***************************************************************** 07/06/07 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 15.157 ***************************************************************** 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 AFP: SKorean nuclear envoy in Beijing - 2 BBC NEWS: Japan 'must boost missile shield' 3 IAEA: IAEA Chief Awarded "Atoms for Peace" Prize 4 Reuters: Japan says North Korea, China security concerns 5 UPI: BMD Focus: Missiles in Kaliningrad 6 AFP: Japan makes missile defence shield priority NUCLEAR REACTORS 7 US: NRC: NRC to Discuss 2006 Performance Assessment for San Onofre N 8 The Hindu: ITER project: Cabinet clears participation 9 CTV.ca: Canada may sell part of nuclear industry - report 10 US: Fredericksburg.com: NRC team to assess shutdown at plant 11 Calgary Sun: Nuke trackers backtrack 12 RIA Novosti: Russia's upper house ratifies deal on experimental reac 13 Earth Times: Baltic-Polish nuclear plant inches closer to reality 14 US: recordonline.com: Plant's sirens startle residents 15 Greenpeace UK: Brown lets the nuclear cat out of the bag 16 THERECORD.COM: Tories eye nuclear sell-off 17 The Local: Vattenfall under fire for blaze at German nuclear plant 18 Baltic Times: Nuclear plant hits another hitch 19 ITAR-TASS: Baltic states’ PMs okay nuke plant construction in Lithua 20 Telegraph: German nuclear plant fire raises safety fears 21 Canada National News: Nuclear agency struggles to keep tabs on missi 22 Greenpeace International: Nuclear under fire | 23 AU ABC: Clean coal may rule out nuclear power - Turnbull - 24 CTV Toronto: Ont. heading into summer with less nuclear power - NUCLEAR SECURITY 25 UN Anti-crime Chief Pledges Support For Treaty Against Nuclear Terro 26 Guardian Unlimited: Radioactive Devices Missing in Canada NUCLEAR SAFETY 27 US: Star-News: Keep KI pills salted away, officials say 28 AU ABC: Nuclear medicine facility will benefit cancer patients - Gov NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 29 US: NRC: The Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste and Materials to Me 30 US: Tennessean.com: Landfill radiation issue examined - 31 US: Times Herald: Nuclear waste plan demands public review 32 NWW: Government MOX approval for Hamaoka 4 33 US: WHDH-TV: Truck crash causes chemical catastrophe in Chelmsford 34 edie news centre: Nuclear anomaly remains a mystery 35 US: The Tribune: Here's why I'm not interested in bringing uranium m 36 times and star: Unsuitable for new nuclear dump PEACE US DEPT. OF ENERGY 37 SF New Mexican: Officials want data on pollution threat 38 Santa Fe New Mexican: LANL worker charged in drug case 39 Tri-City Herald: Events in Washington, D.C., brighten PNNL's prospec 40 Rocky Mountain News: Flats workers should know status by Aug. 41 Oak Ridger: Y-12 completes major concrete placement at uranium stora ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 AFP: SKorean nuclear envoy in Beijing - Friday July 6, 04:52 PM South Korea's top nuclear negotiator was due to meet his Chinese counterpart here Friday amid efforts to organise a date for the next round of North Korean disarmament talks, China's state media said. The South's Chun Yung-Woo arrived in Beijing late Thursday for a meeting on Friday with China's chief nuclear negotiator, Wu Dawei, Xinhua news agency said, citing the Chinese foreign ministry. Chun planned to discuss with Wu how to implement a February agreement that would see the North shut down its main nuclear reactor, and when the next round of six-party talks could be held, Xinhua said, citing the South Korean foreign ministry. China is the host of the six-nation talks, which began in 2003 in an effort to convince North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons programme in exchange for aid and diplomatic recognition. The other nations involved are the United States, Russia and Japan. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov was quoted by ITAR-TASS news agency as saying on Wednesday that the talks could resume next week. North Korea has said in recent weeks it is prepared to close its main nuclear reactor at Yongbyon, which is the first major step it must take in implementing the six-nation disarmament accord brokered in February. Copyright © 2007 Yahoo!7 Pty Limited. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 2 BBC NEWS: Japan 'must boost missile shield' Last Updated: Friday, 6 July 2007, 07:29 GMT 08:29 UK Japan began deploying surface-to-air missile batteries in March Japan says it aims to erect a missile defence shield as quickly as possible, to counter the threat from North Korea. In its annual report, the defence ministry warns that Pyongyang is now producing sophisticated weapons. It also says that one of the prime objectives of the Japanese military is to conduct peacekeeping missions. Defence shield Japan was shocked when North Korea tested a nuclear weapon last autumn, according to the BBC's correspondent in Tokyo, Chris Hogg. The fact that Pyongyang has test-fired several short-range ballistic missiles in the past month has only increased concern, our correspondent says. Japan's troops are joining more and more international missions One US expert described these tests as successful launches of an advanced weapon. So in its annual report, Japan's defence ministry is clear about the need to complete the country's missile defence shield without delay. "North Korea is improving its capability of managing ballistic missiles. It is considered that North Korea is trying to further extend their firing range," the document says. "It is necessary to finish deploying a ballistic missile defence as quickly as possible." Mobile surface-to-air missile batteries were delivered to bases near Tokyo in March, and the US installed Japan's first anti-missile system on the southern island of Okinawa last year. Japan's first ship equipped with ballistic missile interceptors will come into service before the end of 2007. Neighbours' unease As it has done many times in the past, Japan has also used this report to express concern over the difficulty in obtaining accurate information about China's military build-up. "There are fears about the lack of transparency concerning China's military strength," the paper says. "In January this year China used ballistic missile technology to destroy one of its own satellites. There was insufficient explanation from China, sparking concern... about safety in space as well as the security aspects." China's defence minister is due to visit Japan later this year - the first such visit in almost a decade. During the visit, he is likely to be pressed to reveal more about China's military intentions. But Japan's neighbours will, no doubt, also be unsettled by the description in the paper of international peacekeeping as a key mission for the self-defence forces, our correspondent adds. "International peace co-operation activities are a primary mission," said defence ministry spokesman Mamoru Kotaki as the report was launched. Though its is one of the world's strongest and best-equipped militaries, Japan's Self-Defence Forces are currently constrained by the nation's 1947 constitution, which limits them to a strictly defensive role. * BBC Copyright Notice ***************************************************************** 3 IAEA: IAEA Chief Awarded "Atoms for Peace" Prize 5 July 2007 Dr. ElBaradei became a Nobel Peace Laureate in 2005. This new "Atoms for Peace" honour recognises his work for the development of peaceful applications of nuclear energy. (Photo: D. Calma/IAEA) IAEA Director General, Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, will be awarded the inaugural "Atoms for Peace" prize on 7 August in Tokyo, Japan, by the Institute for Sustainable Peace and the World Council of Nuclear Workers (WONUC). The ceremony is the day after the anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing of 6 August 1945. Dr. ElBaradei was awarded the "Atoms for Peace" prize for his work and contribution to "the development of peaceful applications of nuclear energy". He is unable to attend the ceremony in Japan but instead will accept the award in person during the IAEA General Conference in September 2007. WONUC President, Prof André Maïsseu, said that Dr. ElBaradei was the perfect choice to receive the inaugural "Atoms for Peace" honour. "Through this prize we want to explain that nuclear energy is the way to ensure sustainable peace for the world," Prof. Maïsseu said. The IAEA chief is in Asia this month for meetings with country leaders and top officials in South Korea, Thailand and Malaysia. The first stop on Dr. ElBaradei´s itinerary is the Republic of Korea where, on 12 July, he delivers the keynote address during a special event commemorating 50 years of nuclear cooperation between Korea and the IAEA. The event is being held in conjunction with the World Nuclear University Summer Institute and the country´s National Nuclear Symposium. See Story Resources for more information. Copyright ©, International Atomic Energy Agency, P.O. Box 100, Wagramer Strasse 5, A-1400 Vienna, Austria Telephone (+431) 2600-0; Facsimilie (+431) 2600-7; E-mail: ***************************************************************** 4 Reuters: Japan says North Korea, China security concerns Fri Jul 6, 2007 3:41AM EDT By Isabel Reynolds TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan kept up the pressure on North Korea over its nuclear weapons and missiles and expressed concern about the lack of transparency on China's burgeoning military spending in a government defense paper published on Friday. North Korea has tested at least three short-range missiles over the past month, in what a U.S. expert has said were successful launches of an advanced weapon, adding to regional fears after it tested its first nuclear weapon last year. "In particular, North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile problems are becoming even more serious," the Defense Ministry said in its first annual paper since being upgraded from an agency in January. Pyongyang's launch of a ballistic missile that flew over Japan in 1998 pushed Tokyo into devoting a growing chunk of its annual defense budget to ballistic missile defense -- 160 billion yen ($1.3 billion) in the current financial year. Japan's first ship equipped with ballistic missile interceptors is set to come into service in December, following on from the deployment of ground-based interceptors near Tokyo in March. CHINA CONCERNS China also came in for criticism, an indication that tensions remain despite Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's efforts to restore rocky ties. "There are fears about the lack of transparency concerning China's military strength," the paper said, echoing similar sentiments expressed by its close regional security partner, Australia, in a paper published the previous day. "In January this year China used ballistic missile technology to destroy one of its own satellites. There was insufficient explanation from China, sparking concern in Japan and other countries about safety in space as well as the security aspects," the paper said. Continued... ***************************************************************** 5 UPI: BMD Focus: Missiles in Kaliningrad United Press International - Security & Terrorism - Analysis Published: July 5, 2007 at 8:21 PM By MARTIN SIEFF UPI Senior News Analyst WASHINGTON, July 5 (UPI) -- The ballistic missile defense showdown in Central Europe between the United States and Russia took another grim leap forward this week: Russian First Deputy Premier and former Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said that if the Bush administration pushed ahead with its plans, Russia would respond by openly deploying ballistic missiles targeted on the bases in its oblast or region of Kaliningrad. Why bother to make the announcement at all? Or to stipulate that the missiles would be deployed in Kaliningrad? After all, neither the Polish interceptor base nor the Czech radar facilities will be operational before 2009 at the earliest, possibly later. And by then, a Democratic president may well be installed in the White House who is ready to play ball with the Russians and scrap President George W. Bush's BMD deployment plan in Central Europe entirely. Already, the Democratic-controlled 110th Congress has been moving cautiously but purposefully to slash funding for the program and, where the political heat was too much, to do it outright, delay funding or link it to caveats and reassessments in the future. But the Kremlin has never seen the plan to build the bases as "only" about BMD to protect Europe and the United States from Iranian nuclear missiles. They see it as the biggest, boldest bridgehead yet in the U.S. and NATO encroachment on the old former Soviet area's sphere of influence in Central Europe and even among the former Soviet republics of the so-called "near abroad" that for decades -- and in many cases for centuries -- were part of the Soviet or Russian Empires. The Russian government's response, as articulated by Ivanov, was not primarily about the nuts and bolts of BMD issues, or even about maintaining the mutual assured destruction, or MAD, balance between Russia and the United States that has maintained the overall peace of the world for the past six decades. It was primarily a hard-ball political message sent to Washington, to the Czech Republic and most of all to Poland: "Do not take your security and the stability of Central Europe for granted if you continue to ignore us." Kaliningrad, although utterly ignored by the American news media, remains one of the most important potential flashpoints and security issues between Russia and the nations of the European Union. Like East Prussia, the independent city of Danzig -- today Polish Gdansk -- and the Polish corridor in the two decades between World Wars I and II, Kaliningrad is a messy, potentially explosive geopolitical anomaly left over from the Cold War. The oblast, or region, is in an integral part of the Russian federation. But it is cut off from any land contact with the rest of Russia and its land borders are with Lithuania and Poland, both pro-Western, traditionally fiercely anti-Russian former Soviet client states. Lithuania was forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union for half a century. Today, both Poland and Lithuania are member states of the European Union and the U.S.-led NATO alliance. Kaliningrad was up to 1945 the traditionally German city of Koenigsberg and an ancient center of culture and learning. But in the years since the collapse of communism and the disintegration of the Soviet Union, it has become the Russian "Gibraltar" -- the last outpost of Russian military and strategic power on the Baltic and a potential area from which Moscow could put pressure on Lithuania and Poland. To openly deploy ballistic missiles in the Kaliningrad region would be a huge escalation of tensions between East and West in Central Europe. Reporting Ivanov's threat Thursday, the pro-Western Baltic Times commented, "It may be no coincidence that the Russian threat to boost its military presence in the Baltic came on the same day that Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus signed a bill confirming construction of a new pan-Baltic nuclear power plant on his country's territory. Lithuania has been joined by Latvia, Estonia and Poland in the project but rejected Russian demands that it should be allowed to tender for the job of building the plant." Poland, the Czech Republic and the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have all been eager to embrace their EU and NATO identities and to turn their back on Russia, their huge old neighbor to the east. All five nations have assumed that the guarantee of security they enjoy under Article 5 of the 1949 Washington Treaty that founded NATO will forever protect them against any future pressure or threats from Moscow. Over the past 14 years, Democratic and Republican presidents and policymakers alike have eagerly expanded NATO farther and farther east, confident that in doing so they were stabilizing Central Europe behind the U.S. nuclear and military shield. But with the U.S. Army bogged down worse than ever in Iraq, and other security threats and potential challenges beckoning around the world from Iran through China to North Korea, the U.S. ability to continually ensure that guarantee looks increasingly questionable. The policy of deploying BMD assets in Central Europe makes a great deal of sense from the narrow perspective of defending the United States and Western Europe against Iranian nuclear armed missiles. But it now threatens to set off a huge anti-Western reaction on the part of Russian policymakers that could create far greater and more immediate threats than the one the BMD interceptors are intended to counter. © Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 6 AFP: Japan makes missile defence shield priority by Shingo Ito Fri Jul 6, 4:10 AM ET TOKYO (AFP) - Japan said Friday it aims to erect a missile defence shield as quickly as possible as North Korea develops increasingly sophisticated weaponry, including long-range rockets. Japan's annual defence report warned that North Korea is improving its missile system to cover all east Asia, including Japan, and potentially reach the northern tip of Australia as well as part of Alaska. The report, approved by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet, was the first published by the defence ministry, which was upgraded from agency status in January in line with Abe's initiative to expand the role of Japanese troops. North Korea's ballistic missiles "are now regarded as more practical," the report said. "North Korea is improving its capability of managing ballistic missiles. It is considered that North Korea is trying to further extend their firing range. "It is necessary to finish deploying a ballistic missile defence as quickly as possible," the annual paper said, noting the need for Tokyo to strengthen cooperation with the US military. The defence report comes after a series of missile launches by North Korea that have heightened tensions in the region. In 1998 North Korea sparked alarm in Japan by test-firing a long-range missile over the country, prompting Japan and the United States to start working on a advanced missile shield. North Korea also shocked Japan with its first nuclear test last October. Hopes are rising that a long-stalled pact on North Korea's nuclear programme will finally be realised, with the communist state hinting that it is ready to meet its promise to close a nuclear reactor. While there is a chance that the reclusive state will take action to freeze its nuclear programme, it is expected to continue developing missiles, a direct threat to South Korea and Japan, independent analysts said. "Talks on nuclear weapons appear to move forward, but there is no progress in missiles at all," said Masao Okonogi, professor of international politics at Keio University and an expert on the North Korean issue. "Security in northeast Asia will remain fragile for the time being, centered on North Korea's missile development," Okonogi said. Japan has set aside 161 billion yen (1.3 billion dollars) on development and deployment of its missile defence for the current fiscal year to March 2008, up 4.4 percent from the previous fiscal year. "While the entire defence budget has declined, we are spending our budget on what we have to spend, and the missile defence is the one," said Mamoru Koutaki, press secretary of the defence ministry. In March, Japan installed two Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) surface-to-air interceptors at the Iruma Air Self-Defence Force base in suburban Tokyo. The United States last year installed Japan's first anti-missile system on the southern island of Okinawa. The ministry plans to deploy the US-developed PAC-3s, which can cover a 20-kilometre (12-mile) radius, at a total of 11 bases in eastern and western Japan by March 2011. Independent experts agree North Korea is also upgrading its missile technology. "North Korea has improved the capability of missiles by receiving technology from other countries," said Hideshi Takesada, professor at the National Institute for Defence. "Military tensions in northeast Asia are much higher than in the past," Takesada said. "The race for development and deployment of missiles is a global trend and northeast Asia is no exception," he added. Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 7 NRC: NRC to Discuss 2006 Performance Assessment for San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station News Release - Region IV - 2007-026 - U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region IV 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 400, Arlington TX 76011 www.nrc.gov CONTACT: Victor Dricks Phone: 817-860-8128 E-mail: opa4@nrc.gov The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet in San Clemente, Calif., on July 12, with representatives of Southern California Edison Co. to discuss the agency’s assessment of safety performance for last year at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. The meeting, which will be open to the public, is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Country Plaza Inn, Conference Room, 35 Via Pico Plaza, San Clemente. In addition to the performance assessment, the NRC staff will be available to answer questions from the public on the safety performance of San Onofre, as well as the NRC’s role in ensuring safe plant operation. “The NRC continually reviews the performance of San Onofre and the nation’s other commercial nuclear power facilities,” NRC Region IV Administrator Bruce S. Mallett said. This meeting will provide an opportunity for a discussion of our annual assessment of safety performance with the company and with local officials and residents who live near the plant.” A letter sent from the NRC Region IV office to plant officials addresses the performance of the plant during 2006 and will serve as the basis for the meeting discussion. It is available on the NRC web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/sano_2006q4.pdf. The NRC utilizes color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators to assess nuclear power plant performance. The colors start with "green" and then increase to "white," "yellow" or "red," commensurate with the safety significance of the issues involved. The NRC said San Onofre operated safely during 2006 and will receive routine, or baseline inspections during 2007. Routine inspections are performed by two NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to the plant and by inspection specialists from the Region IV Office in Arlington, Texas. Current performance information for San Onofre Unit Two is available on the NRC web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/SANO2/sano2_chart.html. Current performance information for San Onofre Unit 3 is available at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/SANO3/sano3_chart.html NRC news releases are available through a free list server subscription at the following Web address: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC Home Page at www.nrc.gov also offers a Subscribe to News link in the News & Information menu. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web Site. Friday, July 06, 2007 ***************************************************************** 8 The Hindu: ITER project: Cabinet clears participation Friday, Jul 06, 2007 Special Correspondent NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Thursday formally approved India’s participation in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, which aims at demonstrating the scientific and technical feasibility of producing energy by nuclear fusion. India is among the few countries participating in the futuristic project. The other partners are the U.S., the European Union, Japan, Russia, China, and South Korea. The reactor is to be constructed at Cadarache in southern France. Studies have so far been confined mainly to the laboratory scale as there were several technical problems and costs were highly prohibitive. The ITER project is estimated to cost $5 to $10 billion. While the EU would bear 40 per cent of the expense, the other six partners, including India, would contribute 10 per cent each. The Cabinet meeting also cleared the expenditure for the project at a base cost of Rs. 2,500 crore, of which the foreign exchange component will be Rs.1,129 crore. The Cabinet also cleared the setting up a pan-African e-network covering 53 countries of the African Union at a cost of Rs. 542 crore in keeping with a proposal mooted by President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, for such a project during his visit to Johannesburg in September 2004. Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the ***************************************************************** 9 CTV.ca: Canada may sell part of nuclear industry - report People bask in the sun next to the Pickering Nuclear Plant in Pickering, Ont., about 50 km east of Toronto. (CP / Kevin Frayer) Updated Fri. Jul. 6 2007 12:14 PM ET CTV.ca News Staff Ottawa is in discussions to sell off part of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., a Crown corporation, to the U.S.-based General Electric Company. Gary Lunn, the Natural Resources Minister, and Michael Burns, the chair of the AECL, have been heading up the talks which are now in an advanced stage, according to sources cited in a report in the Toronto Star. The goal of the negotiations is to set up a strategic partnership between the two groups by the end of the year. The Ontario government would then consider the new agreement before making any decision to build new nuclear reactors in Ontario. The deal could include the selloff of up to 49 per cent of the nuclear business -- ensuring that the Canadian government would retain 51 per cent of the AECL. GE, a giant in American industry, is expecting the deal to work out, The Star reports. "Lunn is driving this himself," said one source close to GE. "GE is very confident that this is a done deal." Business News Network's Linda Sims said nuclear energy is experiencing a "renaissance" with new stations being built around the world as countries cope with high oil and gas prices, and such a deal would help the AECL grow without straining taxpayers. "What this would do is shift a lot of the financial risk of going into more business away from the taxpayers, at the same time bringing in maybe some of the business and marketing expertise from the private sector," Sims told CTV Newsnet. The agency has struggled to keep up in a market dominated by GE, Areva and Westinghouse, the giants in the industry. © 2007 All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 10 Fredericksburg.com: NRC team to assess shutdown at plant NRC inspectors visit North Anna plant following reactor shutdown Date published: 7/6/2007 By RUSTY DENNEN The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has dispatched a special inspection team to the North Anna Power Station in the wake of an unplanned shutdown of Unit 2 last week. The agency said this week that the technicians would "inspect and assess circumstances" associated with last Friday's shutdown at the Louisa County plant. An electrical circuit malfunction caused a safety-injection water system to start, causing the reactor to automatically shut down the reactor and main turbine. The injection system provides cooling water to the reactor core in the event that coolant is lost or depleted. Then safety and backup systems kicked in, sending water into the reactor cooling system. That led to the release of some water into the building that contains the reactor. The NRC said the incident was of "low safety significance," but that the three-person inspection team would "review the facts surrounding the event; assess the company's response and investigation" and conduct an independent review of how the problems might have affected other Unit 2 systems. The NRC said all other reactor safety systems functioned as designed and that there were no injuries and no abnormal release of radioactivity to the environment. Roger Hannah, a spokesman for the agency, said yesterday that this is the first such inspection at North Anna in recent years. "It's not something we do all the time, but we do a number of them throughout the year," at the nation's licensed commercial nuclear power plants, Hannah said. "We want to make sure we completely understand what happened." Inspectors will probably be at North Anna for about a week, he said. Dominion nuclear operations spokesman Richard Zuercher, said, "We're working to bring the unit back online and have replaced the circuit boards associated with that part of the system." The reactor remained shut down yesterday. Zuercher declined, for competitive reasons, to say when the unit would be back in service. With hot weather predicted over the weekend, the outage comes at a time when summertime demand for electricity is high. The company says that the temporary loss of Unit 2's generating capacity won't affect customers. The power station on Lake Anna is in Fredericksburg's backyard. The plant borders Spotsylvania, Orange and Louisa counties and is ringed by thousands of homes. The 13,000-acre lake was formed in the early 1970s to cool the plant's two reactors. Unit 1 came online in 1978; Unit 2 in 1980. A preliminary application for up to two more reactors at North Anna is pending with the NRC. Rusty Dennen: 540/374-5431 Email: rdennen@freelancestar.com ***************************************************************** 11 Calgary Sun: Nuke trackers backtrack Fri, July 6, 2007 By CP OTTAWA -- The federal agency entrusted with tracking radioactive devices that could be used in a terrorist attack gave three different numbers over two weeks when asked how many missing instruments are still out there. The confusion raises questions about how closely the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission is keeping tabs on potentially dangerous tools, several of which experts say could be used to make a dirty bomb. The commission initially said it knew of just one wayward device in the last few years. After being challenged, the number climbed days later to 27 since 2002. They now say 40 gauges, medical tools and devices are missing. Copyright © 2006, Canoe Inc. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 12 RIA Novosti: Russia's upper house ratifies deal on experimental reactor 13:43 | 06/ 07/ 2007 MOSCOW, July 6 (RIA Novosti) -- Russia's upper house of parliament ratified Friday an agreement regulating the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project (ITER), being built in France with Russia's participation, aimed at eventually generating power by nuclear fusion. Under the document already ratified by the State Duma, which was first signed in Paris on November 21, 2006, Russia, South Korea, China, Japan, India, the European Union, and the United States agree to fund the construction of the experimental reactor. The agreement provides immunity and privileges for the organization overseeing the international project's joint implementation. "The project aimed at sustainable generation of thermonuclear power will be implemented in France," said Mikhail Margelov, head of the international affairs committee at the Federation Council. He said Russia would contribute up to 10% of the project costs, mostly with equipment supplies. "Like the other participants in the project Russia will have access to the entire research and development information," Margelov said. The $10 billion project to build the reactor in Cadarache near Marseilles in southern France is designed to demonstrate the scientific and technological potential of nuclear fusion, amid concerns over growing energy consumption and the impact of conventional fossil fuels on the environment. The first thermonuclear reactor is expected to be built by 2016. The European Union will cover 40% of the costs and the other participants will contribute 10% each. RIA Novosti ***************************************************************** 13 Earth Times: Baltic-Polish nuclear plant inches closer to reality Posted : Fri, 06 Jul 2007 10:14:00 GMT Vilnius - The prime ministers of the Baltic states agreed on Friday that their national energy companies should draw up a shareholder agreement with Poland over the construction of a nuclear power plant in Lithuania. But the differences between the sides remained apparent at the Vilnius meeting as Poland's Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski failed to attend the summit as planned, citing domestic problems. "This (absence) is not an expression of a negative attitude, but was caused by objective reasons within the Polish government ... The Polish prime minister has confirmed that they are interested," Lithuanian Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas, who first brokered Poland's involvement in the project, told reporters. "It's a pity the Polish prime minister couldn't come and there is no clear position on the political level of what the Poles think about this project," Latvian Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis said. "We'd like to see Poland ready to make any decisions ... because so far they have only shown willing, not practical steps," he added. Lithuanian sources had initially said that the four premiers would sign a joint declaration on the project on Friday. On the day, however, the three government heads present only authorized their power companies to draw up a shareholder agreement by the autumn. The bulk of Lithuania's power is currently supplied by a Soviet-era nuclear reactor built near the eastern town of Ignalina. But under Lithuania's treaty of accession to the European Union, that plant - the twin to the ill-fated Chernobyl plant - must close in 2009, leaving Lithuania facing a serious energy gap. In early 2006, the prime ministers of the three Baltic countries - all of which are heavily dependent on Russia for their primary energy supplies - agreed to jointly build a new nuclear power plant near the Ignalina facility, to boost their energy independence. "We don't want to depend on cheap Russian energy and we don't want to depend on Russian nuclear power plant technology - we prefer European, American or Japanese technology," Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip said. In July 2006, Lithuania invited Poland to join the project, in a move which reportedly caught Latvia and Estonia by surprise. And further tensions arose when the Lithuanian parliament passed a law which gave Lithuania a 34-per-cent stake in the project, leaving 22 per cent for each of the other partners - rather than the equal share that had been originally envisaged. At their Friday meeting, the three prime ministers played down their differences over the issue of share structures. The important question is not how the shares are divided, but how minority shareholders' rights will be protected, Kalvitis said. But while the political process has moved on, questions remain over practical issues, with no decision yet on whether the plant should be of 1,600 or 3,200-megawatt capacity. And with Ignalina due to close in 2009, and the new plant not expected to open before 2015, Lithuania, at least, looks likely to have an anxious wait before the shareholder deal is drawn up. Copyright © 2007 Respective Author (c) 2007 Earthtimes.org, All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 14 recordonline.com: Plant's sirens startle residents July 06, 2007 Buchanan — A planned silent test of the Indian Point nuclear plants' emergency system gave residents a fright yesterday when an employee pushed the wrong button and set the sirens wailing. "There was no emergency, but the sirens sounded for a couple of minutes," said Jim Steets, a spokesman for plant owner Entergy Nuclear. "We didn't get any calls from residents, but Putnam County did and at least they were able to say it was an error," Steets said. County officials received dozens of calls from scared residents when the 14 sirens in Putnam went off at about 10:45 a.m., said Adam Stiebeling, county deputy commissioner of emergency services. The plants periodically test sirens spread through Westchester, Rockland, Putnam and Orange counties. While some sirens have failed in the past, Stiebeling said the good news in Thursday's incident was that, once activated, all 14 sirens did indeed work. Associated Press Record Online is brought to you by the Times Herald-Record, serving New York"s Hudson Valley and the Catskills. Phone: (845) 341-1100 ***************************************************************** 15 Greenpeace UK: Brown lets the nuclear cat out of the bag Posted by bex on 6 July 2007. "We have made the decision to continue with nuclear power." With those ten words, Gordon Brown managed to break the law, sabotage an ongoing public consultation and do a U-turn on his promise to listen to the people - all during his first Prime Minister's Question Time. As head of government, Brown's meant to be abiding by a high court ruling that says the government can't legally make a decision on whether to build new nuclear power stations before a proper public consultation has been carried out. The last consultation, said Justice Sullivan, was "seriously flawed"; the process was "manifestly inadequate and unfair" because insufficient information had been made available by the government for consultees to make an "intelligent response". It now looks like this consultation is as much of a sham as the last one; the government seems to have already made up its mind on nukes, before the consultation's even really underway. Here's a pdf of the letter our lawyers sent Brown this morning. ***************************************************************** 16 THERECORD.COM: Tories eye nuclear sell-off Friday, July 06, 2007 | Updated at 7:20 AM EDT GE could get complete operational control of Atomic Energy Canada TYLER HAMILTON TORONTO (Jul 6, 2007) The federal government is reportedly in advanced negotiations with U.S. industrial giant General Electric Co. to sell a large share of Crown-owned Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn has been leading the privatization discussions along with AECL's new chair Michael Burns, the Toronto Star has learned. The aim is to establish the strategic partnership by year's end, giving the Ontario government a chance to consider the new arrangement in advance of any decision to build new nuclear reactors in the province. "Lunn is driving this himself," said one source close to GE. "GE is very confident that this is a done deal." AECL has been the heart of Canada's nuclear industry for more than 50 years and its engineers are considered world class. Its Candu reactor technology -- uncommon for relying on heavy water and natural uranium fuel -- is behind the construction of 22 nuclear power reactors across the country over the past four decades, most of them in Ontario where the Crown corporation's workforce is approaching 4,000. But AECL also has the reputation of being a sinkhole for taxpayer money and a struggling underdog in a market increasingly dominated by three global giants -- GE, Areva and Westinghouse. Past projects in Ontario have been controversial, and future projects based on next-generation Candu technology are uncertain, raising questions about the company's ability to compete globally and the willingness of taxpayers to continue funding it to the tune of more than $100 million a year. A strategic partnership with GE would likely aim to shift much of the financial risk of nuclear projects away from Canadian taxpayers, keep the Candu design and its proud heritage alive, and protect Canadian jobs in a nuclear-power sector on the verge of a renaissance. GE would gain new intellectual property related to reactor design, waste storage and fuel recycling, as well as access to a talented pool of nuclear engineers. The company would also have another product to offer its global customers as it bids against Areva and Westinghouse for lucrative contracts in the United Kingdom, the United States and massive emerging markets such as China. Such a deal would require cabinet approval, and the government may yet decide to open the process to other bidders, particularly France's state-owned nuclear giant Areva Group. Lunn and other federal officials met with Areva's Paris-based CEO Ann Lauvergeon, considered the most powerful businesswoman in France, and Areva Canada president Armand Laferrere on June 19 to discuss Areva's role in the Canadian nuclear industry and its willingness to invest in AECL, according to a source connected to the meeting. When contacted by the Toronto Star, Laferrere confirmed that a meeting took place but would not discuss details, saying only that Areva is interested in a partnership with AECL that could include part ownership. One source said the government's preference is to maintain a 51-per-cent stake in AECL's commercial Candu business. Ottawa would retain sole ownership of the Chalk River laboratory, AECL's research and development arm. The majority interest in the commercial business would give Ottawa veto over any changes to the structure of AECL or threat to Candu's survival, but the minority partner would get to appoint management and have complete operational control. Sources point to the recent decision by AECL chief executive Robert Van Adel to retire in November, well before his contract expires, as a sign that the federal government is determined to get a deal done by year's end. "We don't comment on speculation or rumour," said AECL spokesperson Dale Coffin. GE officials, including the company's Canadian nuclear boss Peter Mason, would not comment. A spokesperson for Lunn said only that the government"sees expressions of interest" in AECL "from time to time," but would not confirm that a deal with GE was in the works or that Lunn met with Areva executives last month. Some industry observers estimate that a 49-per-cent stake in AECL could fetch up to $300 million, but an agreement is likely contingent on Ontario selecting Candu's heavy-water technology either alone or in combination with the winning bidder's light-water reactor design. Light-water reactors, by far the most popular models in operation -- the United States uses them exclusively -- use ordinary water and enriched uranium as fuel. Ontario Energy Minister Dwight Duncan has repeatedly said that Ontario is open to choosing a foreign nuclear reactor supplier if it's found to be in the best interest of the province's economy and hydro ratepayers. GE's historical ties to AECL run deep. The two companies collaborated on the original Candu reactor design, but GE decided in the late 1960s to leave the heavy-water business so it could focus on other areas. More recently, GE and AECL have agreed to collaborate closely on any Candu refurbishment contracts and, according to AECL's annual report, GE has no immediate plans to enter the Ontario market because of its "strong alignment with Candu products" in Ontario. Specifically, GE supplies most of the uranium fuel that is used in Candu reactors operated by Ontario Power Generation and Bruce Power. It has fabricated uranium pellets at a Toronto facility since the 1960s and turns those pellets into Candu fuel bundles at a Peterborough plant, representing a constant flow of revenue worth protecting. GE's nuclear business in Canada is worth about $60 million and could grow with stronger ties to AECL and by maintaining a stable fleet of Candu reactors that need a stable supply of fuel. Alternatively, it could shrink if AECL and Areva link up. Industry officials say Van Adel has strongly opposed any partnership between AECL and Areva. They point out, however, that the government may have called a meeting with the Areva executives after Prime Minister Stephen Harper talked about nuclear power issues with French President Nicholas Sarkozy on June 5 at a meeting of G8 leaders. Laferrere was a personal adviser of Sarkozy when the French president was minister of interior between 2002 and 2004. Sarkozy, personal friends with Lauvergeon, is reportedly keen on expanding and privatizing Areva's global nuclear business. 160 King St. East, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, N2G 4E5 519-894-2231 ***************************************************************** 17 The Local: Vattenfall under fire for blaze at German nuclear plant Published: 6th July 2007 11:17 CET Online: http://www.thelocal.se/7813/ Swedish energy giant Vattenfall was forced to defend itself on Friday against criticism of its public handling of a fire last week at a German nuclear power plant. Responding to criticism that the company had not made public the full extent of the blaze at the Krümmel power plant in Geesthacht, 30 kilometres (20 miles) southeast of Hamburg, a spokesman for Vattenfall Europe told AFP: "We kept the public and the authorities fully informed from the very beginning." Politicians and environmentalists have blasted Vattenfall for failing to reveal the full extent of the incident. The chief whip of the environmentalist Green party, Renate Künast, even demanded that Vattenfall lose its licence to operate nuclear power plants in Germany. Künast noted that there had been past incidents at other nuclear plants operated by Vattenfall, namely Forsmark in Sweden and in Brunsbüttel, Germany, in 2001. "Each time, Vattenfall tried to cover up the true extent of the problem," she told the regional daily Berliner Zeitung. Earlier this week, the German branch of Friends of the Earth, BUND, similarly demanded from Vattenfall "full transparency in the investigation of the causes of the fire and possible dangers." The fire led to problems at the plant's nuclear reactor, according to the Schleswig-Holstein state social affairs ministry, which is responsible for the region's power plants. Local police reported last week that the fire, which started when coolant in a large electric power transformer substation ignited due to a short circuit, had been isolated from the atomic reactor. But experts investigating the incident found "several unusual things when the reactor was shut down," including evidence of damage related to the fire. But they said there was no radiation leak. Separately, another nuclear power plant in Schleswig-Holstein, Brunsbüttel, was temporarily shut down last Thursday about two hours before the Krümmel fire because its capacity was overloaded. It reopened on Sunday. AFP (news@thelocal.se) ***************************************************************** 18 Baltic Times: Nuclear plant hits another hitch Jul 06, 2007 By TBT staff and wire reports VILNIUS - Attempts to generate fresh momentum for the proposed pan-Baltic nuclear power station slated for Ignalia, Lithuania, hit a hitch Friday July 6 with the no-show of the Polish prime minister for a planned signing ceremony. Jaroslaw Kaczynski cited pressing matters in his home country and apologised for bailing out of the showpiece signing session. Without Kaczynski, the three Baltic prime ministers decided not to proceed and the ceremony will now be postponed until a later date. Instead, they agreed to sit down for talks about their respective shareholdings in the project, which have been causing some disagreement. Lithuania is committed to decommissioning its Chernobyl-style Ignalina power plant by the end of 2009 and it is hoped that phase one of the replacement will be online in 2015, though several industry commentators consider this target to be optimistic. Construction costs are currently estimated at up to 4 billion euros, though once again, opinions differ as to the accuracy of this figure. Opposition to the project is also starting to come from environmental groups, who have so far remained relatively quiet on the matter. A coalition of Baltic environmental groups which includes the Estonian Green Movement, Latvian Green Movement, Green Liberty, Atgaja Community, CEE Bankwatch Network and Greenpeace Poland are protesting that the decisions to forge ahead with the project were taken without due consultation and public debate. The group delivered a petition to all four of the governments involved in the project July 6. "The viability of the project has not been publicly proven. Making the viability study public has been included in the coalition agreement and also environmental associations have insisted on its publication," said Taavi Nuum of the Estonian Green Movement. Nuum observed that neither Estonia's fuel and energy development plan nor the electricity sphere development plan mention nuclear energy. ***************************************************************** 19 ITAR-TASS: Baltic states’ PMs okay nuke plant construction in Lithuania CIS and the BALTICS 06.07.2007, 14.17 VILNIUS, July 6 (Itar-Tass) - Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian prime ministers have confirmed their intention to build a nuclear power plant in Lithuania. “The Baltic states’ prime ministers agreed that after Lithuania adopted a law on a nuclear power plant and by this formed a legal base for the project’s implementation, energy companies of all parties involved will maintain talks and find mutually advantageous solutions to set up a company. This company will translate the project into reality,” the Lithuanian governmental press service said after a meeting on Friday. Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who was expected to take part in the meeting, had postponed it till July 30. He named as a reason for the visit’s postponement the need to hold consultations pertaining to the ongoing strike of Polish health care workers. According to the press service, Kaczynski telephoned his Lithuanian counterpart Gediminas Kirkilas and “expressed support for a four-party project on the nuclear power plant construction.” The three Baltic states and Poland plan to build a new nuclear power plant by 2015 instead of the Ignalina nuclear power plant in Lithuania that will be shut down in 2009 as it does not meet EU security standards. © ITAR-TASS. All rights reserved. You undertake not to copy, store in any medium (including in any other websites), distribute, transmit, re-transmit, broadcast, modify or show in public any part of the ITAR-TASS website without the prior written permission of ITAR-TASS. Contacts ***************************************************************** 20 Telegraph: German nuclear plant fire raises safety fears By Harry de Quetteville in Berlin Last Updated: 12:01am BST 06/07/2007 A row has erupted in Germany after the extent of an accident at a nuclear power station was allegedly concealed, opening bitter political divisions in Europe's most energy-conscious nation.Initial news flashes a week ago seemed alarming. Firefighters extinguish the fire that broke out on the site of the Kruemmel nuclear power plant An ageing nuclear reactor near the northern German city of Hamburg was on fire. But fears were quickly calmed by reassurances that the blaze was limited to an electricity substation, and had not spread to the reactor. In fact, the reactor was affected. The fire started when coolant was ignited by a short circuit. Afterwards, investigators found that crucial pumps supplying water to the reactor had failed, while two safety valves had opened unexpectedly, causing pressure to drop fast. Bruno Thomauske, the chief of the energy group Vatenfall, which runs the Kruemmel plant, insisted that safety had been maintained. "At no point was the public at risk," he said. But while emergency measures may have prevented any radiation leak, Germans have detected a cover-up and the nuclear industry fears exposure to a public relations disaster. The issue is acutely sensitive in Germany, where all nuclear power stations are due to be phased out by 2020. advertisement That is in distinct contrast to the UK where Labour is a staunch backer of nuclear power and seems certain to commission several new plants to replace ageing facilities. "The final decision to go nuclear should be made by the end of the year," said Stephen Tarlton, from Nuclear Engineering magazine, "but Labour is strongly in favour." Among those expected to bid for contracts to build Britain's new generation of nuclear power stations are Germany's E.ON and RWE, the latter of which has a nuclear management subsidiary known, alarmingly, as NUKEM. It was E.ON however, which was at the heart of a second nuclear scare last week, where a power station suffered an emergency short circuit minutes before the blaze broke out at Kruemmel. The plant at Brunsbüttel, also in northern Germany, had to be shut down. While Brunsbüttel has subsequently been reactivated, it remains unclear whether Kruemmel, which was built in 1983 and is one of the oldest of Germany's 17 reactors, will be able to return to service. © Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2007. ***************************************************************** 21 Canada National News: Nuclear agency struggles to keep tabs on missing or stolen radioactive devices The Brooks Bulletin The Brooks Bulletin P.O. Box 1450 Brooks, Alberta T1R 1C3 bulletin.com SUE BAILEY AND JIM BRONSKILL Thursday, July 05, 2007 OTTAWA (CP) - The federal agency entrusted with tracking radioactive devices that could be used in a terrorist attack provided three different numbers over two weeks when asked how many missing instruments are still out there. The confusion raises questions about how closely the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission is keeping tabs on potentially dangerous tools, several of which experts say could be used to make a dirty bomb. The commission initially said it knew of just one wayward device in the last few years. After being challenged, the number climbed days later to 27 since 2002. The commission now says 40 gauges, medical tools and other radioactive devices lost in the last five years are still missing. In fact, five of those were pilfered from Inspec-Sol, a Montreal engineering firm. "It's a pretty bad file," said company vice-president Francois Cote. Despite the bungled accounting, the nuclear safety agency's head of security and safeguards says reliable information would be at his fingertips in an emergency. "Our tracking system and our registry are in good shape," Gerry Frappier said in an interview. "If there was an incident or there was a request from a law enforcement agency such as the RCMP . . . we'd be getting the information to them very quickly. "I think that the key point is these items are being tracked. The systems are in place to ensure that we know the status of them, and to provide appropriate followup." Wesley Wark, a security expert at the University of Toronto, isn't so sure. The commission's inability to monitor its own inventory is "alarming," he said in an interview. "We have to take this sign of ... unprofessional behaviour on the part of the main regulatory agency with great concern. It suggests they need a bit of ship tightening at their end. "The fact that these devices are going missing in these quantities just underscores what I think people in the business know: we haven't yet arrived at a way to fully lock down this material." The Canadian Press challenged the commission's initial responses after compiling its own database of more than six dozen items - from measuring gauges to electron capture detectors - that have been lost or stolen, according to the commission's library of incident reports. Those documents were obtained under the Access to Information Act. The commission offered to recheck its numbers when it was pointed out that Inspec-Sol confirmed it lost six gauges to thieves in five incidents between 2004 and 2006. Just one device used to measure soil density was recovered. Its punishment? More visits from federal inspectors and an undisclosed hike in the price for renewing its nuclear permit. The cost-of-doing-business approach illustrates a troubling gap between official tough talk about keeping Canada safe after 9-11, and the vast challenge of tracking thousands of radioactive tools. Inspec-Sol's record of security lapses ranks highest among cases tracked by the national news agency. Of the 40 devices still missing, the commission classified 17 of them as posing a medium safety risk at the time they were lost, and one as high risk. The others were considered low risk. The figures emerge as anti-terrorism experts and emergency responders warn that even low-level nuclear materials would create costly headaches if turned into a crude radiological device or dirty bomb. The danger, they stress, is not so much the amount of cancer-causing radiation that would potentially spread. In fact, it would be no easy task to gather enough nuclear material in a dispersible form to contaminate large areas. But there would be major challenges should even a minor dirty bomb go off: explaining the real danger - or lack thereof - to a public readily spooked by radiation, as well as restoring affected areas. Canada has no formal cleanup standards when it comes to radioactive contamination. Inspec-Sol is still authorized to use some 80 gauges at construction and industrial sites in Ontario and Quebec, said Cote. "If we lose our licence, we lose our business." Four of the five thefts involved employee vehicles stolen with gauges locked in trunk boxes, Cote explained. Workers have been repeatedly urged to return such equipment to storage sites at the end of the day instead of keeping them in their cars. But Cote says it can be difficult to convince some people who've handled relatively low-risk instruments for years without incident. "They don't really take seriously what we're asking them to do." A wakeup call came last October when police in Thetford Mines, Que., blocked roads in and out of town trying to find a car stolen from the parking lot of a pharmacy while an Inspec-Sol worker was inside the store. A radioactive soil-moisture gauge was locked in the trunk. Police warned the public against tampering with the potential hazard. It was never found. In another case, an employee's car was located, but no gauge. A report to the nuclear safety commission described the driver of the stolen vehicle as a "criminal person." Two more gauges disappeared last December when bandits rammed a truck through the double-locked door of a small Inspec-Sol lab in Tremblant, Que. Computers, a fax machine and other equipment were also taken, Cote said. "They're stealing all my equipment in a lab . . . at two o'clock in the morning. There's nothing I can do." Some 3,200 Canadian licence holders, from engineering firms to blood banks, use tens of thousands of sealed radioactive devices in their work. Federal nuclear inspectors visit licence applicants to ensure they'll use sources legitimately. A complex screening system was tightened after 9-11 and a new tracking regime is in place. It will be expanded to fully include less powerful but common radioactive gauges in its inventory by 2009. Followup audits are conducted every year in the most high-risk cases, less often for licensees who possess weaker devices and for those with better safety records. Ultimately, though, licensees are responsible for controlling radioactive instruments and how they're used at all times, said Ramzi Jammal, head of nuclear substance regulation for the safety commission. "We must ensure the safety and security of Canadians. "Unfortunately the world has changed," he said. "You are as strong as your weakest link." Jammal acknowledges it has been a challenge to keep tabs on the gauges, irradiators and other specialized equipment containing potentially harmful isotopes. Six to nine times a year, Jammal's staff order companies to cease using radiological equipment until problems are fixed. Safety infractions caught during spot inspections or full-blown audits typically prompt such shutdowns, he said. The loss of a gauge is serious, he added, but related penalties depend on circumstances. Lost or stolen radioactive tools must be swiftly reported to the nuclear safety commission, police and the public through the media. Cote says Inspec-Sol has spent thousands of dollars to notify the public about missing devices, offer recovery rewards and step up security and training. "But even if you improve, a car can still be stolen." Indeed, of the 35 devices swiped by thieves across Canada in the last five years, most were taken from a vehicle or stolen along with the car, truck or trailer. In a typical event, a radioactive darkroom truck was nabbed in late April 2002 from the driveway of a Canspec Group employee in Kitchener, Ont. Five years later, it's still missing. © The Canadian Press, 2007 ***************************************************************** 22 Greenpeace International: Nuclear under fire | Dangerous reactors send a clear signal: phase out nuclear power 06 July 2007 Fire fighter tackle fire at Kruemmel nuclear plant in Germany. Despite safety risks, plant operators have lobbied to postpone the shut down of many old nuclear plants. Germany — It's been a bad few weeks for the nuclear industry, especially in Germany. While the nuclear companies were lobbying to reverse the German nukes phase out, two German nuclear plants suffered a fire and emergency shut down. With the nuclear industry's false assurances of safety and reliability exposed, German chancellor Merkel announced Germany would not revise nor abandon the plan for nuclear-phase out by 2021. As in many other countries, nuclear energy companies are lobbying the German government to keep old, dangerous reactors open for longer. But it was recent events that highlighted the growing nuclear risks. Less than a week before the German energy summit a fire broke out at Kruemmel nuclear station and another one in Brunsbuttel suffered an emergency shut down due to technical failure. Also, there was a similar UK accident in May where a fire shut down an old reactor at Oldbury. In many countries most nuclear plants are reaching the end of their planned life spans of 25-30 years. Most energy companies who operate the plants are pushing to extend operations many years beyond the time the plants were originally planned to close. This has serious safety implications. Not only are older reactors prone to all kinds of failures, like any old, complex machines, but many of their crucial components are physically loosing their ability to withstand extreme situations that may occur during an accident. For example the reactor vessel, at the very heart of the plant and key for nuclear safety, gets more and more brittle over time due to intensive radiation. Compromising on safety While an old car that fails a safety test is taken off the road, an old nuclear plant that fails safety tests tends to get patched up and given a license to continue working, despite the fact a serious accident could threaten millions of lives. Operators claim that due to their growing experience and technical upgrades, they can run reactors much more safely and reliably twenty one years after Chernobyl. State safety inspectors buy this line and tend to be positive about proposals for plant life extensions. These reactor fires were a reminder that we cannot trust operators, and not even state regulators. Often the true scale of the problems are hidden. Only a week after the fire at Krummel station it was revealed that there was a direct nuclear risk involved. Yet a spokesperson from plant operator Vattenfall stated the fire "looked more dramatic than it really was" and that "it affected only a transformer with no implication for nuclear safety". "I always want to put ice cubes in the hats of those who talk about a nuclear renaissance." Jorma Aurela, a senior energy official in the Finnish Ministry of Trade and Industry. New reactor, same problems The great hope of the nuclear industry is the showcase EPR reactor in Olkiluoto, Finland. But even before it's close to being finished it's demonstrating the familiar problems of nuclear energy. After just two years of building it is 18 months behind schedule and a massive E700 million over budget. This supposed 'showcase' project has had so many safety problems with substandard construction that the Finnish nuclear regulator has uncovered a series of safety "deficiencies". In just two years there have been multiple major problems with construction of this 'bright new hope' for the nuclear industry at Olkiluoto. First the concrete base was made of poor quality concrete, and then the reactor vessel failed safety standards. Cooling pipes had to be scrapped due to bad quality steel and it was discovered the steel containment lining (crucial to protect against radiation leaks) was found to have almost 50 holes in the wrong places. Relying on keeping old dangerous reactors going long past their close by date and unable to even build on new reactor without massive delays, blowing the budget and failing minimum safety standards. That betrays the industry hot air of an "nuclear renaissance" for what it really is - an industry on life support, kept alive only by massive tax payer subsidies and putting profit over safety. Luckily we can secure energy supply and prevent dangerous climate change without hazardous nuclear power. As our Energy Revolution scenario shows, we can phase out existing reactors without building new ones, and achieve the required cut in greenhouse emissions. Renewable energy and energy efficiency are the future and you can help make that future a reality. Take the 7 step challenge. ***************************************************************** 23 AU ABC: Clean coal may rule out nuclear power - Turnbull - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Posted July 6, 2007 16:47:00 The federal Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull says Australia may never need a nuclear power plant, if the development of clean coal technology is successful. At a conference in Sydney for business economists, Mr Turnbull spoke about the financial challenges posed by climate change. He says a move to nuclear power may be unnecessary if clean coal works out to be cheaper in the long run. "If clean coal is going to be cost effective in Australia, it may be that when a utility is looking at low emission options, clean coal will be cheaper than nuclear energy," he said. "In that case, there may be no nuclear power stations in Australia at all." Tags: business-economics-and-finance, environment, alternative-energy, coal, nuclear-energy, australia ***************************************************************** 24 CTV Toronto: Ont. heading into summer with less nuclear power - Fri. Jul. 6 2007 3:30 PM ET Canadian Press ? Ontario residents may be asked to ease off on their air conditioners this summer as the province heads into a hot summer with fewer nuclear units at the Pickering power plant. Ontario's Independent Electricity System Operator says two units at the nuclear station were scheduled to come online this summer, but that has now been delayed until the fall. Terry Scott of the IESO says no reason was given for the delay, but it means Ontario may have to import more energy when the temperatures start to soar, and consumers may be asked to conserve power. He says the loss of the two units leaves Ontario short by 1,000 megawatts -- energy needed to power a city like Ottawa. IESO chief operating officer Derek Cowbourne says Ontario imports power from its neighbours almost every day. If the province experiences a heat wave or equipment problems, he says Ontario will just have to import more and appeal to consumers to conserve. © 2007 All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 25 UN Anti-crime Chief Pledges Support For Treaty Against Nuclear Terrorism Date: Fri, 6 Jul 2007 13:00:23 -0400 New York, Jul 6 2007 1:00PM On the eve of the entry into force of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) <" http://www.unodc.org/unodc/press_release_2007_07_06_2.html">pledged support for the pact. Antonio Maria Costa said UNODC stood ready to help countries become parties to and implement the Convention. “Indeed, we are the only UN body mandated, empowered and equipped to provide on-the-ground counter terrorism assistance on legal issues to Member States,” he said in a statement released in Vienna, where the Office is based. The treaty comes into effect tomorrow – 30 days after Bangladesh became the 22nd State to deposit its instrument of ratification with the UN Secretary-General. It outlaws specific acts of nuclear terrorism and aims to protect against attacks involving a broad range of possible targets, including nuclear power plants and nuclear reactors, bring perpetrators to justice and promote cooperation among countries. UNODC assists Member States in ratifying and implementing the 13 international conventions and protocols related to terrorism. Since January 2003, it has supported some 137 countries. UNODC increasingly provides support for the incorporation of their provisions into national legislation and for strengthening the capacity of national criminal justice systems to carry them out. Under the <" http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=A/RES/59/290">Convention, alleged offenders must be extradited or prosecuted. States are encouraged to cooperate in assisting each other in connection with criminal investigations and extradition proceedings. The treaty also obliges them to make every effort to adopt appropriate measures to ensure the protection of radioactive material. 2007-07-06 00:00:00.000 ___________________ For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news To listen to news and in-depth programmes from UN Radio go to: http://radio.un.org/ _______________________________ To change your profile or unsubscribe go to: http://www.un.org/apps/news/email/ ***************************************************************** 26 Guardian Unlimited: Radioactive Devices Missing in Canada Friday July 6, 2007 8:31 PM By ROB GILLIES Associated Press Writer TORONTO (AP) - The Canadian government agency tracking radioactive devices that could be used by terrorists gave four different answers in the past two weeks when asked how many are missing until finally settling Friday on 32. The confusion has raised questions about how closely the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission is keeping tabs on items that experts say could be used to make a dirty bomb. The commission initially said it knew of just one wayward device in the last few years, but after being challenged, the number climbed days later to 27 since 2002. The commission said this week that 40 gauges, medical tools and other radioactive devices lost in the last five years are still missing, but it revised the figure Friday to 32. Commission spokesman Max London says the number has fluctuated because officials followed up with the companies that reported losing them and found that some have been retrieved. ``I received a revised report of what's confirmed is still missing and my count is 32. They've been taking a real hard look at the list,'' said London, who added that most of the devices were stolen from a vehicle or stolen along with the car, truck or trailer. ``We see no pattern that thefts are targeting the gauges.'' Some 3,200 Canadian license holders, from engineering firms to blood banks, use tens of thousands of sealed radioactive devices in their work. Of the 32 devices they say are still missing, the commission classified 10 as posing a medium safety risk at the time they were lost. The others were considered low risk. The Canadian Press news agency first challenged the commission's initial responses after compiling its own database of more than six dozen items - from measuring gauges to electron-capture detectors - that have been lost or stolen, according to the commission's library of incident reports. Those documents were obtained under Canada's Access to Information Act. The varying figures emerged as anti-terrorism experts and emergency responders warned that even low-level nuclear materials found in gauges, dials and other equipment could be turned into a crude radiological device or dirty bomb. Rami Jammal, head of nuclear substance regulation for the safety commission, acknowledged it has been a challenge to keep tabs on the gauges, irradiators and other equipment containing potentially harmful materials. ``Unfortunately the world has changed,'' he said. ``You are as strong as your weakest link.'' Wesley Wark, a security expert at the University of Toronto, said the commission's inability to monitor its own inventory is alarming and unprofessional. ``The fact that these devices are going missing in these quantities just underscores what I think people in the business know: We haven't yet arrived at a way to fully lock down this material,'' Wark said. The commission offered to recheck its numbers when it was pointed out that Inspec-Sol, a Montreal engineering firm, confirmed it lost six gauges to thieves between 2004 and 2006. The gauges are used when inspecting soil or other materials for radioactivity. Just one device used to measure soil density was recovered, said Inspec-Sol Vice President Francois Cote. The company was penalized with more visits from federal inspectors and an undisclosed increase in the price for renewing its nuclear permit. Four of the five thefts involved employee vehicles stolen with gauges locked in trunks, Cote said. Workers have been repeatedly urged to return such equipment to storage sites at the end of the day instead of keeping them in their cars. In October, police in Thetford Mines, Quebec, blocked roads in and out of town trying to find a car stolen from the parking lot of a pharmacy while an Inspec-Sol worker was inside the store. A radioactive soil-moisture gauge was locked in the trunk. Police warned the public against tampering with the potential hazard. It was never found. In another case, an employee's car was located, but not the missing gauge. Cote says Inspec-Sol has spent thousands of dollars to notify the public about missing devices, offer rewards and step up security and training. ``But even if you improve, a car can still be stolen,'' Cote said. A radioactive darkroom truck stolen in April 2002 from the driveway of a Canspec Group employee in Kitchener, Ontario, is still missing. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 ***************************************************************** 27 Star-News: Keep KI pills salted away, officials say StarNewsOnline.com | | Wilmington, NC Published July 06. 2007 3:30AM The potassium iodide pills, nearly outdated, guard against radiation-caused cancer. By Paul R. Jefferson, Staff Writer The absence of nuclear plant leaks or terrorist "dirty bomb" strikes in our region for the past five years means that anti-radiation poisoning pills first handed out to Brunswick and New Hanover residents back in 2002 are about to go out of date. What should people do with the outdated pills, and who is going to replace them? Those questions are making the rounds at the Brunswick County Health Department, said Fred Michael, deputy county health director. Michael said several people who got potassium iodide pills from the department have noted that the expiration date on the pills' packaging is August 2007. "The shelf life of the pills runs out in August. But the makeup of KI is mostly salt, so we don't think the pills will deteriorate," Michael said Thursday. "What we advise is for people to keep the pills until new ones are issued." The potassium iodide pills are known as KI pills because K is the chemical symbol for potassium and I is the symbol for iodine. Potassium iodide pills reduce chances of thyroid cancer from radiation. Because of concerns about terrorism after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the federal government offered the states batches of pills for people who live within 10 miles of nuclear plants. At the time of the distribution in early 2002, 16,294 residents in Southport, Boiling Spring Lakes, Caswell Beach, Oak Island and Bald Head Island received two-pill allotments of KI for personal use in the event of a nuclear attack or radiation-releasing accident at Progress Energy's Brunswick Nuclear Plant just north of Southport, Michael said. Although barely outside the 10-mile nuclear plant halo, St. James residents requested and received the pills too, Michael said. The pills were also distributed in New Hanover County to residents of Pleasure Island living within 10 miles of the nuclear plant. Michael said the state health department is in charge of obtaining new KI pills from the federal government, adding that Health Director Don Yousey has been in touch with Dr. Julie Casani, state public health preparedness coordinator, to begin the process of getting new shipments of potassium iodide. Debbie Crane, director of state health department public affairs, said new KI pills are on order with the federal government's Nuclear Regulatory Commission to replace the soon-to-be-outdated medication. "We're in the process of getting a complete resupply," she said, repeating Michael's admonition that because of the mostly salt-based content of the KI pills, little if any degradation of effectiveness occurs over time. Crane did not give a timetable for the pills' replacement but conceded it likely would be after the KI pills now in hand have gone past the expiration date. In the meantime, the federal Food and Drug Administration has approved potassium iodide as an over-the-counter medication. Anyone wary of taking possibly outdated pills could buy their own replacement pills, Michael said. Paul Jefferson 538-2955 paul.jefferson@starnewsonline.com ***************************************************************** 28 AU ABC: Nuclear medicine facility will benefit cancer patients - Gov - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Posted July 6, 2007 13:21:00 * Sydney 2000 The Federal Government says cancer patients will benefit from a $10 million deal to build a new nuclear medicine facility in Sydney. The agreement between the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) and medical company Siemens allows ANSTO to build two machines which produce short-lived radio isotopes. The isotopes are used in medical imaging and have a half-life of 110 minutes. The executive director of ANSTO, Doctor Ian Smith, says it is an expensive process but the deal will make it easier for people to access the technology. "What we're doing is in fact removing one of the impediments by having a commercial supply of the imaging compound, FDG, available at world pricing," he said. "It'll drive down the cost of PET imaging because the cost of the FDG, of the patient dose of FDG, will fall to what is the norm around the world." "So now the health system can concentrate on what it does best, which is imaging and diagnosing patients." Tags: health, diseases-and-disorders, medical-procedures, medical-research, sydney-2000 ***************************************************************** 29 NRC: The Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste and Materials to Meet in Rockville, Maryland, July 17-19 News Release - 2007-083 - U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov www.nrc.gov The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste and Materials (ACNW&M) will meet Tuesday, July 17 through Thursday, July 19, in Rockville, MD, to discuss, among other items, Waste Incidental to Reprocessing (WIR) monitoring activities at the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory and Savannah River sites, a status update of the infiltration studies and modeling at Yucca Mountain, and a review of the Committee’s draft White Paper entitled: “Background, Status, and Issues Related to the Regulation of Advanced Spent Nuclear Fuel Recycle Facilities.” Annual and semi-annual briefings by the Offices of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) and Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) are also scheduled. The 181st meeting will be held in Room T-2B3 of the NRC’s Two White Flint North building at 11545 Rockville Pike. The Tuesday session will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., and both the Wednesday and Thursday sessions will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For video teleconferencing services, please contact Mr. Theron Brown at 301-415-8066 in advance. The full agenda and transcripts for the meeting can be found at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/acnw/agenda/2007 NRC news releases are available through a free list server subscription at the following Web address: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC Home Page at www.nrc.gov also offers a Subscribe to News link in the News & Information menu. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web Site. Friday, July 06, 2007 ***************************************************************** 30 Tennessean.com: Landfill radiation issue examined - Nashville, Tennessee - Friday, 07/06/07 - State plan comes before committee for fall decision By ANNE PAINE Staff Writer One Rutherford County resident called state presentations Thursday about slightly radioactive materials going to Middle Point Landfill a "dog and pony show," while a local official termed it "informative." Both said they wanted more details and were awaiting a July 17 meeting when the public would have a say. "It brings more questions," said state Rep. Donna Rowland, a Murfreesboro Republican, who added that the gathering was "informative." She was one of about 85 people at a meeting of a committee charged with making a recommendation by Sept. 3 on the state program that allows the materials to go to five licensed Tennessee landfills, including the privately owned Middle Point. Health issues raised The issue is whether the program protects public health and the environment. Other elected officials present included state Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro; state Rep. John Hood, D-Murfreesboro; state Rep. Kent Coleman, D-Murfreesboro and state Sen. Jim Tracy, R-Shelbyville. Kent Syler with U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon's office attended also. Roger Fenner, with the state's Division of Radiological Health, told the panel that the dumping may produce no more than 1 millirem of added radioactivity a year at a landfill. Tennesseans are exposed to an estimated 300 millirems a year from everyday sources, he said. Exposure comes from many things, including naturally occurring radiation in an area, X-rays, food, granite countertops — which emit more radiation than laminates — fertilizers high in potassium and radon gas that is released by rocks underground and can build up in homes. "I think it was a dog and pony show," Kathleen Ferris of Rutherford County, who recently co-founded Citizens to End Nuclear Dumping in Tennessee, said afterwards. "It is the accumulation in each person that creates danger." Betsy Allgood of Murfreesboro, mother of three children under age 6, said she felt as if she had heard a "biased presentation that was made to justify a decision that's already been made." Residents worried Testing of liquid that accumulates in the Middle Point Landfill liner showed radioactivity, which was particularly worrisome to the residents. The amounts were higher than is allowed in drinking water, according to the state. Eddie Nanney, director of the state Radiological Health Division, said the landfill liquid posed no threat. The levels were much less than what is permitted to go into a sewage system or rivers and streams. One of the radioactive materials was a common substance found in foodstuffs among other places, a state document said. Another, tritium, could be found at other landfills, Nanney said. While it's a substance used in nuclear weapons, the likely source in commercial trash landfills, the state report said, is old luminous exit signs, watch dials, paints and gauges. Rutherford County Commissioner Jim Daniel said he looked forward to getting the results of independent testing the county has approved for river and well water along with liquids in the landfill. "We've got to get all the information together before we make a decision," he said. Copyright © 2007, tennessean.com. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 31 Times Herald: Nuclear waste plan demands public review www.thetimesherald.com - Port Huron, MI Friday, July 6, 2007 Environmental study must meet highest possible standards Amid public concern - from the United States as well as Canada - a plan to store nuclear waste in an underground facility dangerously near Lake Huron is not yet a done deal. That's good news for communities on both sides of the Great Lake. Ontario Power Generation Inc. is pressing for the project. The company wants to build the storage site in Tiverton, Ont. Company officials insist the nuclear waste, produced at the nearby Bruce nuclear plant, would pose no problem. The material would be buried 500 to 700 meters below the surface. Critics aren't convinced. They point out that the proposed storage site is less than a mile from Lake Huron's shoreline. With the Great Lakes already the focus of international concern and efforts already under way to protect their water quality, storing nuclear waste - no matter how deep - is bound to draw public opposition. Canadian officials appear to understand the drawbacks. In response to public calls for an environmental review of Ontario Power Generation's proposal, the government finally agreed. In announcing the decision last week, Canadian Environment Minister John Baird said the public process is vital to Canadians who should understand "the potential impacts of this project." That also speaks to the importance of the review panel's credibility. If its findings are to be valid, it cannot be unduly influenced by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. Environmentalists worry that according the agency joint representation and direction of the panel could stack the review process. The CNSC, critics say, includes former nuclear industry employees and is committed to the promotion of nuclear energy. Moreover, the Tiverton proposal could affect American communities along the Lake Huron shoreline. It is important that they, too, are part of the review process. Ontario Power Generation's plan clearly raises concerns that affect Canadian and American communities. The environmental impact is too important to be treated with anything less than a thorough review that includes the input of Canadians and Americans alike. Thank goodness, Canadian officials have agreed to conduct a review process before the storage site is created. Now, they must ensure the study meets the highest possible standards. Copyright ©2007 The Times Herald. ***************************************************************** 32 NWW: Government MOX approval for Hamaoka 4 EXPLORATION & NUCLEAR FUEL 06 July 2007 The use of mixed-oxide nuclear fuel (MOX) at Hamaoka 4 has been approved by the Japanese Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry. Plant owners Chubu plan to load the fuel from FY2010. Chubu would also require permission of local government authorities in Shizuoka prefecture before loading the MOX. Chubu has sent its used nuclear fuel to recycling facilities in both France and the UK, where resulting uranium and plutonium stocks wait in store. Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited (JNFL) is currently conducting active tests of recycling facilities, and plans to construct MOX fabrication facility at Rokkasho. Chubu President, Toshio Mita, said: "In order to secure energy supply in Japan, where natural resources are scarce, it is essential to use MOX fuel so that uranium can be used in an efficient way." MOX consists of a mix of uranium and plutonium oxides, recovered from used nuclear fuel. More than 30 power reactors in Belgium, France, Germany and Switzerland use MOX fuel, typically as one third of their cores. Some units can use up to 50% MOX and some very modern designs could use 100% MOX. It is a longstanding Japanese target to use MOX in 16-18 reactors by FY2010. Chubu has become the fifth generator in Japan to receive approval, and Hamaoka 4 the seventh reactor. ***************************************************************** 33 WHDH-TV: Truck crash causes chemical catastrophe in Chelmsford New England News - Friday, July 6, 2007 CHELMSFORD, Mass. -- Vats containing radioactive material spilled across a highway in Chelmsford on Friday morning, setting off a level-two Hazmat situation and temporarily shutting down several lanes of traffic. The chemicals also leaked into Freeman Lake, located the near Drum Hill rotary on Route 3 northbound, where the accident occurred. The 2006 Ford Ranger pickup truck toppled over into the breakdown lane and hit the guardrail. The driver, 26-year-old Steven Sekenski, was not injured. Law enforcement as well as environmental officials responded tp the scene. Roads in the area have since been reopened. Dive teams are expected to investigate the lake later in the afternoon to determine the extent of chemical contamination that occurred. (Copyright 2007 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.) ***************************************************************** 34 edie news centre: Nuclear anomaly remains a mystery (6 July 2007) Fears that there had been a nuclear spill at the Dounreay nuclear plant may be a false alarm, according to an update from the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA). In late June, ten workers at the plant began monitoring for potential plutonium contamination after a recording abnormally high levels of radiation in a drain at the Dounreay nuclear plant. UKAEA now says the team volunteered to get tested as some were not wearing protective gear and there were fears at the time they may have breathed or swallowed noxious substances. A spokesperson from the UKAEA told edie: "[Our team] took more samples from the manhole and checked it further...Initially, it was an anomalous result and measures were taken simply to protect staff. The project team reacted and followed the necessary procedures." Initial samples from the area gave rise to concern because analysis indicated a higher level of plutonium, a UKAEA statement said. Further analysis at the manhole did not show any 'significant amounts of plutonium to be present, however some alpha/beta radioactivity was found, which is to be expected,' the statement continued. Work is said to be underway to analyse the initial high result. Phil Cartwright, UKAEA project manager of land remediation and project particles said to Edie: "We will always find low traces because of the nature of the site. The samples are now being considered." He also said that UKAEA has no evidence that there is any environmental impact on surrounding areas. "We have discharge authorisation from SEPA (the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency) but it's capped and has minimum effect on the environment," said Cartwright. "Liquid discharge goes out through the pipeline into the Pentland Firth." As part of the decommissioning of Dounreay, the ground at the nuclear plant site was examined last month ahead of a full-scale clean-up, costing £4 million. UKAEA says it will continue to take further samples and monitor workers. Dana Gornitzki Source: edie newsroom © Faversham House Group Ltd 2007. edie news articles may be copied or forwarded for individual use only. No other reproduction or distribution is permitted without prior written consent. ***************************************************************** 35 The Tribune: Here's why I'm not interested in bringing uranium mining to northern Colorado July 6, 2007 Letters to Editor In the five decades since the creation of the nuclear industry, vast sums of money have been spent to convince the public that nuclear technology is both necessary and desirable. The industry still lacks the credibility in a number of key areas: «Nuclear energy is not clean: All parts of the nuclear fuel cycle, from uranium mining to reprocessing, contribute to the creation of long-lived radioactive wastes. «Nuclear energy is not cheap: In many places, renewable energy sources are as cheap as or significantly cheaper than nuclear energy. When the electricity utilities were privatized in the United Kingdom, the market refused to purchase or support nuclear utilities. «Nuclear energy is not the answer to global warming: Extensive studies have shown that each dollar invested in end-use energy efficiency displaces nearly seven times more carbon than a dollar invested in nuclear power. «Nuclear mining is not safe: According to the international Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, uranium mining has been responsible for the largest collective exposure of workers to radiation. One estimate puts the number of workers dying of cancers due to mining and milling alone at 20,000. Living near mines is dangerous. It is widely agreed that there is no safe level of radiation exposure. «Nuclear power is not safe: Nuclear reactors routinely release radiation into the surrounding environment. Incidents, accidents, releases and leaks plague the industry in every country where it operates. «The threat posed by nuclear weapons is not over: More than 40,000 nuclear warheads still exist. Nuclear proliferation continues and there is growing global smuggling. «The problems of nuclear waste have not been solved: Despite assurances, nuclear waste remains a real and very potent danger. They need to be isolated from people and the wider environment for up to hundreds of thousands of years. Help stop the industry from taking over northern Colorado. Go to Nunnglow.com for details. (Sources provided by writer: SEA-US, The Sustainable Energy and Anti-Uranium Service Inc.) Jackie Adolph, Wellington Greeley Education Association needs to explain its pay-raise statistics better I would hesitate before coming to teach in Greeley-Evans School District 6, a district that has gone to a federal mediator in three of the past four years. I would want to know: Are district administration and school board members tight or are teachers unreasonable? Good teachers are definitely underpaid. I remember walking with my wife on the picket line in support of teachers getting better salaries three or four years ago. Oh, I forgot. That was a totally different administration back then. When the GEA column (in the June 24 Tribune) reports on several Colorado districts' raises, I question its validity. Fort Lupton teachers received a 10-percent raise, but the column doesn't state that the generous voters in Weld School District 8 graciously passed a mill levy last fall to fund that raise. It also doesn't state that Fort Lupton teachers will get their step increase of 2.1 percent if they are in a position to receive it. District 6 teachers have a 3.5-percent step increase. I guess that "the alleged 5.2 percent offer the district is currently touting" would give teachers at least a 1.7-percent raise. What is the step increase for these other districts? Why were these districts chosen for the column? Is it because they had the highest increase? I can understand why District 6 is cutting teachers next year: Student numbers are declining. I do question the statement of adding "nearly $1 million worth of new administration next year." Are these the 16 new building administrators who are being replaced throughout the district? Are these the nine teachers on special assignment who are being promoted to assistant principal? I admire the GEA board members for sticking up for the teachers and attempting to get better salaries and benefits. I would appreciate it if they were more specific on where they get their numbers. Statistics can be stated in about any manner that will benefit you. Fred Wilson has taught in public education for the past 36 years. He is a resident of Greeley. Any immigrant in the United States should be legal and not expect handouts I would just like to comment on Sandy Hartman's letter to the editor. (Reference: "It's time for Greeley residents to stop lambasting the Hispanic population," June 26 Tribune.) In it she says that Greeley doesn't know how good we have it in regard to the Hispanic population. I would say that most people are complaining about illegal immigrants, not necessarily Hispanics, but in this region that is the primary source of illegals. The American citizens are being stretched to the breaking point by people who are not willing to pull their own weight. Hartman's experience with the inner-city people of Richmond, Va., is terrible and frustrating and wrong. I also lived in that area and saw first hand the laziness and "you owe me" attitude, but that does not mean it is OK to invite in illegals and add them to the burden already placed on the taxpayers. It is wrong to lambaste people because of their ethnicity. But it is also wrong to expect someone to pay for your life when you are unwilling to work, or become legal and pay taxes. Both the people Hartman dealt with in Virginia and the illegal immigrants are wrong. Be legal and don't expect handouts. Karen Chilson, Greeley All contents © Copyright 2007 greeleytrib.com The Greeley Publishing Co. - P.O. Box 1690 - Greeley, CO 80632 ***************************************************************** 36 times and star: Unsuitable for new nuclear dump Published on 06/07/2007 WEST Cumbria is an ‘irrational’ and ‘unsuitable’ choice for a new nuclear dump, according to the man who led the last inquiry into the issue. The government has asked local authorities to volunteer to host a new radioactive waste facility in return for jobs and millions of pounds of investment in schools, roads and sports facilities. Although West Cumbria is yet to throw its hat into the ring, the area is a front-runner due to its historical links with the industry. Copeland Council has already signalled its willingness to be involved, subject to the backing of the community. But Chris McDonald, lead inspector of the 1995/96 public inquiry into a proposed waste dump at Gosforth, said the area is still unsuitable. That inquiry defeated a bid by Nirex to build a rock laboratory on farmland to test the safety of a planned dump there. He said: “The geology in West Cumbria is apparently now claimed to be ‘stable, although imperfect’. “But 10 years ago, the nuclear industry had not found a way of maintaining the stability of that geology when exploring the underground site. “The site is not suitable and investigations should be moved elsewhere. The site selection process was flawed, not treating safety as the most important factor, and irrationally affected by a strong desire to locate close to Sellafield.†Once a location is chosen, the waste facility will see one of the biggest and longest construction projects in modern UK building history, worth about £10 billion. View this story and the latest newspaper in full digital reproduction, just like the printed copy at www.timesandstar.co.uk/digitalcopy Other stories from this category that may interest you: ***************************************************************** 37 SF New Mexican: Officials want data on pollution threat Map of Proposed Buckman diversion intake. Map by Alexander Usatine/The New Mexican July 5, 2007 A project to divert Rio Grande surface water for use in the Santa Fe area is designed to handle possible contaminants that drain into the river from Los Alamos National Laboratory, planners said Thursday. But the city-county project’s manager said the lab should still be responsible for keeping nuclear pollution out of the river. Elected officials overseeing the major water-supply expansion project on Thursday called for a detailed report on the issue. The Buckman Direct Diversion will include a river structure and a treatment plant. The goal is to exploit water rights acquired through a federal project that imports flows from the Colorado River basin into the Rio Grande. “I am concerned,” said Santa Fe County Commissioner Paul Campos, who serves on the board directing the project. “I think we need more information, and that is what we are asking for.” His remarks came after anti-nuclear activist Joni Arends asked the board to be proactive in dealing with contamination from the nuclear-weapons lab, which sits above canyons that drain into the Rio Grande. She said the Department of Energy has failed in its federal oversight role to prevent pollution — including contamination from plutonium — from leaving lab grounds through erosion, particularly after the Cerro Grande Fire in 2000. A report released in May by the state Environment Department confirmed that radioactive contaminants from the lab are present in the Rio Grande but said they pose no immediate health threats. Federal studies on plutonium, however, show increased exposure to the material increases the risk of cancer. Project Manager Rick Carpenter said he has been talking with representatives of LANL, the U.S. Department of Energy and the watchdog group Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety, of which Arends is the executive director. Carpenter said the water-treatment system will be designed to catch any pollution from the lab. “It will be robust enough that it gives us a wide range of treatment options and flexibility so we can monitor the river,” he said. Carpenter said LANL will be primarily responsible for monitoring of pollutants reaching the river. If the lab fails to carry out that responsibility, he said, additional monitoring and treatment would mean higher operating costs for the diversion project. Current estimates are that the project will cost $145 million to build and at least $8 million to operate annually. The treatment plant will separate sediment from the water to a high standard, said consultant Mark Ryan of Camp Dresser and McKee Inc., who explained that those solid soil particles are a common transportation method for radioactive waste. City Councilor Chris Calvert said he favors putting more pressure on the Energy Department to keep its promises about waste cleanup. Arends said that should help. “Whenever local governments get involved in the process, to watch what DOE is doing, DOE gets more responsive,” Arends said. The board expects to hear from Carpenter on the issue on the first Thursday in September. By that time, bids from firms that want to design and build the diversion structure and treatment plant should be under consideration. Officials on Thursday granted a 30-day extension of the bidding deadline and learned one of the three firms on a short list of bidders has informally indicated it will withdraw. Planners are also waiting for the U.S. Forest Service to issue a report on findings about the potential environmental impacts of the project. Public comments on that report included a letter from watchdogs expressing concern about nuclear contamination. Contact Julie Ann Grimm at 986-3017 or jgrimm@sfnewmexican.com. Copyright 2007 The New Mexican, Inc. ***************************************************************** 38 Santa Fe New Mexican: LANL worker charged in drug case By ANDY LENDERMAN | July 5, 2007 A Gallina resident who works at Los Alamos National Laboratory’s plutonium facility has been charged with drug possession, according to court records and lab officials. But the drugs were located off lab property, and there’s no evidence of illegal activity at the lab, officials say. Daren Chacon, 29, was arrested June 26 north of Española on U.S. 84/285 after the vehicle he was traveling in was stopped for speeding, according to a statement of probable cause filed in Rio Arriba County Magistrate Court. An agent with the Region I Narcotics Task Force got permission to search the car from the owner. Chacon was a passenger in the car and had been followed by agents from Los Alamos. Two plastic bags of cocaine were located in a pair of Chacon’s jeans, which were on the rear floorboard of the car, according to the statement. Chacon also admitted the cocaine was his, according to the statement. Police took 30.5 grams of cocaine from the car, according to a search warrant. And they took 1.3 grams of cocaine and two electronic scales from Chacon’s residence, the warrant shows. A confidential informant made two purchases of cocaine from that residence, according to the search warrant. A lab spokesman confirmed Chacon worked at Technical Area 55, but did not know what his job was. “There is no indication here, no evidence or suspicion that this investigation or the arrest relates to the suspect’s job or workplace,” spokesman Jeff Berger said. “There is no indication either that any illegal activity took place at the lab.” A person who answered Chacon’s phone Thursday said he was unavailable for comment. Chacon pleaded not guilty to possession of a controlled substance June 27 in magistrate court. The lab earlier this year established a random drug testing policy for all employees. “We have zero tolerance for illegal drug-related activity,” Berger said. Contact Andy Lenderman at 995-3827 or alenderman@sfnewmexican.com. Copyright 2007 The New Mexican, Inc. ***************************************************************** 39 Tri-City Herald: Events in Washington, D.C., brighten PNNL's prospects Opinions Published Friday, July 6th, 2007 The uncertainty surrounding the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's future is unnerving and unnecessary. Blame the Department of Energy for putting the lab's operating contract out to bid when it didn't have to, then seemingly taking forever to issue a request for proposals. And blame Congress for its inept handling of the federal budget, leaving many of the lab's programs and jobs in limbo for months on end. But it's not all bad news coming out of Washington, D.C., for the Richland research facility. Members of the state's congressional delegation understand PNNL's value to the Northwest and the nation, and they're acting on it. In recent weeks, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., requested and got committee approval for $62 million to help PNNL move out of the 300 Area and into improved north Richland facilities. And in a separate move, Washington's federal lawmakers put the heat on DOE to allow PNNL researchers to continue conducting private work in Richland. Sens. Maria Cantwell and Murray, both D-Wash., joined Reps. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., and Norm Dicks, D-Wash., in urging DOE Deputy Undersecretary Clay Sell to preserve the portion of PNNL's contract that allows the private work. It's not the sort of pressure Sell can easily ignore, but even without their clout, these lawmakers make a convincing argument for the arrangement. When PNNL takes on private work, the benefits taxpayers get from their investment is multiplied, industry benefits and the nation is served. Residents of the Northwest know it makes sense and so do our elected officials. Sell and Undersecretary Raymond Orbach, head of the national laboratory system, need to acknowledge the advantages and issue a request for proposals that allows private work. © 2007 Tri-City Herald, Associated Press & Other Wire Services ***************************************************************** 40 Rocky Mountain News: Flats workers should know status by Aug. By Rocky Mountain News July 6, 2007 Former Rocky Flats workers should know by the first week in August whether the U.S. secretary of health and human services will recommend that some of them be given streamlined medical and financial compensation for cancers related to their work at the now-demolished atomic weapons complex northwest of Denver. The White House Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health voted June 12 to recommend the special status for a limited number of workers. But the board did not officially send its recommendation to the secretary until this week. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt has 30 days to forward his recommendation to Congress, which has another 30 days to act. Leavitt has never rejected the board's advice, but Colorado's congressional leaders have asked him to do just that. The lawmakers say all former Rocky Flats workers, not just a small portion of them, deserve the expedited aid. The current recommendation would give $150,000 and medical coverage only to workers with certain radiation-related cancers who were employed for at least 250 days from 1952- 1966, and who were, or should have been, monitored for exposure to neutron radiation, one of the most dangerous kinds. According to government figures, only 331 former Rocky Flats workers who worked during that time and have one of the listed cancers have filed for aid. Corrections 2007 © The E.W. Scripps Co. ***************************************************************** 41 Oak Ridger: Y-12 completes major concrete placement at uranium storage facility Story last updated at 12:32 am on 7/6/2007 By: From Staff Reports | The Oak Ridger Construction of the new uranium storage facility at the National Nuclear Security Administration's Y-12 National Security Complex completed the third major continuous concrete placement in late June. The concrete pour in the storage area was the third largest same-day placement of concrete on the project to date, according to information provided by the Public Affairs and Communications office of BWXT Y-12. The largest pour to date was the foundation pour in 2005. “A train of some 60 concrete trucks started arriving at Y-12 at 4 a.m.,” the BWXT Y-12 release stated. “The trucks carried about 600 cubic yards of concrete, which was continuously placed, completing the task around 9:30 a.m. “This was part of a series of large-volume roof placements for the project.” According to reports, a succession of like placements will occur into July and early August. Completion of all these placements will allow additional electrical and mechanical work and will allow installation of the storage racks in the storage area to begin. Y-12 stores the majority of the nation's inventory of highly enriched uranium. The Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility is a key component in the site's modernization plans, and it will replace multiple aging facilities and allow storage of highly enriched uranium in one central location. This will result in enhanced physical security and reduced operating costs, officials stated. HEUMF construction is almost 60 percent complete, with facility completion scheduled for early 2009 and operations expected to begin in 2010. BWXT Y-12 operates the Y-12 National Security Complex for the National Nuclear Security Administration. | © 2004 The Oak Ridger ***************************************************************** NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: *****************************************************************