at all," said Yoshikazu Sakamoto, an honorary professor of politics at the University of Tokyo. "The tough situation facing Abe has not changed ahead of the election," Sakamoto said. The Japanese premier's popularity has been shaken by a series of scandals and gaffes by his ministers, including Kyuma, who courted controversy once already in January when he said the US decision to invade Iraq was a mistake. Abe's state minister of administrative reform quit in December in a corruption scandal while his farm minister committed suicide in May not long before he was to face questions in parliament over alleged misuse of political funds. Kyuma's replacement Koike is a former television newscaster who is known for sharing Abe's hawkish line on North Korea. She also has a strong interest in the Middle East and speaks Arabic, having graduated from Cairo University. "National defence is a very important issue for the country. I will serve in the position with determination," said Koike, who served as environment minister under former premier Junichiro Koizumi. Opposition and ruling coalition lawmakers welcomed the resignation of Kyuma, who became Japan's first defence minister since World War II in January after Abe's government upgraded the defence agency to a Cabinet-level ministry. Yukio Hatoyama, the secretary general of the largest opposition Democratic Party, said Kyuma's decision was unavoidable. "He should have resigned soon after he made the remarks," added Hatoyama. On August 6, 1945 a US nuclear bomb codenamed "Little Boy" was dropped on Hiroshima, killing some 140,000 people. Three days later a second atomic bomb, "Fat Man", named after British wartime prime minister Winston Churchill, was dropping on Nagasaki, killing another 70,000 people. Japan surrendered on August 15, ending World War II. Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 15 Guardian Unlimited: Japanese minister resigns over atomic bomb remarks Justin McCurry in Tokyo Tuesday July 3, 2007 Japan's defence minister resigned today after suggesting that the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were inevitable, dealing a fresh blow to the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, less than a month before parliamentary elections. Fumio Kyuma will be replaced by Yuriko Koike, a fellow rightwinger who serves as national security adviser, local media said. In a speech on Saturday, Mr Kyuma said: "I understand that the bombings ended the war, and I think that it couldn't be helped". His remarks drew an angry response from survivors in both cities. At least 140,000 people died when an atomic bomb, codenamed Little Boy, was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6 1945; 74,000 more died in Nagasaki three days later. The combined death toll has since reached an estimated 360,000. The official Japanese position is that there is no justification for the use of nuclear weapons, and any deviation from that sentiment was certain to spark controversy. Mr Kyuma later apologised and said he had been attempting to articulate the US thinking at the time, but the damage had already been done. Atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima told him he would not be welcome at this year's memorial event, while the mayor of Nagasaki, Tomihisa Taue, wrote an official letter of protest. "That comment tramples on the feelings of A-bomb survivors, and as a target of the bomb, Nagasaki certainly cannot let this pass," he said. Nagasaki's sense of outrage was magnified by the fact that Mr Kyuma, 66, was born in the city and represents a seat there in the lower house. Mr Kyuma said Mr Abe had told him his decision to resign was "unfortunate" but had accepted it. Mr Abe reprimanded his minister but had refused to sack him, despite calls to do so from within the ruling coalition. His resignation is a potentially damaging distraction for Mr Abe's Liberal Democratic party [LDP] as it attempts to claw back public support ahead of the July 29 upper house elections. A weekend poll in the Asahi newspaper showed that Mr Abe's support levels had slumped to a record low of 28% as his administration takes a battering from scandals and its mishandling of pension premium records that could deprive retirees of benefits. Mr Kyuma's resignation comes weeks after the agriculture minister, Toshikatsu Matsuoka, hanged himself hours before he was due to be questioned about an alleged expenses scandal. The remarks about the atomic bombings were not the first time Mr Kyuma has landed his administration in trouble. Earlier this year he said the US had been "mistaken" to invade Iraq on the pretext that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. Half of the 242 seats in the upper house will be contested in this month's election. The LDP and its junior coalition partner, New Komeito, need to win 64 seats to retain control of the chamber. Elections for the more powerful lower house are not due until 2009, but a heavy defeat this month would limit the government's ability to pass legislation and could prompt calls for Mr Abe's dismissal from inside his own party. Should that happen, the nationalist foreign minister, Taro Aso, is among the favourites to replace him. Useful links Japan Today Asahi.com Far Eastern Economic Review Fuji News Network Japan Times Kyodo News Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 ***************************************************************** 16 NRC: NRC Sends Special Inspection Team to North Anna Nuclear Plant to Assess and Inspect June 29 Unplanned Shutdown of Unit 2 News Release - Region II - 2007-035 - U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region II 61 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30303 www.nrc.gov CONTACT: Ken Clark (404) 562-4416 Roger D. Hannah (404) 562-4417 E-mail: opa2@nrc.gov The Nuclear Regulatory Commission today dispatched a Special Inspection Team to the North Anna nuclear power plant, operated by Dominion Resources near Mineral, Va. The team will inspect and assess circumstances associated with a June 29 unplanned actuation of a Unit 2 safety injection system, which caused an unplanned shutdown of the main turbine and the reactor. NRC officials said the event appeared to be of low safety significance but that a three-person Special Inspection Team was established to provide the agency with a review of facts surrounding the event; assess the company’s response and investigation; identify any generic issues and conduct an independent review of the extent to which the event might affect other Unit 2 systems or those in Unit 1, which was not affected. The company initially reported to the NRC that the unplanned safety injection system actuation resulted in an increase in reactor cooling water which caused multiple actuations of the reactor cooling system pressurizer’s power operated relief valves to lower system pressure. This water overfilled the pressurizer relief tank, causing its pressure relief disc to rupture, releasing water into the containment building sump. Plant operators manually secured the malfunctioning injection system and maintained reactor system pressure and water level control by normal charging and letdown. NRC news releases are available through a free list server subscription at the following Web address: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC Home Page at www.nrc.gov also offers a Subscribe to News link in the News & Information menu. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web Site. Tuesday, July 03, 2007 ***************************************************************** 17 Platts: Perry shut down to replace recirculation pump motor 007-2J Washington (Platts)--2Jul2007 Perry was out of service July 2 after shutting down June 29 to replace a reactor recirculation pump motor, operator FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co. said. The 1,311-MW BWR began reducing power, to 55%, on June 27, after the failure of the motor, on one of the reactor's two recirculation loops, Fenoc spokeswoman Jennifer Young said. The reactor can operate at reduced power with only one of the recirculation pump motors functioning, but Fenoc decided to shut down the plant and replace the failed motor, she said. Perry was out of service from June 22 to June 25 for repairs to a reactor recirculation valve, but the two problems are not related, Young said. The plant had ramped up to 95% power when it began downpowering June 27, she said. Post this story to: del.icio.us | Digg | Newsvine | NowPublic | Reddit Copyright © 2007 - Platts, All Rights Reserved ***************************************************************** 18 Earth Times: Merkel affirms CO2 cuts but world must join in Posted : Tue, 03 Jul 2007 12:04:00GMT Berlin - Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Tuesday that a German offer to cut carbon-dioxide emissions by 40 per cent remained conditional on most of the world joining in. Speaking after consultations in Berlin with chiefs of German energy companies and consumer leaders, she said that climate change had been unambiguously proved by science to be happening and Germany must act on emissions. "Obviously Germany will make its contribution to achieving the targets," she said. But she said the basic target was to cut CO2 emissions by 20 per cent by 2020. Only if other nations joined in would Germany expand the cut to 30 or 40 per cent and she could not promise that before negotiations were finished. Juergen Thumann, president of the BDI Confederation of German Industry, said before the meeting that industry considered Merkel's 40-per-cent target unrealistic. Merkel said she expected annual climate-change talks with industry from 2010 onwards to review if the targets were feasible. The energy "summit" in Berlin was the third and last of a series of meetings on how energy-poor Germany can keep the wheels of industry turning and electrical appliances running while reducing emissions. The electricity industry in German mainly burns fossil fuels to generate power. Some companies are experimenting with sinking carbon dioxide in deep rock instead of sending it up the chimney. The talks have reignited Germany's old debate about nuclear power. Under legislation, all the country's 17 nuclear power stations are to be scrapped by 2021, but some centre-right figures favour keeping them longer. Merkel was accompanied at the talks by Science Minister Annette Schavan, Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Economics Minister Michael Glos, who favours keeping nuclear power longer so as to hold down CO2 emissions. Glos forecast Tuesday that debate about this would continue until the next election in 2009. However Gabriel, a Social Democrat, flatly rejected any change in policy. Gabriel said Germans would be encouraged to improve building insulation, use waste heat from power stations and buy power-saving home appliances. The government said the next step was to draft legislation this year setting targets until 2020. Copyright © 2007 Respective Author (c) 2007 Earthtimes.org, All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 19 CapeCodTimes.com: NRC safety check puts Pilgrim closer to license Cape Cod Online July 03, 2007 Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station has cleared one more hurdle to license renewal, gaining U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff approval on its safety performance. The plant's license runs out in 2012 and it has applied for a 20-year extension. Concerns cited by the commission at a public hearing in April have all been addressed, the final report finds. The NRC plans to release its final environmental impact statement by the end of this month, and a discussion about the application by the full Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards is tentatively scheduled for September, according to NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan. The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board must still decide whether to allow Duxbury-based group Pilgrim Watch to have a hearing on its concerns. The group is scheduled to appear before the NRC in February to discuss monitoring leaks of contaminated water. — STEPHANIE VOSK Cape Cod Online/Cape Cod Times is published by the Cape Cod Media Group. © 2007 Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. the Local Media group of Dow Jones. ***************************************************************** 20 EUX.TV: German utilities debate energy issues with Merkel Tuesday, July 03, 2007 at 11:13 Berlin (dpa) - German utility chiefs met Tuesday with Chancellor Angela Merkel to warn her that Berlin's energy-efficiency targets may be impossible to achieve. The energy "summit" in Berlin was the third and last of a series of meetings on how energy-poor Germany can keep the wheels of industry turning and electrical appliances running while reducing carbon-dioxide emissions. The electricity industry in German mainly burns fossil fuels to generate power. Some companies are experimenting with sinking carbon dioxide in deep rock instead of sending it up the chimney. The talks have reignited Germany's old debate about nuclear power. Under legislation, all the country's 17 nuclear power stations are to be scrapped by 2021, but some centre-right figures favour keeping them longer. Merkel was accompanied at the talks by Science Minister Annette Schavan, Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Economics Minister Michael Glos, who favours keeping nuclear power longer so as to hold down CO2 emissions. Glos forecast Tuesday that debate about this would continue until the next election in 2009. The government said that after the consultations with the big electricity companies, other business leaders and consumer groups, it would draft legislation by the end of this year, setting efficiency targets until 2020. The utilities argue that many technologies to improve efficiency are too expensive to be practicable. Hubertus Schmoldt, leader of the conservative IG BCE trade union which often reflects utility views, said in a radio interview, "The government's scenario assumes an annual improvement in energy efficiency of 3 per cent. "That has never been achieved in Germany and is unrealistic." He said the current annual improvement was 1 per cent and even 2 per cent was an ambitious target. EUX.TV player ***************************************************************** 21 NRC: NRC, Entergy to Meet on July 9th to Discuss Status of Emergency Notification System at Indian Point News Release - Region I - 2007-037 - U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region I 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa. 19406 www.nrc.gov CONTACT: Diane Screnci (610) 337-5330 Neil A. Sheehan (610) 337-5331 E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will meet with representatives of Entergy Nuclear Northeast on Monday, July 9 to discuss technical issues surrounding the installation, testing program and completion date for the new emergency notification system for the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Buchanan, N.Y. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Colonial Terrace, at 119 Oregon Road in Cortlandt Manor, N.Y. (Directions are available at: http://www.colonialterracecaterers.com/directions.htm .) Attendees are advised that parking may be limited. Following the meeting with Entergy, NRC will be available to answer questions from the public regarding the system. Prior to the meeting, beginning at 5:30 p.m., the NRC staff will hold an information session to allow members of the public to informally discuss issues surrounding the alert and notification system. Like other U.S. commercial nuclear power plants, Indian Point, which is owned and operated by Entergy Nuclear Northeast, is required to have an alert and notification system within the 10-mile-radius emergency planning zone around the facility. The system is designed to alert citizens in the unlikely event there is an incident at the plant so that they can listen to the emergency broadcast stations in their area for information and instructions. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 included a provision directing the NRC to require nuclear power plants located within certain population densities to have back-up power for their emergency notification systems, including sirens. Indian Point is the only nuclear plant that fell within the requirement. In January 2006, the NRC issued an order requiring the backup power by January 2007. Entergy is replacing its current emergency notification system with a new one that features, among other things, back-up power. The deadline was later extended to April 15, 2007. In April, the NRC denied Entergy’s request to extend the deadline a second time and issued a Notice of Violation and a $130,000 fine for failing to meet the deadline to achieve operability of a new alert and notification system. Entergy also was required to provide its action plan for resolution of the problems involving the new system. NRC news releases are available through a free list server subscription at the following Web address: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC Home Page at www.nrc.gov also offers a Subscribe to News link in the News & Information menu. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web Site. Tuesday, July 03, 2007 ***************************************************************** 22 NRC: Virginia Electric And Power Company Surry Power Station, Unit Nos. 1 and 2; Exemption FR Doc E7-12855 [Federal Register: July 3, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 127)] [Notices] [Page 36512-36514] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr03jy07-99] NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket Nos. 50-280 and 50-281] 1.0 Background The Virginia Electric and Power Company (the licensee) is the holder of Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-32 and DPR-37 which authorize operation of the Surry Power Station, Unit Nos. 1 and 2 (Surry 1 and 2). The license provides, among other things, that the facility is subject to all rules, regulations, and orders of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC, the Commission) now or hereafter in effect. The facility consists of two pressurized-water reactors located in Surry County, Virginia. 2.0 Request/Action Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), Part 50, Appendix G requires that fracture toughness requirements for ferritic materials of pressure-retaining components of the reactor coolant pressure boundary of light water nuclear power reactors need to provide adequate margins of safety during any condition of normal operation, including anticipated operational occurrences and system hydrostatic tests, to which the pressure boundary may be subjected over its service lifetime; and Section 50.61 provides fracture toughness [[Page 36513]] requirements for protection against pressurized thermal shock (PTS) events. By letter dated June 13, 2006 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML061650080), Virginia Electric and Power Company (Dominion) proposed exemptions from the requirements of 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix G and 10 CFR 50.61, to revise certain Surry 1 and 2 reactor pressure vessel (RPV) initial (unirradiated) properties using Framatome Advanced Nuclear Power Topical Report (TR) BAW-2308, Revision 1, ``Initial RTNDT of Linde 80 Weld Materials.'' The licensee requested an exemption from Appendix G to 10 CFR Part 50 to replace the required use of the existing Charpy V-notch and drop weight-based methodology and allow the use of an alternate methodology to incorporate the use of fracture toughness test data for evaluating the integrity of the Surry 1 and 2 RPV circumferential beltline welds based on the use of the 1997 and 2002 editions of American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard Test Method E 1921, ``Standard Test Method for Determination of Reference Temperature T0, for Ferritic Steels in the Transition Range,'' and American Society for Mechanical Engineering (ASME), Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (Code), Code Case N-629, ``Use of Fracture Toughness Test Data to establish Reference Temperature for Pressure Retaining materials of Section III, Division 1, Class 1.'' The exemption is required since Appendix G to 10 CFR Part 50, through reference to Appendix G to Section XI of the ASME Code pursuant to 10 CFR 50.55(a), requires the use of a methodology based on Charpy V-notch and drop weight data. The licensee also requested an exemption from 10 CFR 50.61 to use an alternate methodology to allow the use of fracture toughness test data for evaluating the integrity of the Surry 1 and 2 RPV circumferential beltline welds based on the use of the 1997 and 2002 editions of ASTM E 1921 and ASME Code Case N-629. The exemption is required since the methodology for evaluating RPV material fracture toughness in 10 CFR 50.61 requires the use of the Charpy V-notch and drop weight data for establishing the PTS reference temperature (RTPTS). 3.0 Discussion Pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12(a), the Commission may, upon application by any interested person or upon its own initiative, grant exemptions from the requirements of 10 CFR Part 50 when (1) The exemptions are authorized by law, will not present an undue risk to public health or safety, and are consistent with the common defense and security; and (2) when special circumstances are present. These circumstances include the special circumstances that allow the licensee an exemption from the use of the Charpy V-notch and drop weight-based methodology required by 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix G and 10 CFR 50.61. This exemption only modifies the methodology to be used by the licensee for demonstrating compliance with the requirements of 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix G and 10 CFR 50.61, and does not exempt the licensee from meeting any other requirement of 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix G and 10 CFR 50.61. Authorized by Law These exemptions would allow the licensee to use an alternate methodology to make use of fracture toughness test data for evaluating the integrity of the Surry 1 and 2 RPV circumferential beltline welds, and would not result in changes to operation of the plant. Section 50.60(b) of 10 CFR Part 50 allows the use of alternatives to 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix G, or portions thereof, when an exemption is granted by the Commission under 10 CFR 50.12. In addition, Section 50.60(b) of 10 CFR Part 50 permits different NRC-approved methods for use in determining the initial material properties. As stated above, 10 CFR 50.12(a) allows the NRC to grant exemptions from the requirements of 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix G and 10 CFR 50.61. The NRC staff has determined that granting of the licensee's proposed exemptions will not result in a violation of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, or the Commission's regulations. Therefore, the exemptions are authorized by law. No Undue Risk to Public Health and Safety The underlying purpose of Appendix G to 10 CFR Part 50 is to set forth fracture toughness requirements for ferritic materials of pressure-retaining components of the reactor coolant pressure boundary of light water nuclear power reactors to provide adequate margins of safety during any condition of normal operation, including anticipated operational occurrences and system hydrostatic tests, to which the pressure boundary may be subjected over its service lifetime. The methodology underlying the requirements of Appendix G to 10 CFR Part 50 is based on the use of Charpy V-notch and drop weight data. The licensee proposes to replace the use of the existing Charpy V-notch and drop weight-based methodology by a fracture toughness-based methodology to demonstrate compliance with Appendix G to 10 CFR Part 50. The NRC staff has concluded that the exemptions are justified based on the licensee utilizing the fracture toughness methodology specified in BAW- 2308, Revision 1, within the conditions and limitations delineated in the NRC staff's safety evaluation (SE), dated August 4, 2005 (ADAMS Accession Number ML052070408). The use of the methodology specified in the NRC staff's SE will ensure that P-T limits developed for the Surry 1 and 2 RPVs will continue to be based on an adequately conservative estimate of RPV material properties and ensure that the pressure- retaining components of the reactor coolant pressure boundary retain adequate margins of safety during any condition of normal operation, including anticipated operational occurrences. This exemption only modifies the methodology to be used by the licensee for demonstrating compliance with the requirements of Appendix G to 10 CFR Part 50, and does not exempt the licensee from meeting any other requirement of Appendix G to 10 CFR Part 50. The underlying purpose of 10 CFR 50.61 is to establish requirements which ensure that a licensee's RPV will be protected from failure during a PTS event by evaluating the fracture toughness of RPV materials. The licensee seeks an exemption from 10 CFR 50.61 to use a methodology for the ``determination of adjusted/indexing reference temperatures.'' The licensee proposes to use ASME Code Case N-629 and the methodology outlined in its submittal, which are based on the use of fracture toughness data, as an alternative to the Charpy V-notch and drop weight-based methodology required by 10 CFR 50.61 for establishing the initial, unirradiated properties when calculating RTPTS values. The NRC staff has concluded that the exemption is justified based on the licensee utilizing the methodology specified in the NRC staff's SE regarding TR BAW-2308, Revision 1, dated August 4, 2005. This TR established an alternative method for determining initial (unirradiated) material reference temperatures for RPV welds manufactured using Linde 80 weld flux (i.e., ``Linde 80 welds'') and established weld wire heat-specific and Linde 80 weld generic values of this reference temperature. These weld wire heat-specific and Linde 80 weld generic values may be used in lieu of the nil-ductility reference temperature (RTNDT) [[Page 36514]] parameter, the determination of which is specified by paragraph NB-2331 of Section III of the ASME Code. Regulations associated with the determination of RPV material properties involving protection of the RPV from brittle failure or ductile rupture include Appendix G to 10 CFR Part 50 and 10 CFR 50.61, the PTS rule. These regulations require that the initial (unirradiated) material reference temperature, RTNDT, be determined in accordance with the provisions of the ASME Code, and provide the process for determination of RTPTS, the reference temperature RTNDT, evaluated for the end of license fluence. In TR BAW-2308, Revision 1, the Babcock and Wilcox Owners Group (B&WOG) proposed to perform fracture toughness testing based on the application of the ``Master Curve'' evaluation procedure, which permits data obtained from sample sets tested at different temperatures to be combined, as the basis for redefining the initial (unirradiated) material properties of Linde 80 welds. NRC staff evaluated this methodology for determining Linde 80 weld initial (unirradiated) material properties and uncertainty in those properties, as well as the overall method for combining unirradiated material property measurements based on T0 values, property shifts from models in regulatory guide (RG) 1.99, Revision 2, which are based on Charpy V- notch testing and a defined margin term to account for uncertainties in the NRC staff SE. Table 3 in the SE contains the NRC staff-accepted IRTTO and initial margin (denoted as [sigma]i) for specific Linde 80 weld wire heat numbers. In accordance with the conditions and limitations outlined in the NRC staff SE on TR BAW-2308, Revision 1, for utilizing the values in Table 3: the licensee has utilized the appropriate NRC staff-accepted IRTT0 and [sigma]i values for Linde 80 weld wire heat numbers; applied a chemistry factor of 167 [deg]F (the weld wire heat-specific chemical composition, via the methodology of RG 1.99, Revision 2, did not indicate that a higher chemistry factor should apply); applied a value of 28 [deg]F for [sigma][Delta] in the margin term; and submitted values for [Delta']RTNDT and the margin term for each Linde 80 weld in the RPV through the end of the current operating license. Therefore, all conditions and limitations outlined in the NRC staff SE on TR BAW-2308, Revision 1, have been met for Surry 1 and 2. The use of the methodology in TR BAW-2308, Revision 1, will ensure the PTS evaluation developed for the Surry 1 and 2 RPVs will continue to be based on an adequately conservative estimate of RPV material properties and ensure the RPVs will be protected from failure during a PTS event. Also, when additional fracture toughness data relevant to the evaluation of the Surry 1 and 2 RPV circumferential welds is acquired as part of the surveillance program, this data must be incorporated into the evaluation of the Surry 1 and 2 RPV fracture toughness requirements. Based on the above, no new accident precursors are created by allowing an exemption to use an alternate methodology to comply with the requirements of 10 CFR 50.61 in determining adjusted/indexing reference temperatures; thus, the probability of postulated accidents is not increased. Also, based on the above, the consequences of postulated accidents are not increased. Therefore, there is no undue risk to public health and safety. Consistent with Common Defense and Security The proposed exemption would allow the licensee to use an alternate methodology to allow the use of fracture toughness test data for evaluating the integrity of the Surry 1 and 2 RPV circumferential beltline welds. This change to Surry 1 and 2 has no relation to security issues. Therefore, the common defense and security is not impacted by these exemptions. Special Circumstances Special circumstances, in accordance with 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(ii), are present whenever application of the regulation in the particular circumstances is not necessary to achieve the underlying purpose of the rule. The underlying purpose of 10 CFR part 50, Appendix G and 10 CFR 50.61 is to protect the integrity of the reactor coolant pressure boundary by ensuring that each reactor vessel material has adequate fracture toughness. Therefore, since the underlying purpose of 10 CFR part 50, Appendix G and 10 CFR 50.61 is achieved by an alternative methodology for evaluating RPV material fracture toughness, the special circumstances required by 10 CFR 50(a)(2)(ii) for the granting of an exemption from portions of the requirements of 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix G and 10 CFR 50.61 exist. 4.0 Conclusion Accordingly, the Commission has determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12(a), the exemptions are authorized by law, will not present an undue risk to the public health and safety, and are consistent with the common defense and security. Also, special circumstances are present. Therefore, the Commission hereby grants the Virginia Electric and Power Company exemptions from the requirements of Appendix G to 10 CFR part 50 and 10 CFR 50.61, to allow an alternative methodology that is based on using fracture toughness test data to determine initial, unirradiated properties for evaluating the integrity of the Surry 1 and 2 RPV circumferential beltline welds with the following conditions: (1) The licensee must utilize the data and methodology specified in the NRC staff's safety evaluation (SE), dated August 4, 2005, which was based on: (a) Information submitted by the B&WOG in TR BAW-2308, Revision 1; (b) the August 19, 2003, response to an NRC staff Request for Additional Information (ADAMS Accession Number ML032380449); and (c) B&WOG letter dated March 25, 2005 (ADAMS Accession Number ML051320232); (2) When additional fracture toughness data relevant to the evaluation of the Surry 1 and 2 RPV circumferential welds is acquired as part of the ongoing plant RPV surveillance programs, the licensee must re-evaluate the fracture toughness of the units' RPV circumferential welds; and (3) The exemptions are granted for the licensee to utilize the most recent staff-approved version of BAW-2308 (currently BAW-2308, Revision 1). Future revisions of BAW-2308 could affect fracture toughness data and analyses for Surry 1 and 2. Therefore, the licensee must review any future staff-approved revisions of BAW-2308 and update the units' fracture toughness assessments, based on the information in any staff- approved revision of BAW-2308. Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the Commission has determined that the granting of this exemption will not have a significant effect on the quality of the human environment (72 FR 35264). This exemption is effective upon issuance. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 27th day of June 2007. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Catherine Haney, Director, Division of Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. [FR Doc. E7-12855 Filed 7-2-07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 23 Reuters: Merkel rejects call to moderate emissions cuts Tue Jul 3, 2007 11:40AM EDT By Erik Kirschbaum BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel rejected industry criticism of her plans to cut Germany's greenhouse gas emissions by a third by 2020 and dashed its hopes of a deal to prolong the use of nuclear power. Merkel called the battle against climate change the "greatest challenge of the 21st century" at a news conference on Tuesday after a third meeting in the chancellery with political and industry leaders to discuss energy policy. "We all know what the costs of doing nothing would be," Merkel said, when asked about industry criticism that her grand coalition government had set overly ambitious goals on climate protection and was risking jobs. "We're on the right track," she said. Top utility E.ON said in a statement the meeting had not fulfilled its hopes for a long-term energy plan, but it would nevertheless stick to a large 60 billion euros ($81.61 billion) spending plan over the next three years. RWE's chief executive Harry Roels said consumers should be told that the ambitious climate targets could only be met if power prices went up in the medium to long term. The BDI industry association said many of the measures were sensible but that Merkel lacked the political power to "modernize the nuclear agreement and adjust it to reality." Environmental groups and the BEE renewable energy association praised Merkel for not caving in to industry criticism. Merkel made the environment a centerpiece of Germany's six-month EU presidency and led an effort for the bloc to agree to cut carbon dioxide emissions by up to 30 percent by 2020. Continued... ***************************************************************** 24 Reuters: GE sees nuclear projects in Europe, China: report Tue Jul 3, 2007 4:56AM EDT HELSINKI (Reuters) - General Electric Co. (GE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) sees opportunities in nuclear investments in Europe and China, but a nuclear boom in the United States would require some form of carbon emission pricing, GE's Chief Executive said. GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt told Finnish financial daily Kauppalehti GE believes it could win at least one major nuclear project in the Baltic countries, Poland or elsewhere in eastern Europe, where nuclear energy is currently being considered. "First, carbon emissions need to be given a price in some way. If that is done, nuclear power investments will surge everywhere, not just in the United States," Immelt told Kauppalehti in comments published on Tuesday. Immelt told the paper GE expects nuclear deals from China after five to 10 years, but not so much from Russia unless it was with a Russian partner. New nuclear projects are currently planned also in Finland, but Immelt said GE would not necessarily be interested in them. "This needs not to be taken the wrong way, as I am not saying 'definitely not'. We just want to see how everything goes and which technology is chosen," Immelt said. Finnish utility Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) is currently building the country's fifth nuclear reactor and the first new reactor in western Europe for more than a decade. GE took part aggressively in the bidding for the TVO project so2me years ago, Immelt said, but lost to a consortium led by France's Areva (CEPFi.PA: Quote, Profile, Research). © Reuters 2007. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 25 Reuters: U.S., Russia launch nuclear energy initiative Tue Jul 3, 2007 3:44PM EDT By Carol Giacomo, Diplomatic Correspondent WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and Russia on Tuesday pledged to expand nuclear energy cooperation, make nuclear power available to other states and reduce their own strategic nuclear weapons to the lowest possible levels. The initiatives aimed to capitalize on and shape a growing demand for nuclear energy and to answer complaints that Moscow and Washington, with the world's biggest nuclear weapons arsenals, are intent on maintaining overwhelming dominance. But they immediately drew fire from some nuclear experts. Companies in both countries could profit immensely from an explosion in reliance on nuclear power generation. U.S. negotiator Robert Joseph said more than a dozen countries are interested in acquiring nuclear reactors and "now is the time to help shape their decisions in a way that advances our common interests." U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin see nuclear energy playing a central role in the future and the new initiative "is about meeting the world's energy requirements ... development (and) assisting nations to enjoy the benefits of nuclear power," he said. The aim is to present countries that abide by international rules with "an attractive offer ... to acquire power reactors without the need to pursue indigenous enrichment and reprocessing," processes that could also be used in weapons production, he told a news briefing. In a statement issued a day after Bush and Putin met in Kennebunkport, Maine, the two countries said they initialed a formal bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement and listed 10 ways for fulfilling their pledge of broader cooperation with other countries. COOPERATION PLANS These included "facilitating the supply of a range of modern, safe and more proliferation resistant nuclear power reactors and research reactors appropriate to meet the varying energy needs of developing and developed countries." The United States and Russia will help secure financing, including through international institutions, for new nuclear plants and help states develop necessary regulations, safety standards and training programs, the statement said. Nuclear fuel would be provided by a Russian-Khazakhstan uranium enrichment reprocessing center or other leasing arrangements. Solutions will be developed to deal with the management of spent fuel and radioactive waste, Joseph and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak said. Kislyak suggested Iran and North Korea could participate but Joseph dismissed that as premature because the two states do not have "good nonproliferation credentials." Nuclear expert Edwin Lyman of the Union of Concerned Scientists said if the administration really wanted to curb proliferation, it "shouldn't be encouraging reprocessing and the increase in stockpiles of separated plutonium around the world." Russia balked at an earlier deal for disposing plutonium "so we don't need more empty promises and more bilateral statements that don't go anywhere. The goal has to be to secure and eliminate stocks of weapons usable materials in both countries," he told Reuters. In their push to prevent states like North Korea and Iran from developing nuclear weapons, the United States and other nuclear weapons states have been accused of a two-tiered system in which some states are allowed by international law to have atomic weapons and other states are denied that right. Attempting to address that issue, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov issued a statement reiterating their intention to reduce both countries strategic arsenals "to the lowest possible level consistent with their national security requirements." They said they discussed ways to provide "continuity and predictability" after the START treaty expires in 2009 but gave no target weapons totals or other details. ***************************************************************** 26 UPI: India, Japan work out energy plans United Press International - Energy - Briefing Published: July 3, 2007 at 4:44 PM NEW DELHI, July 3 (UPI) -- India and Japan announced an agreement to work out an action plan to increase cooperation in energy efficiency and renewables. A statement declaring the cooperation was signed by the Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Akira Amari and Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of India's planning panel. "Based on the Cebu Declaration of Energy Security in East Asia adopted at the second East Asia summit, India and Japan have agreed to set individual goals and prepare action plans voluntarily for improving energy efficiency," according to a joint declaration released at the end of the second meeting of the India-Japan Energy Dialogue Tuesday. Ahluwalia said the Indo-Japan energy cooperation does not involve development of nuclear energy sources. He said the two countries emphasized the need for increasing cooperation among private and public business operators for promoting clean development projects based on meeting the Kyoto Protocol. The Energy Research Institute, a non-government organization, also signed an agreement with the Institute of Energy Economics of Japan to conduct research and study energy challenges in India and Japan, said a planning commission spokesman. According to a Japanese minister, the Indo-Japan partnership efforts will be strengthened during the East Asia Summit, the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate and an energy meeting scheduled to be held in Japan in 2008. © Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 27 UPI: German nuclear plan unchanged United Press International - Energy - Briefing Published: July 3, 2007 at 4:13 PM BERLIN, July 3 (UPI) -- Germany's chancellor refused to backtrack on the end to nuclear power as she announced ambitious plans to address climate change. Angela Merkel announced Tuesday at an energy summit in Berlin that her government will craft legislation to increase energy efficiency by 3 percent annually and cut emissions by 40 percent by 2020. "We can't just continue with business as usual," Merkel said, Spiegel Online reports. While industry and skeptics say the goals are too ambitious, especially without relying on nuclear energy, Merkel said she isn't reversing a government plan set out before her tenure to close Germany's nuclear reactors by 2021. Although the Christian Democrats -- her party -- favor the reversal, her coalition party, the Social Democrats, do not. She said there will likely not be a move on the plans until after the 2009 national elections. Germany currently receives 26 percent of its electricity from nuclear power, according to the World Nuclear Association. The energy plan focuses on efficiency in buildings, cutting consumption in cars, and increasing renewable energy sources. © Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 28 SPIEGEL ONLINE: Energy Summit: Merkel Nudges for Nuclear Power Comeback - July 03, 2007 At an energy summit in Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel lays the foundations for the government's climate protection policies for the coming years. The meeting is seen as a push to reverse Germany's plan to phase out nuclear energy. AFP Opposing positions on nuclear power: German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel. Despite (more...), German Chancellor Angela Merkel said at a federal energy summit on Tuesday in Berlin that she wouldn't budge from ambitious climate protection goals she set for Germany and the European Union in March. "We can't just continue with business as usual," Merkel, of the conservative Christian Democrats, said describing climate protection as the most-important challenge of the 21st century. Merkel is calling for a 3 percent annual increase in energy efficiency in Germany as well as a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2020 by up to 40 percent in comparison to 1990 levels. One of the main ways the government wants to achieve the energy efficiency goal is through better energy savings in buildings. A government energy working group is calling for subsidies for building improvements -- like better insulation -- to be increased from €1.4 billion to €3.5 billion a year. Germany also wants to increase the number of co-generation plants that are capable of delivering both electricity and heat to consumers, as well as adhering to the EU goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions in cars from an average of 160 grams per kilometer to 120 grams. Industry captains this week described Merkel's plans as overly ambitious and "unrealistic." But on Tuesday, Merkel rebutted: "I say it again that, if we take climate protection seriously as a factor, then in some places we have no option but to implement the reduction targets." In order to achieve the government's goal, energy efficiency will have to be doubled by 2020 over 1990 levels. In addition, Germans will have to use 11 percent less electricity than they today. But Merkel said responsibility for meeting that goal should not just fall to industry and utility companies. Cars must also become more fuel-efficient, with more equipped to use greater amounts of biofuels; and homes must be better insulated to save energy. Additionally, renewable energies must play a far greater role in the country's energy mix. 'Like Driving a Car without a Seatbelt' Industrialists were quick to criticize Merkel's position. The Federation of German Industry (BDI) stated that Merkel had raised the bar on climate protection to a record level, one that could not easily be planned for or measured. BDI President Jürgen Thumann said: "It's risky making structural decision on energy policy on this basis. It's like driving in the car without a seatbelt -- hoping that everything will work out all right." Merkel, however, said the government would proceed in drafting legislation to ensure that its climate protection goals are achieved and that it would be brought to the cabinet for a decision in August. Economics Minister Michael Glos sought to reassure captains of industry, however, saying the government would ensure that the "burden for the consumers and the economy will be arranged in a way that jobs do not suffer from it." Leading into Tuesday's meeting, industry executives criticized Merkel's plan for its heavy reliance on increasing energy efficiency and renewables. The German government is currently committed to a phase-out of nuclear energy by 2021, but executives argue that Merkel will be unable to come close to achieving her goals unless the government is willing to reverse its policy and extend the lifespan of the current nuclear power plants that are online by 20 years. Merkel's government coalition partner, the Social Democrats, have remained steadfast in their insistence on maintaining the phase-out, but the chancellor is clearly seeking to sway public opinion towards nuclear power. Earlier in the day, Economics Minister Glos said he didn't believe the dispute over nuclear power could be resolved before the next national elections in 2009. However, the government and industry leaders agreed Tuesday on a closing document that described three scenarios for meeting the government's climate change goals -- with a clear preference for nuclear energy, which the paper said could produce the highest reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in Germany. The scenarios concluded that the cuts could be achieved without nuclear power, but that the latter would clearly be a less expensive option. Merkel is reportedly paving the way to make a nuclear energy rennaissance part of her party's (more...) if she is unable to sway the Social Democrats to abandon a 1999 deal to close the country's nuclear power plants negotiated between former chancellor Gerhard Schröder and his coalition partner, the Green Party. dsl/spiegel/AP/Reuters © SPIEGEL ONLINE 2007 All Rights Reserved ***************************************************************** 29 SMN: Bulgaria: Bulgaria's N-Plant Kozloduy Overshoots H1 Output Target Sofia Morning News 3 July 2007, Tuesday Bulgaria's sole nuclear power plant Kozloduy announced it has exceeded the projected target for electricity output by 4,52% during the first six months of the year. The nuclear power plant produced more than 8 335 000 000 KWh for the first half of the year, overshooting the planned 7 975 184 800 KWh. At the end of last year, hours before joining the European Union, the country shut down reactors number 3 and 4 at Kozloduy nuclear power station to meet the safety requirements of the European block. Units 5&6 remain online and working, while units 1&2, the oldest pair, were shut down in 2003. novinite.com Forum Google Tourism Business MobileBulgaria All Rights Reserved © Novinite Ltd., 2001-2007 - Copyright & Bulgaria news Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) is unique with being a real time news provider in English that informs its readers about the latest Bulgarian news. The editorial staff also publishes a daily online newspaper "Sofia Morning News." Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) and Sofia Morning News ***************************************************************** 30 Deutsche Welle: Merkel Calls for Policy Change After Energy Summit | 03.07.2007 Will a ban on conventional light bulbs like this one be part of the package? After talks with leaders of Germany's energy sector, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday that her government will present a new energy policy later this year. Industry representatives called her plans "unrealistic." Merkel said that climate change had been unambiguously proved by science to be happening and Germany must act on emissions. "Obviously Germany will make its contribution to achieving the targets," she said, adding that the basic target was to cut CO2 emissions by 20 percent by 2020. Only if other nations joined in would Germany expand the cut to 30 or 40 percent. Merkel said she could not promise that before negotiations were finished. Incentives to save energy Bildunterschrift: Gabriel, Merkel and Glos after an earlier energy summit last year The chancellor also told reporters that Economics Minister Michael Glos and Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who attended the meetings, would jointly work on a concept for a new energy and climate change policy to reach Germany's target to cut CO2 emissions. Gabriel said that the government's proposals would be finalized by the fall and decided on before the UN climate conference in December. He added that incentives to improve insulation and heating systems in buildings were under consideration. Germans would also be encouraged to use waste heat from power stations and buy power-saving home appliances, he said. Industry representatives, meanwhile, expressed their concerns about the government's plans, saying that the goal to lower CO2 emissions by 40 percent was unrealistic. Keep talking Merkel said she expected annual climate-change talks with industry from 2010 onwards would review if the targets were feasible. She also criticized energy providers for rising prices at the earliest opportunity after price caps expired on July 1. Bildunterschrift: The government wants to encourage people to improve insulation on their houses The energy "summit" in Berlin was the third and last of a series of meetings on how energy-poor Germany can keep the wheels of industry turning and electrical appliances running while reducing emissions. The electricity industry in Germany mainly burns fossil fuels to generate power. Some companies are experimenting with sinking carbon dioxide in deep rock instead of sending it up the chimney. Rethinking nuclear power Bildunterschrift: The nuclear energy industry has started a campaign to present its plants as climate protectors The talks also reignited Germany's old debate about nuclear power. Under legislation, all the country's 17 nuclear power stations are to be scrapped by 2021, but some center-right figures favor keeping them operating longer. Economics Minister Glos, a member of the Christian Social Union, the sister party of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, favors keeping nuclear power longer so as to hold down CO2 emissions. Glos said Tuesday that debate about this would continue until the next election in 2009. Gabriel, a Social Democrat, flatly rejected any change in policy. DW-WORLD * Nuclear Power to Dominate Debate at German Energy Summit 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. (02.07.2007) * Europe Turns to Liquid Natural Gas to Diversify Energy Intake With competition for energy resources continuing, some European energy experts who gathered in Germany called liquefied natural gas an emerging power source for the future of the EU -- for economic and political reasons. (30.06.2007) * Spate of New Reactor Plans Gives EU an Atomic Jolt Thanks to increased demand for energy that does not emit greenhouse gases, the nuclear power industry is seeing a surge in popularity -- especially in former Communist countries. (20.06.2007) 1. © 2007 Deutsche Welle ***************************************************************** 31 edmontonsun.com: Dangerous radioactive devices disappearing in Canada Tue, July 3, 2007 At least 76 in last 5 years, some usable in terror attacks By CP A member of the Joint Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence (JNBCD) Company from CFB Trenton takes part in a training exercise at the DND Connaught Riffle Range in Ottawa in this Dec. 11, 2002 file photo. (Sun file) OTTAWA — At least 76 radioactive devices — several of which could be used in a terrorist attack — have gone missing in Canada over the last five years, newly compiled figures show. They’re stolen from cars, disappear from construction sites, fall off trucks and generally go astray at an alarming pace. The Canadian Press has compiled a database showing the rate at which these widely used devices vanish, often for days, sometimes without a trace. It chronicles dozens of thefts and mishaps involving hazardous equipment employed daily in tasks ranging from oil-well measurements to pioneering medical research. Thirty-five of these were nabbed by thieves. Three others were found in a roadside ditch, a garbage landfill and a farmer’s field. And at last count dozens were still missing. The eye-opening data emerge as anti-terrorism experts warn it’s a matter of when — not if — readily available material will be used to craft a crude radioactive explosion, or dirty bomb, that could sow panic and cost billions of dollars to clean up. Some of the incidents would be laughable if the potential implications weren’t so serious: * A smash-and-grab crew in Red Deer played hot potato with a radioactive device after stealing a trailer containing the dangerous item. * A Quebec inspection firm has lost six nuclear gauges to thieves in the last three years. * A radioactive tool was turned in by an honest citizen after it fell out of a truck making a right-hand turn in Peterborough, Ont. Ontario and Quebec were the hot spots, with 18 incidents each, according to reports filed with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act. Alberta figured in 16 cases, British Columbia nine, Manitoba four, Saskatchewan three and neighbouring Montana one. Many of the items were recovered. Others simply weren’t potent enough to pose serious hazards. But radiation safety experts say several devices that went missing, even if temporarily, could have posed a genuine security risk in the wrong hands. The blast from wrapping radioactive material with a conventional explosive would likely kill or maim few people. But it could spew radiation up to several kilometres, depending on wind speed and the type of material used, forcing evacuations and breeding chaos. Weapons of mass disruption That’s why they’ve been dubbed “weapons of mass disruption.” Consider the three Keystone crooks in Red Deer who smashed their all-terrain vehicle through a fence and drove off with a trailer, only to discover a radioactive oil-well gauge inside. They cut locks and “towed it away not even knowing what the hell it was,” said Les Owens of Ultraline Services Corp., the company that owned the device. It was five days before anyone noticed the trailer missing and reported it stolen, on June 25, 2003. The lead-encased tool used to assess the depth of oil and gas deposits was recovered a week later, apparently after the panicked thieves noticed ’radioactive’ warnings and dumped it. Three men and a child living with them later tested negative for radiation sickness, said Kathe DeHeer of the RCMP in Red Deer. “They were very, very fortunate.” So was the Canadian public. Preliminary findings of a federal study released to The Canadian Press say a gauge like the one stolen in Red Deer, detonated near Toronto’s CN Tower, would spew radiation over four square kilometres and cost the economy up to $23.5 billion. In fact, explosives would not even be needed. A terrorist could leave an unshielded radioactive device — a so-called silent bomb — in a park or airport lounge. Such an attack would be especially effective given that the public generally knows little about radiation and its dangers. The legitimate use of radioactive isotopes in a vast array of industrial and scientific procedures benefits countless Canadians. Radioactive tools Thousands of licensees, from construction companies and pipeline crews to hospitals and universities, use a range of radioactive tools for everything from measuring the density of concrete and sterilizing food to attacking cancerous cells and conducting crucial scientific research. Officials are tightening controls, however, out of fear they could be used in more sinister ways. A study last year by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said it’s “quite surprising” terrorists have not already set off a crude radioactive bomb. “We are positively overdue” for such an attack, CSIS said. Radiological sources are prevalent, while increasingly savvy and emboldened Islamic extremists are bent on inflicting economic devastation as much as death. The prospect of a radiological incident appears to have official Ottawa spooked. Requests to various agencies for interviews about Canada’s readiness were met with weeks of stony silence while bureaucrats carefully vetted their answers. It doesn’t help that no fewer than six federal agencies share related duties for preparedness. There are growing signs that Western officials should be worried. Just last September, Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, the now deceased leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, urged scientists to help the organization build radioactive and germ-laden weapons. Some point to improvised conventional explosives, and even bombs packed with chlorine used against U.S.-led forces in Iraq, as signs that homemade weapons are evolving in startling ways. “It does seem there’s an escalation,” said Charles Ferguson of the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations, a research leader on radiological threats. “It could be just a matter of time. 'You don’t want to scare people' “You don’t want to scare people. You want to have an adult conversation with people and say there is this type of threat out there. We’re not saying it’s terribly likely to occur, but it’s more likely to occur than an actual nuclear attack.” While the U.S. government obsessed about phantom stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Ferguson tried in vain to warn of smaller-scale radiological sources scattered throughout that Middle Eastern country. It was months before American forces paid much attention to the threat, he said. Washington has spent much more time and money in recent years to minimize the less likely but far more potentially deadly risk of a major atom bomb-style attack. G8 countries finally agreed in 2002 to tighten export controls on radiological sources. There have been other improvements, but efforts to guard against a dirty bomb attack have commanded distinctly less respect than other risks, Ferguson said. “It’s the Rodney Dangerfield of security programs.” Neglected nuclear stockpiles in the former Soviet Union have spurred other international efforts — including contributions from Canada — to better secure them. And with good cause. At least twice in the 1990s, Chechen rebels got their hands on radioactive materials, in one case fastening a dirty bomb to a railway line near Grozny. It was successfully defused. Perhaps most stunning was the fatal poisoning of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko with radioactive polonium-210 in a London restaurant. As he lay dying, Litvinenko accused the Russian government of killing him as payback for his public criticism of the regime — a claim the Kremlin denied. In the post-9-11 era, many countries want to better safeguard materials that could be used as powerful weapons. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has called for improved monitoring of radiological devices. Tracking system Canada followed suit with a national inventory and tracking system for sealed radioactive sources, as well as steps toward improved storage and transport security. Those efforts are apparently needed. The declassified incident reports reveal numerous gaffes and miscues: * The loss of two nuclear medicine markers at a hospital in Windsor, Ont., sometime in late 2002. * The March 2003 disappearance of five electron-capture detectors from Ontario’s University of Guelph. * A vanishing vial of sodium iodide that appears to have fallen off a courier truck en route from Kirkland, Que., to Saskatoon in October 2003. Canada is not alone in struggling to keep tabs on radioactive items in the warehouses, cabinets and trucks of licensees. Between 1993 and 2005, the IAEA collected reports from member states, including Canada and the United States, of more than 827 confirmed incidents of illegal acquisition, possession, transfer or disposal — whether accidental or not — of nuclear and other radioactive materials. That figure may be conservative. A 2003 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that since 1998 there had been more than 1,300 cases of sealed sources being lost, stolen or abandoned in the United States alone. The record has prompted some American politicians to raise the spectre of a radiological assault. In the absence of an actual attack to dissect and study, scientists and security officials have turned their attention to accidental releases, laboratory tests and simulated events. Four people died and 85 contaminated buildings had to be razed in Goiaina, Brazil, after the 1987 scrapyard discovery of a capsule of cesium from a cancer treatment centre. Controlled dirty-bombs Controlled dirty-bomb explosions in the United States led scientists to conclude that contamination would largely be limited to an area of 500 metres. The Federation of American Scientists, long a prominent voice on research on nuclear and radiation issues, paints a more grim scenario. In 2002, the organization told a congressional committee that materials lost or stolen from U.S. research institutions and commercial sites could contaminate tens of city blocks at a level requiring prompt evacuation. An area exceeding tens of square kilometres, the FAS said, could be swept with radiation exceeding recommended civilian exposure limits. A 2004 study by the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., suggests the economic impact of a successful dirty bomb attack on a major populated area is likely to equal and perhaps exceed that of the Sept. 11, 2001, jetliner assaults on New York and Washington. In Canada, a federal initiative has used computer modelling to examine the likely effects of a dirty bomb depending on the materials and location involved. Much would depend on whether the radioactive source was in easily dispersable liquid or powder form. While there is some disagreement over the number of people and the size of the area likely to be affected, the experts agree the economic and psychological impact of even a modest attack in a major city could be significant. “Within the terrorist community, the intent is there,” said Ted Sykes, who manages a portfolio of federal research projects to better deal with radiological and nuclear threats. “But their ability to carry out the intent is questionable based on all the security considerations that have been put in place. That said, if they did succeed the impact would be relatively high. So consequently we do the work that we do. Copyright © 2007, Canoe Inc. All rights reserved. Test ***************************************************************** 32 NRC: NUREG-1556, Volume 13, Revision 1, ``Consolidated Guidance About Materials Licenses Program-Specific Guidance About Commercial Radiopharmacy Licenses''; Draft Guidance Document for Comment FR Doc E7-12856 [Federal Register: July 3, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 127)] [Notices] [Page 36526-36528] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr03jy07-109] NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Notice of availability for public comment. SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has amended its regulations to include jurisdiction over certain radium sources, accelerator-produced radioactive materials, and certain naturally occurring radioactive material, as required by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct), which was signed into law on August 8, 2005. The EPAct expanded the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 definition of byproduct material to include these radioactive materials. [[Page 36527]] Subsequently, these radioactive materials were placed under NRC's regulatory authority. NRC is revising its regulations to provide a regulatory framework that includes these newly added radioactive materials. See SECY-07-0062, ``Final Rule: Requirements for Expanded Definition of Byproduct Material,'' dated April 3, 2007, for information on that rulemaking. Two licensing guidance documents in the NUREG-1556 series are being revised along with these new regulations to provide guidance related to the new requirements: (1) NUREG-1556, Volume 13, Revision 1, ``Consolidated Guidance About Materials Licenses--Program-Specific Guidance About Commercial Radiopharmacy Licenses,'' and (2) NUREG-1556, Volume 9, Revision 2, ``Consolidated Guidance About Materials Licenses--Program Specific Guidance About Medical Use Licenses.'' A new volume in the NUREG-1556 series has also been developed to address the production of radioactive material using an accelerator. This NUREG is entitled NUREG-1556, Volume 21, ``Consolidated Guidance About Materials Licenses--Program-Specific Guidance About Possession Licenses for Production of Radioactive Material Using an Accelerator.'' This notice is announcing the availability of one of these three licensing guidance documents for public comment: NUREG-1556, Volume 13, Revision 1. NUREG-1556, Volume 9, Revision 2, will be available for public comment in the near future. NUREG-1556, Volume 21, was previously noticed for public comment in the Federal Register, on May 29, 2007 (72 FR 29555). DATES: Please submit comments on NUREG-1556, Volume 13, Revision 1, by August 2, 2007. Comments received after this date will be considered if practical to do so, but the NRC staff is able to ensure consideration only for those comments received on or before this date. ADDRESSES: NUREG-1556, Volume 13, Revision 1, ``Consolidated Guidance About Materials Licenses--Program-Specific Guidance About Commercial Radiopharmacy Licenses,'' Draft Report for Comment, is available for inspection and copying for a fee at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), Public File Area O-1F21, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available documents created or received at the NRC after November 1, 1999, are available electronically at the NRC's Electronic Reading Room at http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/ADAMS/index.html. From this site, the public can gain entry into the NRC's Agencywide Document Access and Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and image files of the NRC's public documents. The ADAMS Accession Number for NUREG-1556, Volume 13, Revision 1, is ML071581047. If you do not have access to ADAMS or if there are problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, contact the NRC PDR Reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by e- mail to pdr@nrc.gov. The document will also be posted on NRC's public Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1556/ on the ``Consolidated Guidance About Materials Licenses (NUREG-1556)'' Web site page, and on the Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs' NARM (Naturally-Occurring and Accelerator-Produced Radioactive Material) Toolbox Web site page at: http://nrc-stp.ornl.gov/narmtoolbox.html under the heading of ``Licensing Guidance.'' A free single copy, to the extent of supply, may be requested by writing to the Office of the Chief Information Officer, Reproduction and Distribution Services, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Printing and Graphics Branch, Washington, DC 20555-0001; facsimile: 301-415- 2289; e-mail: Distribution@nrc.gov. Please submit comments to Chief, Rulemaking, Directives and Editing Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. You may also deliver comments to 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD, between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Federal workdays, or by e-mail to: nrcrep@nrc.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Torre Taylor, Division of Intergovernmental Liaison and Rulemaking, Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, telephone (301) 415- 7900, e-mail: tmt@nrc.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Background On August 8, 2005, the President signed into law the EPAct. Among other provisions, Section 651(e) of the EPAct expanded the definition of byproduct material as defined in Section 11e. of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (AEA), placing additional byproduct material under the NRC's jurisdiction, and required the Commission to provide a regulatory framework for licensing and regulating this additional byproduct material. Specifically, Section 651(e) of the EPAct expanded the definition of byproduct material by: (1) Adding any discrete source of radium-226 that is produced, extracted, or converted after extraction, before, on, or after the date of enactment of the EPAct for use for a commercial, medical, or research activity; or any material that has been made radioactive by use of a particle accelerator and is produced, extracted, or converted after extraction, before, on, or after the date of enactment of the EPAct for use for a commercial, medical, or research activity (Section 11e.(3) of the AEA); and (2) adding any discrete source of naturally occurring radioactive material, other than source material, that the Commission, in consultation with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Secretary of the Department of Energy, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and the head of any other appropriate Federal agency, determines would pose a threat similar to the threat posed by a discrete source of radium-226 to the public health and safety or the common defense and security; and is extracted or converted after extraction before, on, or after the date of enactment of the EPAct for use in a commercial, medical, or research activity (Section 11e.(4) of the AEA). NRC is revising its regulations to provide a regulatory framework that includes these newly added radioactive materials. See SECY-07- 0062, ``Final Rule: Requirements for Expanded Definition of Byproduct Material,'' dated April 3, 2007, for information on that rulemaking. Discussion As part of the rulemaking effort to address the mandate of the EPAct, the NRC also evaluated the need to revise certain licensing guidance documents to provide necessary guidance to applicants in preparing license applications to include the use of the newly added radioactive material as byproduct material. Two NUREG-1556 documents are being revised to provide additional guidance to licensees: (1) NUREG-1556, Volume 13, Revision 1, ``Consolidated Guidance About Materials Licenses--Program-Specific Guidance About Commercial Radiopharmacy Licenses,'' and (2) NUREG-1556, Volume 9, Revision 2, ``Consolidated Guidance About Materials Licenses--Program-Specific Guidance About Medical Use Licenses.'' Additionally, a new NUREG-1556 [[Page 36528]] volume has been developed as Volume 21 to address production of radioactive material using an accelerator. This NUREG-1556, Volume 21, is entitled: ``Consolidated Guidance About Materials Licenses--Program- Specific Guidance About Possession Licenses for Production of Radioactive Material Using an Accelerator.'' At this time, NRC is announcing the availability for public comment NUREG-1556, Volume 13, Revision 1, ``Consolidated Guidance About Materials Licenses--Program-Specific Guidance About Commercial Radiopharmacy Licenses,'' Draft Report for Comment. Volume 9, Revision 2, ``Consolidated Guidance About Materials Licenses--Program-Specific Guidance About Medical Use Licenses,'' will be available for public comment in the near future. NUREG-1556, Volume 21, ``Consolidated Guidance About Materials Licenses--Program-Specific Guidance About Possession Licenses for Production of Radioactive Material Using an Accelerator,'' was previously noticed for public comment in the Federal Register on May 29, 2007 (72 FR 29555), for a 30-day comment period. NUREG-1556, Volume 13, Revision 1, ``Consolidated Guidance About Materials Licenses--Program-Specific Guidance About Commercial Radiopharmacy Licenses,'' provides guidance for applicants for commercial radiopharmacy licenses in preparing their license applications. Volume 13 is being revised primarily to provide additional guidance related to positron emission tomography (PET) radiopharmaceuticals for medical use. The guidance in Section 8.7.2, ``Authorized Nuclear Pharmacist,'' has been updated to reflect current 10 CFR Part 35 requirements. Additionally, other minor changes are being made that are administrative in nature, such as updating the Agreement State section and updating references. Also, information related to identifying and protecting sensitive information is being updated. NRC is only requesting comments on the specific changes in this document related to the expanded definition of byproduct material and the NARM rule. The Abstract contains a brief summary of the nature of the changes that were made as well as a list of Sections in which substantial revisions were made or new guidance was provided. NRC will make corrections if any errors or editorial corrections are noted; however, any comments not related to these specific changes will be evaluated during the next routine review of the NUREG. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 21st day of June, 2007. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Dennis K. Rathbun, Director, Division of Intergovernmental Liaison and Rulemaking, Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs. [FR Doc. E7-12856 Filed 7-2-07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 33 UPI: Russia reports 140 nuclear violations United Press International - NewsTrack - Top News - Published: July 3, 2007 at 2:24 PM MOSCOW, July 3 (UPI) -- The head of Russia's oversight agency for nuclear reactors said there had been 140 safety violations this year in the country that have all been rectified. Speaking Tuesday at an international forum of nuclear oversight officials near Moscow, Konstantin Pulikovsky, chief of the Federal Service for Supervision of Environment, Technology and Nuclear Management said his service conducts as many as 2,000 inspections a year, and that violators face "administrative responsibility if necessary," the Itar-Tass news agency reported. "The number of violations of standards and rules in the field of the use of atomic energy was 175 in 2005 and 350 in 2006," Pulikovsky said. Representatives of Germany, France and the International Atomic Energy Agency take part in the annual forum as observers. © Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 34 NNSA announces new nuke trigger United Press International - Security & Terrorism - Briefing Published: July 3, 2007 at 4:32 PM LOS ALAMOS, N.M., July 3 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have produced a new replacement pit, or triggering device, for the national nuclear weapons stockpile. The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration has "recognized the production of the first replacement pit in 18 years for a nuclear weapon." The NNSA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Energy. It said in a statement Monday that the pit was "an essential piece of every U.S. nuclear weapon." "The pit is typically made of plutonium and acts as a trigger, allowing a weapon to function," the agency said. "The pit was built for the W88 nuclear warhead ahead of schedule and under budget by NNSA's Los Alamos National Laboratory, with support from other sites in the nuclear weapons complex. "Having this capability means that we can maintain the safety, security and reliability of the W88 nuclear weapon without having to conduct underground nuclear tests," said NNSA's Acting Administrator Bill Ostendorff. "This achievement could not have been possible without the tremendous scientific and technical expertise at NNSA's Los Alamos National Laboratory and the very important contributions from the rest of the nuclear weapons complex." Since the Rocky Flats Plant in Colorado "stopped production in 1989, the country lacked the capability to manufacture pits, also called primaries," the NNSA said. "Because the Los Alamos laboratory had the only remaining complete plutonium manufacturing capability in the country, it was tasked in 1996 with recreating the W88 pit that was designed and built at Rocky Flats," the agency said. The effort took 10 years. "This success is due to dedication and hard work by the people of Los Alamos National Laboratory," said LANL director Michael Anastasio. "Meeting technical, scientific, and manufacturing challenges is what this laboratory is all about. I am very proud of the work and of everyone involved in this important accomplishment." © Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 35 Medical News Today: UK Military Personnel Involved In The 2003 Invasion Of Iraq Have Not Absorbed Dangerous Levels Of Depleted Uranium Article Date: 03 Jul 2007 - 1:00 PDT According to an article in Occupational and Environmental Medicine quoting new research, UK military personnel who were involved in the invasion of Iraq in 2003 have not absorbed dangerous levels of depleted uranium. Depleted uranium is used in military combat to pierce armoured vehicles, and spontaneously combusts on impact into fine aerosol particles. These can either be breathed in or eaten/drunk in contaminated food/water. Levels can be assessed many years after potential exposure, using a special test called plasma-mass spectrometry, and a particular mathematical formula. The authors tested depleted uranium levels in the urine of four different groups who would have been subject to different levels of exposure. These comprised 199 soldiers directly involved in fighting, 96 soldiers involved in other duties, 22 medical staff, and 24 people responsible for cleaning up or repairing contaminated vehicles. The staff were also questioned closely about the circumstances in which exposure might have occurred. The results showed that there were no differences in depleted uranium levels among the four groups. And the findings showed that levels were very close to those that would be expected from absorption of naturally occurring uranium. In cases where higher levels were found, these were within the normal range for naturally occurring uranium, when re-analyzed. The findings should help to allay fears about the health of military personnel exposed to radioactive depleted uranium, say the authors. "Urinary isotopic analysis in the UK Armed Forces: no evidence of depleted uranium absorption in combat and other personnel in Iraq" Online First Occup Environ Med 2007 doi: 10.1136/oem.2007.032599 http://www.oem.bmj.com 2007 MediLexicon International Ltd ***************************************************************** 36 PEER: OSHA ORDERED TO RELEASE TOXIC EXPOSURE DATABASE — More than 25 Years of Workplace Sampling Yields Public Health Research Bonanza Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility For Immediate Release: July 2, 2007 Contact: Carol Goldberg (202) 265-7337 Washington, DC — The U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) has wrongfully withheld data documenting years of toxic exposures to workers and its own inspectors, according to a federal court ruling posted today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). As a result, the world’s largest compendium of measurements of occupational exposures to toxic substances - more than 2 million analyses conducted during some 75,000 OSHA workplace inspections since 1979 - should now be available to researchers and policymakers. Each year, an estimated 40,000 U.S. workers die prematurely because of exposures to toxic substances on the job. The June 29, 2007 federal court ruling came in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed by Dr. Adam M. Finkel, a former chief regulator and Regional Administrator at OSHA from 1995-2003, and 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 the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University. His career at OSHA came to an end after disclosing OSHA’s secret decision in 2002 not to offer medical testing to its own inspectors who had been exposed to beryllium dust. Beryllium dust can cause a unique and often-fatal lung disease, known as “chronic beryllium disease” or CBD. In June 2005, Dr. Finkel filed a request under FOIA for release of the entire contents of the OSHA database on toxic exposures, which contains the concentration of each substance found (e.g., asbestos, lead, benzene, silica dust), the company where the sample was taken, and an encrypted code for the inspector who took the sample. He also requested coded information about the results of beryllium sensitization tests conducted on OSHA inspectors. OSHA denied both requests, claiming that among the sampling results there may have been trade secrets and that releasing the encrypted codes could somehow compromise inspectors’ privacy. Judge Mary L. Cooper of the Federal District Court in Trenton, New Jersey, held that the rationales offered up by OSHA to justify withholding the data lacked any merit. Moreover, she found that “the public interest in disclosing information that will increase understanding about beryllium sensitization and OSHA’s response thereto is significant.” “OSHA forgot a long time ago that it exists to protect workers, not to protect its own executives,” stated Dr. Finkel, noting his gratitude to Peter Dickson from the Princeton law firm of Potter & Dickson who argued the case. “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.” According to Peter Dickson, “This well-balanced and thoughtful decision is a welcome brake on efforts by the government to prevent public scrutiny of what agencies are doing, and more importantly in this case, not doing.” The validity of Dr. Finkel’s disclosures has been confirmed in tests showing an unexpectedly high incidence of blood abnormalities among a small group of OSHA inspectors, who finally were offered the medical tests in 2004, after settling his whistleblower retaliation case against OSHA and returned to academia. This finding has serious implications for the majority of current and former OSHA inspectors who still have not been offered testing, as well as for an estimated 130,000 private-sector workers who are exposed to beryllium daily. OSHA’s permissible beryllium exposure limit was developed almost 60 years ago and has not been updated. Experts agree that the equivalent of one day’s exposure at the current limit can cause CBD. “OSHA’s perverse posture in this case fits its pattern of studiously ignoring occupational health hazards ranging from popcorn lung disease to the epidemic of pulmonary maladies among Ground Zero workers,” stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch, whose organization helped represent Dr. Finkel in his whistleblower case. “Congress should identify the officials responsible for this fiasco before the Bush administration awards them bonuses.” ### Contact PEER Tell-a-Friend Your Privacy Ph: (202) 265-7337 • Fax: (202) 265-4192 • email: info@peer.org all content © peer.org 2007 website created and hosted by puffinworks ***************************************************************** 37 Ventura County Star: Fliers warn of Halaco dangers Oxnard : By Tony Biasotti (Contact) Tuesday, July 3, 2007 The Halaco Files Visit our Halaco Web site for more information including videos that cover the history, cleanup and the reactions of those who live near and worked at Halaco; an interactive graphic that details site hot spots; an interactive timeline; an interactive graphic showing the dangerous elements found at the site and their possible effects on the body; documents from inspections, complaints, legal actions and more; a slide show of past and present images; an archive of Halaco-related stories; and links to numerous resources. VenturaCountyStar.com/halaco » For the past six months, the abandoned Halaco smelting plant near Oxnard's Ormond beach has bustled with trucks and people as federal regulators study the contamination on the property. And yet, on Monday, when federal officials visited a nearby strip mall to warn the mostly Spanish-speaking merchants and customers about the dangers of the Halaco site, most people they met had no idea a waste pile existed there. "We really hadn't heard about it at all," said Nataly De La Cerda, 18, who was at her mother's clothing store when three men from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency came in with a stack of fliers on Halaco. The EPA's main message: Keep out. "As long as people stay off of the site, they're not in any danger," said Wayne Praskins, a project manager with the EPA's Superfund program. The Halaco property is littered with dangers, from radioactive debris and heavy metals that could cause cancer to crumbling buildings that could be a hazard for adventurous children. The debris was piled high by Halaco Engineering Co., which operated the metal recycling plant for 40 years before it filed for bankruptcy and closed in 2004. Since then, the site has become a magnet for graffiti vandals and other trespassers. Fresh graffiti appears regularly, and there are signs that people have been riding all-terrain vehicles near the slag pile. The EPA, which has taken over the cleanup, put a locked gate on the property and asked the developers who own most of the land to hire security guards to patrol the area. The developers agreed and the patrols should start soon, Praskins said. On Monday, Praskins and two other EPA officials made their first tour of the shopping centers closest to the Halaco site: a pair of strip malls at the corner of Hueneme and Perkins roads. Both are filled with stores and restaurants that cater to south Oxnard's Spanish-speaking residents. Jose Francisco Garcia, an EPA community involvement coordinator, spoke to the shopkeepers in Spanish about the Halaco site, and he left stacks of fliers for their customers. "It seemed like it was all new information to them," he said as he wrapped up his hourlong tour. "They said they worry about their kids, and they don't want their kids playing there, so they know about it now." The city of Oxnard has already handed out about 3,000 fliers on Halaco, and the EPA has a mailing list that includes about 130 people who have signed up for detailed information on the cleanup. Monday's door-to-door effort was the EPA's first attempt to spread the word among the Spanish-speaking people who live and work near the abandoned smelting plant. Comments Posted by steve on July 3, 2007 at 7:05 a.m. (Suggest removal) And what of the people who worked down wind from the site for years? It was very common to see a heavy plume of low drifting smoke drift across Ormond Beach. Posted by dse_kpa on July 3, 2007 at 8:21 a.m. (Suggest removal) ...and beaware of the contaminated soil in the dunes at 5th and harbor blvd, at one of the newest development sites...there was some grading being done last weekend, on saturday, and there was a weird smell in the air as we were driving by. we didn't notice anyone using pesticides or fertilizers near the farm fields, because that's what it smelled like. it was a very strong, chemical-like scent. we only saw the bulldozers grading, and it's known that the soil there is contaminated with old industrial waste. remember the whole 'love canal' scandal? apparently the EPA found residual waste in the dunes (for the new development), and there is a requirement to 'clean' the waste. i'm surprised that no one is talking about that issue. © 2007 Ventura County Star ***************************************************************** 38 barrow in furness: Campaigner’s warning over nuclear proposal Published on 03/07/2007 CAMPAIGNER: Jean McSorley AN anti-nuclear campaigner has warned communities could suffer financially if they bid for a waste disposal site. Volunteer local authorities are being sought to host an underground storage site for radioactive material in return for millions of pounds of investment in schools, roads and sports facilities. The new proposals have been broadly welcomed by Cumbria County Council. But senior advisor for Greenpeace’s nuclear campaign, Jean McSorley, wants authorities to consider the negative impact the scheme could have. She said: “We have to remember it would not just affect the immediate community but the surrounding areas. “Communities which would see an increase in traffic, for example, should also be considered.” Cumbria County Council is set to submit a full response to the consultation in November. Councillor Timothy Heslop said: “It is made clear that the government is looking to encourage communities to volunteer rather than imposing facilities on people who may not want them. “That is something we have been lobbying strongly for through the Local Government Association’s Nuclear Legacy Advisory Forum. “However, it is still unclear what exactly the potential benefits package for communities will be. “It needs to be clear from the outset how communities will be rewarded for agreeing to host a disposal facility and I believe those rewards need to be considerable.” View this story and the latest newspaper in full digital reproduction, just like the printed copy at www.nwemail.co.uk/digitalcopy ***************************************************************** 39 SF New Mexican: Domenici: Building for nuke pits needed Tue Jul 3, 2007 11:38 pm From left, Heather Wilson, U.S. House of Rep and Senator Pete Dominici finish speaking to the press about fully reestablishing the nation's capability to manufacture pits for ensuring and enduring nuclear stockpile at a meeting in Los Alamos on Monday afternoon. Michael Anatesio, Director of the labs was present at the meeting too. Kevin Roark, spokesman for the Los Alamos Laboratory is smiling in the back.Photos by Jane Phillips/The New MexicanPhoto Daily-c1 By ANDY LENDERMAN | The New Mexican As some celebrate latest trigger, others urge moving away from nuclear proliferation LOS ALAMOS -- The only thing stopping Los Alamos National Laboratory from being the country's permanent center for production of nuclear warhead triggers is lack of a new building, U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., said Monday at the lab. Domenici was on hand to celebrate recent federal certification of the lab's latest trigger, which is called a pit. Los Alamos plans to make 10 pits this year, and eventually increase production to 30 to 50 per year. Asked for his position on making Los Alamos the permanent pit production center, Domenici said, ``Well, I think we might be just ... playing with words. I think we are, with the delivery of this.'' Domenici noted the ongoing battle between the House and the Senate over paying for a $95.5 million nuclear chemistry building, called the Chemistry and Metallurgy Replacement Facility, where pit work would occur. ``The only thing that would keep them from being the permanent pit manufacturing center would be if we don't get the physical facilities,'' Domenici said. ``We're building a building which the House has not funded, without which, I don't see how we can run this program.'' Domenici supports spending $256 million on pit manufacturing at Los Alamos in the 2008 fiscal year. He does not support funding the Consolidated Plutonium Center, which could move that work to another state. Los Alamos is among five candidates for the plutonium center, but neither the House nor the Senate has agreed to pay for such a facility in the 2008 fiscal year. The lab's first pit, certified this year in June, is already at the National Nuclear Security Administration's Pantex Plant in West Texas, the lab reports. There, according to the lab, it will be placed in a W88 nuclear warhead for the Navy. Monday's pit was the second to be certified, lab director Michael Anastasio said. ``It doesn't mean that we're engaged in an arms race like we had during the Cold War -- quite to the contrary,'' Domenici said. ``Today we signal that the United States wants to protect itself, its allies with a much smaller, more efficient and cost-effective stockpile.'' Opponents to the pit mission at Los Alamos held a separate news conference to urge new jobs for the lab, focused on nuclear nonproliferation, global warming and renewable-energy programs. Bob Peurifoy, a retired vice president of Sandia National Laboratories, said the country's current stockpile is too large, and that the pits are working fine. ``They don't need to be replaced at this time because they are not broken,'' Peurifoy said by telephone. ``I'm not in favor of jumping in and replacing something just to have work.'' Monday's counter news conference featured Physicians for Social Responsibility, the New Mexico Conference of Churches, Nuclear Watch New Mexico and the Los Alamos Study Group, groups that oppose making new pits at Los Alamos. ``Nuclear weapons development is just not needed,'' Mike McCally of Physicians for Social Responsibility said. ``... DOE laboratories and Los Alamos in particular are not focused on the urgent needs of the 21st century. Laboratory programs focused on energy, environment, nuclear proliferation, global warming, would be a cause for celebration.'' The Rev. Barbara Dua of the New Mexico Conference of Churches said the lab should embrace a new global reality that nuclear weapons were never the right path for the country, and that the United States should take the moral lead to partner with other countries and work toward nuclear disarmament. ``All of us speaking today share a strong conviction that to celebrate the production of this plutonium pit is dangerously misguided,'' the Rev. Barbara Dua said. Greg Mello of the Los Alamos Study Group does not support the pit mission at Los Alamos, but he questions giving Los Alamos a new mission. ``You can't change the mission of the lab by wishing it so,'' he said. ``The lab has certain skills. It's a fantasy to think that there can be a big new green mission for Los Alamos.'' Contact Andy Lenderman at 995-3827 or alenderman@sfnewmexican.com. Copyright 2007 The New Mexican, Inc. ***************************************************************** 40 Tri-City Herald: DOE seeks bids for $8.2 billion tank farm work Published Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007 ANNETTE CARY HERALD STAFF WRITER The Department of Energy issued its request for bids worth an estimated $8.2 billion to operate Hanford's tank farms Monday. It's the third of three requests for proposals released in the last two months for work being done under the expiring contracts held by CH2M Hill Hanford Group and Fluor Hanford. The bid request for Hanford's Tank Operations Contract requires that 15 percent of the contract work be performed by small businesses. That compares with 17 percent in the Plateau Remediation Contract, covering central Hanford cleanup, and 25 percent in the Mission Support Contract, which would provide support services such as utilities and security. As in the earlier two requests for bids, current Hanford employees who transfer to the winning contractor would continue to receive the traditional Hanford pension. However, new employees would receive what DOE calls "market-based" pension and health insurance plans. That likely means a 401(k)-style retirement plan that would require workers to manage investments from contributions they and the contractor make. The health care plan is required to provide benefits worth no more than 5 percent more than comparable businesses. A community commitment clause has been added to the contract after a request by the Tri-City Development Council. The winning contractor will be required to discuss issues of concern with the public and interested groups and recognize that giving back to the Tri-City community is a worthwhile business practice. The contract period is estimated to begin Oct. 1, 2008, and last five years, with a DOE option to renew for up to five more years. Potential contractors are required to propose that they receive a fee payment between 5 percent and 10 percent of the work's value, although certain costs would be excluded from the total before the fee is calculated. The contract would cover operations of the tank farms, which store 53 million gallons of radioactive waste in 177 underground tanks. The work includes emptying leak-prone single-shell tanks and preparing and sending the waste to the vitrification plant under construction that will treat much of the waste. It also covers the testing of bulk vitrification technology and the possible operation of a bulk vitrification plant as a treatment for low-activity radioactive waste to supplement the role of the main vitrification plant. In one change from the draft request for proposals, the proposed contract includes the possible earlier operation of part of the vitrification plant by the tank operations contractor. The plant is not expected to be treating high level radioactive waste until as late as February 2019, eight years after the current legal deadline. But DOE is considering a start to operations of the Low-Activity Waste Facility, the Analytical Laboratory and support facilities as early as June 2014. The final request for proposals also eliminates a conflict of interest restriction that was in the draft proposal. It would have made contractors at the vitrification plant ineligible to compete for the tank farm contract. Bechtel National holds the vitrification plant contract with Washington Group International as its principal subcontractor. The change was made to encourage competition. The evaluation of the technical and management proposal will be more important than cost. DOE will assess the difference between technical proposals based on anticipated performance and then consider the price to take advantage of the difference. Most important in the technical and management proposal will be the project strategy, then second is organizational structure and key personnel. Third and fourth, carrying equal weight, will be an evaluation of environment, safety, health and quality, considered as one category, and project management. Then DOE will consider past performance and experience. Proposals for the contract are due Sept. 17. © 2007 Tri-City Herald, Associated Press & Other Wire Services ***************************************************************** 41 Knoxville News Sentinel: ORNL's Fischer leaving for top Battelle position By Frank Munger (Contact) Originally published 11:54 a.m., July 3, 2007 Alex Fischer, Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s director of technology and economic development, is leaving Oak Ridge to take a top position at Battelle headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. UT-Battelle, a partnership of Battelle and the University of Tennessee, manages ORNL for the U.S. Department of Energy, and Battelle manages or co-manages six other federal labs. Fischer, 40, has been named Battelle’s vice president for commercialization, a position he will assume the first of August. He will be in charge of commercialization activities at all labs managed by the company. In a telephone interview today, Fischer said he’s been doing the job half-time for about a year, commuting back and forth between Oak Ridge and Columbus. His decision coincides with Jeff Wadsworth, the former director of ORNL, taking an executive position at Battelle to oversee Battelle’s laboratory contracts. Fischer said Wadsworth asked him to come to Columbus as Battelle centralizes the leadership of its lab holdings. Battelle currently does about $150 million in contracted research and development with the private sector and about $20 million in commercial licensing activities, he said. UT-Battelle will advertise for his successor at ORNL, Fischer said. To be successful in commercialization at the national labs, it’s important to have an understanding of the science and technology, he said. “But equally important is business experience,” Fischer said. “I have found that working at any of these labs is a unique environment.” Before joining the Oak Ridge staff five years ago, Fischer served in the administration of Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist as deputy governor and commissioner of economic development. “From a personal standpoint, it was an enormously tough decision to leave my home state, especially given everything I’ve done in the state and community. But Battelle is an amazing organization, and Jeff Wadsworth is an amazing leader.” He said uprooting his family would be emotional, but he said it would be healthy for his children — ages 7 and 9 — to experience other places. “Life’s an adventure,” Fischer said. More details as they develop online and in Wednesday’s News Sentinel. Senior writer Frank Munger may be reached at 865-342-6329. © 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co. ***************************************************************** 42 Knoxville News Sentinel: New ORNL director ready for challenge By Frank Munger (Contact) Tuesday, July 3, 2007 Thom Mason, new director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, during an interview in his office Monday, which was his first official day on the job. OAK RIDGE — His office walls are bare, the personal effects are few, and he’s still waiting for his “Q” security clearance to be approved. Other than that, Thom Mason’s tenure as director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory is well under way. “The lab has a lot of momentum, so I think part of the challenge is just maintaining that momentum,” the 42-year-old scientist said Monday. Monday was Mason’s first day on the job, although he officially succeeded Jeff Wadsworth on Sunday. Fortunately, there were no weekend crises that required his presence. The new director indicated there wouldn’t be any dramatic changes in the near term, but he emphasized that ORNL — one of the nation’s top research labs — will change under his leadership. “If we don’t keep evolving and starting new initiatives, then pretty quickly we’ll just find ourselves left behind,” Mason said. The Oak Ridge lab has undergone a major modernization effort over the past six years, including new office and research facilities, the $1.4 billion Spallation Neutron Source and world-class centers for supercomputing and nanoscience. “While we’re not done with modernization, we do need to increasingly focus on delivering the science and technology output from those facilities,” Mason said. There are high expectations following such a big investment, he said. One of Mason’s immediate priorities is simply getting to know more about the lab’s programs and its people. Although Mason has been at ORNL since 1998, most of his attention was devoted to the Spallation Neutron Source — first as the project’s scientific director and then as SNS director and associate lab director for neutron sciences. Mason said the area he knows least about is ORNL’s national security program, which includes some classified projects. “Because I only became a (U.S.) citizen in the fall and my clearance is working its way through the system, there are some areas I can’t know about,” the native of Canada said. “Most of the other parts of the lab I have at least a superficial understanding of what they’re doing.” Mason said he applied for his “Q” clearance about two months ago, and even though he’s getting an accelerated review, there’s no certainty about when the clearance will come through. His background makes the clearance process more complicated, he said, because he’s lived and worked abroad and traveled extensively for scientific studies. Mason said he would try to learn more about the lab by walking around, talking with employees about their work and getting up to speed as quickly as possible. “It’s going to take some time,” he said. “With a staff of 4,200, just do the math. To spend an hour with each of them, it would take me two years, working 40 hours a week.” Fortunately, he said, the work at SNS involved interactions with many of the laboratory’s research programs — such as advanced materials, fusion energy, high-performance computing and biology. “I’m not starting from zero,” he said. Senior writer Frank Munger may be reached at 865-342-6329. © 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co. ***************************************************************** 43 Albuquerque Tribune: Los Alamos to start producing triggers Tuesday, July 3, 2007 Los Alamos National Laboratory will start making the triggers for nuclear warheads after the federal government certified the lab's preliminary effort. The National Nuclear Security Administration certified the softball-size sphere of enriched uranium, or pit, in early June. Certified pits have not been made since 1989, when the Rocky Flats factory in Colorado was closed because of safety concerns and the end of the Cold War. The administration has asked Los Alamos to deliver 10 pits a year in the near-term, and 30 to 50 per year in the future, to start replacing triggers in existing warheads. Until recently, the government assumed the triggers would deteriorate in 45 to 60 years and might not function reliably. © 2007 The Albuquerque Tribune ***************************************************************** 44 knoxnews.com: ORNL's Fischer leaving for Battelle Alex Fischer, the director of technology and economic development at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is leaving to become vice president for commercialization at ORNL co-manager Battelle. In a telephone interview today, Fischer said he’s been doing the job half-time for about a year, commuting back and forth between Oak Ridge and Columbus. His decision coincides with Jeff Wadsworth, the former director of ORNL, taking an executive position at Battelle to oversee Battelle’s laboratory contracts. Fischer said Wadsworth asked him to come to Columbus as Battelle centralizes the leadership of its lab holdings. Battelle currently does about $150 million in contracted research and development with the private sector and about $20 million in commercial licensing activities, he said. Frank Munger has more. Posted by Andrew Eder on July 03, 2007 at 01:20 PM Share this post: Digg It! | Add to del.icio.us | Submit to Reddit | Add to Netscape | Technorati © 2007 Knoxville News Sentinel ***************************************************************** 45 KNDO/KNDU Tri-Cities: DOE Asks for Tank Farm Cleanup Bids Yakima, WA | RICHLAND, Wash.- The Department of Energy issues it's final request for bids on the tank farm cleanup contract at Hanford. The work is worth an estimated $8.2 billion dollars over five years. The contract aims to manage and treat the millions of gallons of radioactive waste in single and double shelled tanks on the site. CH2M Hill Hanford Gruop holds the contract right now. All content © Copyright 2000 - 2007 WorldNow and KNDO/KNDU. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 46 Darien Suburban Life: Argonne scientists propose advanced nuclear lab - Darien, IL - By Lane Kelley Tue Jul 03, 2007, 11:30 AM CDT Darien, IL - Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory want to build a new facility that would not only examine stardust, but make it. The proposed Advanced Exotic Beam Laboratory would be one of the world’s most advanced labs for nuclear physics research, enabling scientists to study rare forms of atoms called isotopes by reproducing them. Though there are about 300 common isotopes in the everyday world, scientists have produced another 3,000 or so exotic versions through lab work. The proposed Argonne facility could double that number. “To understand how these elements are made we need to be able to produce them in the laboratory, and that’s what the Advanced Exotic Beam Lab would let us do,” said Argonne physicist Don Geesaman. Geesaman said the federal government will seek proposals early next year, with Argonne and Michigan State University the leading contenders. “This is like if you suddenly told a chemist, ‘We’ve only been studying half the periodic table, and there are all these new elements out there with new properties to learn,’” Geesaman said of the proposed lab. “Or you tell a painter that he’s only been working with two of the primary colors, and here’s a third color, and he can now give a more accurate description of the world.” To land the new facility, Argonne has recruited Walter Henning, head of Germany’s leading physics lab. Argonne’s Al Sattelberger, associate director for physical sciences, said hiring Henning will lead to “transformational” work being done at the proposed exotic beam facility. “It will impact several areas of physics and help us understand the origin and evolution of the universe, including the synthesis of the elements,” Sattelberger said. 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