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Send News Stories to news@energy-net.org with title on subject
line and first line of body

                         NUCLEAR POLICY
 
1 AFP: Bush set for talks with Dalai Lama amid Chinese anger 
 
                         NUCLEAR REACTORS
 
2 US: PennLive.com: Nuke 101 for state Senate - Statehouse - 
3 US: PisgahMountainNews.com: Trip to nuclear plant planned
4 US: Detroit Free Press: Fermi 2 nuclear plant to undergo special ins
5 US: Monroenews.com: Federal panel to conduct special Fermi inspectio
6 US: Brattleboro Reformer: Pushing too hard?
7 US: NRC: Nuclear Fuel Services (Confirmatory Order); Notice of Recon
8 US: NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) Subcommitte
9 US: NRC: Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, Inc.; Notice of Withdra
10 US: NRC: Andrew Siemaszko (Enforcement Action); Notice of Reconstitu
11 US: NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) Meeting of 
12 US: Reuters: FPL asks state regulator to agree need for nuclear | 
13 US: Reuters: Entergy NY FitzPatrick reactor starts to exit outage | 
14 US: PBP: FPL files to add two nukes at Turkey Point
15 US: Reuters: Dominion Va. North Anna 1 reactor exits refuel 
16 UPI: Turkey's trend toward nuclear energy
17 US: Knoxville News Sentinel: Bechtel wins TVA contract 
18 US: Vermont Public Radio: Emergency drill planned around Vermont Yan
19 US: Atlantic Free Press: Browne, Raitt and Nash reunite to fight nuk
20 World Tribune: Turkey dusts off plan for 8 reactors
21 US: Deseret Morning News: Two Utah lawmakers have ties to nuclear pl
22 US: NewsBlaze: Hidden Subsidy for Nuclear Power
23 US: The Hoya: Nuclear Power Can Be Solution to Impending Energy Cris
24 The Hindu: India to seek integration with global civil nuclear commu
25 US: MiamiHerald.com: FPL moves to add nuclear plants in S. Dade - 
26 Interfax: Caspian summit backs states' right to peaceful nuclear ene
27 US: POAC: DEP wants earlier publication of Oyster Creek drywell anal
 
                          NUCLEAR SECURITY
 
28 Reuters: Caspian states won't let soil be used for any attack 
 
                          NUCLEAR SAFETY
 
29 US: LA Daily News: Santa Susana Field Lab victory finally in sight
30 BBC NEWS: Nuclear test veteran recalls fears
 
                         NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
 
31 US: Chillicothe Gazette: DOCUMENTS ADDED: Gov. Strickland hears a ne
32 US: NEWS.com.au: Demand for uranium strengthens, says ERA | 
33 US: Reuters: High uranium prices boost exploration - IAEA 
 
                           PEACE
 
34 Reuters: Russia against any use of force in Caspian area | 
 
                        US DEPT. OF ENERGY
 
35 Hanford News: Congress OKs new rules for payments
36 Knoxville News Sentinel: ORNL scientists take part in Nobel-winning 
37 KVII: Pantex: America's safest place for nukes 
38 Oak Ridger: ORNL partnership reaches across Atlantic - 
*****************************************************************
*****************************************************************
                         FULL NEWS STORIES
*****************************************************************
*****************************************************************
 1 AFP: Bush set for talks with Dalai Lama amid Chinese anger 

by P. Parameswaran Tue Oct 16, 5:42 AM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush prepared to host
talks with the Dalai Lama Tuesday, drawing Chinese warnings that the
high-profile visit could seriously undermine bilateral relations.

Bush is to meet the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader at his White
House residence rather than the office, apparently to avoid the full
wrath of China -- a move that did not stop China from warning that
the meeting would damage bilateral ties.

"We express strong dissatisfaction and our firm opposition. This
action will seriously undermine China-US relations," foreign
ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said in Beijing on Tuesday.

Beijing called on Bush to cancel the meeting.

"We have already made many representations to the American side and
we would like to again prompt the American side to correct the
mistakes and to cancel the arrangements," the spokesman said.

It is the third encounter between the US president and the
72-year-old religious figure, who China considers a dangerous
separatist, since Bush took office in January 2001, US officials
said.

Bush is also scheduled to attend a ceremony at the US Capitol on
Wednesday, where the Dalai Lama is to receive the Congressional Gold
Medal, a top US civilian award.

It will be the first time a sitting US president will appear in
public with the Dalai Lama, whose arrival in Washington Monday was
greeted by a crowd of Tibetans clad in traditional dress, honoring
the spiritual icon with blessings, songs and dances.

Beijing has protested over the Congressional award, which it said
"seriously interfered in China's internal affairs and damaged
China-US relations."

Moving swiftly to show its displeasure, China sought postponement of
a meeting -- coincidentally also scheduled Wednesday -- among top
officials from the five UN Security Council permanent members and
Germany in Berlin aimed at discussing the Iranian nuclear crisis, a
US State Department official said.

"I think they (the Chinese) had indigestion ... over the presence of
certain spiritual leaders and an event in Congress," said the
official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "It is extraneous to
Iranian issues."

Beijing "just decided that Wednesday is not the date to have that
meeting" among diplomats from Britain, China, France, Russia, the
United States and Germany, the official said.

"For us, the Dalai Lama is a spiritual leader and that is how he is
being treated here," added the official.

The six powers were to have discussed calls to tighten UN sanctions
on Iran over its nuclear program.

China and Russia have been against harsh Security Council sanctions
on Iran, which has refused to abide by the powerful world's body's
order to the Islamic republic to suspend uranium enrichment.

Tehran insists its atomic drive is entirely peaceful and solely
aimed at generating energy.

Beijing's fury over the Dalai Lama's US trip came barely a month
after it strongly protested German Chancellor Angela Merkel's
historic meeting with the spiritual leader in Berlin.

China pulled out of a Germany-China symposium last month in Munich
and axed an annual event scheduled for December in Beijing to
discuss human rights.

The Dalai Lama, the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner, also met Austrian
Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer last month and Australian Prime
Minister John Howard in June. He will meet Canadian Prime Minister
Stephen Harper this month.

Bush has asked Chinese leaders to have a dialogue with the Dalai
Lama to resolve the longstanding issue but they have not budged.

"We hope President Bush's meeting with the Dalai Lama will send a
clear message to the Chinese government to reach out to the Dalai
Lama, who is acknowledged as a great man of peace, rather than
shutting him out," said Kate Saunders, spokeswoman for the
International Campaign for Tibet.

China has ruled Tibet since sending troops in to "liberate" the
Himalayan region in 1950.

The Dalai Lama fled to India following a failed uprising in 1959
after Beijing crushed the revolt in Lhasa, and currently lives in
the northern hill town of Dharamsala, which is also the seat of his
government in exile.

Beijing considers the Dalai Lama a political exile bent on
establishing an independent Tibet, an accusation he has repeatedly
denied.

He instead says he only wants greater autonomy and is waging a
non-violent campaign for greater rights for his six million people.

Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 2 PennLive.com: Nuke 101 for state Senate - Statehouse - 

BY GARRY LENTON / Of The Patriot-News, 10/16/07 4:42 PM EDT

Spurred by reports of sleeping guards at the Peach Bottom nuclear
station, members of a state Senate panel asked Tuesday for
reassurances from the state’s three nuclear utilities that their
plants are secure.

The answer from federal regulators and the utilities during an
informational hearing was “yes.”

Though the sleeping was confirmed, security systems at the plants
were never compromised, said Marsha Gamberoni, director of reactor
safety for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Region 1.

Senate members also used the session to offer advice to an industry
that appears poised to expand: Do a better job of promoting yourself.

Sen. Michael Waugh, R-York, whose district includes Peach Bottom,
said the plant’s operator, Exelon Corp., could do a better job of
informing the public about safety precautions and facility security.

“Frankly, from what I hear, there are still questions,” Waugh said.

Gov. Ed Rendell and the General Assembly are working on a new energy
policy for the state, and nuclear energy is expected to play a
significant part in meeting future needs.

About 35 percent of the state’s electricity comes from nuclear.

The session Tuesday, involving members of the Senate’s Consumer
Protection and Professional Licensure; and Veterans Affairs and
Emergency Preparedness committees, was prompted by the disclosure
that 10 security guards at Peach Bottom were video-taped napping on
the job.

The guards were taped sleeping on four occasions by another security
guard, who turned the tapes over to CBS News.

Exelon fired Wackenhut Corp. as its security provider at Peach
Bottom and is reviewing its contracts with Wackenhut at nine other
nuclear plants, including Three Mile Island.

The NRC confirmed last week that 10 guards slept inside a “ready
room” at the plant on at least four occasions between March and
August.

The guards were placed on administrative leave pending the outcome
of the investigation.

The agency, which licenses and regulates commercial nuclear plants,
faulted Exelon for inadequately overseeing plant security
operations, and for failing to provide enough stimuli to help
security workers stay alert.

GARRY LENTON: 255-8264 or glenton@patriot-news.com

BY GARRY LENTON / Of The Patriot-News, 10/16/07 4:42 PM EDT
UPDATED: 10/16/07 11:47 PM EDT

Spurred by reports of sleeping guards at the Peach Bottom nuclear
station, members of a state Senate panel asked Tuesday for
reassurances from the state’s three nuclear utilities that their
plants are secure.

The answer from federal regulators and the utilities during an
informational hearing was “yes.”

PennLive.com | Site Index | Home | News | Forums | Blogs | Sports |
The Patriot News | The Express-Times
*****************************************************************
 3 PisgahMountainNews.com: Trip to nuclear plant planned

published October 16, 2007 10:09 am

HENDERSONVILLE – The Environmental and Conservation Organization 
in Hendersonville is sponsoring a trip to the Oconee Nuclear 
Generating Plant in South Carolina Saturday.

The trip will include an interactive tour of the education center
and film, questions and answers with a Duke Energy representative
and a brown bag picnic. Those interested will leave Hendersonville
at 10 a.m.

Space is limited, so reservations are required.

Call the ECO office at 692-0385 to reserve a space and to get
information about where the carpool will depart. Those attending
will bring their own lunch and a snack to share and money for gas.

On the Net: www.eco-wnc.org

Copyright © 2007 Pisgah Mountain News • 4020 Hendersonville Road,
Suite D, Fletcher, NC, 28732 • Phone: 828-210-6075.

The Asheville Citizen-Times is a Gannett newspaper.


*****************************************************************
 4 Detroit Free Press: Fermi 2 nuclear plant to undergo special inspection

* Freep.com

October 16, 2007

By ALEJANDRO BODIPO-MEMBA FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said it will conduct a special 
inspection of the Fermi 2 nuclear power plant in Newport 
following the discovery of several holes in pipes at the facility 
last week.

On Oct. 11, DTE Energy, the parent company of Detroit Edison and 
Michigan Consolidated Gas Co., reported that some of its workers 
found small unexpected indentations on steamline pipes in a dry 
well area of the reactor. The discovery resulted in the utility 
having to declare an unusual event, the lowest level of 
emergency, to the NRC.

Under certain circumstances, those pipes are used to relieve reactor
pressure.
A preliminary review has concluded that the damage was caused during
the removal of pipe insulation.

On October 15, the NRC dispatched a 4-person Special Inspection team
to continue this review. The goal of the Special Inspection is to
review the facts and circumstances of the incident.

The inspection will focus on the events that led to the pipes being
damaged; the review of the utility’s Emergency Plan in the context
of security-related events; an assessment of the plant’s response to
a potential security issue; the plant’s immediate and long-term
corrective actions; and a review of the utility’s evaluation of the
issue.

“The plant remains safe and there is no threat to public health,”
said James Caldwell, regional administrator for the Region III
office of the NRC. “However, the NRC needs to understand how and why
there was damage to the piping and evaluate the plant’s response to
the event to gain confidence that such situations will not occur in
the future.”

The special inspection is expected to last about a week. A final
report will be issued four to six weeks after the completion of the
inspection.

<Contact ALEJANDRO BODIPO-MEMBA at 313-222-5008 or
abodipo@freepress.com

Copyright ©2007 the Detroit Free Press. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 5 Monroenews.com: Federal panel to conduct special Fermi inspection

  By: Charles Slat story updated October 16. 2007 3:18PM
 
Despite utility assurances that it was unintentional, the federal
Nuclear Regulatory Commission said today it is conducting a special
inspection of damage discovered last week on steam lines at DTE
Energy's Fermi 2 nuclear power plant.

The NRC said the team will further review the damage, which was
found by utility personnel during a routine inspection.

A four-person NRC special inspection team was dispatched to the
plant Monday to augment the work of two resident inspectors assigned
to the plant.

"This is a situation that raised questions about work procedures and
processes and their control of work," said Jan Strasma, an NRC
spokesman. "This also was initially thought to be a tampering and
security incident, and we're looking at how they handled that from
an emergency preparedness point of view."

He said the inspection team might be at the plant through the end of
this week and then its inspection report will be issued in four to
six weeks.

Fermi plant personnel Thursday discovered a small, unexpected hole
and several indentations on steam line pipes in the reactor drywell,
a structure that contains radioactive steam and pressure in the
event of a rapid shutdown or accident at the plant. However, the
plant was shut down for refueling and maintenance at the time - and
still is.

In some circumstances while the plant is operating, the pipes would
relieve reactor pressure, but the NRC said even if the pipes damaged
had to be used for this purpose, there would have been no radiation
released to the environment.

DTE still is reviewing how the pipes were damaged, though it
suspects it occurred while workers were removing insulation from the
exterior of the pipes.

It first considered that tampering or sabotage might have been the
cause, and that prompted it to declare an "unusual event," the
lowest level of four NRC nuclear emergency classifications. "This
was not a case of sabotage," Mr. Strasma said.

The NRC said it began monitoring the situation when it learned of
it. It reviewed activities at the plant around the clock from its
incident response center in Lisle, Ill., as well as with resident
inspectors and other regional inspectors at the plant. The utility
will be billed for the costs of the special inspection.

Monroe Publishing Company. All Rights Reserved Contact us Terms of
*****************************************************************
 6 Brattleboro Reformer: Pushing too hard?

BRATTLEBORO, VT

Tuesday, October 16

While it still appears doubtful that the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission will reject Entergy's bid to extend Vermont Yankee's
operating license in 2012, Entergy appears worried that it may not
get what it wants.

How else can one explain reports that Entergy is conducting "push
polls" around the state to sway public opinion to its side.

In politics, push polling is the weapon of mass destruction that
gets rolled out when all else fails. A "pollster" calls a potential
voter, ostensibly to gauge that person's opinion on an issue.
However, the questions are designed not to gauge opinion, but to
push it in the desired direction.

For example, one question was reportedly about Entergy winning an
award for corporate responsibility for a sixth straight year and
whether that fact would make you feel more or less positive toward
relicensing Vermont Yankee.

Most of the other questions were in the same vein -- citing
cherry-picked positive factoids about Vermont Yankee and asking
whether knowledge of that information would make the respondant more
or less likely to support relicensing.

Entergy contracted with the Charlton Research Group, a public
relations firm that does work for less-than-favorably viewed 
corporate entities -- such as oil, tobacco and chemical 
companies. Charlton also helps so-called "astroturf" 
organizations -- citizen groups that appear to be grass-roots 
efforts on the surface, but are instead creations of corporate 
interests.

"Issue Management" and "Crisis Management" are Charlton's other
specialties, according to its Web site at charltonresearch.com.
Entergy is certainly in need of both.

The double whammy in late August of a collapse of a section of
Vermont Yankee's cooling towers and an emergency shutdown of the
plant caused by a stuck steam valve did not help Entergy's image.

More than any of the other mishaps at Vermont Yankee during
Entergy's ownership of the plant, these two events have vividly
illustrated the concerns many have about keeping an aging and
overstressed nuclear plant in operation for an additional 20 years.

Hence, Entergy's decision to hire a PR firm to spread pro-nuclear
propaganda under the guise of an opinion survey.

Unfortunately, Entergy's polling is apparently being done at the
same time that the Vermont Department of Public Service is also
conducting telephone polls as part of its ongoing efforts to create
a state energy policy. State officials fear that Entergy's efforts
might be muddying the waters.

While Vermont Yankee spokesman Rob Williams denies that Entergy has
been push polling and that it was just a coincidence that it
conducted its poll at the same time that the DPS did its polling,
the reports coming from people who have received Entergy's calls
suggest otherwise.

Entergy has reason to be concerned about its future in Vermont.
However, we think it should not have to resort to shady tactics to
influence public opinion.

The debate over the relicencing of Vermont Yankee deserves to be
conducted in an above-board manner. It is too important an issue not
to be.

*****************************************************************
 7 NRC: Nuclear Fuel Services (Confirmatory Order); Notice of Reconstitution

FR Doc E7-20415

[Federal Register: October 16, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 199)] 
[Notices] [Page 58686-58687] From the Federal Register Online via 
GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr16oc07-112]                         

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 70-143-CO, ASLBP No. 07-857-01-CO]


    Pursuant to 10 CFR 2.321, the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board in 
the above captioned Nuclear Fuel Services proceeding is hereby 
reconstituted by appointing Administrative Judge G. Paul Bollwerk in 
place of Administrative Judge Peter Lam, whose retirement from the 
Panel has rendered him unavailable to participate in this proceeding 
(10 CFR 2.313(c)).
    In accordance with 10 CFR 2.302, henceforth all correspondence, 
documents, and other material relating to any matter in this proceeding 
over which this Licensing Board has

[[Page 58687]]

jurisdiction should be served on Administrative Judge Bollwerk as 
follows: Administrative Judge G. Paul Bollwerk, Atomic Safety and 
Licensing Board Panel, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, 
DC 20555-0001.

    Dated: Issued at Rockville, Maryland, this 9th day of October 
2007.
E. Roy Hawkens,
Chief Administrative Judge, Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel.
[FR Doc. E7-20415 Filed 10-15-07; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590-01-P


*****************************************************************
 8 NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) Subcommittee 
Meeting on Planning and Procedures; Notice of Meeting

FR Doc E7-20416

[Federal Register: October 16, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 199)] 
[Notices] [Page 58687] From the Federal Register Online via GPO 
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr16oc07-114]                         

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


    The ACRS Subcommittee on Planning and Procedures will hold a 
meeting on October 31, 2007, Room T-2B1, 11545 Rockville Pike, 
Rockville, Maryland.
    The entire meeting will be open to public attendance, with the 
exception of a portion that may be closed pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 
552b(c)(2) and (6) to discuss organizational and personnel matters that 
relate solely to the internal personnel rules and practices of the 
ACRS, and information the release of which would constitute a clearly 
unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.
    The agenda for the subject meeting shall be as follows:

Wednesday, October 31, 2007, 2:30 p.m. Until the Conclusion of Business

    The Subcommittee will discuss proposed ACRS activities and related 
matters. The Subcommittee will gather information, analyze relevant 
issues and facts, and formulate proposed positions and actions, as 
appropriate, for deliberation by the full Committee.
    Members of the public desiring to provide oral statements and/or 
written comments should notify the Designated Federal Officer, Mr. Sam 
Duraiswamy (telephone: 301-415-7364) between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. (ET) 
five days prior to the meeting, if possible, so that appropriate 
arrangements can be made. Electronic recordings will be permitted only 
during those portions of the meeting that are open to the public. 
Detailed procedures for the conduct of and participation in ACRS 
meetings were published in the Federal Register on September 26, 2007 
(72 FR 54695).
    Further information regarding this meeting can be obtained by 
contacting the Designated Federal Officer between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. 
(ET). Persons planning to attend this meeting are urged to contact the 
above named individual at least two working days prior to the meeting 
to be advised of any potential changes in the agenda.

    Dated: October 10, 2007.
Cayetano Santos,
Chief, Reactor Safety Branch.
[FR Doc. E7-20416 Filed 10-15-07; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590-01-P


*****************************************************************
 9 NRC: Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, Inc.; Notice of Withdrawal of 
Application for Amendment to Facility Operating License

FR Doc E7-20417

[Federal Register: October 16, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 199)] 
[Notices] [Page 58686] From the Federal Register Online via GPO 
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr16oc07-111]                         

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-317 and 50-318]


    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) has granted 
the request of Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, Inc. (the licensee) 
to withdraw its application dated January 31, 2005, for proposed 
amendments to Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-53 and DPR-69 
for the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, Unit Nos. 1 and 2, 
respectively, located in Calvert County, Maryland.
    The proposed amendment would have revised the Renewed Facility 
Operating Licenses and Technical Specifications to increase the 
licensed core power by 1.37 percent to 2737 MegaWatt-thermal through 
implementation of certain feedwater flow measurement instrumentation.
    The Commission had previously issued a Notice of Consideration of 
Issuance of Amendment published in the Federal Register on March 16, 
2005 (70 FR 12906). However, by letter dated September 27, 2007, the 
licensee withdrew the proposed change.
    For further details with respect to this action, see the 
application for amendment dated January 31, 2005, and the licensee's 
letter dated September 27, 2007, which withdrew the application for 
license amendment. Documents may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, 
at the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint 
North, Public File Area O1 F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), 
Rockville, Maryland. Publicly available records will be accessible 
electronically from the Agencywide Documents Access and Management 
Systems (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room on the internet at the 
NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm.html. Persons who do not 

have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the 
documents located in ADAMS should contact the NRC PDR Reference staff 
by telephone at 1-800-397-4209, or 301-415-4737 or by e-mail to 
pdr@nrc.gov.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 9th day of October 2007.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Douglas V. Pickett,
Senior Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch I-1, Division of 
Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. E7-20417 Filed 10-15-07; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590-01-P


*****************************************************************
 10 NRC: Andrew Siemaszko (Enforcement Action); Notice of Reconstitution

FR Doc E7-20419

[Federal Register: October 16, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 199)] 
[Notices] [Page 58687] From the Federal Register Online via GPO 
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr16oc07-113]                         

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

 [Docket No. IA-05-021-EA; ASLBP No. 05-839-02-EA]


    Pursuant to 10 CFR 2.321, the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board in 
the above captioned Andrew Siemaszko proceeding is hereby reconstituted 
by appointing Administrative Judge Nicholas Trikouris in place of 
Administrative Judge Peter Lam, whose retirement from the Panel has 
rendered him unavailable to participate in this proceeding (10 CFR 
2.313(c)).
    In accordance with 10 CFR 2.302, henceforth all correspondence, 
documents, and other material relating to any matter in this proceeding 
over which this Licensing Board has jurisdiction should be served on 
Administrative Judge Trikouris as follows: Administrative Judge 
Nicholas G. Trikouris, Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel, U.S. 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.

    Issued at Rockville, Maryland this 9th day of October 2007.
E. Roy Hawkens,
Chief Administrative Judge, Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel.
 [FR Doc. E7-20419 Filed 10-15-07; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590-01-P


*****************************************************************
 11 NRC: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) Meeting of the 
Subcommittee on AP1000; Notice of Meeting

FR Doc E7-20432

[Federal Register: October 16, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 199)] 
[Notices] [Page 58687] From the Federal Register Online via GPO 
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr16oc07-115]                         

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


    The ACRS Subcommittee on AP1000 will hold a meeting on October 31, 
2007, Room T-2B3, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland.
    The entire meeting will be open to public attendance.
    The agenda for the subject meeting shall be as follows:

Wednesday, October 31, 2007--8 a.m. Until the Conclusion of Business

    The Subcommittee will meet with representatives of the NRC Staff, 
Westinghouse Electric Corporation (W ), and the AP1000 Design Centered 
Working Group (DCWG) to discuss the AP1000 design, proposed revisions 
to 10 CFR Part 52 Appendix D, issues to be resolved collectively for 
Combined License (COL) applicants referencing the AP1000 certified 
design by the AP1000 DCWG, and issues that will be resolved on a plant-
specific basis by COL applicants. The Subcommittee will hear 
presentations by and hold discussions with representatives of the NRC 
staff, W, the AP1000 DCWG, and other interested persons regarding this 
matter. The Subcommittee will gather information, analyze relevant 
issues and facts, and formulate proposed positions and actions, as 
appropriate, for deliberation by the full Committee.
    Members of the public desiring to provide oral statements and/or 
written comments should notify the Designated Federal Officer, David C. 
Fischer (telephone 301/415-6889) 5 days prior to the meeting, if 
possible, so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Electronic 
recordings will be permitted. Detailed procedures for the conduct of 
and participation in ACRS meetings were published in the Federal 
Register on September 26, 2007 (72 FR 54695).
    Further information regarding this meeting can be obtained by 
contacting the Designated Federal Officer between 7:15 a.m. and 4 p.m. 
(ET). Persons planning to attend this meeting are urged to contact the 
above named individual at least two working days prior to the meeting 
to be advised of any potential changes to the agenda.

    Dated: October 10, 2007.
Cayetano Santos,
Chief, Reactor Safety Branch.
 [FR Doc. E7-20432 Filed 10-15-07; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7590-01-P


*****************************************************************
 12 Reuters: FPL asks state regulator to agree need for nuclear | 

Tue Oct 16, 2007 5:46pm EDT

LOS ANGELES, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Florida Power & Light Company on
Tuesday asked the Florida state utility regulator to agree there is
a need to build two new nuclear reactors at the company's Turkey
Point plant.

Two months ago, FP&L announced plans to build two new reactors at
the Miami-area plant, to begin operation in 2018 and 2020.

Tuesday's filing of a need for the power generation is the first
step in a Florida Public Service Commission process to allow the
construction.

FP&L has told the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission of its plans to
build the plants but has yet to file for a license with the NRC.

FP&L is the principal subsidiary of the FPL Group (FPL.N: Quote,
Profile, Research).

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist supports the FP&L application to build
the two new nuclear power plants, said Anthony DeLuise, press
secretary for the governor.

Crist sees nuclear power as "a great fuel source to reduce carbon
emissions" and that nuclear should be "a part of a balanced fuel
portfolio," DeLuise said.

Crist has called on the state's utilities to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions to 2000 levels by 2017, to 1990 levels by 2025 and by 80
percent of 1990 levels by 2050.

Once in operation, nuclear power emits no greenhouse gases which
cause global warming.  Continued...


*****************************************************************
 13 Reuters: Entergy NY FitzPatrick reactor starts to exit outage | 

Tue Oct 16, 2007 7:44am EDT

NEW YORK, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Entergy Corp's (ETR.N: Quote, Profile,
Research) 852-megawatt FitzPatrick nuclear power station in New York
started to exit an outage and ramped up to 1 percent power by early
Tuesday, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said in a report,.

The unit shut on Oct. 14 due to an influx of algae in the cooling
water intake.

Power plants like FitzPatrick use water from a lake to cool the
steam that drives the turbine into water, among other things.
FitzPatrick lies on the shore of Lake Ontario.

The station, which entered service in 1976, is located in Scriba in
Oswego County, about 90 miles east of Rochester, New York.

One MW powers about 800 homes in New York.

Entergy in August 2006 filed for a 20-year extension of the unit's
original 40-year operating license. It usually takes the NRC about
22 months (May 2008) to make a decision on a license renewal without
a hearing and about 30 months (Jan 2009) with a hearing.

Entergy owns and operates about 30,000 MW of generating capacity,
markets energy commodities, and transmits and distributes power to
2.6 million customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

© Reuters2007All rights reserved
*****************************************************************
 14 PBP: FPL files to add two nukes at Turkey Point

Palm Beach Post Staff Reports

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

JUNO BEACH &mdash; Florida Power & Light Co. today took the first
formal step toward building two more nuclear plants in South Florida.

The units, which would be called Turkey Point Units 6 and 7, would
add between 2,200 and 3,000 megawatts of power to the electricity
supply and provide power for more than 1 million residential
customers, FPL said.

" Additional nuclear energy can help supply reliable, affordable
power to our customers while avoiding greenhouse-gas emissions that
scientists have determined contribute to climate change," FPL
President Armando Olivera said today in a statement. "Nuclear power
helps to meet Gov. Charlie Crist's goals for reducing emissions and
diversifying our fuel sources." FPL asked the PSC last month for
permission to add 400 megawatts of power at its existing nuclear
plants at Turkey Point and the St. Lucie Nuclear Plant on Hutchinson
Island. FPL wants to complete that expansion by 2012.

Copyright 2007 The Palm Beach Post. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 15 Reuters: Dominion Va. North Anna 1 reactor exits refuel 

Tue Oct 16, 2007 7:53am EDT

NEW YORK, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Dominion Resources Inc's (D.N: Quote,
Profile, Research) 924-megawatt Unit 1 at the North Anna nuclear
power station in Virginia exited a refueling outage and ramped up to
30 percent power by early Tuesday, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission said in a report.

On Monday, the unit was operating at 1 percent power.

The company shut the unit on Sept. 9 for the refuel.

The unit last shut for refueling from March 12 to April 11, 2006. It
is on an 18-month refueling cycle.

The 1,834 MW North Anna station is located in Mineral in Louisa
County, about 50 miles northwest of Richmond, Virginia. There are
two units at the station, Unit 1 and the 910 MW Unit 2, which
entered service in 1978 and 1980, respectively.

Unit 2 continued to operate at full power.

One MW powers about 700 homes in Virginia.

The NRC in 2003 renewed the plant's original 40-year operating
licenses for another 20 years until 2038 and 2040.

The NRC is currently reviewing an early site permit application that
Dominion filed in 2003 for the possible construction of new reactors
at North Anna. The NRC expects to make a decision on the early site
permit in 2007 or 2008.  Continued...

*****************************************************************
 16 UPI: Turkey's trend toward nuclear energy

United Press International - International Security - Energy -

Published: 16, 2007 at 3:36 PM

ANKARA, Turkey, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- Turkey is considering nuclear power
as the demand for energy rises, though concerns over accidents and a
proliferation race keep skeptics ready.

“We have our own uranium reserves and we will be able to deal with
the waste created by it,” Energy Minister Hilmi Guler told the
Voice of America news agency. “To meet the growing demands of
Turkey, nuclear energy is a must, rather than a preference to
Turkey.”

But opponents have a whole arsenal of rebuttals, from the fault
lines in the country to the geopolitical hotbed the country already
sits in the middle of.

Turkey is a major supplier and transport country of hydrocarbons,
but as it develops so does the appetite for consuming the energy
supplies. Although the construction costs are large compared to
other energy sources, nuclear power is relatively inexpensive in the
long term.

That is, if everything goes as planned. Accidents can happen,
despite a considerable increase in the quality of new technology of
nuclear plants.

“Turkey is crucial in terms of being the first or the major entry
point to developing nuclear power in this region,” said Paul
Horsemen, Mediterranean campaign officer for Greenpeace. Other
countries in the area, like Egypt and the Gulf Cooperation Council
states, are considering nuclear as well.

“It is crucial that we persuade the Turkish government that
nuclear energy is a dirty, old technology and especially in a region
which is threatened with security and conflict and provides for
major targets and we cannot deal with the waste,” Horsemen said.

There is also a risk that if Iran’s nuclear program is turned from
energy to weapons, it could spark an arms race that Turkey, as a
major regional player, would likely enter.

“If another country introduces nuclear weapons into the region,
there will be a chain reaction of chain reactions,” said Mustafa
Kibaroglu, a proliferations expert and assistant professor at
Bilkent University. “It will really render the region into a very
chaotic situation.”


© Copyright United Press International. All Rights Reserved.
*****************************************************************
 17 Knoxville News Sentinel: Bechtel wins TVA contract 

Pact worth $1B to finish 5-year Unit 2 reactor at Watts Bar Nuclear
Plant

By Andrew Eder (Contact)

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

TVA has awarded Bechtel Power Corp. a contract worth up to $1
billion to lead engineering, procurement and construction work at
TVA’s unfinished Unit 2 reactor at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant.

Bechtel, the country’s largest nuclear contractor, beat out a
contract proposal led by The Shaw Group Inc.’s Stone & Webster
unit. Masoud Bajestani, TVA’s Watts Bar 2 vice president, said
Bechtel’s proposal also included contractors Washington Group
International Inc. and Sargent & Lundy LLC.

The contractors will be responsible for marshaling a peak work force
of 2,300 engineers and craftsmen for the nuclear project, which is
expected to last five years and cost $2.49 billion. Bajestani said
TVA plans to hire an additional 300 contractors for tasks like
pre-operational testing at Watts Bar, located in Spring City, Tenn.,
about 65 miles southwest of Knoxville.

TVA’s largely vacant East Tower will be the engineering nerve
center for the project, with hundreds of contract workers moving
into the downtown building by year’s end. Bajestani said staffing
at the tower would peak in two years at 320 to 330 workers, then
scale down by the end of the third year.

Bechtel spokesman Francis Canavan said the company expected to
contract out a “significant portion” of the Watts Bar work but
had not finalized the arrangements. He did say there were “no
plans for Shaw as part of our project.”

On Monday, Bechtel’s Web site listed 38 job openings in Knoxville,
mainly for engineers, and 38 positions in Spring City in the fields
of construction, engineering, quality assurance and project
controls. Washington Group’s Web site listed 45 openings for
engineers in Knoxville.

Canavan said Bechtel was confident it would find enough qualified
engineers for the project and expected to hire a number of former
TVA employees. Bajestani said TVA expects to face a shortage of
electricians and welders, for which it will turn to specialty
contractors.

Bajestani said TVA was working to finalize two additional contracts
with Siemens, which will be replacing major components of the
turbine system, and Westinghouse, the manufacturer of Watts Bar’s
two pressurized-water reactors.

Bechtel was the lead contractor on a $20 million cost and scheduling
study that found the plant could be finished in five years at a cost
of $2.49 billion. TVA’s board relied on the study’s results in
approving the completion of Watts Bar Unit 2 at its Aug. 1 meeting.

Stephen Smith, executive director of Knoxville-based Southern
Alliance for Clean Energy, called the selection of Bechtel “a
decision where a handful of staff at TVA tapped their favorite
contractor.”

Smith said TVA’s board and Congress — the federal utility’s
two chief regulators — have acted as cheerleaders for nuclear
power, allowing TVA to make multibillion-dollar decisions without
the same level of public input that other utilities are required to
have.

“TVA just committed to spending $2.5 billion of our money,”
Smith said, “and if it was a good decision, it would withstand
public scrutiny.”

Bajestani said TVA was heavily involved in the cost and scheduling
study and released the results to all interested contractors,
although the utility has publicly released only a redacted, 12-page
version.

In May, TVA finished a five-year, $1.81 billion restoration of Unit
1 at Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in Alabama, where Bechtel performed
engineering services and Stone & Webster did construction
modifications. Audits by TVA’s independent Office of the Inspector
General found multiple instances of overpayments to contractors at
Browns Ferry.

An inspector general’s report from Aug. 22 states that “several
investigations are still ongoing related to contract fraud” at
Browns Ferry, but Stefanie Hoglund, a spokeswoman for the inspector
general’s office, said none of the investigations are related to
Bechtel.

Bajestani, who led construction efforts for TVA at Browns Ferry Unit
1, said the Watts Bar contracts would remove some “ambiguities”
that existed in the language of the Browns Ferry contracts. Hoglund
said the inspector general’s office already has offices
established at Watts Bar and was planning an increased presence
during construction.

In 1996, Unit 1 at Watts Bar became the last new nuclear plant to
come online in the United States after 23 years of construction and
$6.9 billion in costs. Unit 2 was largely completed before
construction was halted in 1985, but the plant was never finished.
TVA wrote off $1.7 billion in Watts Bar Unit 2 construction costs in
2001.

Business writer Andrew Eder may be reached at 865-342-6318

© 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.

*****************************************************************
 18 Vermont Public Radio: Emergency drill planned around Vermont Yankee

Tuesday October 16, 2007

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (AP)

Towns around the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant are gearing up for an
emergency drill tomorrow.

Vermont Emergency Management will be joining personnel from
Brattleboro, Dummerston, Guilford, Halifax, Vernon and other state
agencies in the drill.

It's designed to test the ability of first-responders and others to
handle an emergency at the Vernon reactor.

The drill will be reviewed by FEMA and the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, which will gauge the region's readiness.

The drill will be a full scale exercise and include plume teams, and
the possible sounding of tone alert radios. Officials note that the
exercise is only a drill and the public should not be alarmed.

AP Photo/Toby Talbot

© Copyright 2007, Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
*****************************************************************
 19 Atlantic Free Press: Browne, Raitt and Nash reunite to fight nuke plant funding

Tuesday, 16 October 2007

by Ed Kociela

Not much has changed in nearly 30 years.

Back in the 70s, musicians Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt and Graham
Nash led a group of activists concerned about nuclear power, waste
and the poisoning of the planet from this garbage.

It all came together with a series of five concerts at Madison
Square Garden in 1979. The "No Nukes" effort raised public awareness
and fed a growing disenchantment with the concept of nuclear power.

Browne, Raitt and Nash are back together again, this time putting
their name at the top of a petition to Congress to oppose a section
of the Senate Energy Bill, currently before them, that would give
$25 million in 2008 and another $25 million in 2009 to build new
nuclear reactors.
"We ask that all members of Congress join us in working to remove
from the pending Energy Bill massively expensive loan guarantees ?
potentially a blank check from taxpayers ? for the building of many
more nuclear plants. We strongly support those parts of this Energy
Bill that advances renewable portfolio standards, increased fuel
efficiency for automobiles and other safe, clean solutions to global
warming."
There's a lot wrong with the Senate version of this bill.

First of all, everything always comes back to money.

Putting $50 million on the table for starters decreases the funds
available to pursue alternative energy resources. Browne, Raitt and
Nash point to a plant under construction in Finland. It is 18 months
behind schedule and $900 million over budget. That's not a tab I
want to be hit with as a taxpayer, nor should we drop this burden on
our children and grandchildren.

The main factor, of course, is the danger these reactors create.

They super-heat rivers and streams; contribute to global warming
through mining, milling and transportation of whole or waste
products; they offer prime targets for terror attacks; they can melt
themselves down, such as the case in Chernobyl and Three Mile Island.

There is no safe nuclear option.

The Department of Energy had glorious plans of taking the nation's
nuclear waste and storing it in a dump at Yucca Mountain in Nevada.

The plan is flawed.

The site is susceptible to water leakage and sits atop an active
seismic fault. The routes to deliver the waste follow many of our
most traveled highways through beautiful rural and urban settings
that risk the population to exposure in the event of an accident or
terror attack.

There are safer, more coherent options out there to protect the
planet and its people, from wind, solar and bio-fuels to ocean
thermal energy.

For years, we've heard Congress and White House administrations talk
a lot about alternative fuel development. Not enough has been done,
however, to advance the discoveries of these fuels to put them on
the market.

A number of activists have already signed the petition, as have such
important organizations as Physicians for Social Responsibility,
Nuclear Energy Information Service, Nuclear Information and Resource
Service, Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility and tons of others.

You can do something by going to www.nukefree.org and signing the
petition. Browne, Raitt and Nash will deliver the petition to
Congress during a press conference on Lobby Day on Oct. 22.

Robert Greenwald's Brave New Foundation has produced a video that
offers even more information on the dangers of nuclear power, set to
an adapted version of Stephen Stills' song "For What It's Worth."

No matter how lame we may think Congress has become, it's still our
responsibility to send the message: "No Nukes!"


Ed Kociela the City Editor of southern Utah's The Spectrum. He blogs
at www.edkociela.com. ed@edkociela.com.


ATLANTIC FREE PRESS
*****************************************************************
 20 World Tribune: Turkey dusts off plan for 8 reactors

WorldTribune.com
                 
Tuesday, October 16, 2007      New: Take a Stand

ANKARA — Turkey has resumed its debate over the construction of
nuclear power facilities.

Turkey's parliament has been discussing a project to establish
nuclear energy reactors in up to eight locations. In 2006, the
project was vetoed by then-President Ahmet Sezer, but recently
reviewed by his successor, Abdullah Gul.

"Nuclear power is more of an obligation than a choice," Turkish
Energy Minister Hilmi Guler said.

Turkey has been considering the establishment of eight nuclear
energy reactors amid environmental and budget concerns The project
has been supported by Guler and addressed by the government's
Industry and Commerce Commission on Oct. 9.

A key issue has been the terms of any nuclear reactor tender. Under
Turkish law, the government would be responsible for building the
facility should the private sector reject the tender as unprofitable.

Officials said the commission has reviewed articles of the nuclear
energy law and plans revisions. They said the commission would
announce any changes over the next few weeks.

"Turkey is a powerful country and it must be powerful on the nuclear
energy front as well." Guler said.

 Copyright © 2007    East West Services, Inc.    All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 21 Deseret Morning News: Two Utah lawmakers have ties to nuclear plant

But Tilton and Noel see no conflict of interest

By Joe Bauman and Bob Bernick Jr. Deseret Morning News

Published: Oct. 16, 2007 12:37 a.m. MDT

Two influential Utah state representatives are involved in a 
project to build a nuclear power plant in Utah. But they say that 
involvement does not conflict with their work on an interim 
legislative committee considering legislation that would help 
utilities build nuclear power plants.

Rep. Aaron Tilton, R-Springville, is an owner of Transition Power
Development, a private equity group that has signed an agreement to
secure water rights for a nuclear power plant. If approved by water
regulators, the plant's enormous water demands would be supplied by
the Kane County Water Conservancy District, whose executive director
is Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab.

Transition Power has agreed to pay the conservancy district $1
million a year for almost 30,000 acre-feet of water once the plant
starts producing power, and lesser amounts before then. The private
equity group has already paid $10,000.

Noel is chairman of the Legislature's Public Utilities and
Technology Committee, and Tilton is vice chairman. Also, both men
are members of the Public Utilities and Technology Interim
Committee, which is co-chaired by Noel.

The interim committee has heard extensive testimony for and against
nuclear power in its July and September meetings.

As first disclosed by the industry news service SNL Energy and
verified by Tilton and Noel, Transition Power is considering
building a nuclear power plant in Utah. Tilton told the Deseret
Morning News that the plant's site is not confirmed.

But Transition Power has already paid the district $10,000 upon
signing the water agreement. The private equity group will pay
$100,000 annually for five years until construction starts. Then,
the payment becomes $500,000 a year until power generation begins,
when it jumps to $1 million annually.

The payment would be for water needed by the nuclear power plant.
The facilities use a huge amount of water, when fuel rods heat water
to steam, which in turn spins huge turbines to generate electrical
power.

A bill to assist utilities in building nuclear power plants was
discussed extensively by the Public Utilities Interim Committee on
July 18 and Sept. 19.

In last month's meeting, when speaking about the bill, Tilton said,
"First, I ought to disclose that I do have business dealings in
energy and specifically in power-generation projects. I'm not sure
if some people know that or don't know that." He did not use the
word "nuclear" or refer to nuclear power in the disclosure.

Tilton said he could not support the bill as written because it
lacks some consumer protections. "We have some real needs"
concerning power, he said. "Alternatives should be in place."

At the time of both meetings, Tilton's written declaration on
possible conflicts of interest noted involvement with pharmacy and
electric power-generation matters. Four days ago, he amended the
form to add "Transition Power Development LLC."

Concerning the bill that was discussed July 18 and Sept. 19, Tilton
said Monday that he has no conflicts of interest.

"I really don't have a conflict of interest, because I'm not a
regulated utility," he said, and the bill dealt with those utilities.

When the Deseret Morning News pointed out that the form was amended
on Oct. 12, long after the interim committee meetings, Tilton said
the meetings did not involve a conflict of interest, because "I'm
not a utility."

On his Declaration of Conflict of Interest form, Noel noted that he
was associated with several groups: Michael E. Noel Environmental
Consulting, Flood Canyon Ranch and Kane County Water Conservancy
District.

But Monday he said it was not a conflict to co-chair the committee
that is considering legislation involving a nuclear power plant.

"Not at all," he said, when asked if that was a conflict.

"The district is a public entity, like a city, a community, leasing
water to them," meaning the nuclear power plant, he said. "We're a
public utility. I work for the water district as a paid employee."

House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy, appoints committee chairmen and
members. He said Monday that he couldn't comment on any specific
conflict-of-interest matters, as he had to speak to Tilton and Noel.

He said he has no plans to reassign committee chairmen or committee
members, but he would look into the matter.

House Minority Leader Ralph Becker, D-Salt Lake, who also is on the
Public Utilities Interim Committee and is running for Salt Lake City
mayor, said he can't presume what conflicts were or were not
properly disclosed. But he said Tilton had the opportunity at the
September meeting to explain any potential nuclear power conflicts
but chose not to discuss his connection.

Becker said he takes issue with the Utah Legislature's relatively
low bar on legislative conflicts of interest. Rather than excusing
oneself from a vote, "You have to declare a conflict ? that's all."

By rule, Utah legislators are required to vote on all bills or
motions, even if they have a conflict.

A poll this past May by Dan Jones & Associates found that 84 percent
of Utahns want lawmakers to be able to abstain from voting on a bill
on which they have a personal or professional conflict. The poll
also found that 77 percent of Utahns want greater disclosure of
conflicts of interest.

E-mail: bau@desnews.com, bbjr@desnews.com

deseretnews.com
*****************************************************************
 22 NewsBlaze: Hidden Subsidy for Nuclear Power

Op-Ed Contributor

Dear Editor,

In Parliament on the 11th of October, John Hutton MP, Secretary of
State, Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform, said
"There will be no taxpayer subsidy and no hidden subsidies for new
nuclear [power] if Her Majesty's Government reach[es] that decision."

It is interesting that he says there would be no *hidden* subsidies
for nuclear power because in the UK, as in many other countries
around the world, nuclear power enjoys a very large hidden subsidy:
it is required to pay only a small fraction of the cost of insuring
fully against a Chernobyl-style disaster or worse. Details of the
size of this subsidy are given in Helen Caldicott's book "Nuclear
power is not the answer".

If the Government is serious in saying that there would be no hidden
subsidies for nuclear power, then it should require the nuclear
industry to pay the full cost of insuring against nuclear disasters,
without any limitations on liabilities.

Sincerely,

Robert Palgrave (robertpalgrave@hotmail.com, +44 (0)1483 762697,
Valedown, Maybourne Rise, Woking, Surrey, GU22 0SH)

Dr Gerry Wolff (Gerry@mng.org.uk, +44 (0)1248 712962,
www.mng.org.uk/gh/, 18 Penlon, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, LL59 5LR, UK)

Marianne Jones (Marianne@mng.org.uk, +44 (0)1248 712962,
www.mng.org.uk/gh/, 18 Penlon, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, LL59 5LR, UK)

judythpiazza@newsblaze.com

Copyright © 2007, NewsBlaze, Daily News

                 Copyright © 2004-2007 NewsBlaze LLC
*****************************************************************
 23 The Hoya: Nuclear Power Can Be Solution to Impending Energy Crisis

Wednesday, October 17, 2007 | Archives
 
With oil and other fossil fuels hitting high prices with each
passing month, it is time for the United States to solidify its
economic future in a new and more reliable energy source. It’s time
for a change that will be neither comfortable nor convenient, and
it’s unclear which path we should follow.

We are at perhaps the most crucial economic crossroads in the
history of the global economy. As fossil fuels worldwide become
increasingly depleted, it is quite clear that arguably the richest
commodity in world history (oil) may eventually run out. Oil, coal
and other fossil fuels have provided the energy that carried many
countries, including the United States, to the height of industrial
power. Oil is the present, but it decidedly cannot be the future.

Not only do fossil fuels make us dangerously dependent on other
countries for our energy, but, environmentally speaking, we are one
of the world’s worst polluters. We need to find a clean,
emission-free, reliable source for energy, and nuclear energy seems
to be the most feasible among the current possibilities.

This issue is most important to the United States because we are by
far the world’s largest energy consumer. Conservatively, the U.S.
accounts for 5 percent of the world’s population, but consumes in
excess of 20 percent of the world’s energy. Also, over 70 percent of
this energy comes from fossil fuels including oil, coal, and natural
gas (in that order).

Although there are many different possibilities for alternative
energy sources, many see nuclear power as the most legitimate hope
to replace oil on the large-scale. Nuclear power is no longer the
frightening prospect that it was in the 20th century. Three Mile
Island and Chernobyl are just distant memories for the current
generation, and we must utilize the technological advancement we
have seen since the birth of nuclear power. The future of the
American economy may eventually rely on energy provided by nuclear
reactors.

Nuclear energy solves most of the problems fossil fuels create. It’s
clean, it doesn’t create any emissions, and the United States has
the means to obtain large amounts of its key component: enriched
uranium. In addition, due to advanced technology, we have the
ability to make safer facilities, more efficient reactors and better
means of disposing of radioactive waste.

In a statement late last month Samuel Bodman, secretary of the
Department of Energy, said that, “To meet the world’s growing demand
for electricity and confront climate change, safe and emissions-free
nuclear energy must play an integral role in our energy mix.” In
short, after many years of ignoring the production of nuclear
reactors, the United States is on the verge of reconsidering the
importance of nuclear energy to America’s future.

On Sept. 24th, for the first time in nearly three decades, the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission received the first full application
for a new nuclear power plant since the disastrous meltdown of Three
Mile Island in 1979. Businesses that would not have dared to invest
in domestic nuclear facilities 10 years ago are finally beginning to
abandon their caution and apply to begin construction.

Leading the growing pack of companies willing to take a risk on
nuclear power is NRG Energy, which is responsible for submitting
such proposals to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In a public
statement, NRG Energy’s CEO David Crane said that the company’s
proposal was the beginning of “a new day for energy in America.”
Apparently Mr. Crane is not the only one who holds that view, as the
NRC expects to receive applications for over 30 new nuclear reactors
within the next few years.

Just behind the scenes of all the recent fervor surrounding new
nuclear reactor production are the old concerns about the safety of
nuclear power. Can we safely dispose of nuclear waste? Is there a
chance that we will have another ruinous meltdown like that of Three
Mile Island? What should the government’s role be in subsidizing new
production? All of these are relevant questions, and it is certain
that they will all be addressed in time, but for all the critics out
there, we need to do something, because time is running out.

Charles Leisure is a sophomore in the College. He can be reached at
leisure@thehoya.com. TALK TO CHUCK appears every other Tuesday.

webmaster@thehoya.com. Copyright © 1998-2007, The Hoya, 
Georgetown University. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 24 The Hindu: India to seek integration with global civil nuclear community

Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007

Sandeep Dikshit

 We will scout for alternative sources of energy: Anand Sharma

ABOARD PM’S SPECIAL AIRCRAFT: Despite the nuclear deal with the
United States having been virtually put on hold, India said it would
continue with its efforts to integrate with the mainstream civil
nuclear community.

Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma said the
government would also scout for alternative energy sources to reduce
its dependence on fossil fuels. The alternatives include renewable
sources such as wind and solar, bio-fuels and even nuclear based
energy. Sidestepping questions on whether the nuclear deal had been
put on hold, the Minister said that putting an end to the country’s
isolation from global civil nuclear trade was “in supreme national
interest.”

Mr. Sharma said: “India will continue to seek full integration with
the global mainstream in the civil nuclear field. This [the nuclear
deal] is not one narrow issue. We have to look at the larger picture
of India’s energy security. There is another aspect to the deal. We
also want cutting edge technology that has dual use, including areas
such as medicine and agriculture.

“India is an emerging power. In the chapter of India’s renaissance,
we surely cannot be isolated from the global mainstream. It is going
to hurt. We must realise it is important to remove the logjam. When
this will happen I cannot say. But I can say with conviction is that
India’s return to civil nuclear energy cooperation with the rest of
the world and removal of the restrictive regime of the last three
decades will truly serve India’s supreme national interest.”

Asked if the country was scouting for additional avenues for
petroleum and gas following the perception that the nuclear deal was
put on the back burner after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s
telephone talk with U.S. President George W.Bush on Monday, he said,
“the perception is not correct.”

Rather, he said, India was looking at all available energy sources
to ensure an ideal fuel mix to ensure that dependence on fossil fuel
decreased and cleaner sources of energy increased.

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu.
*****************************************************************
 25 MiamiHerald.com: FPL moves to add nuclear plants in S. Dade - 

Posted on Tue, Oct. 16, 2007

BY JOHN DORSCHNER jdorschner@MiamiHerald.com

Florida Power & Light moved another step closer on Tuesday to
building new nuclear plants in South Miami-Dade County. The company
announced it was filing papers with state regulators formally asking
for a ''determination of need'' that would lead to the construction
of the facilities.

In the filing with the Public Service Commission, FPL said it was
seeking to add 2,200 to 3,000 megawatts in two additional units that
would sit in the existing Turkey Point nuclear power complex. The
additions could be operating by 2020.

The utility emphasized that nuclear energy produces no greenhouse
gases and therefore is a step toward halting global warming. The
alternative to the new Turkey Point facilities would be fossil fuel
plants that might put seven million tons of carbon into the air, the
company said in release.

In 2006, FPL told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that it intended
to file a license application for new nuclear power capacity. In
August, the utility discussed its nuclear proposals in a PSC
workshop.

Nuclear power presently provides 20 percent of the power to FPL's
4.5 million customers. The company estimates it needs to increase
its power output by 33 percent to meet projected needs for
electricity between 2011 and 2020.

The utility is anticipating an elaborate discussion process before
the nuclear expansion is approved.

Dawn Shirreffs, a South Florida organizer with the Clean Water
Action/Clean Water Fund, has said her group is concerned that the
new reactors will be within two miles of Biscayne National Park.
``Not only should there be concerns around the sensitive ecosystems,
but this project puts our water quality at risk.''

* Copyright 1996-2007 The Miami Herald Media Company|
*****************************************************************
 26 Interfax: Caspian summit backs states' right to peaceful nuclear energy -
Declaration

Oct 16 2007 2:13PM

TEHRAN. Oct 16 (Interfax) - The leaders of the Caspian states have
supported the right of any country to use nuclear energy for
peaceful purposes, says a declaration adopted at the second Caspian
summit.

"The parties confirm the inalienable right of all states-signatories
to the treaty on the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons to develop
research and the production and utilization of nuclear energy for
peaceful purposes without discrimination and within the framework of
the provisions spelt out in this treaty, as well as those of the
International Atomic Energy Agency mechanism," the Declaration reads.

According to the Declaration, the Caspian states "under no
circumstances will allow the use of their territories by other
states for an aggression or other military actions against any of
the parties."

© 1991-2007 Interfax

*****************************************************************
 27 POAC: DEP wants earlier publication of Oyster Creek drywell analys

The Press of Atlantic City: 

By DAVID BENSON Staff Writer, 609-272-7206

Published: Tuesday, October 16, 2007

The state Department of Environmental Protection wants more from the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission than assurances that all is well at
the Oyster Creek nuclear generating station.

The DEP wants hard facts and figures in its hands long before the
nation's oldest operating nuclear facility is relicensed to run 20
years beyond its closure date of April 2009.

In a Friday letter to the NRC, Jill Lipoti, director of the Division
of Environmental Safety and Health, said she expects "all
calculations to be released by AmerGen as non-proprietary so the
public would have full access."

As part of relicensing commitment, AmerGen, owner of the Lacey
Township nuclear facility, has promised to have what's known as
three-dimensional modeling analysis of the drywell shell that
surrounds the reactor. The reliability of the carbon steel container
has come under repeated attack over the years.

Between 1969 and 1992, water leaked in around the drywell shell and
rusted it in what the NRC has referred to as a "bathtub ring" of
corrosion. The steel liner, which is surrounded by concrete, is the
barrier that would contain radioactive steam in the event of an
accident at the plant.


Just how corroded that shell is concerns the state and coalition of
six citizen, consumer and environmental groups, collectively known
as Stop the Relicensing of Oyster Creek.

The 3-D analysis of the liner must be done before the plant can
operate beyond its original licensing date. AmerGen has said it will
provide the results of the analysis on April 9, 2009 - the last day
of its current operating license.

Lipoti wants the analysis completed sooner, and to have it reviewed
by the NRC. "It would be prudent for the submittal to be made well
before the current commitment deadline to allow for proper reviews
to be completed before Oyster Creek enters the extended operating
period," she said in the letter.

Recent testimony by a private engineer at a federal hearing in Ocean
County suggested that the nuclear facility's steel liner no longer
meets the national engineering codes set down by the American
Society of Mechanical Engineers.

AmerGen has disputed the testimony, stating the shell is still
within ASME code. The NRC has said that it's possible for a nuclear
plant to operate even if it doesn't meet engineering codes.

The DEP doesn't agree. "The NRC must confirm the drywell meets the
current licensing basis, i.e., the applicable ASME code," Lipoti
wrote.

To e-mail Dave Benson at The Press: DBenson@pressofac.com

pressofatlanticcity.com: Contact Us | Terms of Service / Privacy

© Copyright 1970- The Press of Atlantic City









*****************************************************************
 28 Reuters: Caspian states won't let soil be used for any attack 

Tue Oct 16, 2007 6:16am EDT

TEHRAN, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Caspian Sea states agreed in Tehran on
Tuesday not to let a third country use their soil for an attack on
any of them, an apparent response to speculation Washington might
resort to force in its nuclear row with Iran.

The five states, including Russia, stressed that "under no
circumstances will they allow (the use of their) territories by
third countries to launch aggression or other military action
against any of the member states," a summit declaration said.

In another excerpt that will please Iran, the leaders said they
acknowledged the rights of all signatories to the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty to develop peaceful atomic energy.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad described the declaration at a
news conference as "very strong."

Tehran rejects Western accusations it aims to build atomic bombs,
saying it only wants to generate electricity so that it can sell
more of its oil and gas.

"The sides consider the Non-Proliferation Treaty ... one the basic
pillars of international security and stability," said the
declaration, signed by the presidents of the five Caspian Sea states
- Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.

They "also acknowledge the rights of all states which are parties to
the Non-Proliferation Treaty to develop the research, production and
use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes ... under the IAEA
(International Atomic Energy Agency) mechanism."

Copies of the final declaration were handed to journalists by
Russian officials who said it was the agreed version. The five
leaders then signed it in a televised ceremony.

© Reuters2007All rights reserved

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*****************************************************************
 29 LA Daily News: Santa Susana Field Lab victory finally in sight

Article Last Updated: 10/15/2007 06:20:20 PM PDT

IT'S been 18 years since the Daily News revealed that rocket and
nuclear research had contaminated the soil at the Santa Susana Field
Laboratory in the Simi Hills, and launched the fight for a full
cleanup.

That's a long 18 years of foot-dragging, denials and deflections as
public concern mounted. Finally, it appears victory is in sight.

On Friday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and officials from Boeing -
the current owner of the property, which was contaminated under
previous ownership decades ago - brokered a deal. Boeing will pay to
clean up the site to residential standards, give the land to the
state so it can become a park, and help pay for its maintenance.

If Boeing lives up to its end of the bargain, this will be a great
deal for the communities near the research facility - the end of a
public-health risk, and the addition of some much-needed park space.

It will also be quite a deal for Boeing, which will pick up an
enormous tax write-off and shed a financial and public-relations
nightmare.

Vigilance is key.

For 18 years, no one - not Boeing nor Rocketdyne before it, not the
state, not the federal government - has been serious about cleaning
up the mess, and so it has only festered. Close monitoring over the
next 10 years, which is how long Boeing says cleanup will take, is
crucial.

But if the tentative agreement becomes a reality, it will be a huge
victory for the people of Ventura County and the San
Fernando Valley.

Much of the credit goes to state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Los Angeles,
who has spent a decade fighting for a Santa Susana cleanup. This
year, she authored successful legislation that would have barred
Boeing from using the site for other purposes or selling it without
first bringing it up to exceedingly high standards of cleanliness.

That seems to have made the difference. The threat of Kuehl's bill
provided the leverage to make Boeing cut a deal. And so, at last, we
have real progress.

Kuehl shares credit with Assemblywoman who fought hard for the
legislation. And kudos also go to Julia Brownley, D-Santa Monica,
Assembly Republicans whose districts border the property - Cameron
Smyth, R-Santa Clarita, and Audra Strickland, R-Westlake Village -
as well as Schwarzenegger.

This victory is testament to what can be achieved when politicians
put partisanship aside and work together for the common good.

Much more such leadership is going to be needed for today's dream -
the Santa Susana Field Lab as a treasured public park - to become a
reality.

For more local Southern California News: Copyright ©2007

*****************************************************************
 30 BBC NEWS: Nuclear test veteran recalls fears

Last Updated: Tuesday, 16 October 2007, 15:03 GMT 16:03 UK

The Grapple-Y bomb near Christmas Island on 28 April 1958

As a parliamentary inquiry hears evidence into the impact of
Britain's nuclear testing programme in the South Pacific in the
1950s, one veteran of Christmas Island recalls his safety fears.

Charlie Price says preparations for a nuclear bomb test were not
unlike setting out for a day at the seaside.

"We were just sat on the beach in shirts and shorts," he said of the
lead up to a test near the remote Pacific island.

"We were told to sit with our legs drawn up and our arms around our
heads and wait.

"After a few minutes, once the wave of heat passed, we were told we
could stand up and look and see the mushroom cloud," Mr Price said
of the experience.

'Guinea pigs'

Mr Price said despite losing most of his teeth and suffering other
lingering stomach illnesses, he is among the lucky ones involved in
the South Pacific testing.

"A lot of them aren't with us anymore - cancer," he said of the
aftermath of the nuclear tests in which as many as 6,000 men at a
time were told to sit on the beach and turn their backs away from
the explosion.

"You could still feel the heat and see the light," he said of the
two tests he experienced in 1958. "If you had been standing, the
wave of heat would have likely knocked you over."

Mr Price, from Leebotwood in Shropshire, said the theory that
government scientists did not know at the time of the need for
greater protection ignores the realities of the atomic bombs dropped
on Japan to end World War II.

"They had to have known after Hiroshima and Nagasaki what can happen
if you are too close," he said. "I think we were guinea pigs for
them."

Legal action

About 700 veterans of the tests from Britain, New Zealand and Fiji
are currently suing the UK government for compensation.

Mr Price is not suing, but he said he supports the families involved
and is convinced of the ill-effects.

"Within a year or so, I could reach into my mouth and pull out my
teeth easily, they were all loose," he said of the first sign that
exposure to nuclear tests over the course of a one-year posting had
longer-term consequences.

But the 68-year-old said that even during his time on Christmas
Island he had health worries.

"We were given treated sea water to drink and I remember thinking at
the time that we shouldn't be drinking that water that they were
dropping the A-bombs into," he said.

Mr Price was just 17 when he volunteered for the Royal Air Force,
"to see the world", and spent nine years as an airman before going
on to run his own business as a lorry driving instructor.

The Ministry of Defence says independent reports have concluded
there is no evidence to back up the veterans' ill-health claims.

* BBC Copyright Notice
*****************************************************************
 31 Chillicothe Gazette: DOCUMENTS ADDED: Gov. Strickland hears a new SONG: no spent uranium

www.chillicothegazette.com - Chillicothe, OH

Tuesday, October 16, 2007   

The Gazette Staff

PIKETON - A group opposed to the plan to reprocess spent nuclear 
fuel at the former home of the Piketon uranium enrichment plant 
has asked Gov. Ted Strickland to investigate the plan and come to 
Pike County for a town meeting.

Southern Ohio Neighbors Group, also known as SONG, hand-delivered 
a letter with those requests and others to Strickland during an 
appearance in Pike County Monday.

The letter, signed by SONG President Kathleen Boutis, local resident
Geoffrey Sea and former union president Denny Bloomfield, says
Strickland told a newspaper he was opposed to the plan during his
campaign for governor last year, but also notes that Strickland sent
a letter in April backing the plan. That April 27 letter, SONG says,
was "a reversal (Strickland has) neither explained nor defended to
the people who elected you," the letter reads.

Keith Dailey, Strickland's spokesperson, says the governor has not
changed his stance, but did sign on to a statement of principles
from the Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative that would govern
the project.

"He supports the approach outlined in those principles and believes
they are reflective of the local community," said Dailey.

Among them are that all activities related to the plan "must protect
human health and the environment both on-site and off-site" and that
no spent nuclear fuel "be transported" to the Piketon site until
construction of the center is sufficiently complete.

Backers say GNEP is a program that plans to recycle spent fuel rods
and convert them to new fuel for power plants. If Piketon is chosen
as the site, spent nuclear fuel would be brought to the site to be
reprocessed, but detractors say the nuclear fuel will have nowhere
to go and will stay at Piketon permanently. The Energy Department
will choose a site for the reprocessing center next year and Piketon
is one of 11 sites that submitted site-studies earlier this year.

SONG also proposed a public town meeting, organized in conjunction
with their group, to allow Strickland "to get a true sense of how
this community feels."

But Dailey said Strickland's energy adviser, Mark Shananan, already
attended a community meeting in Piketon earlier this year that
outlined the SODI principles and reiterated that Strickland believes
those principles are in line with the local community's feelings on
the issue.

Copyright ©2007 Chillicothe Gazette
*****************************************************************
 32 NEWS.com.au: Demand for uranium strengthens, says ERA | 

October 16, 2007 12:05pm

Article from: AAP

URANIUM producer Energy Resources of Australia (ERA) says long term
demand for the nuclear fuel remains strong after delivering a dip in
output for the third quarter of 2007. ERA said the long term demand
for uranium was strong, despite the recent weakening of spot prices.

However, the company's exposure to the spot price is minimal due to
long term contracts entered into when the uranium price was much
lower.

The uranium miner produced 1,363 tonnes of uranium oxide from its
Ranger mine in the Northern Territory during the third quarter, down
on the previous quarter's figure of 1,490 tonnes.

Output was higher than the previous corresponding period in 2006,
when the uranium miner produced 1,103 tonnes.

ERA said third quarter production was down on the previous quarter
due to a planned shut down of the mill and other plant maintenance.

The company forecast production would return to ``normal levels'' in
2008, subject to a normal wet season, after a rain affected year in
2007.

Cyclone George dumped 850 millimetres of rain over the Ranger mine
in February, flooding the open pit and temporarily ceasing milling
operations.

The rain event also caused ERA to declare force majeure on its sales
contracts.

ERA said force majeure would continue on its sales contracts in the
first half of 2008 as the backlog of deliveries are cleared.

The company said ore at the bottom of the open pit should be
accessible after water is emptied out of the hole by November.

ERA, which is 68.4 per cent owned by major miner Rio Tinto Ltd, is
one of the world's largest producers of uranium.

Shares in ERA had lost 48 cents to $19.10 by 11.33 AEST.

NEWS.com.au Network

Copyright 2007 News Limited. All times AEST (GMT +10).
*****************************************************************
 33 Reuters: High uranium prices boost exploration - IAEA 

Tue Oct 16, 2007 7:42am EDT

By Alfred Cang

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - High uranium prices will spur exploration that
could more than triple known global deposits, avoiding a shortage as
China ramps up its nuclear capacity, a top executive with the
International Atomic Energy Agency said.

Yury A. Sokolov, the agency's deputy director general, said new
technologies could also help boost reactor efficiency, curbing
growth in fuel demand even when output expands.

"High prices stimulate exploration. If you explore more, you will
find more -- in Africa, Australia, maybe some additional resources
in China," he told Reuters in an interview late on Monday on the
sidelines of a nuclear conference.

"There are some programs for uranium (deposits) to grow to 16
million tons and even more, depending on additional resources," he
said, adding that the total could rise as high as 22 million tons.

At present there are 4.7 million tons of the metal available in
deposits worldwide, he said, enough to power current nuclear
programs -- which consume 70,000 or 80,000 tons annually -- for
several decades.

Spot prices for uranium ore concentrate, or yellow cake, have surged
on the back of renewed interest in nuclear energy, seen by
proponents as a means of countering high oil prices and cutting
global carbon dioxide emissions.

Prices hit a record high of $136 a pound at the end of June, up from
$7 in 2000, but have since retreated to $75.

But Sokolov said uranium price fluctuations would not significantly
affect nuclear power plants, as natural uranium accounts for only 5
percent of final energy production costs.  

"Uranium fuel accounts for 15 percent of the total cost in 
nuclear plants, and natural uranium only accounts for one-third 
of the fuel cost," he said.

In comparison oil and gas prices make up 70 percent of the final 
cost of any energy they produce, he said.

"This is the advantage of nuclear power."

PEBBLE BED FUTURE

Sokolov also said he expected safety and efficiency gains from 
the next generation of nuclear reactors -- known as "pebble bed" 
plants, which use gas as a neutron moderator.

South Africa and China are both pushing development of the 
experimental technology, though neither have yet started 
construction of a commercial plant.

"This is our future," Sokolov said of the plants, after meeting 
Chinese and South Korean delegates at a conference.

Sokolov said the pebble bed reactor would increase the ratio of 
electrical output to thermal output to 50-60 percent, from 33-35 
percent, and could make the use of uranium more efficient, 
extending the life of the fuel.

The gases do not dissolve contaminants or absorb neutrons as 
water does, so the core would have less radioactive material and 
be more economical than a light-water reactor, he said.

*****************************************************************
 34 Reuters: Russia against any use of force in Caspian area | 

Tue Oct 16, 2007 3:58am EDT

TEHRAN, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on
Tuesday any use of military force in the Caspian region was
unacceptable and Russia backed dialogue in resolving differences.

"We should not even think of making use of force in this region,"
Putin told a summit of the five Caspian Sea countries including
Iran, which is defying Western pressure to halt its sensitive
nuclear programme.

"We need to agree that using the territory of one Caspian Sea
(state) in the event of aggression against another is impossible,"
he told the other leaders at the start of a one-day meeting in the
Iranian capital.

The summit in Tehran is focused on resolving differences over
sharing out the resources of the oil-rich Caspian Sea but Russian
officials say Putin's bilateral talks with Iran will focus on Iran's
nuclear standoff with the West.

The United States, leading efforts to isolate Tehran over work
Washington suspects is aimed at developing nuclear bombs, says it
would prefer a diplomatic solution to the dispute but has not ruled
out military action if that were to fail.

Russia, saying it has no evidence that Tehran is seeking to build
atom bombs, says force should not be an option in the nuclear row.

"It is important that we say that it is impossible to offer our
territory to third countries in case of aggression or military
action against one of the Caspian states," Putin said.

© Reuters2007All rights reserved
*****************************************************************
 35 Hanford News: Congress OKs new rules for payments

This story was published Tuesday, October 16th, 2007

Annette Cary, Herald staff writer

Congress has agreed to ease compensation rules for early Hanford 
workers who developed a wide range of cancers.

It had until Friday to contest a recommendation by the secretary 
of Health and Human Services, but allowed the new compensation 
rules to become final.

The Department of Labor already has begun reviewing cases to see
which Hanford workers or their survivors might be eligible for
$150,000 payments even though their claims previously were denied.

Earlier this year the National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health (NIOSH) found not enough information was recorded at Hanford
on worker exposure to radiation to estimate individual doses when
plutonium production was beginning.

Previously, when Hanford workers or their survivors have applied for
the $150,000 payment and coverage of medical care under the Energy
Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program, NIOSH has
estimated how much radiation the worker received. Claims were
approved only if NIOSH determined there was at least a 50 percent
chance the estimated radiation dose they received caused cancer.

But the new rules recognize estimates cannot be made for early
Hanford workers, so compensation is automatic, with a few
restrictions.

The eased rules apply to workers who were or should have been
monitored for internal radiation exposures at Hanford before Sept.
1, 1946. When DuPont operated the site during World War II and for
about a year afterward, there was not a reliable and routine program
for monitoring workers.

The new rules cover workers in the 300 Area, where research was
conducted and uranium fuel fabricated, beginning in Oct. 1, 1943.
They cover workers in the 100 Area, where the B, D and F reactors
operated, starting Sept. 1, 1944. They also cover workers in the 200
Area, where plutonium was separated from irradiated fuel, starting
Nov. 1, 1944.

Workers had to be employed for at least 250 workdays, although some
work at other nuclear sites might count toward that total. They or
their survivors also must supply proof the worker developed any of
22 cancers that have been linked to radiation exposure.

The compensation program has had 378 claims submitted by workers
from Hanford's earliest years. Some of them already may have
received compensation based on radiation dose estimates made by
NIOSH before the rules were eased.

Workers or their survivors who already have filed claims do not need
to take any additional action, said Amanda Harney, a NIOSH
spokeswoman.

For all Hanford and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory workers,
the federal program has paid almost $180 million in compensation and
medical benefits for 5,211 workers who became ill because of
workplace exposure. That also covers workers with a lung disease
caused by exposure to the metal beryllium and workers in a related
program covering lost wages and impairment because of exposure to
hazardous chemicals or radiation.

The federal government is considering easing compensation rules for
more Hanford workers.

NIOSH has reported inadequate monitoring was done for some workers
who were exposed to thorium being fabricated for reactor fuel in the
300 Area as part of research for a possible new type of nuclear
weapon. And some Plutonium Finishing Plant workers may not have been
adequately monitored for americium that was recovered for use in the
nation's space program.

&copy 2007 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 36 Knoxville News Sentinel: ORNL scientists take part in Nobel-winning project 

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

OAK RIDGE — At least five scientists at Oak Ridge National
Laboratory participated in the climate change project that shared
the Nobel Peace Prize with former Vice President Al Gore.

Tom Wilbanks, a corporate fellow and senior scientist in ORNL’s
environmental sciences division, was a lead author for one of the
working groups of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The panel was assembled by the United Nations to provide an
authoritative response on climate-change issues.

More than 2,500 scientists worldwide contributed to the work.

Billy Stair, the Oak Ridge lab’s communications director, said
David Greene, Paul Hansen, Virginia Dale and Gregg Marland also
participated directly in the studies.

In addition, ORNL’s computational sciences center helped the UN
panel develop computer models of global climate change, and some of
those models were run on supercomputers here.

“We are extremely proud of the ORNL staff who participated as
authors, reviewers and computational modelers with the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,” Stair said.

“Their work will make a lasting contribution to one of the most
important scientific debates of our time.”

© 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.

*****************************************************************
 37 KVII: Pantex: America's safest place for nukes 

Posted: Tuesday, October 16, 2007 at 10:40 a.m.

We all know that we have a large nuclear disassembly plant right
outside of town, The Pantex Plant. 

There have been issues of safety with the plant raised in the past.

"Occupational Hazards" magazine has named the plant one of
America’s safest companies.

The publication's content focuses on safety, health and
environmental professionals.

Officials say safety performance has been a primary focus of BWTX
Pantex since the company assumed the Pantex Plant Contract in
February 2001.






*****************************************************************
 38 Oak Ridger: ORNL partnership reaches across Atlantic - 

Story last updated at 12:05 am on 10/16/2007

ORNL Director Thom Mason signs the memorandum of understanding 
during a visit to the Imperial College of London for the launch 
of the Global Lab. In the background are Oak Ridge officials 
looking on via teleconference from ORNL. Click to view all photos

Scientists in London will be able to use and manipulate, in
real-time, leading multi-million dollar scientific instruments and
technology in the United States, following this week's official
launch of the Global Lab at Imperial College London.

The launch was attended by Ian Pearson, British minister of state
for Science and Innovation, and Sir Keith O'Nions, director general
of Science and Innovation for the United Kingdom's Department for
Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), as well as Thom Mason,
director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The Global Lab has been established as part of the AtlanTICC
Alliance, a sustainable energy research consortium comprising
Imperial College London, Georgia Institute of Technology and Oak
Ridge National Laboratory. The AtlanTICC Alliance was established
four years ago as part of a $3 million grant to support research
collaborations between Imperial and leading US research
organizations on energy sources and the treatment of cancer. This
grant was made by the UK Government's Office of Science and
Innovation, which is now part of DIUS.

The AtlanTICC Alliance has also recently established a unique UK-USA
framework agreement between the three partner organizations to
facilitate open and collaborative working with joint research and
development teams.

The Global Lab links together laboratories in the United Kingdom and
the United States via high bandwidth/low latency network, the Lambda
Rail, running across the Atlantic seabed. The Lambda Rail can move
vast amounts of data virtually instantaneously across thousands of
miles. AtlanTICC scientists have already shown that they can
simultaneously manipulate complex equipment in the U.S., and talk to
each other on the Lambda Rail via video link-up, without the
time-delay and low resolution usually associated with such
long-range communications. All three institutions involved are now
exploring how to use this data rich, high-speed communications tool
to share ideas and research through international seminars and
lectures.

As an example of the Global Lab in action, the minister controlled
and manipulated, from London, one of the world's leading electron
microscopes at Oak Ridge, the JEOL 2200FS Aberration Corrected
Electron Microscope (ACEM). In this extremely powerful microscope,
electrons are focused into a probe that is less than 0.0.1nm in
diameter, which is less than the length of a typical chemical bond.
By scanning this probe across a sample, it is possible to analyze
individual atoms.

Pearson said, "This project demonstrates the importance of
international collaboration in modern scientific research. Major
scientific projects will frequently require researchers from
different nations to work together. The U.K. already has a very good
record on collaboration with researchers in other countries and I am
pleased that the DIUS has been able to support this project through
our $12 million U.K.-U.S. Science Bridges initiative."

Mason said, "We were pleased to join our partners, Imperial College
London and Georgia Institute of Technology, in the demonstration and
in the long-term pursuit of answers to global energy problems.
Technology allows us to share resources and communicate science with
collaborators, whether they are a few miles down the road or across
an ocean. We believe that this kind of joint research brings
together the strengths of our institutions in ways that will benefit
us all."

ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle for the Department of Energy.

 |  &copy; 2004 The Oak Ridger  |  Conditions of Use
    
*****************************************************************

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: 
<http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml> 
    
*****************************************************************