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11/14/01 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 9.269
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RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE
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NUCLEAR POWER CONTENTS
1 Nuclear Management Company, LLC; Notice of Issuance
2 List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks: FuelSolutionsTM
3 Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management; Site
4 TAIWAN'S CSF TO TRAIN IN NUCLEAR, BIOCHEMICAL PREVENTION
5 Town residents to vote on hosting of N-power plant
6 China installs reactor in Sino-Russian nuclear power project
7 Castor Transport Protests Continue
8 Plutonium stockpile warning by generator
9 Framatome ANP lands Swedish nuclear fuel order
10 Framatome lands order for six nuclear power stations
11 Agreement over Temelin lasted five minutes
12 Members of the Czech Ninth Nuclear, Biological and Chemical
13 Nevada wants another hearing on federal water at Yucca Mountain
14 Russia sets itself modest target for reprocessing of nuclear fuel
15 Russia announces plan to rely on nuclear power stations over next
16 St Petersburg mayor offers Slovakia thermal, nuclear power plant
17 Police uncover crime at bankrupt Kazakh nuclear power plant
18 Iranian radio reports imminent delivery of Bushehr nuclear plant
19 AFRICA: South Africa to expand its nuclear capacity INTERNATIONAL
20 Protesters Fail to Prevent Franco-German Nuclear Shipment
21 Nevada wants another hearing on federal water at Yucca Mountain
22 SA: Nuclear technology a boon
23 UK: Nuclear reaction to costs
24 Nuclear protest: German activists block train
25 Nuclear plant tests its terror readiness
26 Japanese Scientists Corroborate Nuclear Waste Remediation
27 Nuclear waste experts to speak at forum
28 Neth: Nye should get better deal for waste disposal
29 Berkley bill calls for threat study of Yucca
30 Uranium leak forces temporary shutdown of nuclear reactor -
31 Sellafield hearing set for next week
32 US wants to keep a close eye on nukes, claims SSP
33 USEC, union contract on table -
34 Berkley Introduces Anti-Terror Yucca Bill
35 U.S. MUST ASSESS SECURITY THREAT BEFORE DECIDING ON SHIPMENT OF
36 Lawmakers check out security at nuclear plant
37 Japanese Scientists Corroborate Nuclear Waste Remediation
NUCLEAR WEAPONS CONTENTS
1 Russian ministry draws up long-term plans for nuclear safety
2 Russia, USA to expand nuclear materials safety cooperation
3 ORNL's Mouse House under way
4 Pinching pennies on securing nuclear weapons not worth risk
5 High-Tech Talk About Nuclear Weapons
6 Putin Matches Bush on Nuke Cutbacks
7 Test site unlikely to factor in arms cuts
8 Radioactive memories
9 U.S. Government Nonproliferation and Threat Reduction Assistance
10 President Announces Reduction in Nuclear Arsenal
11 Reid switches focus to anti-terrorism spending
12 Canada creates national advisory committee on biological or nuclear attack
13 No Room for Cutting Corners When It Comes to Nuclear Security
14 Federal government to give money to workers diseased by uranium exposure -
15 Where Warheads Are Made, and Where a Good Pair of Pliers Can Put Them to Rest
16 Last tainted soil removed at Fernald
17 Chechnya Radiation Detected -
18 Y-12 safety system gets good review
19 Mouse House renamed for distinguished ORNL couple
20 -Wackenhut disappointed by contract rejection
21 DOE whistle-blower suit delayed again
22 Russian official refuses to rule out chance that nuclear materials were stolen
23 Abraham Designates INEEL S.T.A.R. Fusion Facility A "National User Facility"
24 Energy Department Awards $39 Million For 45 Research Projects To
25 Erudite Adds Nuclear Radiation Database to Its Online Database
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NUCLEAR POWER ARTICLES
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1 Nuclear Management Company, LLC; Notice of Issuance
Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2001 13:42:47 -0500 (EST)
http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/
======================================================
[Federal Register: November 14, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 220)]
[Notices]
[Page 57115-57116]
>From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14no01-106]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-331]
Nuclear Management Company, LLC; Notice of Issuance of Amendment
to Facility Operating License
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (Commission) has issued
Amendment No. 243 to Facility Operating License No. DPR-49 issued to
Nuclear Management Company, LLC (the licensee), which revised the
Operating License and Technical Specifications (TS) for operation of
the Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC) located in Linn County, Iowa. The
[[Page 57116]]
amendment is effective as of the date of issuance.
The amendment modified the Operating License and TS to allow an
increase of the authorized operating power level from 1658 megawatts
thermal (MWt) to 1912 MWt at DAEC. The change represents an increase of
15.3 percent above the current rated thermal power and is considered an
extended power uprate.
The application for the amendment complies with the standards and
requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act),
and the Commission's rules and regulations. The Commission has made
appropriate findings as required by the Act and the Commission's rules
and regulations in 10 CFR Chapter I, which are set forth in the license
amendment.
Notice of Consideration of Issuance of Amendment to Facility
Operating License and Opportunity for a Hearing in connection with this
action was published in the Federal Register on September 27, 2001 (66
FR 49426). No request for a hearing or petition for leave to intervene
was filed following this notice.
The Commission has prepared an Environmental Assessment related to
the action and has determined not to prepare an environmental impact
statement. Based upon the environmental assessment, the Commission has
concluded that the issuance of the amendment will not have a
significant effect on the quality of the human environment (66 FR
55703).
Further details with respect to the action see (1) the application
for amendment dated November 16, 2000, as supplemented April 16 (two
letters) and 17; May 8 (two letters), 10, 11 (two letters), 22, and 29;
June 5, 11, 18, 21, and 28; July 11, 19, and 25; August 1, 10, 16, and
21; and October 17, 2001, (2) Amendment No. 243 to License No. DPR-49,
(3) the Commission's related Safety Evaluation, and (4) the
Commission's Environmental Assessment. Documents may be examined, and/
or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public Document Room, located at One
White Flint North, 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/NRC/ADAMS/index.html. Persons who do not have access
to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located
in ADAMS, should contact the NRC Public Document Room Reference staff
by telephone at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737 or by e-mail to
pdr@nrc.gov.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 6th day of November 2001.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Brenda L. Mozafari,
Project Manager, Section 1, Project Directorate III, Division of
Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 01-28510 Filed 11-13-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
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2 List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks: FuelSolutionsTM
Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2001 13:44:16 -0500 (EST)
http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/
======================================================
[Federal Register: November 14, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 220)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 56982-56985]
>From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14no01-2]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
10 CFR Part 72
RIN 3150-AG87
List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks: FuelSolutionsTM Cask
System Revision
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Direct final rule.
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SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is amending its
regulations revising the BNFL Fuel Solutions
(FuelSolutionsTM) cask system listing within the ``List of
Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks'' to include Amendment No. 2 to
Certificate of Compliance (CoC) Number 1026. Amendment No. 2 will
modify the Technical Specifications (TS). The current TS require that
if the W74 canister is required to be removed from its storage cask,
then the canister must be returned to the spent fuel pool. The modified
TS will allow the W74 canister to be placed in the transfer cask until
the affected storage cask is repaired or replaced. The TS will also be
modified
[[Page 56983]]
to clarify the description of the other non-fissile material permitted
to be stored in the W74 canister and to revise the temperatures to
correspond to the liner thermocouples. Specific changes will be made to
TS Tables 2.1-3 and 2.1-4; TS 3.3.2 and 3.3.3; and the bases for TS
3.3.2 and 3.3.3. No changes will be made to the conditions of the
Certificate of Compliance.
DATES: The final rule is effective January 28, 2002 unless significant
adverse comments are received by December 14, 2001. A significant
adverse comment is a comment where the commenter explains why the rule
would be inappropriate, including challenges to the rule's underlying
premise or approach, or would be ineffective or unacceptable without a
change. If the rule is withdrawn, timely notice will be published in
the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments to: Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attn: Rulemakings and
Adjudications Staff. Deliver comments to 11555 Rockville Pike,
Rockville, MD, between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. on Federal workdays.
Certain documents related to this rulemaking, as well as all public
comments received on this rulemaking, may be viewed and downloaded
electronically via the NRC's rulemaking website at http://
ruleforum.llnl.gov. You may also provide comments via this website by
uploading comments as files (any format) if your web browser supports
that function. For information about the interactive rulemaking site,
contact Ms. Carol Gallagher, (301) 415-5905; e-mail CAG@nrc.gov.
Certain documents related to this rule, including comments received
by the NRC, may be examined at the NRC Public Document Room, 11555
Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD. For more information, contact the NRC
Public Document Room (PDR) Reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-
4737 or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov.
Documents created or received at the NRC after November 1, 1999,
are also available electronically at the NRC's Public Electronic
Reading Room on the Internet at http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/ADAMS/
index.html. From this site, the public can gain entry into the NRC's
Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), which
provides text and image files of NRC's public documents. An electronic
copy of the proposed CoC and preliminary safety evaluation report (SER)
can be found under ADAMS Accession No. ML012680428. If you do not have
access to ADAMS or if there are problems in accessing the documents
located in ADAMS, contact the NRC PDR Reference staff at 1-800-397-
4209, 301-415-4737 or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov.
CoC No. 1026, the revised Technical Specifications, and the
underlying Safety Evaluation Report for Amendment No. 2, and the
Environmental Assessment, are available for inspection at the NRC
Public Document Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD. Single
copies of these documents may be obtained from Merri Horn, Office of
Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, telephone (301) 415-8126, e-mail
mlh1@nrc.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Merri Horn, telephone (301) 415-8126,
e-mail mlh1@nrc.gov, of the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and
Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Section 218(a) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended
(NWPA), requires that ``[t]he Secretary [of the Department of Energy
(DOE)]
shall establish a demonstration program, in cooperation with the
private sector, for the dry storage of spent nuclear fuel at civilian
nuclear power reactor sites, with the objective of establishing one or
more technologies that the [Nuclear Regulatory]
Commission may, by
rule, approve for use at the sites of civilian nuclear power reactors
without, to the maximum extent practicable, the need for additional
site-specific approvals by the Commission.'' Section 133 of the NWPA
states, in part, that ``[t]he Commission shall, by rule, establish
procedures for the licensing of any technology approved by the
Commission under Section 218(a) for use at the site of any civilian
nuclear power reactor.''
To implement this mandate, the NRC approved dry storage of spent
nuclear fuel in NRC-approved casks under a general license by
publishing a final rule in 10 CFR part 72 entitled, ``General License
for Storage of Spent Fuel at Power Reactor Sites'' (55 FR 29181; July
18, 1990). This rule also established a new Subpart L within 10 CFR
part 72, entitled ``Approval of Spent Fuel Storage Casks'' containing
procedures and criteria for obtaining NRC approval of spent fuel
storage cask designs. The NRC subsequently issued a final rule on
January 16, 2001 (66 FR 3444) that approved the
FuelSolutionsTM cask design and added it to the list of NRC-
approved cask designs in Sec. 72.214 as CoC No. 1026.
Discussion
On March 20, 2001, and as supplemented on July 16, August 9, and
September 19, 2001, the certificate holder BNFL Fuel Solutions
submitted an application to the NRC to amend CoC No. 1026 to modify the
Technical Specifications (TS). The current TS require that if the W74
canister is required to be removed from its storage cask, then the
canister must be returned to the spent fuel pool. The modified TS will
allow the W74 canister to be placed in the transfer cask until the
affected storage cask is repaired or replaced. The TS will also be
modified to clarify the description of the other non-fissile material
permitted to be stored in the W74 canister and to revise the
temperatures to correspond to the liner thermocouples. Specific changes
will be made to TS Tables 2.1-3 and 2.1-4; TS 3.3.2 and 3.3.3; and the
bases for TS 3.3.2 and 3.3.3. No changes will be made to the conditions
of the Certificate of Compliance. The NRC staff performed a detailed
safety evaluation of the proposed CoC amendment request and found that
an acceptable safety margin is maintained. In addition, the NRC staff
has determined that there is still reasonable assurance that public
health and safety and the environment will be adequately protected.
This direct final rule revises the FuelSolutionsTM cask
system design listing in Sec. 72.214 by adding Amendment No. 2 to CoC
No. 1026. The amendment consists of changes to the TS to provide an
alternative to returning the W74 canister to the spent fuel building,
to clarify the description of the other non-fissile material permitted
to be stored in the W74 canister, and to revise the temperatures to
correspond to the liner thermocouples. Specific changes would be made
to TS Tables 2.1-3 and 2.1-4; TS 3.3.2 and 3.3.3; and the bases for TS
3.3.2 and 3.3.3.
The amended FuelSolutionsTM cask system, when used in
accordance with the conditions specified in the CoC, the Technical
Specifications, and NRC regulations, will meet the requirements of Part
72; thus, adequate protection of public health and safety and the
environment will continue to be ensured.
Discussion of Amendments by Section
Section 72.214 List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks
Certificate No. 1026 is revised by adding the effective date of
Amendment Number 2.
[[Page 56984]]
Procedural Background
This rule is limited to the changes contained in Amendment 2 to CoC
No. 1026 and does not include other aspects of the
FuelSolutionsTM cask system design. The NRC is using the
``direct final rule procedure'' to issue this amendment because it
represents a limited and routine change to an existing CoC that is
expected to be noncontroversial. Adequate protection of public health
and safety and the environment continues to be ensured. The amendment
to the rule will become effective on January 28, 2002. However, if the
NRC receives significant adverse comments by December 14, 2001, then
the NRC will publish a document that withdraws this action and will
address the comments received in response to the proposed amendments
published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register. A
significant adverse comment is a comment where the commenter explains
why the rule would be inappropriate, including challenges to the rule's
underlying premise or approach, or would be ineffective or unacceptable
without a change. A comment is adverse and significant if:
(1) The comment opposes the rule and provides a reason sufficient
to require a substantive response in a notice-and-comment process. For
example, in a substantive response:
(a) The comment causes the NRC staff to reevaluate (or reconsider)
its position or conduct additional analysis;
(b) The comment raises an issue serious enough to warrant a
substantive response to clarify or complete the record; or
(c) The comment raises a relevant issue that was not previously
addressed or considered by the NRC staff.
(2) The comment proposes a change or an addition to the rule, and
it is apparent that the rule would be ineffective or unacceptable
without incorporation of the change or addition.
(3) The comment causes the NRC staff to make a change to the CoC or
TS.
These comments will be addressed in a subsequent final rule. The
NRC will not initiate a second comment period on this action. However,
if the NRC receives significant adverse comments by December 14, 2001,
then the NRC will publish a document that withdraws this action and
will address the comments received in response to the proposed
amendments published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.
Voluntary Consensus Standards
The National Technology Transfer Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-113)
requires that Federal agencies use technical standards that are
developed or adopted by voluntary consensus standards bodies unless the
use of such a standard is inconsistent with applicable law or otherwise
impractical. In this direct final rule, the NRC would revise the
FuelSolutionsTM cask system design listed in Sec. 72.214
(List of NRC-approved spent fuel storage cask designs). This action
does not constitute the establishment of a standard that establishes
generally applicable requirements.
Agreement State Compatibility
Under the ``Policy Statement on Adequacy and Compatibility of
Agreement State Programs'' approved by the Commission on June 30, 1997,
and published in the Federal Register on September 3, 1997 (62 FR
46517), this rule is classified as compatibility Category ``NRC.''
Compatibility is not required for Category ``NRC'' regulations. The NRC
program elements in this category are those that relate directly to
areas of regulation reserved to the NRC by the Atomic Energy Act of
1954, as amended (AEA) or the provisions of the Title 10 of the Code of
Federal Regulations. Although an Agreement State may not adopt program
elements reserved to NRC, it may wish to inform its licensees of
certain requirements via a mechanism that is consistent with the
particular State's administrative procedure laws, but does not confer
regulatory authority on the State.
Plain Language
The Presidential Memorandum dated June 1, 1998, entitled, ``Plain
Language in Government Writing'' directed that the Government's writing
be in plain language. The NRC requests comments on this direct final
rule specifically with respect to the clarity and effectiveness of the
language used. Comments should be sent to the address listed under the
heading ADDRESSES above.
Finding of No Significant Environmental Impact: Availability
Under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended,
and the NRC regulations in Subpart A of 10 CFR part 51, the NRC has
determined that this rule, if adopted, would not be a major Federal
action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment
and, therefore, an environmental impact statement is not required. The
rule would amend the CoC for the FuelSolutionsTM cask system
within the list of approved spent fuel storage casks that power reactor
licensees can use to store spent fuel at reactor sites under a general
license. Amendment No. 2 will modify the Technical Specifications (TS).
The current TS require that if the W74 canister is required to be
removed from its storage cask, then the canister must be returned to
the spent fuel pool. The modified TS will allow the W74 canister to be
placed in the transfer cask until the affected storage cask is repaired
or replaced. The TS will also be modified to clarify the description of
the other non-fissile material permitted to be stored in the W74
canister, and to revise the temperatures to correspond to the liner
thermocouples. Specific changes will be made to TS Tables 2.1-3 and
2.1-4; TS 3.3.2 and 3.3.3; and the bases for TS 3.3.2 and 3.3.3. No
changes will be made to the conditions of the Certificate of
Compliance.
The environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact
on which this determination is based are available for inspection at
the NRC Public Document Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD.
Single copies of the environmental assessment and finding of no
significant impact are available from Merri Horn, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001, telephone (301) 415-8126, email
mlh1@nrc.gov.
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement
This direct final rule does not contain a new or amended
information collection requirement subject to the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). Existing requirements were
approved by the Office of Management and Budget, Approval Number 3150-
0132.
Public Protection Notification
If a means used to impose an information collection does not
display a currently valid OMB control number, the NRC may not conduct
or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, the information
collection.
Regulatory Analysis
On July 18, 1990 (55 FR 29181), the NRC issued an amendment to 10
CFR part 72 to provide for the storage of spent nuclear fuel under a
general license in cask designs approved by the NRC. Any nuclear power
reactor licensee can use NRC-approved cask designs to store spent
nuclear fuel if it notifies the NRC in advance, spent fuel is stored
under the conditions specified in the cask's CoC, and the conditions of
the general license are met. A list of NRC-approved cask designs is
contained in Sec. 72.214. On January 16, 2001 (66 FR 3444), the NRC
issued an amendment to
[[Page 56985]]
part 72 that approved the FuelSolutionsTM cask design by
adding it to the list of NRC-approved cask designs in Sec. 72.214. On
March 20, 2001, and as supplemented on July 16, August 9, and September
19, 2001, the certificate holder BNFL Fuel Solutions, submitted an
application to the NRC to amend CoC No. 1026 to modify the TS.
Amendment No. 2 will modify the Technical Specifications (TS). The
current TS require that if the W74 canister is required to be removed
from its storage cask, then the canister must be returned to the spent
fuel pool. The modified TS will allow the W74 canister to be placed in
the transfer cask until the affected storage cask is repaired or
replaced. The TS will also be modified to clarify the description of
the other non-fissile material permitted to be stored in the W74
canister, and to revise the temperatures to correspond to the liner
thermocouples. Specific changes will be made to TS Tables 2.1-3 and
2.1-4; TS 3.3.2 and 3.3.3; and the bases for TS 3.3.2 and 3.3.3. No
changes will be made to the conditions of the Certificate of
Compliance.
The alternative to this action is to withhold approval of this
amended cask system design and issue an exemption to each general
license. This alternative would cost both the NRC and the utilities
more time and money because each utility would have to pursue an
exemption.
Approval of the direct final rule will eliminate the above
described problem and is consistent with previous NRC actions. Further,
the direct final rule will have no adverse effect on public health and
safety or the environment. This direct final rule has no significant
identifiable impact or benefit on other Government agencies. Based on
the above discussion of the benefits and impacts of the alternatives,
the NRC concludes that the requirements of the direct final rule are
commensurate with the NRC's responsibilities for public health and
safety and the environment and the common defense and security. No
other available alternative is believed to be as satisfactory, and
thus, this action is recommended.
Regulatory Flexibility Certification
In accordance with the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 (5 U.S.C.
605(b)), the NRC certifies that this rule will not, if issued, have a
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.
This direct final rule affects only the licensing and operation of
nuclear power plants, independent spent fuel storage facilities, and
BNFL Fuel Solutions. The companies that own these plants do not fall
within the scope of the definition of ``small entities'' set forth in
the Regulatory Flexibility Act or the Small Business Size Standards set
out in regulations issued by the Small Business Administration at 13
CFR part 121.
Backfit Analysis
The NRC has determined that the backfit rule (10 CFR 50.109 or 10
CFR 72.62) does not apply to this direct final rule because this
amendment does not involve any provisions that would impose backfits as
defined. Therefore, a backfit analysis is not required.
Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act
In accordance with the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement
Fairness Act of 1996, the NRC has determined that this action is not a
major rule and has verified this determination with the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget.
List of Subjects In 10 CFR Part 72
Administrative practice and procedure, Criminal penalties, Manpower
training programs, Nuclear materials, Occupational safety and health,
Penalties, Radiation protection, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements, Security measures, Spent fuel, Whistleblowing.
For the reasons set out in the preamble and under the authority of
the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended; the Energy Reorganization
Act of 1974, as amended; and 5 U.S.C. 552 and 553; the NRC is adopting
the following amendments to 10 CFR part 72.
PART 72--LICENSING REQUIREMENTS FOR THE INDEPENDENT STORAGE OF
SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL AND HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE
1. The authority citation for Part 72 continues to read as follows:
Authority: Secs. 51, 53, 57, 62, 63, 65, 69, 81, 161, 182, 183,
184, 186, 187, 189, 68 Stat. 929, 930, 932, 933, 934, 935, 948, 953,
954, 955, as amended, sec. 234, 83 Stat. 444, as amended (42 U.S.C.
2071, 2073, 2077, 2092, 2093, 2095, 2099, 2111, 2201, 2232, 2233,
2234, 2236, 2237, 2238, 2282); sec. 274, Pub. L. 86-373, 73 Stat.
688, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2021); sec. 201, as amended, 202, 206, 88
Stat. 1242, as amended, 1244, 1246 (42 U.S.C. 5841, 5842, 5846);
Pub. L. 95-601, sec. 10, 92 Stat. 2951 as amended by Pub. L. 102-
486, sec. 7902, 106 Stat. 3123 (42 U.S.C. 5851); sec. 102, Pub. L.
91-190, 83 Stat. 853 (42 U.S.C. 4332); secs. 131, 132, 133, 135,
137, 141, Pub. L. 97-425, 96 Stat. 2229, 2230, 2232, 2241, sec. 148,
Pub. L. 100-203, 101 Stat. 1330-235 (42 U.S.C. 10151, 10152, 10153,
10155, 10157, 10161, 10168).
Section 72.44(g) also issued under secs. 142(b) and 148(c), (d),
Pub. L. 100-203, 101 Stat. 1330-232, 1330-236 (42 U.S.C. 10162(b),
10168(c),(d)). Section 72.46 also issued under sec. 189, 68 Stat.
955 (42 U.S.C. 2239); sec. 134, Pub. L. 97-425, 96 Stat. 2230 (42
U.S.C. 10154). Section 72.96(d) also issued under sec. 145(g), Pub.
L. 100-203, 101 Stat. 1330-235 (42 U.S.C. 10165(g)). Subpart J also
issued under secs. 2(2), 2(15), 2(19), 117(a), 141(h), Pub. L. 97-
425, 96 Stat. 2202, 2203, 2204, 2222, 2244, (42 U.S.C. 10101,
10137(a), 10161(h)). Subparts K and L are also issued under sec.
133, 98 Stat. 2230 (42 U.S.C. 10153) and sec. 218(a), 96 Stat. 2252
(42 U.S.C. 10198).
2. In Sec. 72.214, Certificate of Compliance 1026 is revised to
read as follows:
Sec. 72.214 List of approved spent fuel storage casks.
* * * * *
Certificate Number: 1026.
Initial Certificate Effective Date: February 15, 2001.
Amendment Number 1 Effective Date: May 14, 2001.
Amendment Number 2 Effective Date: January 28, 2002.
SAR Submitted by: BNFL Fuel Solutions.
SAR Title: Final Safety Analysis Report for the FuelSolutions\TM\
Spent Fuel Management System.
Docket Number: 72-1026.
Certificate Expiration Date: February 15, 2021.
Model Number: WSNF-220, WSNF-221, and WSNF-223 systems; W-150
storage cask; W-100 transfer cask; and the W-21 and W-74 canisters.
* * * * *
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 25th day of October, 2001.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
William F. Kane,
Acting Executive Director for Operations.
[FR Doc. 01-28511 Filed 11-13-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
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3 Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management; Site
Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2001 13:47:24 -0500 (EST)
http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/
======================================================
[Federal Register: November 14, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 220)]
[Notices]
[Page 57049-57050]
>From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14no01-52]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management; Site
Recommendation Consideration Process--Announcement of Supplemental
Public Comment Period
AGENCY: Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, Department of
Energy.
ACTION: Notice of a supplemental public comment period on supplemental
information regarding the Yucca Mountain site recommendation
consideration process.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (the Department) announces a
supplemental public comment period regarding the consideration of a
possible recommendation of the Yucca Mountain by the Secretary of
Energy. This supplemental public comment period is being offered to
afford the public an additional opportunity to comment on information
that was not available during the comment period that ended on October
19, 2001.
DATES: The 30 day comment period begins today and closes on December
14, 2001.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be addressed to Carol Hanlon, U.S.
Department of Energy, Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Office (M/S
#205), P.O. Box 364629, North Las Vegas, Nevada, 89036-8629.
Supplementary analyses and updated technical information, in the form
of contractor reports, are available on the Internet at www.ymp.gov or
also can be obtained by calling 1-800-967-3477.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of
Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, Yucca Mountain Site
Characterization Office, (M/S #025), P.O. Box 364629, North Las Vegas,
Nevada 89036-8629, 1-800-967-3477.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Today the Department announces a 30-day
supplemental comment period regarding possible site recommendation of
Yucca Mountain as a geologic repository.
In a Federal Register Notice of October 5, 2001, (66 FR 51027), the
Secretary indicated that there would be a later public involvement
opportunity closer to the decision time on a possible Yucca Mountain
site recommendation, the scope of which would be focused exclusively on
issues that could not have been raised in the comment period which
ended on October 19, 2001. This notice announces the beginning and
closing of that opportunity for public involvement.
Since the close of the public comment period on October 19, 2001,
the Department has completed preparation of supplemental analyses
addressing, to the extent necessary, changes from the proposed to the
final regulations of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
establishing public health and safety standards for a repository at
Yucca Mountain, 40 CFR part 197, and of the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) establishing licensing regulations for
[[Page 57050]]
such a repository, 10 CFR part 63. The EPA issued its final regulations
on June 13, 2001 (66 FR 32074); the NRC finalized its regulations, with
conforming changes to implement the final EPA public health and safety
standards, on November 2, 2001 (66 FR 55732). Following issuance of 10
CFR part 63, the Department finalized its regulation, 10 CFR part 963,
establishing guidelines for the Secretary to determine the suitability
of the Yucca Mountain site. Those final DOE regulations have been
promulgated in a separate part of today's Federal Register.
In addition to the supplemental analyses described above, the
Department's site characterization work has continued since publication
of the Science and Engineering Report (S&ER), and the Preliminary Site
Suitability Evaluation (PSSE). The Department has prepared a report to
reflect this updated technical and scientific information completed
since publication of the S&ER in May 2001.
The supplementary analyses and updated technical information
documents referenced above, in the form of contractor reports, are
available on the Internet at www.ymp.gov or also can be obtained by
calling 1-800-967-3477. These documents are entitled as follows:
(i) Total System Performance Assessment--Analyses for Disposal of
Commercial and DOE Waste Inventories at Yucca Mountain-Input to the
Final Environmental Impact Statement and Site Suitability Evaluation;
Bechtel SAIC Company, LLC (September 17, 2001);
(ii) TSPA Sensitivity Analyses for Final Regulations; Bechtel SAIC
Company, LLC (November 2001); and,
(iii) Technical Update Impact Letter Report; Bechtel SAIC Company,
LLC (November 2001).
Additional information on the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management
program may be obtained at the Yucca Mountain web site at www.ymp.gov
or by calling 1-800-967-3477.
Issued in Washington, DC on November 8, 2001.
Lake H. Barrett,
Acting Director.
[FR Doc. 01-28649 Filed 11-13-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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4 TAIWAN'S CSF TO TRAIN IN NUCLEAR, BIOCHEMICAL PREVENTION
Asia Pulse; Nov 14, 2001
TAIPEI, Nov 14 Asia Pulse - The Combined Services Force (CSF) of
the Taiwan armed forces will strengthen training in dealing with
nuclear, biological and chemical attack, a spokesman for the
Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Tuesday.
The CSF is in charge of ordnance, military maps and communication
equipment for the armed forces. It also provides support and
services commonly needed by the armed forces, such as finance,
surveying, engineering, rear echelon administration, procurement
and armament appraisal and testing.
Maj. Gen. Huang Suey-sheng said at a press conference that the
CSF General Headquarters will make training in the field of
nuclear, biological and chemical weapon defense its top training
priority in the coming year.
Huang also said that the MND has instructed the armed forces to
go on heightened alert to prevent airports, ports and other
important installations from being sabotaged in the wake of the
American Airlines plane crash Monday, two months after the Sept.
11 terrorist attacks on the United States.
There was no concrete evidence as of press time that terrorists
were involved in Monday's crash. (CNA)
World Reporter All Material Subject to Copyright
*****************************************************************
5 Town residents to vote on hosting of N-power plant
The Yomiuri Shimbun/Daily Yomiuri - Japan; Nov 14, 2001
A town government in Mie Prefecture said Tuesday it would hold a
referendum Sunday on whether an electric power company should be
invited to build a nuclear power plant in the town, even though
plans for such a plant have yet to be announced. The result of
the referendum would not be legally binding, but Miyamacho Mayor
Tatsuo Shiotani and the local assembly said a majority opinion
would be respected. There are 8,753 eligible voters in Miyamacho.
The town was considered as a candidate site for a plant built by
Chubu Electric Power Co. in 1963, but the firm decided the
following year to build the plant between Nantocho and Kiseicho
in the Ashihama area in the prefecture.
The plant was never built, however, and Gov. Masayasu Kitagawa
abandoned the plan in February last year. Since then, efforts to
attract the plant to Miyamacho have been revived.
In February this year, some members of the local business
community filed a petition to invite the plant to Miyamacho as a
means of reviving the town, but other residents countered by
filing a petition opposing it.
The assembly on Sept. 21 approved a draft ordinance to hold a
referendum, as the problem could not be settled in assembly
sessions.
Similar referendums have been held in Niigata Prefecture--in
Makimachi in August 1996, when Tohoku Electric Power Co.
announced plans to build a nuclear plant, and in Kariwamura in
May this year, where Tokyo Electric Power Co. had planned to use
plutonium-uranium mixed oxide fuel at a plant under a so-called
pluthermal plan.
The majority of residents objected to the plans in both places.
Copyright © Asia Intelligence Wire
*****************************************************************
6 China installs reactor in Sino-Russian nuclear power project
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 14, 2001
Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua
(New China News Agency)
Nanjing, 14 November: Chinese and Russian technicians Wednesday
[14 November] installed the reactor containment for the No. 1
nuclear island of the Tianwan Nuclear Power Station in the port
city of Lianyungang, east China's Jiangsu Province.
Experts said the move marks the beginning of the project's
equipment instalment from civil engineers.
The first phase of the Tianwan Nuclear Power Station has two
nuclear power generating units with a designed capacity of 1.06m
kW.
Chen Zhaobo, chairman of the board of the Jiangsu Nuclear Power
Co, said the Tianwan project has been going smoothly with the
support of the Chinese and Russian governments. Speaking during
his trip to the port city, Russian Nuclear Power Minister
Aleksandr Rumyantsev said Russia attaches great importance to the
construction of the nuclear power plant, and hopes to explore
more opportunities for cooperation between the two countries on
nuclear energy.
The new station, the largest cooperative project between the two
countries, is designed in strict compliance with the latest
safety regulations and norms from the International Atomic Energy
Agency and also takes into account the experience of Russia and
other Western countries in building and operating nuclear power
stations.
Key technology used for it has been modelled after that of
nuclear power stations in Russia and other countries. Ouyang Yu,
chief engineer of the Jiangsu Nuclear Power Co, said the new
station will have four Russia-made pressurized water reactors,
each with a generating capacity of 1m kW. Siemens digital
instrumentation and control systems, believed to be the most
advanced in the world, will be adopted to ensure the sound,
smooth operation of the nuclear station.
Source: Xinhua news agency, Beijing, in English 1320 gmt 14 Nov
01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter
*****************************************************************
7 Castor Transport Protests Continue
F.A.Z. - English Version
F.A.Z. DANNENBERG. Technical problems with trains and protest
actions staged by atomic power opponents led to further delays on
Tuesday in the latest Castor transport of nuclear waste to a
storage facility in the northern German town of Gorleben.
Protests over the shipment from a French reprocessing plant began
over the weekend and grew in strength. On Tuesday, two Greenpeace
activists climbed trees on either side of the tracks and hung a
banner denouncing Germany's leading power companies before police
forced them down. One Greenpeace activist decried what he called
the shipment's lack of security. "These shipments just can't be
done securely," he said. "Gorleben is about as safe as a potato
shed." Police cut chains attaching two people to the tracks and
cleared hundreds of others sitting on rails along the route. Near
Dannenberg, where the waste is to be loaded onto trucks for the
journey to Gorleben, police forced hundreds of demonstrators from
the road. Many were taken into custody, and 14 were said to have
been injured.
Last year, the German government and power companies agreed to
end nuclear power use in about 20 years, but antinuclear
activists say that is too long and shipments are unsafe.
Nov. 13, 2001
© Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 2000
*****************************************************************
8 Plutonium stockpile warning by generator
Independent News
© 2001 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd By Michael Harrison, Business
Editor 14 November 2001
British Energy, the nuclear electricity generator, yesterday
called for an immediate moratorium on the reprocessing of spent
fuel at Sellafield, warning that otherwise the UK would be left
with an unwanted stockpile of 25 tonnes of weapons-grade
plutonium.
A ban on further reprocessing of BE's spent waste would call into
question not just the future of Sellafield's £2.5bn Thorp
reprocessing plant but also its controversial mixed oxide (Mox)
fuel facility that was just given the go-ahead by the Government.
In a submission to a Commons select committee inquiry into
Britain's future radioactive waste policy, BE says that the
reprocessing of its AGR fuel at Sellafield is both uneconomic and
is adding to the UK's plutonium stockpile. British Nuclear Fuels,
the state-owned company which runs Sellafield, has so far
reprocessed about 2.5 tonnes of plutonium from spent BE fuel. BE
estimates that by 2023 the stockpile will have grown by a further
22.5 tonnes under the reprocessing contracts it has with BNFL.
BE is urging the Government and BNFL to store the spent fuel
instead and then dispose of it – a move which would cut its
annual bill from £300m to £50m. BE believes storage would be
safer, cheaper and less harmful to the environment.
*****************************************************************
9 Framatome ANP lands Swedish nuclear fuel order
La Tribune- France; Nov 14, 2001
Framatome ANP, the French nuclear fuel group, has landed a
contract to supply fuel to six nuclear power plants in Sweden
operated by Vatenfall, one of the country's main producers of
electricity.
From 2003 to 2007 the group controlled by Areva (66 per cent) and
German group Siemens (34 per cent) will deliver a total of 24
fuel units. The amount of the order was not revealed.
Abstracted from La Tribune
World Reporter All Material Subject to Copyright
*****************************************************************
10 Framatome lands order for six nuclear power stations
(Framatome : commande pour six centrales nucleaires)
Le Figaro - France; Nov 14, 2001
Framatome ANP, the joint venture of French group Areva (66 per
cent) and German group Siemens (34 per cent), has landed a
fuel order for six Swedish nuclear power stations operated by
Vattenfall, one of the country's main electricity producers.
The fuel will be supplied between 2003 and 2007.
Abstracted from Le Figaro
World Reporter All Material Subject to Copyright
*****************************************************************
11 Agreement over Temelin lasted five minutes
(Einigung zu Temelin dauerte funf Minuten)
Suddeutsche Zeitung - Germany; Nov 14, 2001
The chances of a four-party agreement in Austria, over the issue
of the Temelin nuclear power plant and the question of Czech
sovereignty, disappeared further on Tuesday, with the
announcement that one of the parties involved had decided to
stick to its line of veto. The opposition parties remained
unsurprised, saying that an agreement had lasted all of five
minutes.
There are moves to re-consider the old EU plan, which seems to
have fallen by the wayside. The plan consists of considering
Temelin as a sunken cost, and claiming compensation from the
Czech state as a result.
Abstracted from Suddeutsche Zeitung
World Reporter All Material Subject to Copyright
*****************************************************************
12 Members of the Czech Ninth Nuclear, Biological and Chemical
Company
The Birmingham Post - United Kingdom; Nov 14, 2001
Members of the Czech Ninth Nuclear, Biological and Chemical
Company display different types of protective suits during a
demonstration at the company's headquarters at Liberec, Czech
Republic Members of the Czech Ninth Nuclear, Biological and
Chemical Company display different types of protective suits
at the company's HQ
All Material Subject to Copyright
*****************************************************************
13 Nevada wants another hearing on federal water at Yucca Mountain
RGJ.com -
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Wednesday November 14th, 2001
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada is asking a federal court for another
chance to block the federal government from getting the water it
needs to develop Yucca Mountain as the nation’s nuclear waste
repository.
The move comes while Yucca Mountain project managers finish
drafting a recommendation on whether the arid volcanic ridge 90
miles northwest of Las Vegas is suitable for the dump.
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham is expected within weeks to make
a recommendation to President Bush whether to go ahead with the
project.
“We have always said we intend to try to complete the process
sometime this winter,” Energy Department spokesman Joe Davis said
Tuesday. “That’s what we’re working toward, but we haven’t set a
specific date.”
Nevada opposes the project.
Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, state officials have called
for the Energy Department to study the threat of sabotage.
Project chief Lake Barrett told the Las Vegas Sun in Washington
that the time to study the threat is when project engineers
prepare final project designs.
In San Francisco, Nevada asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals to consider whether the federal Nuclear Waste Policy Act
supersedes Nevada law barring a nuclear dump in Nevada, Senior
Deputy Attorney General Marta Adams said.
A three-judge circuit court panel sent the case back to U.S.
District Judge Roger Hunt in Las Vegas.
The panel’s ruling came after the Energy Department applied for
permanent water rights for the proposed repository.
A former state engineer denied the application, saying Nevada law
prohibits a nuclear dump. The Energy Department filed suit,
claiming federal law pre-empts state law.
Adams told the Sun that federal law might not apply, since the
repository hasn’t been approved by the president or Congress.
The request for a rehearing was filed on behalf of the engineer,
who is now director of the state Department of Conservation and
Natural Resources and the Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects
fighting the Yucca Mountain designation.
Yucca Mountain, at the western edge of the Nevada Test Site, has
been under study for 14 years and is the only site being studied
for a possible repository. Plans would have the Energy
Department, beginning in 2010, entomb 77,000 tons of radioactive
waste in mined tunnels 1,000 feet below the surface.
Waste is currently stored in casks at 103 commercial nuclear
reactors and various military and industrial sites around the
country.
© Reno Gazette-Journal
*****************************************************************
14 Russia sets itself modest target for reprocessing of nuclear fuel
imports
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 14, 2001
Text of report in English by Russian news agency Interfax
Moscow, 13 November:
Russia will not have an opportunity to earn money by accepting
foreign spent nuclear fuel in the near future, the chairman of
the Russian State Duma's supreme ecological council [listed as
"Committee on Ecology"], Robert Nigmatulin [a Russia's Regions
deputy from Bashkortostan], has said.
"It is so far too early to talk about the implementation of a
project on bringing foreign spent nuclear fuel into Russia,"
Nigmatulin said at a press conference in Moscow on Tuesday [13
November]. The main point in the recently adopted laws allowing
spent nuclear fuel to be brought into Russia is that Russian
enterprises will from now on be able to take back fuel supplied
for nuclear power plants constructed abroad by Russian
specialists, he said.
If Russia captures 10 per cent of the spent nuclear fuel market,
it will be able to earn up to 1bn dollars a year, Nigmatulin
said. About 30 per cent of the contracts' value will be spent on
ecological rehabilitation of Russian territories contaminated
during the arms race in past decades, he said.
Source: Interfax news agency, Moscow, in English 1818 gmt 13 Nov
01
/BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter
*****************************************************************
15 Russia announces plan to rely on nuclear power stations over next
decade
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 14, 2001
Text of report in English by Russian news agency ITAR-TASS
Moscow, 14 November:
Russia over the next 10 years will commission a total of 10
nuclear power reactors, one every year, the first deputy atomic
energy minister, Lev Ryabev, told the State Duma, lower house of
parliament, on Wednesday [14 November].
In other countries - Iran, India and China - Russia in the same
period will put into operation six reactors, the official said.
By 2020 the pace of commissioning nuclear power units will be
stepped up 150 per cent, he said.
"By that time Russian nuclear plants will be generating an amount
of electricity identical to that once produced by all of the
former Soviet Union's nuclear plants," he said.
Ryabev recalled that Russia's 10 nuclear power plants accounted
for 15 per cent of the country's electricity output and for 50
per cent of electricity production growth. Nuclear power plants'
electricity production rates will be growing by 5 per cent a
year, twice the growth rate expected to be shown by
thermoelectric and hydroelectric power plants. "Russia is making
a structural shift towards nuclear power,"
Ryabev said, adding that the government was determined to promote
nuclear power plants as ecologically safe and efficient.
Source: ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in English 1131 gmt 14 Nov
01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter
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16 St Petersburg mayor offers Slovakia thermal, nuclear power plant
equipment
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 14, 2001
Text of report in English by Czech news agency CTK
St Petersburg, 13 November:
The mayor of St Petersburg, Vladimir Yakovlev, offered to
visiting Slovak President Rudolf Schuster equipment of thermal
and nuclear power plants and tractors, and showed interest in
Slovak road building machines and medicine.
"It would be possible to cooperate in ship building and in
underground construction, we are ready to create conditions for
direct St Petersburg-Bratislava flights, and tourism must also be
developed," Yakovlev said.
St Petersbrug, Russia's second largest city, signed several
cooperation agreements with Slovakia in 1994-99. The first of
them was signed by present Russian President Vladimir Putin who
was then deputy mayor of St Petersburg.
Schuster, then mayor of Kosice, east Slovakia, signed a
partnership agreement between the two cities in 1995. Schuster
and his wife also toured the famous gallery Hermitage. Schuster
was described by the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS as a plastic
art connoisseur and collector. Schuster arrived for a three-day
state official visit to Russia on Sunday [11 November]. He is the
first Slovak president to visit Russia.
He leaves for a two-day visit to Kazakhstan on Wednesday. Source:
CTK news agency, Prague, in English 1855 gmt 13 Nov 01
/BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter
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17 Police uncover crime at bankrupt Kazakh nuclear power plant
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 14, 2001
Aktau, 12 November:
The (western Kazakh) Mangistau Regional financial police
department found six false or deliberate cases of enterprise
bankruptcy between January and September 2001, the department's
press service has told Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency.
According to the press service, two cases of illegal actions
during the process of declaring bankruptcy and four cases of
deliberate bankruptcy were registered.
Thus, the press service said, the financial police had
established that certain officials at the Mangyshlakskiy Atomnyy
Energokombinat [Mangyshlak nuclear power plant] republican state
enterprise were involved in a deliberate violation of the order
of satisfying creditors' demands during rescue procedures at this
enterprise.
According to the press service, the enterprise's management paid
off debts worth over 2,471m tenge [16.6m dollars, figure as
given](the current exchange rate is 148.45 tenge to the dollar)
to the creditors fifth in line, whereas they did not pay any
debts to the creditors who were third and fourth in line. As a
result, the press service noted, criminal cases have been
instituted against one of the enterprise's former managers under
two articles of the Kazakh criminal code. The financial police
have interrogated the managers of dozens of enterprises which are
affiliated with the atomic power plant.
"This case will be carried through to the end, despite attempts
by certain individuals, including high-level officials, to
influence the investigation," the department underlined...
Source: Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, Almaty, in Russian 1318
gmt 12 Nov 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter
*****************************************************************
18 Iranian radio reports imminent delivery of Bushehr nuclear plant
parts
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 14, 2001
Text of report by Iranian radio on 14 November
Equipment for the first power-producing unit of the Bushehr
nuclear power plant will be delivered to Iran on Friday [16
November].
An informed source at the engineering concern Izhora told
Interfax in Moscow yesterday: Work on the production of the
equipment for the Bushehr nuclear power plant, including the
casing and the upper unit of the reactor, as well as a number of
the plant's other parts, has been completed, and they will be
sent to Bushehr for installation at the end of this week. He
added: The Bushehr nuclear power plant will begin work in 2004 to
supply electricity in Iran.
Source: Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Tehran, in Persian
0430 gmt 14 Nov 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All
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19 AFRICA: South Africa to expand its nuclear capacity INTERNATIONAL
ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY CONFERENCE MINISTER OF MINERALS AND ENERGY
SAYS COUNTRY AIMS TO DEVELOP MINI:
Financial Times; Nov 14, 2001
By JAMES LAMONT
South Africa yesterday committed itself to an ambitious expansion
of its nuclear capacity at a time when the world is gripped by
the threat of possible nuclear terrorism after the attacks on the
US on September 11.
At a conference hosted by the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA), Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the South African minister of
minerals and energy, said the country was striving to expand its
role in nuclear technology by developing mini nuclear reactors.
Eskom, the state-owned electricity utility, is developing 110
megawatt (MW) pebble bed modular nuclear reactors in partnership
with British Nuclear Fuels and Exelon, the US electricity
utility. The government believes the reactors have considerable
export potential, particularly to the US, and could earn the
country more than R18bn (Dollars 1.9bn) a year. Countries
interested in buying pebble bed reactors include the UK, China,
Indonesia, Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia.
"It is recognised worldwide as the leading innovation in nuclear
technology," Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka said. The construction of the first
pebble bed reactor is expected to begin next year in South Africa
at a cost of about Dollars 120m.
South Africa developed its nuclear capacity in the apartheid era.
Although it has dismantled its weapons-making programme, South
African scientists and military procurement agents were feared to
be passing on technology to other states, including Iran. The
country was most recently linked to the possible sale of nuclear
material by the court testimony of Jamal Al Fadl, an aide to
Osama bin Laden, the terrorist suspect. Mr Al Fadl said he was
involved in an attempt to buy Dollars 1.5bn of uranium, which he
believed had originated in South Africa. "One of the greatest
injustices that has befallen this sector is its development
during the era in which security and secrecy were the order of
the day. It stigmatised a technology whose discovery had not been
intended as a tool for ideological bargaining," Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka
said.
South Africa's nuclear capacity is small and finds application in
the energy, medical and agricultural sectors. The 1,840MW Koeberg
nuclear power station in the Western Cape produces about 7 per
cent of the country's power supply. The nuclear industry employs
about 2,700 people. South Africa has a stockpile of weapons grade
uranium, from which it produces medical radio-isotopes. Since
1994, the export of isotopes has earned more than R140m.
But South Africa's nuclear capacity is not failsafe. Victor
Motha, a technician at a Nuclear Corporation of South Africa
laboratory near Pretoria, died this week after inhaling a
poisonous gas. Work at the Pelindaba laboratory has been
suspended.
The IAEA plans to expand its advisory services to help states
protect their nuclear materials. It fears a bomb could be made
from radioactive sources used in everyday life.
Scientists estimate that 25kg of highly enriched uranium or 8kg
of plutonium are needed to make a bomb.
Copyright: The Financial Times Limited 1995-1998
*****************************************************************
20 Protesters Fail to Prevent Franco-German Nuclear Shipment
Environment News Service:
GORLEBEN, Germany, November 13, 2001 (ENS) - A shipment of
nuclear waste has been returned from the French reprocessing
plant at La Hague to a nuclear dump at Gorleben. The consignment
is only the second permitted by the German radiation authority
(BfS) since transboundary shipments were resumed in March
following a three year break.
The first shipment of nuclear waste from France to Germany since
1998 ended on March 30 after a three day trip marked by large
scale protests. Some 20,000 police were employed to guard the
rail and road transfer of six armoured containers, which
demonstrators nevertheless managed to delay by chaining
themselves to railway tracks.
This time, around 5,000 anti-nuclear campaigners, farmers and
residents were held at bay by police, who outnumbered them three
to one and managed to prevent any delays.
The only hold-up during the two-day journey was caused when the
locomotive pulling the 67 metric tons of vitrified waste in six
Castor containers broke down and carriages had to be hitched up
to another engine.
Vitrified nuclear waste has been incorporated into a stable,
environmentally safe glass that can be placed in a long term
geologic repository.
The German government maintains that Gorleben is a safe
repository for reprocessed nuclear waste, but Greenpeace
campaigners called the German power industry's nuclear waste
disposal policy "scandalous and reckless."
The radioactive waste was being transported 1,000 kilometers (620
miles) across Europe only to be left in "a potato store for an
indeterminate period," Greenpeace said.
{Published in cooperation with ENDS Environment Daily, Europe's
choice for environmental news. Environmental Data Services Ltd,
London. Email: envdaily@ends.co.uk}
*****************************************************************
21 Nevada wants another hearing on federal water at Yucca Mountain
Las Vegas SUN
November 13, 2001
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Nevada is asking a federal court for another
chance to block the federal government from getting the water it
needs to develop Yucca Mountain as the nation's nuclear waste
repository.
The move comes while Yucca Mountain project managers finish
drafting a recommendation on whether the arid volcanic ridge 90
miles northwest of Las Vegas is suitable for the dump.
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham is expected within weeks to make
a recommendation to President Bush whether to go ahead with the
project. "We have always said we intend to try to complete the
process sometime this winter," Energy Department spokesman Joe
Davis said Tuesday. "That's what we're working toward, but we
haven't set a specific date."
Nevada opposes the project.
Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, state officials have called
for the Energy Department to study the threat of sabotage.
Project chief Lake Barrett told the Las Vegas Sun in Washington
that the time to study the threat is when project engineers
prepare final project designs. In San Francisco, Nevada asked the
9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to consider whether the federal
Nuclear Waste Policy Act supersedes Nevada law barring a nuclear
dump in Nevada, Senior Deputy Attorney General Marta Adams said.
A three-judge circuit court panel sent the case back to U.S.
District Judge Roger Hunt in Las Vegas.
The panel's ruling came after the Energy Department applied for
permanent water rights for the proposed repository.
A former state engineer denied the application, saying Nevada law
prohibits a nuclear dump. The Energy Department filed suit,
claiming federal law pre-empts state law.
Adams told the Sun that federal law might not apply, since the
repository hasn't been approved by the president or Congress.
The request for a rehearing was filed on behalf of the engineer,
who is now director of the state Department of Conservation and
Natural Resources and the Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects
fighting the Yucca Mountain designation.
Yucca Mountain, at the western edge of the Nevada Test Site, has
been under study for 14 years and is the only site being studied
for a possible repository. Plans would have the Energy
Department, beginning in 2010, entomb 77,000 tons of radioactive
waste in mined tunnels 1,000 feet below the surface. Waste is
currently stored in casks at 103 commercial nuclear reactors and
various military and industrial sites around the country.
Information from: Las Vegas Sun
All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc.
*****************************************************************
22 SA: Nuclear technology a boon
14/11/2001 12:46 - (SA)
Cape Town - Nuclear technology had been stigmatised in South
Africa, with some people believing it to be "very evil", Minerals
and Energy Minister Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said on Tuesday.
Yet the fact was it contributed everyday to a better quality of
life for the country's citizens in a wide variety of fields.
Speaking in Cape Town at the opening of a three-day African
seminar on nuclear energy, she said the expansion of nuclear
power worldwide was looking "more and more inevitable".
The seminar aims to promote public understanding of nuclear
energy and its application in medicine, agriculture and industry.
Mlambo-Ngcuka said one of the greatest injustices to befall South
Africa's nuclear technology sector was its development in an era
when security and secrecy where the order of the day.
"We now face the challenge of... bringing the sector out into the
open, demystifying it and ensuring the impact it can have in our
developing nations. "In South Africa, we all know how much
secrecy there was in this sector... feeding into the mind-set
that this must be something very evil."
Some people even thought nuclear technology was a product of
apartheid. "As a result of the secrecy, many people have closed
their eyes to the benefits of nuclear technology. It... has been
stigmatised... in a way that the countries that needed it most
were unable to exploit it."
The seminar was taking place at a time when the government was
striving to expand the role of nuclear technology, she said.
However, South Africa had a long way to go "before we reach the
goals we'd like to reach".
"In South Africa, at this point in time, our focus is on the
pebble bed modular reactor (PBMR).
"It is recognised world-wide as a leading innovation in nuclear
technology." The PBMR project aims to develop "mini" 110MW
nuclear plants, with an export potential - according to
government - of more than R18-billion.
Mlambo-Ngcuka said South Africans had to recognise nuclear
technology was a fact in their everyday lives, and had been for
the past 50 years. It was used in the treatment of
life-threatening diseases such as cancer, had led to productivity
improvements in industry and agriculture, and contributed to
scientific advances in many fields.
In Africa, it was a key factor in the fight against the tsetse
fly. South Africa's nuclear energy industry, although small,
played an important role.
It employed about 2 700 people and contributed to foreign
exchange through the sale and export of uranium oxides and
medical isotopes. The Koeberg nuclear power station produced 6.8
percent of the country's electricity.
"We are very proud of the high safety standards at Koeberg,"
Mlambo-Ngcuka said.
She said the United States was an example of the contribution
peaceful nuclear technologies could make to the economy. In that
country, the industry generated $427-billion annually, and had
created more than four million jobs.
"Clearly, there is potential for us in this country and continent
to look at ways of increasing the role nuclear technologies play
in our economy."
Mlambo-Ngcuka stressed the importance of education in this
regard, to make sure the community is... comfortable as such
technology is increasingly introduced in their daily lives".
The main focus of the seminar was about "informing people how the
needs of the continent can be addressed using nuclear
technology", she said.
The regional seminar, "Serving Human Needs: Nuclear Energy and
Technology for Africa", is being held from November 13 to 15. It
is co-hosted by the department of minerals and energy, and the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
It has attracted delegates from six other African countries -
Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
About News24
*****************************************************************
23 UK: Nuclear reaction to costs
The Times
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 14 2001
BY MARTIN WALLER
BRITISH ENERGY, the nuclear generator, is in danger of going
nuclear with Ofgem, the gas and electricity regulator, over the
costs of its own appeal against one of the regulator’s rulings.
The law says all expenses incurred by Ofgem — which recently
moved into swanky new offices on Millbank but that is, of course,
neither here nor there — must be paid by the companies it
regulates.
This has led to the daft situation of British Energy, and the
American firm AES, possibly being asked to pay £900,000 for
winning the appeal which they took to the Competition Commission
against Ofgem’s judgment on an abstruse point of regulation.
Robin Jeffrey, BE’s deputy chairman, is refusing to hand over a
penny. “If this was a formal court process and you had won, you
wouldn’t want to be hit with the costs,” says a source. Ofgem
says making the two companies pay is only one option. But there
is a further difficulty. As the law stands, it is not clear which
court should rule on the matter. If it all turns nasty, the
company will have at least one ally from the opposite camp.
British Energy announced yesterday that Clare Spottiswoode, the
former gas regulator, is joining the board as a non-executive
next month.
LORD HASKINS was giving his reasons yesterday for standing down
as chairman of Northern Foods and Express Dairies. “It was time
for a change,” he said modestly. “They will probably have a
better time without me, with a more hard-nosed and disciplined
man in the chair. I’m far too romantic a character.”
Young buck
IT SEEMS Alistair Lennard, the “wild card” fund manager at
Merrill Lynch who took the stand at the High Court yesterday, has
long had a fondness for making money. His first share deal was at
14, when he converted a £250 legacy into shares in Boots.
At Manchester University he took the grant cheques of ten fellow
students and invested them in Rolls-Royce shares before the 1987
flotation. He filled in all the forms and made his “clients” £200
apiece.
Yes, he sounds like the typical ghastly 1980s yuppie, doesn’t he?
But don’t let’s be too hasty to judge.
Passing up
AN UNEXPECTED victim of the attacks of September 11 has been a
valuable annual scholarship for post-graduate study abroad,
almost invariably in the US, by the John Rankin Fund. This was
set up with the rest of the money left in the Burmah Shareholders
Action Group, after that memorable corporate battle ended, in
memory of its first president, John Rankin QC, who died
mid-campaign. There has been a sad fall-off in applications for
the scholarship. A pity, because it has some distinguished
alumni. They include Michelle Thomas, now a partner with
Eversheds, Paul Harris in Monkton Chambers and Dolly Mirchandani
at Freshfields in New York.
I HEAR that Michael Cassidy, former head of the Corporation of
London’s policy and resources committee and never a man to back
away from a challenge, hopes to become the new chairman of
English Partnerships, the urban regeneration agency that has
responsibility for, inter alia, the accursed Dome. The last
chairman, Sir Alan Cockshaw, completed his three-year term of
office last month, and the post is currently being advertised.
But would you really want to take on the political graveyard that
is the Dome? The irrepressible Cassidy seems convinced that when
the time comes around, this will no longer be his problem.
Triggered
I HAVE no names and it might be apocryphal, but there is an
e-mail doing the rounds purporting to detail the experiences of a
City financier with his local police after he spotted some men
breaking into his garden shed, The police explained that they
were too busy to come around. “In that case,” said our man, or
words to that effect, “I’m taking my shotgun out to shoot them.”
The police arrived forthwith. No bodies — the burglars had fled.
I thought you threatened to shoot them, sir, they asked our man.
“And I thought you said you were too busy to come around.”
city.diary@thetimes.co.uk [city.diary@thetimes.co.uk]
Copyright 2001 Times Newspapers Ltd. This service is provided
*****************************************************************
24 Nuclear protest: German activists block train
Kate Connolly in Berlin
Wednesday November 14, 2001
The Guardian [http://www.guardian.co.uk]
German anti-nuclear activists blockaded rail tracks and dangled
from trees over the route of a trainload of reprocessed nuclear
waste yesterday, hoping to stop the shipment reaching a temporary
storage site in northern Germany.
Despite a security operation involving more than 15,000 police
officers, they managed to block the train at several points on
its 375-mile journey across Germany.
Several chained themselves to the rails before being cut free by
officers. Others hid in trees and dropped on to the track,
forcing the engine hauling 80 tonnes of waste in six containers
from La Hague in France to make an emergency stop.
Hundreds of demonstrators led by Greenpeace staged overnight
sit-down protests in freezing conditions.
Riot police were in force at the railway unloading site in
Dannenberg, where the containers will be put on trucks for the
road journey to the temporary storage site, a disused salt mine
at Gorleben.
Near Dannenberg, mounted police forced protesters off the road.
Last year the government and the power industry agreed to phase
out nuclear reactors in the next 20-30 years
The safety of the convoys, an issue in Germany for years, has
become particularly sensitive since the September 11 attack on
the US.
"These shipments just can't be done securely," Jan-Boris
Ingerowski, 21, a Hamburg law student in the Greenpeace team,
said.
"Gorleben is about as safe as a potato shed."
bGuardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2001
*****************************************************************
25 Nuclear plant tests its terror readiness
Wichita Eagle |
A regularly scheduled security drill at Kansas' only nuclear
power station takes on new significance this year.
By Jean Hays The Wichita Eagle
This week, operators of the Wolf Creek nuclear power plant are
preparing for the worst.
In two days of drills starting today, plant and emergency
.0officials must prove that they can quickly evacuate all
residents within 10 miles of the plant and successfully monitor
radioactive fallout as far away as 50 miles. Wolf Creek is about
120 miles northeast of Wichita.
Nuclear plants have been required to hold such drills every six
years since the accident at Three Mile Island, Pa., in 1979; the
Wolf Creek drills were planned two years ago. But they come at
time when nuclear plants are generating anxiety along with power.
The drills will test the ability of the plant's staff and
government officials to respond to a major accident. The accident
scenarios are kept secret until the day of the drill.
Critics of the nuclear industry contend the plants make a
tempting target for a terrorist attack, one that the nation is
ill prepared to prevent. In response to the events of Sept 11,
the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is conducting a top-to-bottom
review of its safety rules.
It has pulled from public access all information about the
plants, their locations, security and operating records. And it
has ordered all plants to be on their highest level of alert.
Wolf Creek, like power plants in 12 other states, is now
patrolled by armed National Guardsmen. Plants in 25 other states
are not.
While many plants have failed past drills simulating a terrorist
attack, Wolf Creek has excelled. In 1998, it received an
excellent rating from the NRC for stopping three mock terrorists
armed with automatic weapons.
The critics' concerns over nuclear power is somewhat misplaced,
said Susan Maycock, spokeswoman for Wolf Creek. The plant is
owned primarily by KGE and Kansas City Power &Light and provides
power to 800,000 customers, including those in Wichita and Kansas
City.
Dozens of dangerous targets exist in the state that are not
nearly as well guarded, she said. She declined to single out any
specific industry.
Hazardous chemicals are transported by truck and train through
major cities every day.
A serious accident at any of eight chemical plants or refineries
in Kansas could create a toxic cloud that would remain dangerous
for up to 25 miles.
"Let's not just focus on airlines, nuclear plants and the mail,"
she said.
But the Nuclear Control Institute, an anti-arms proliferation
group, maintains that nuclear power plants, particularly those
near large population centers, are especially tempting targets.
First, they represent a huge investment. Wolf Creek, which began
generating electricity in 1985, cost $3 billion to build.
Disabling a plant would disrupt the power supply, a basic
strategy in any war.
And an attack that damaged both the reactor core and the
barriers designed to prevent a release of radioactive material to
the environment would have the same effect as dropping a nuclear
bomb, without the difficulty of producing one.
Back in the 1960s and 1970s, when most plants were designed and
built, little thought was given to terrorism.
The plants were designed to withstand earthquakes, tornadoes and
floods, but not the impact of a commercial airliner, the NRC said
this month.
When KGE was seeking permission in 1975 to build Wolf Creek, the
worst accident regulators considered was a pipe breaking, causing
a loss of coolant to the core, according to documents available
to the public.
Such an accident would cause a small release of radioactive
materials. A person standing at the plant boundaries would
receive a dose so small there would be no health effects,
according to the estimates.
Other accident scenarios, KGE successfully argued at the time,
were unlikely and were not considered.
Bennett Ramberg, in his book, "Nuclear Power Plants as Weapons
for the Enemy," published in 1984, painted a grimmer picture.
If a plant were successfully attacked by terrorists, 5 percent
to 34 percent of the people living within five miles of the plant
could die if they did not evacuate until 24 hours after the
accident, he estimated.
The risk dropped to less than 1 percent for those living 15
miles away.
An accident could create fallout for up to 125 miles away, he
wrote.
Maycock said it was hard to imagine such an accident.
In Three Mile Island, site of the worst nuclear accident at a
commercial plant in the United States, little radioactive
material was released to the environment and no illnesses were
reported.
The reactor explosion at Chernobyl in 1986 -- the world's worst
nuclear disaster -- caused 31 immediate deaths, and 1,800
children subsequently developed thyroid cancer.
Comparisons to Chernobyl are unwarranted, Maycock said.
Chernobyl was designed without the safeguards the American
plants have to contain radiation in the event of an accident, she
said.
Critics and industry do agree on one point: If there were a
release, quick evacuation of residents and prompt medical care
can greatly reduce the risk of injuries and fatalities.
Getting the public out of harm's way quickly is at the heart of
this week's drill.
Reach Jean Hays at 268-6557 or jhays@wichitaeagle.com.
*****************************************************************
26 Japanese Scientists Corroborate Nuclear Waste Remediation
Technology Owned by Nuclear Solutions, Inc.
Reuters
Wednesday November 14, 9:03 am Eastern Time Press Release SOURCE:
Nuclear Solutions, Inc.
MERIDIAN, Idaho--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 14, 2001--Independent
research conducted by a consortium of five Japanese organizations
confirms the viability of photonuclear transmutation for nuclear
waste remediation, Nuclear Solutions, Inc. (OTCBB:NSOL
[http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=nsol.ob&d=t] - news) announced
today.
Nuclear Solutions is engaged in the development of a
photonuclear-based system for transmutation of nuclear waste and
safe, clean generation of electricity. Based on the development
of a new high-intensity gamma laser system and research on its
applications, Japanese scientists have concluded that the use of
gamma rays is a feasible approach to efficiently transmute
nuclear waste into stable non-radioactive end products. Their
results were reached through scientific experimentation and study
of concepts closely related to the photonuclear, gamma-neutron
reactions currently being developed by Nuclear Solutions as the
foundation of its patented and patents pending waste remediation
technology.
``The Japanese should be congratulated for conducting such
positive research in a relatively unexplored area of nuclear
science,'' said Dr. Qi Ao, Vice President, Research and
Development for Nuclear Solutions.
``It's great to know that scientists are independently validating
what we have been saying all along: Photonuclear transmutation is
a feasible approach to solving the nuclear waste problem once and
for all without having to resort to burying it underground,'' Dr.
Paul M. Brown, President and CEO of Nuclear Solutions.
The research, which was presented at the American Nuclear Society
2001 Winter Meeting, ``Nuclear Research and Development,''
conference this week in Reno, Nevada, was conducted jointly by
five Japanese organizations:
+ The Institute for Laser Technology
+ Institute of Free Electron Laser, Osaka University
+ Himeji Institute of Technology
+ Mitsubishi Heavy Industry
+ Kansai Electric Power Corporation
Nuclear Solutions, Inc. is marketing its patented and patent
pending technology to the nuclear industry through licensing and
joint ventures.
This press release may be deemed to contain forward-looking
statements that could affect the financial condition and results
of operations of the company and its subsidiaries. Further
information on potential factors that could affect the financial
condition, results of operations, and expansion projects of the
company are included in filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
NOTES TO THE EDITORS:
1. Nuclear Solutions, Inc. (NSOL) is pioneering the application
of photonuclear physics for the treatment of nuclear waste and
the safe, efficient generation of electricity. Development of
this patented and patent pending technology could result in the
elimination of nuclear waste and a new generation of nuclear
reactors that are able to burn their own waste.
The application of photonuclear physics to nuclear waste is
called Photodeactivation (a term coined by the inventor, Dr. Paul
M. Brown). Photodeactivation involves the irradiation of specific
radioactive isotopes to force the emission of a neutron, thereby
producing an isotope of reduced atomic mass. These resultant
isotopes are characteristically either not radioactive or
radioactive with a short half-life.
NSOL's technology works on the laboratory scale, and preliminary
computer simulations suggest that this technology will also work
on the industrial scale. NSOL is taking the steps necessary for
commercialization of the technology. Like most of the advanced
nuclear technologies developed today, computer simulation is one
of the most important and necessary steps. NSOL will use and
improve a series of nuclear simulation codes. The new set of
simulation codes will allow the NSOL research and development
team to design, test, improve and develop experiments and
commercial facilities through computer modeling.
NSOL plans to capitalize on its patented and patent-pending
technology by forming strategic alliances and joint ventures with
the well-established leaders in the nuclear industry. Continued
revenue streams are expected through licensing of the technology
with both upfront fees and ongoing royalties.
2. Nuclear Solutions' technology, the HYPERCON(TM) ADS process,
is an electron accelerator-based photodisintegration process that
reduces the atomic mass of radioactive materials, thereby
rendering them non-radioactive or radioactive with a short
half-life. These processes involve accelerator-driven technology
and photo-nuclear reactions, incorporating the most recent
advances in the photo-nuclear industry.
3. The technology could be developed into new applications for
remediation of nuclear waste. Industrially, it would operate at a
sub-critical level, so the heat produced by the process could
also be used to generate electricity in a safe and
environmentally benign manner.
Contact: for Nuclear Solutions Dr. Paul M. Brown, 208/846-7868
www.nuclearsolutions.com [http://www.nuclearsolutions.com]
*****************************************************************
27 Nuclear waste experts to speak at forum
[Las Vegas Review-Journal]
Wednesday, November 14, 2001
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Experts on nuclear waste policy, risk analysis and transportation
safety will be featured at a public forum tonight at the
University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
The forum, which is free and open to the public, will begin at
7:15 p.m. at UNLV's Wright Hall, Room 103. It is sponsored by the
university's Continuing Education Division, the Political Science
Department and Nevada's Nuclear Projects Agency.
Six speakers will give their perspectives on nuclear waste issues
in light of the Yucca Mountain Project, the federal government's
effort to bring 77,000 tons of the nation's most lethal
radioactive waste to Nevada for disposal in the mountain that is
located 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
The panel of experts consists of Steve Frishman, technical policy
coordinator for the Nuclear Projects Agency; Kristin
Shrader-Frechette, National Academy of Sciences; Craig Walton,
program coordinator for UNLV's Institute for Ethics and Policy
Studies; Bob Halstead, a transportation risk consultant; Marvin
Resnikoff, an expert on transportation accidents and
probabilities; and Paul Slovic, University of Oregon professor
and risk perception analyst.
This story is located at:
http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2001/Nov-14-Wed-2001/news/17446402.html
[http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2001/Nov-14-Wed-2001/news/17446402.html]
*****************************************************************
28 Neth: Nye should get better deal for waste disposal
Pahrump Valley Times
14 November, 2001
By RICH THURLOW, EditorNovember 09, 2001
TONOPAH - Commissioner Henry Neth questioned Tuesday why the
county has to pay to dispose of hazardous waste when Nye is
already the home of a disposal site.
The issue arose when Emergency Services Director
Susan Moore advised the commissioners of the need to sign a new
contract with U.S. Ecology for the disposal of waste, most of it
from methamphetamine labs uncovered by the Nye County Sheriff's
Office. U.S Ecology is a licensed hazardous waste disposal site
located about 10 miles south of Beatty on U.S. 95. One invoice
asked for $759 in reimbursement from the county.
Neth questioned having a contract with U.S. Ecology
when the Dept. of Energy already disposes of low-level waste on
the Nevada Test Site. Commissioner Cameron McRae said the price
DOE charges other agencies makes the price at U.S. Ecology "look
good."
Neth wasn't interested in paying for the disposal of
hazardous waste, however. The county derives little benefit from
the disposal of waste at the NTS, he said, and "at the least" it
should be able to dispose of its waste there at no charge.
The motion to approve the U.S. Ecology contract
passed 3-2, with Neth and Carver voting no. Before that, however,
Commissioner Joni Eastley directed staff to act on Neth's request
and contact DOE to determine if "something can be worked out to
dispose of the waste."
Other news at Tuesday's meeting:
o The commissioners will have a special meeting at 10
a.m. Nov. 26 in the Pahrump Community Center to deal with labor
negotiations. It's anticipated much of the meeting will be
conducted in closed session.
o Eastley said a "serious investor" has a proposal
that includes the use of the Tonopah airport, and that she was
"cautiously optimistic" she would have good news in the near
future regarding a "significant development" there.
She also announced that the Federal Aviation
Administration will fund an environmental assessment at the
airport in regard to runway extension, and after that will
provide the funds for the extension.
"In the near future I hope we have the third longest
runway in Nevada," Eastley said.
o Public Works Director Bob Wickenden said chip seal
work in Pahrump has slowed recently due to problems a contractor
was experiencing with a rock crusher. The 38 miles of chip seal
on unpaved roads should be completed by the end of November, he
said.
Wickenden also briefed the commissioners on a plan he
has to stripe CAAS where it intersects with the entry to the
Mountain Falls subdivision. The developer had intended to install
median islands, but that work was never done.
o Fred Haas of Amargosa asked the commissioners to
urge DOE to keep high-level nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain
accessible, in case new technology allows the waste to be
recycled and put to use again.
If a process to recycle the waste is developed after
waste has been stored in the mountain, which could turn into an
industrial windfall for the county, Haas said.
McRae said the commissioners have already lobbied for
a design to keep the waste retrievable, for both possible
recycling and in case "a problem arises."
o Joe Sladek was appointed as the Pahrump Town Board
member of the Regional Planning Commission.
o The commissioners meet Nov. 20 in Pahrump. ©Pahrump
Valley Times 2001
Copyright © 1995 - 2001 PowerAdz.com LLC. All Rights
*****************************************************************
29 Berkley bill calls for threat study of Yucca
Las Vegas SUN
Today: November 14, 2001 at 10:44:11 PST
By Benjamin Grove
WASHINGTON -- Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., today introduced
legislation designed to slow the plan to bury the nation's
high-level nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain.
Berkley in early October said she was drafting a bill directing
the nation's new Office of Homeland Security to analyze the risk
of attacks by terrorists on the proposed nuclear waste site, as
well as risks along cross-country waste transportation routes.
She planned to formally introduce the bill today.
Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, is the proposed
site of the world's first high-level nuclear waste burial ground.
Nevada lawmakers oppose the plan, which has not received final
approvals from Congress, the president or the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
Berkley's bill requires an analysis of the threat risk and a
study of the consequences of an attack to Yucca or along
transportation routes. It also requires a plan for defense.
The bill's most important provision prevents the Secretary of
Energy from making a recommendation about the site's suitability
as a safe waste repository until the terrorist threat analysis is
complete, Berkley said.
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham is planning to make a
recommendation about the site in the next few months, so there is
an urgency to passing the bill, Berkley said.
"We think it would be a monumental mistake for the secretary of
Energy to recommend this site to the president without seriously
looking into an assessment of the vulnerabilities," Berkley said.
All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc.
*****************************************************************
30 Uranium leak forces temporary shutdown of nuclear reactor -
11/14/2001 - ENN.com
Wednesday, November 14, 2001 By Associated Press
STOCKHOLM, Sweden — One of Sweden's 11 nuclear reactors will shut
down for repairs at the end of next week because of a uranium
leak, a spokesman said Tuesday.
Claes-Goeran Falk, a spokesman at the Oskarshamn plant, said the
leak was minor and the public was not at risk. Falk said the
repairs would take about a week and were needed to prevent a
stoppage later in the winter season.
Small amounts of uranium may have been leaking from the fuel
rods into the reactor water since August, Falk said. Plant
officials thought repairs could wait until next summer's annual
system overhaul, but the leak increased gradually, he said.
"It's hardly measurable," Falk said. "The risk is that the water
spreads the contamination into pipes throughout the system," Falk
said.
The Oskarshamn plant, 250 kilometers (150 miles) south of the
capital, Stockholm, shut down another of its three reactors for
nine days in August for a similar problem. The plant is one of
four nuclear generating facilities in Sweden and provides 10
percent of the country's electricity.
Swedish voters decided in a 1980 referendum to phase out nuclear
power, but so far only one reactor at the southwestern Barsebaeck
plant has been closed.
Copyright 2001, Associated Press
All Rights Reserved
*****************************************************************
31 Sellafield hearing set for next week
By Paul Anderson [panderson@irish-times.com] Last updated: 13-11-01,
19:37
The Government’s bid to halt the proposed new nuclear waste
reprocessing at Sellafield is to be heard next week.
The action was launched late last month following the British
government’s decision to open a MOX (mixed oxide) plant in
addition to the existing facility at Sellafield in Cumbria.
On Friday, Mr Joe Jacob, the minister with responsibility for
Nuclear Safety at the Department of Public Enterprise, filed an
application with the International Tribunal for the Law of the
Sea in Hamburg for an injunction to stop the operation of the MOX
plant.
The application seeks to stop movements of radioactive materials
in and around the Irish Sea associated with the operation of the
plant. The Government believe the plant will contribute to
pollution of the Irish.
The Tribunal today announced the case would be heard on the 19th
and 20th of this month.
The hearing will deal with Ireland’s request for a cessation of
activities relating to the operation of the plant pending a full
hearing.
The proceedings are separate from the arbitration process begun
in June under the terms of the OSPAR Convention (the Oslo/Paris
accord governing protection of marine environments) seeking
information of the MOX facility.
The proposed plant at Sellafied would reprocess weapons-grade
plutonium and uranium into MOX fuels for use in nuclear power
reactors. British Nuclear Fuel intend to then export the MOX fuel
to Japan.
The Government has also requested information from Britain on
any new security measures in place around Sellafield following
the September 11th attacks on the US.
© 2001 The Irish Times/ireland.com
*****************************************************************
32 US wants to keep a close eye on nukes, claims SSP
-DAWN - National; 14
By Our Correspondent
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Nov 13: Khalifa Abdul Qayyum, senior
vice-president of Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan, has said that the US
was exploiting the Pakistan government on Afghan issue and could,
at a later stage, ask the Musharraf regime to roll back the
country's nuclear programme.
He said Muslims never bowed to pressure or accepted any insulting
deal from non-Muslims and same was the case with the Taliban who
would never succumb to pressure.
Talking to Dawn on Monday, Khalifa said it was a fact that
whenever and whoever tried any aggression against Afghanistan,
met a fateful defeat. He said the former USSR was the most
appropriate example which disintegrated after suffering heavy
casualties.
Khalifa Abdul Qayyum was of the view that the government was
accepting all demands of the US without putting up even a slight
resistance.
He said it was high time for the government to bring changes in
its policy about the ongoing operation in Afghanistan. He said
that some elements within the government institutions were trying
to damage the situation to bring a political change at the
present critical juncture and due to these elements peaceful and
unarmed protesters faced police firing.
The Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan leader said the religious parties
would not take part in this conspiracy to harm the interests of
the country. He said the people of Pakistan were united against
the evil designs of the US which actually needed a base camp in
this region to keep a close vigilance on our nuclear programme.
To a question about the reports whether or not Osama bin Laden
had any nuclear arsenal, the SSP leader said one could not shut
his eyes to the realities. He said that after its disintegration,
the former Soviet Union put its nukes and other weapons sale and
on Osama might have struck any deal with the former USSR.
He said the US was also involved in providing such weapons to the
anti-USSR powers during early eighties and it was possible that
nuclear weapons of that time might have ended up with Osama bin
Laden.
© The DAWN Group of Newspapers, 2001
*****************************************************************
33 USEC, union contract on table -
The Paducah Sun
Paducah, Kentucky
Wednesday, November 14, 2001
The temporary agreement expires Thursday, but the union has given
plant operators until Monday before it strikes.
By Joe Walker jwalker@paducahsun.com--270.575.8650
Negotiators will resume talks Monday trying to resolve issues
that have left nearly half the 1,500 employees at the Paducah
Gaseous Diffusion Plant working under a temporary agreement for
2-1/2 months.
Although the union could strike after the agreement ends
Thursday, its officials have agreed to at least a four-day
continuance, said Donna Steele, president of Paper,
Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers (PACE) Local
5-550.
"We've given (company officials) an extension until Monday at
midnight. They called us and wanted to meet with us," she said.
"I'm going to do that before we go out on the street. I'm hoping
this is a positive sign and I've told the company that."
The union represents about 700 workers at the plant, operated by
USEC Inc. to enrich uranium for nuclear fuel.
"I think there's a more positive feeling with the work force,"
Steele said. "We want a contract and we want it badly."
Joe Bock, a facilitator with extensive experience representing
both union and management in contract issues, will attend
Monday's meeting as a USEC consultant, said USEC spokeswoman
Elizabeth Stuckle.
The seven-point pact set to expire Thursday was reached Aug. 29.
It provided a 4 percent hourly wage increase retroactive from
July 31 when the old five-year contract expired, and no strike or
layoffs of hourly workers. If a contract was not reached, the
union had the right to strike and wages reverted to the old
contract.
When the agreement was announced, union officials said USEC
agreed to return in 30 days with an outline on how to make the
plant self-sustaining.
"We gave the outline for the viability plan back about the time
it was due and we've continued negotiations with the union about
the plan since then," Stuckle said Tuesday.
The company also pledged to have a contract proposal between Oct.
1 and Nov. 15 for the union to accept or reject, union officials
said earlier.
Asked if USEC has provided a new proposal, Stuckle said, "Not as
such. We're in discussions about the contract. Our discussions
continue to try to arrive at a contract that's suitable for all
of us."
The two sides deadlocked Aug. 2 when the union soundly rejected
the last contract offer. Calling wage and benefit provisions
substandard, union leaders said they staunchly opposed language
that the contract would expire after a year if USEC did not
achieve any of three major goals related to buying Russian
uranium.
USEC says blending the cheaper Russian material with the more
expensive plant-enriched uranium holds down costs and preserves
the life of the plant, which has expensive, outdated technology.
Controlling the flow of the Russian material helps stabilize
market prices, the company says.
Although the Russian issue was not a part of the temporary
agreement, union and management officials had hoped the extension
would buy enough time for the Bush administration to make
decisions about the Russian deal and the overall U.S. uranium
enrichment business.
No decision has been formally announced, but recent union memos
indicate the primary White House plan would give USEC the option
to remain exclusive agent for the Russian uranium in return for
specific commitments to keep the plant running for 10 years at
minimum production levels while deploying replacement gas
centrifuge technology.
If USEC is unable to run the Department of Energy-owned Paducah
plant for the balance of the 10 years, the government would
assume operation, contingent on support from Congress and the
Office of Management and Budget, memos show.
Stuckle declined comment on whether the Russian deal will remain
on the bargaining table. "USEC is in almost daily conversation
with the administration regarding the Russian issues, seeking a
resolution soon," she said.
*****************************************************************
34 Berkley Introduces Anti-Terror Yucca Bill
Congresswoman Shelley Berkley - Legislation: Press Releases 2001
Measures Would Counter Terrorism Aimed At Creating Nuke Waste Disasters
November 14, 2001 -- (Washington, D.C.) U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley
(NV-1) today introduced legislation to safeguard communities from
a terrorist attack on nuclear waste transportation routes and
storage facilities. Since September 11th, Berkley and other
national security experts have become increasingly concerned by
the possibility of an attack on nuclear waste capable of causing
an environmental calamity.
"Before the attacks of September, I maintained that moving 77,000
tons of nuclear waste by rail and on our highways was the height
of foolishness," noted Berkley. "The odds of an accident are too
high, and the consequences would be too devastating. But now, in
the wake of the September attacks, it should be crystal clear to
everyone that moving all this waste around is not just foolish,
but downright dangerous. If the Administration is determined to
recommend Yucca Mountain – despite all of the unanswered
questions, the scientific evidence showing the project is unsafe,
and all the outrage of our community – then they had better
design and implement a plan to protect southern Nevada, and all
the other communities throughout the United States that would be
vulnerable to an attack."
Berkley’s bill incorporates four main points. The bill would
mandate a comprehensive analysis of vulnerabilities, coordinated
by the new Office of Homeland Security, but performed by federal,
state, and local agencies. The analysis would identify points of
threat along every step of the transportation and storage
process. Second, Berkley’s measure would require the design and
implementation of a plan to eliminate the identified points of
threat. The counter-terrorist planning and implementation
performed by the Office of Homeland Security would be accompanied
by a cost/benefit analysis of the plan. The legislation would
also require the design of a "first-responders" plan, in case of
attack. Finally, the measure would prohibit the Secretary of
Energy from recommending Yucca Mountain, and bar the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (NRC) from licensing any facility, until
all stages of design and implementation have been completed.
*****************************************************************
35 U.S. MUST ASSESS SECURITY THREAT BEFORE DECIDING ON SHIPMENT OF
PLUTONIUM FROM JAPAN TO ENGLAND
NUCLEAR CONTROL INSTITUTE
1000 Connecticut Ave. N.W., Suite 410
Washington, D.C. 20036
Embargoed For Release:
November 14, 2001
9:00 a.m. EST (Washington) GREENPEACE INTERNATIONAL
702 H Street., N.W., Suite 300
Washington, D.C. 20001
Contact:
Tom Clements, NCI, 1-202-822-8444
(clements@nci.org [(clements@nci.org] )
Damon Moglen, GPI, 1-202-319-2409
(damon.moglen@wdc.greenpeace.org [(damon.moglen@wdc.greenpeace.org] )
Washington, D.C.---The Nuclear Control Institute (NCI) and
Greenpeace International (GPI) today released a letter sent to
Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham calling for an assessment of
the international security threat posed by a pending sea shipment
of nuclear fuel containing over 30 bombs worth of plutonium from
Japan to Great Britain.
Given the new threat of terrorism and associated global
insecurity since the attacks of September 11, the two
organizations termed the shipment of 255 kilograms of
U.S.-controlled plutonium in the form of fresh reactor fuel
“unjustified.” They urged Abraham to require that assessments of
both proliferation and terrorism risks be prepared before the
proposed transport by two lightly armed freighters is considered
for approval.
“The plan to ship plutonium half-way around the world is
foolhardy in the face of the new threat environment,” said NCI
Executive Director Tom Clements. “In response to September 11,
the Department of Energy cancelled all domestic shipments of
fissile materials in the United States and should not even be
considering approval of a plutonium shipment of this magnitude on
the high seas.”
In their letter, sent on October 25, NCI and GPI stated that the
“threat of the theft or diversion of plutonium for use in nuclear
devices, as well as the threat of attack for the purpose of
creating a radiological event, must be thoroughly analyzed”
before U.S. consent is given for transport of the plutonium. No
response has yet been received from Energy Secretary Abraham.
Damon Moglen, Greenpeace International Plutonium Campaign
Coordinator, called for cancellation of the shipment. “By
pressing ahead with this transport, the Japanese and British
government-controlled companies engaged in plutonium commerce
display a reckless disregard of the risks posed by their
activities,” said Moglen. “The only responsible course of action
is for Japan to immediately withdraw the plutonium transport plan
it has submitted with British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. (BNFL) to the
U.S. Government ”
The proposed shipment of eight fuel assemblies of 3,439 kilograms
of mixed uranium-plutonium oxide fuel (MOX) was originally
shipped to Japan in 1999 from British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL). This
was to be the first commercial-scale use of MOX fuel in a
conventional Japanese nuclear power reactor, but it was rejected
by the Kansai Electric Power Company after KEPCO discovered that
BNFL employees had falsified quality-control data on the fuel.
KEPCO demanded return of the fuel to BNFL’s Sellafield site,
where the fuel had been fabricated with plutonium removed from
Japanese spent fuel shipped to the THORP reprocessing factory.
Initial use of MOX in Japan has since been frozen due to citizen
protest spurred by the falsification scandal.
The United States maintains legal control over this plutonium and
other plutonium that is extracted from U.S.-supplied nuclear fuel
after use in Japanese power reactors. Thus, U.S. consent for the
plutonium transfer is required, pursuant to the terms of the
U.S.-Japan Nuclear Cooperation Agreement. The consent must take
the form of a “subsequent arrangement,” as provided for in
Section 131 of the Atomic Energy Act. That subsequent arrangement
must first be approved by the Executive Branch and then sent to
Congress for a 15-day review period.
Prior to September 11, the Bush Administration appeared ready to
approve the shipment and send the subsequent arrangement to the
Senate Foreign Relations and the House International Relations
Committees. In their letter to Energy Secretary Abraham, NCI and
GPI noted that the Atomic Energy Act requires him to find that
the Japan-UK plutonium fuel shipment will not be “inimical to the
common defense and security of the United States.” The Act
contemplates that, in appropriate circumstances, the State
Department will prepare a Nuclear Proliferation Assessment
Statement. In addition, a “written assessment of the risk” will
be prepared when the Secretary of Defense determines that “the
export or transfer (of plutonium) might be subject to a genuine
terrorist threat.”
NCI and GPI sent their letter urging preparation of those
documents given that it was unknown if such assessments were
being undertaken in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.
"Preparation of both of these documents is essential” the two
organizations wrote, given that “material containing 225
kilograms of plutonium would be an attractive target for those
seeking to obtain nuclear weapons materials.” Weapons-usable
plutonium can be removed from fresh MOX fuel in a straightforward
chemical process.
Copies of the letter were sent to Secretary of State Powell, who
must concur with the subsequent arrangement, and to Secretary of
Defense Rumsfeld and Chairman Meserve of the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, who must be consulted before the subsequent
arrangement is sent to Congress.
An affirmative vote by Congress is not required for the
subsequent arrangement to take effect, but a negative vote could
defeat it.
A copy of the letter and other information on plutonium shipments
and stockpiles worldwide are available on the NCI web site
(www.nci.org [http://www.nci.org] ). The news release will also
be available on the Greenpeace USA web site
(www.greenpeaceusa.org [http://www.greenpeaceusa.org] ).
*****************************************************************
36 Lawmakers check out security at nuclear plant
Tuesday, November 13, 2001
By Timothy D. May, The Associated Press
MIDDLETOWN, Pa. -- Lawmakers who toured the Three Mile Island
nuclear plant and received briefings on security changes there
yesterday said the public can rest assured that adequate
precautions are being taken to protect the plant from terrorist
attack.
"What we saw was impressive," Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said at
a news conference held across the Susquehanna River from the
plant, which is about 10 miles south of Harrisburg.
"They are going through a top-to-bottom review of all their
[security] procedures," he said. "There has been a wake-up call
here."
Specter went on a hourlong tour of the plant with U.S. Reps. Joe
Pitts and George Gekas, both R-Pa., and a half dozen state
lawmakers.
Reporters were not allowed to attend the tour or briefing, which
was conducted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Exelon
Nuclear Corp., the company that operates the reactor.
State police troopers were posted at Three Mile Island and
Pennsylvania's other four nuclear plants shortly after the Sept.
11 attacks. Two weeks ago, Gov. Mark Schweiker ordered National
Guard troops posted at all nuclear plants in the state to augment
private security forces on site.
Although officials declined to discuss details about the extra
security measures in place at Three Mile Island and the other
plants, Hubert Miller, NRC's Region I administrator, said the
plant is protected by a "large fence with intrusion detection on
it" and that inside it, "areas within the plant are even more
difficult" to reach by unauthorized people. He also described the
private security force at the plant as "large" and "well-armed."
Although it is unclear whether the concrete containment vessel
that surrounds the nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island could
withstand a commercial jetliner crash, Miller said the vessel was
designed to be stronger than most because of the proximity to
Harrisburg International Airport.
Miller also said NRC inspectors are performing comprehensive
reviews of security at Three Mile Island and the nation's other
71 commercial nuclear plants. The reports are expected to be
complete in a few months.
Gekas and Pitts said yesterday they will introduce a resolution
in Congress calling on the NRC to work with the Department of
Defense, the FBI and the Office of Homeland Security to help
address specific security needs at all nuclear plants in the
country.
[http://www.post-gazette.com/privacy.asp]
*****************************************************************
37 Japanese Scientists Corroborate Nuclear Waste Remediation
Technology Owned by Nuclear Solutions, Inc.
Business Wire; Nov 14, 2001
MERIDIAN, Idaho--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 14, 2001--Independent
research conducted by a consortium of five Japanese organizations
confirms the viability of photonuclear transmutation for nuclear
waste remediation, Nuclear Solutions, Inc. (OTCBB:NSOL) announced
today.
Nuclear Solutions is engaged in the development of a
photonuclear-based system for transmutation of nuclear waste and
safe, clean generation of electricity.
Based on the development of a new high-intensity gamma laser
system and research on its applications, Japanese scientists have
concluded that the use of gamma rays is a feasible approach to
efficiently transmute nuclear waste into stable non-radioactive
end products. Their results were reached through scientific
experimentation and study of concepts closely related to the
photonuclear, gamma-neutron reactions currently being developed
by Nuclear Solutions as the foundation of its patented and
patents pending waste remediation technology.
"The Japanese should be congratulated for conducting such
positive research in a relatively unexplored area of nuclear
science," said Dr. Qi Ao, Vice President, Research and
Development for Nuclear Solutions.
"It's great to know that scientists are independently validating
what we have been saying all along: Photonuclear transmutation is
a feasible approach to solving the nuclear waste problem once and
for all without having to resort to burying it underground," Dr.
Paul M. Brown, President and CEO of Nuclear Solutions.
The research, which was presented at the American Nuclear Society
2001 Winter Meeting, "Nuclear Research and Development,"
conference this week in Reno, Nevada, was conducted jointly by
five Japanese organizations:
-- The Institute for Laser Technology
-- Institute of Free Electron Laser, Osaka University
-- Himeji Institute of Technology
-- Mitsubishi Heavy Industry
-- Kansai Electric Power Corporation
Nuclear Solutions, Inc. is marketing its patented and patent
pending technology to the nuclear industry through licensing and
joint ventures.
This press release may be deemed to contain forward-looking
statements that could affect the financial condition and results
of operations of the company and its subsidiaries. Further
information on potential factors that could affect the financial
condition, results of operations, and expansion projects of the
company are included in filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
NOTES TO THE EDITORS:
1. Nuclear Solutions, Inc. (NSOL) is pioneering the application
of photonuclear physics for the treatment of nuclear waste and
the safe, efficient generation of electricity. Development of
this patented and patent pending technology could result in the
elimination of nuclear waste and a new generation of nuclear
reactors that are able to burn their own waste.
The application of photonuclear physics to nuclear waste is
called Photodeactivation (a term coined by the inventor, Dr. Paul
M. Brown). Photodeactivation involves the irradiation of specific
radioactive isotopes to force the emission of a neutron, thereby
producing an isotope of reduced atomic mass. These resultant
isotopes are characteristically either not radioactive or
radioactive with a short half-life.
NSOL's technology works on the laboratory scale, and preliminary
computer simulations suggest that this technology will also work
on the industrial scale. NSOL is taking the steps necessary for
commercialization of the technology. Like most of the advanced
nuclear technologies developed today, computer simulation is one
of the most important and necessary steps. NSOL will use and
improve a series of nuclear simulation codes. The new set of
simulation codes will allow the NSOL research and development
team to design, test, improve and develop experiments and
commercial facilities through computer modeling.
NSOL plans to capitalize on its patented and patent-pending
technology by forming strategic alliances and joint ventures with
the well-established leaders in the nuclear industry. Continued
revenue streams are expected through licensing of the technology
with both upfront fees and ongoing royalties.
2. Nuclear Solutions' technology, the HYPERCON(TM) ADS process,
is an electron accelerator-based photodisintegration process that
reduces the atomic mass of radioactive materials, thereby
rendering them non-radioactive or radioactive with a short
half-life. These processes involve accelerator-driven technology
and photo-nuclear reactions, incorporating the most recent
advances in the photo-nuclear industry.
3. The technology could be developed into new applications for
remediation of nuclear waste. Industrially, it would operate at a
sub-critical level, so the heat produced by the process could
also be used to generate electricity in a safe and
environmentally benign manner.
CONTACT: for Nuclear Solutions Dr. Paul M. Brown, 208/846-7868
www.nuclearsolutions.com 09:02 EST NOVEMBER 14, 2001 World
Reporter All Material Subject to Copyright
*****************************************************************
*****************************************************************
NUCLEAR WEAPONS ARTICLES
*****************************************************************
1 Russian ministry draws up long-term plans for nuclear safety
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 14, 2001
Text of report in English by Russian news agency Interfax
Moscow, 14 November:
The Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy has drafted a programme for
long-term cooperation between Russian organizations and US
laboratories in enhancing the safety of nuclear facilities and
materials.
The joint programmes envisioned in the programme will be
implemented by the Russian Ministry for Atomic Energy and the US
Department of Energy, the Russian ministry has announced. In
Russia, the implementation of the programme is being funded from
the federal budget, from the ministry's own resources, and
through channels of international cooperation with the USA and
other countries concerned.
The Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy currently has over 40
nuclear facilities.
Source: Interfax news agency, Moscow, in English 0937 gmt 14 Nov
01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter
*****************************************************************
2 Russia, USA to expand nuclear materials safety cooperation
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 14, 2001
Text of report in English by Russian news agency ITAR-TASS
Moscow, 14 November:
Russian Atomic Energy Ministry plans to enhance cooperation with
the United States in fostering the security and safekeeping of
nuclear materials, the ministry's official Vladislav Petrov told
TASS today.
The ministry has drawn up draft programmes for long-term
cooperation between Russian nuclear centres and US laboratories,
the official said, adding that the drafts would be authorized in
the near future.
The Atomic Energy Ministry currently controls 40 nuclear-risk
facilities in Russia.
Russian and US specialists have for more than five years
conducted joint research into ways of improving the systems of
accounting, control and physical protection of nuclear materials
stored at these centres.
New equipment has been installed at the nuclear centre in Sarov
(former Arzamas-16) in the Nizhniy Novgorod Region. There are
plans for expanding cooperation further to encompass measures to
prevent nuclear terrorism and eliminate its likely effects,
enhance the safety of nuclear materials and spent fuel
transportation and other problems crucial to the atomic power
industry.
Source: ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in English 1400 gmt 14 Nov
01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter
*****************************************************************
3 ORNL's Mouse House under way
Groundbreaking for new lab celebrates past, future research
By Frank Munger, News-Sentinel senior writer
OAK RIDGE - Oak Ridge National Laboratory's past and future
collided Tuesday morning at the groundbreaking for a new Mouse
House.
The $13.9 million lab, scheduled for completion in 2003, will
have the latest climate controls and caging systems for thousands
of mice specially bred for experimentation. It sets the stage for
genetics research in the 21st century at ORNL.
The new Mouse House will replace a 56-year-old research complex,
the scene of important biological discoveries in decades past but
now a decrepit building that is on the verge of losing its
accreditation.
In an unexpected twist, the history of biological research will
be carried forward at the new facility, which will be named after
two of Oak Ridge's most prominent scientists, Drs. William and
Liane Russell.
ORNL Director Bill Madia made the announcement at Tuesday's
ceremony, which was attended by the famous husbandand-wife
research team and a number of retired scientists formerly
associated with the program.
"I was totally surprised. I had no idea,'' said Liane Russell,
the 78-year-old biologist who still works half-time at the
laboratory. Her 91-year-old husband, who helped establish the
credentials for Oak Ridge's biological research effort in the
1940s, wielded a shovel and tossed a little dirt at the
ground-breaking. Madia referred to the Russells as "the most
distinguished scientific couple in the history of this great
laboratory.''
Their pioneering work to evaluate the genetic risks of exposure
to radiation - and, later, to chemicals - provided the basis for
many of the exposure standards used today to protect human
health.
In addition, Madia said, their work in mouse genetics, risk
assessment and the biology of mammalian germ cells set the
foundation for ORNL's current research program in genetics and
genomics.
U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., who helped acquire funding for the
new ORNL facility, said the genetics research will have "enormous
benefits to all humanity.'' By accelerating the funding, with all
construction money coming in fiscal 2002 instead of spread out
over two years, the project will save taxpayers about $800,000,
Wamp said.
ORNL's genetics work is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy
and the National Institutes of Health. Scientists perform
experiments with mice, which have a genetic makeup strikingly
similar to humans.
Researchers can learn about the function of a gene by crippling
it or disabling it completely, then studying any changes in a
mouse's behavior, anatomy or biochemistry. They also can expose
the mice to different agents and evaluate the effects.
Dabney Johnson, who heads the mammalian genetics research at
ORNL, said the launch of a new facility is exciting and
rewarding.
"This is just unbelievable,'' Johnson said. "This has been in the
works for more years than I've been here. ... It's a great day.''
Frank Munger can be reached at 865-482-9213 or
twig1@knoxnews.infi.net.
Copyright 2001 The Knoxville News-Sentinel Co.
*****************************************************************
4 Pinching pennies on securing nuclear weapons not worth risk
When Sam Rayburn was speaker of the House, he used to say, "There
is no education in the second kick of a mule." We are about to
learn whether Congress and the Bush administration have realized
there is nothing to be gained by ignoring the threat of terrorism
twice.
In the aftermath of Sept. 11, we discovered belatedly that the
government had brushed off warnings from three blue-ribbon
commissions that this nation was ill-equipped to defend itself
against any form of terrorist attack. Now, we are about to learn
whether similarly clear and authoritative warnings about the
possibility of Russian nuclear weapons and materials slipping
into the hands of terrorists will be treated with the seriousness
they deserve.
Thousands of lives could rest on the answer.
For reasons that seem trivial, and really inexplicable, Bush
administration budgeteers are trying to save a few million
dollars by holding back a successful, 10-year-old program to
assist Russia in securing its vulnerable nuclear materials and
assuring that penniless Russian nuclear scientists do not join or
assist hostile forces.
The program was launched in 1991 by Sen. Richard Lugar, the
Indiana Republican, and then-Sen. Sam Nunn, the Georgia Democrat,
who between them know almost everything worth knowing about
America's national security.
Under the Nunn-Lugar program, high-energy uranium and plutonium
that could have built 5,000 nuclear weapons have been removed
from Russian warehouses and "defused." But the same Energy
Department special task force that cited that success last
January warned that "much more remains to be done (to counter)
the most urgent unmet national security threat to the United
States ... the danger that weapons of mass destruction or
weapons-usable material in Russia could be stolen and sold to
terrorists or hostile nation-states."
A number of such attempts have been made and thwarted, the report
said, but "imagine if such material were successfully stolen and
sold to a terrorist like Osama bin Laden."
The authors of this report were neither amateurs nor alarmists.
They were Howard H. Baker Jr., the former Senate Republican
leader and Reagan White House chief of staff, subsequently named
ambassador to Japan, and Lloyd Cutler, White House counsel during
the Carter and Clinton administrations.
They recommended that the Nunn-Lugar program be increased to the
point that all nuclear weapons-usable material in Russia could be
secured or neutralized within the next eight to 10 years. That
would cost about $30 billion - just 1 percent of projected
defense expenditures.
President Bush, as far back as the campaign and as recently as
this month, has spoken of his concern about nuclear weapons or
materials falling into terrorist hands. But his budget last
winter proposed cutting overall defense nuclear nonproliferation
programs by $100 million, with roughly $55 million coming out of
the programs focused on Russia.
As Nunn told me the other day, there is "a puzzling disconnect
between the president's words and his budget recommendations."
Nunn delivered a blunt warning of the nuclear-terrorist danger at
the National Press Club last March, calling it "America's
greatest unmet threat." Now, he said, "it must be apparent to
everyone that keeping weapons of mass destruction away from
terrorists is our most urgent security need."
Lugar agrees. "After 10 years," he told me, "we are at the point
where the Russians are ready to push the Nunn-Lugar program
further. It is clearly in our interest and theirs to avoid the
fatal intersection of nuclear weapons and terrorist groups."
Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III told me, "I can't
think of a better use of our funds. It is probably some of the
best money we could ever spend."
Harvard's Graham Allison, a former Clinton Defense Department
official, lays out the case at length in the latest edition of
The Economist.
All this makes it mind-boggling that Congress and the
administration are haggling over the miniscule sums involved. The
recently passed Energy Department appropriations bill brought the
money for Nunn-Lugar to within $10 million of last year's figure,
but conferees rejected a move by Rep. Chet Edwards, a Texas
Democrat, to boost the program by $131 million.
The issue faces the House Appropriations Committee again this
week. With bipartisan support for expanding the program, Chairman
Bill Young, a Florida Republican, was prepared to put $45 million
for Nunn-Lugar into the supplemental spending bill. But when Bush
read the riot act to legislators last week about staying within
his overall budget limits, even threatening his first veto, Young
cut back the proposal to $18 million.
Spending discipline is important. But if, God forbid, a terrorist
ever slips a suitcase nuclear weapon, with stolen Russian
materials, into the United States, we will rue the day the
government decided this was a good place to economize.
November 14, 2001
www.myinky.com
*****************************************************************
5 High-Tech Talk About Nuclear Weapons
Las Vegas SUN
Today: November 14, 2001 at 2:50:15 PST
WASHINGTON- For decades, America's nuclear arsenal and the threat
of retaliation has been regarded as the nation's best defense
against attacks on its cities and population.
But this doctrine of deterrence didn't prevent terrorists from
turning passenger planes into deadly missiles in attacks on the
World Trade Center and the Pentagon that killed thousands of
people. Nor would the national anti-missile shield being sought
by President Bush have stopped those Sept. 11 attacks.
Against the background of low-tech terrorist attacks, Bush and
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the scariest weapons
known to mankind - nuclear bombs atop long-range ballistic
missiles - and possible high-tech defenses against them and ways
to stop their proliferation.
With the world's attention riveted to the terror attacks, and
conventional warfare in Afghanistan, the Bush-Putin talks, which
began on Tuesday in Washington and continued Wednesday on Bush's
ranch in Crawford, Texas, seemed somehow out of sync.
But arms control experts said the talks were crucial.
Just because the worst terror attacks on U.S. soil came in
low-tech packages and not aboard missiles, or in suitcase bombs,
does not rule out an effort by terrorists or hostile nations to
mount a nuclear attack in the future, U.S. officials caution.
"Our highest priority is to keep terrorists from acquiring
weapons of mass destruction," Bush said on Tuesday at a joint
news conference with Putin at the White House.
Earlier, Bush and Putin agreed to link missile-defense talks to
cuts in nuclear arsenals.
On Tuesday, Bush pledged to reduce the United States' long-range
nuclear arsenal to between 1,700 and 2,200 warheads, from roughly
7,000 now. Putin, who has earlier proposed cuts to as low as
1,500 warheads, said he would match the offer. Russia has about
6,000 long-range warheads.
But unlike Bush, who said earlier that he did not favor formal
treaties, Putin said he preferred relying on them to codify
weapons reductions.
"They haven't figured out the other side of the coin, which is
missile defense," said Tom Collina, of the Union of Concerned
Scientists, a public policy group which opposes creating a
national missile defense system. "The Russians are still worried
about U.S. deployment of a missile defense system."
A related issue, Collina said, "is what's going to happen to
those warheads in Russia when they're taken off the missiles?
Just having these things in storage is not helpful, and may be
less than helpful. "
In Crawford, Bush and Putin intended to hash out their
differences on U.S. plans for a national missile defense and the
future of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty, which prohibits
such defenses. "I'm convinced the treaty is outdated," Bush said
Tuesday. "We need to move beyond it."
Bush would like to proceed with construction next spring at Fort
Greely, Alaska, of five silos for interceptor missiles and a
command and control testing center - and to set aside the ABM
treaty.
But Putin contends the treaty is a cornerstone for maintaining
stability, a position he said "remains unchanged." Still, Putin
also signaled flexibility, saying he and Bush would "continue
dialogue and consultations."
U.S. officials believe that Putin might agree to allow testing to
proceed, including construction of the Alaska site, but would
oppose any move toward actual deployment.
Even if they can reach an agreement, money and scientific
shortcomings threaten to keep the missile-defense program stalled
for years.
The technology - often likened to hitting bullets with other
bullets - is not proven. And Congress, trying to balance
multibillion-dollar demands for the war on terrorism with
shrinking resources, is showing reluctance to shelling out what
analysts say could amount to $60 billion over the next 15 years.
Last week, a House Appropriations subcommittee recommended
canceling an expensive infrared satellite radar system that the
Pentagon considers an integral missile-defense component.
The Pentagon has had mixed results so far on interceptor tests
over the Pacific, with two failures and two successes since 1999.
A fifth test that had been scheduled for October was postponed
because of mechanical problems.
The administration does not have a timetable for deployment. Even
top proponents agree deploying an effective system remains years
away, perhaps 2007 at the earliest.
EDITOR'S NOTE - Tom Raum has covered national and international
affairs for The Associated Press since 1973.
All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc.
*****************************************************************
6 Putin Matches Bush on Nuke Cutbacks
Las Vegas SUN
Today: November 14, 2001 at 11:15:22 PST
CRAWFORD, Texas- As talks between President Bush and Russian
President Vladimir Putin shifted to Bush's Texas ranch, White
House officials said Wednesday that an accord on anti-missile
defenses is not in the cards for this summit.
"Don't look for anything of that nature," White House press
secretary Ari Fleischer told reporters on the second day of talks
between Bush and Putin. "This is one stop along the road. We'll
make other stops after Crawford but each stop is built on the
positive results of the earlier meetings."
On this stop, at the president's rural, 1,600-acre Prairie Chapel
Ranch, Bush was focused on building his budding personal
relationship with Putin. After Putin's afternoon arrival, he and
his wife were being treated to what one aide called "a
finger-lickin' Texas dinner" of guacamole, peppered beef, smoked
catfish and pecan pie.
Gray skies threatened to dampen the open-air picnic but Bush
remained eager for "an informal chance to break bread and to
cover new ground and to improve relations that are already good,"
Fleischer said.
Both leaders affirmed Tuesday they had too many nuclear weapons.
Both spoke of slashing their arsenals of long-range warheads to
about one-third the current size. Bush prefers an informal
arrangement; Putin prefers a traditional arms control accord.
But both also are signaling they are flexible, giving every
indication that procedure will not block their intent to do away
with thousands of nuclear weapons.
Bush, who took the first step at a White House news conference
after meeting with Putin for three hours in the Oval Office, said
his proposal to set a new U.S. ceiling of 1,700 to 2,200
long-range warheads over the next decade was "fully consistent
with American security."
"The current levels of our nuclear forces do not reflect today's
strategic realities," he said before leaving for his home in
Crawford, Texas. Putin matched him in a speech later at the
Russian Embassy.
"Security is created not by piles of metal or weapons," Putin
said. "It is created by political will of people, nation-state
and their leaders."
So, the Russian president said, in light of a new and warm
U.S.-Russian relationship, Russia can afford to reduce its
arsenal to one-third or less. The United States now has about
7,000 intercontinental-range nuclear warheads and Russia about
5,800.
Still, Putin said, he preferred codifying the reductions in
formal agreements. "The world is far from having international
relations based solely on trust, unfortunately," he said.
And Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Russia would keep
pushing for a formal agreement. "To make it more reliable, we
need to put it down in a treaty," he said. "It doesn't mean we
distrust anyone. Just the opposite. It would consolidate and
boost our relations."
Bush, on the other hand, said he saw no need for "endless hours"
of negotiations.
But both leaders signaled their willingness to compromise.
Swinging a deal on anti-missile defenses is likely to be more
difficult. Senior administration officials told The Associated
Press they did not expect an agreement on missile defenses before
the summit talks end Thursday in Texas. Bush wants to go ahead
with a testing program that inevitably will run up against the
prohibitions of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty.
Putin, who considers the treaty a cornerstone of arms control,
said "the position of Russia remains unchanged."
Even so, there apparently is room for bargaining, if not this
week then when Bush goes to Moscow, possibly in January.
"Let's look together at what tests you need," Ivanov said. "If
such tests don't violate the treaty, why discard it? We don't
think that the ABM treaty is outdated."
If they were at a dead end, Bush likely would assert the right to
withdraw from the treaty. But a senior U.S. official, speaking on
condition of anonymity, said the president would not take that
final step during the current talks.
Bush hopes to persuade Putin to allow the United States to
proceed with research and development of a missile shield without
declaring the work a violation of the 1972 pact. In exchange,
Bush promised Putin to keep Russia informed of the tests. U.S.
officials said the proposal would give both men what they want:
Bush could begin developing a missile shield and Putin could tell
his public that he kept the ABM intact.
Finding common ground in other areas, the two leaders formalized
a series of agreements to combat bioterrorism, bolster the
Russian economy, battle money laundering that finances terrorism
and strengthen Russia's ties to NATO - the 19-member military
alliance formed to counter Moscow in the Cold War.
Meanwhile, the Council for a Livable World, a private group that
advocates arms control, said Bush's decision to reduce the U.S.
arsenal was "a good first step that has been a long time in
coming."
But, the Council said, there needs to be verification, counting
rules and a procedure for dismantling the retired weapons.
"President Bush may be able to see into President Putin's soul,
but today's verbal agreement can become tomorrow's
misunderstanding," the Council said in a statement.
All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc.
*****************************************************************
7 Test site unlikely to factor in arms cuts
[Las Vegas Review-Journal]
Wednesday, November 14, 2001
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
By STEVE TETREAULT
DONREY WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- Analysts and lawmakers said it's doubtful the
Nevada Test Site would be enlisted for nuclear materials storage
if the president's plan leads to the dismantling of large numbers
of warheads.
Officials from some arms control groups said it's possible that
warheads might not be taken apart, just removed from missiles,
taken out of active service and put back into the nation's
nuclear stockpile.
"The options range from taking the warhead off the missile to
blending down the weapons material," said Michael Levi, deputy
director of strategic security at the Federation of American
Scientists.
When weapons are disassembled, their nuclear organs, including
plutonium "pits," are stored at the government's Pantex plant
outside Amarillo, Texas, and at a facility at Oak Ridge, Tenn.,
said Tom Cochran, nuclear program director at the Natural
Resources Defense Council.
The Nevada Test Site "is not really built for storage of
components," Cochran said. "Plus, some time ago, the Energy
Department jumped through all the hoops in terms of environmental
and safety reviews to expand the capacity of Pantex for storage
of pits. ... I don't think there's a problem of storage." About
12,000 pits are stored at Pantex, the NRDC estimates.
Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he's not aware of proposals to
enlist the Nevada facility in the weapons cutbacks. He said
Nevada must not send signals that the state would welcome weapons
materials while rejecting nuclear waste.
"We have to be very careful about what we need to do," Reid said.
Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., said test site personnel probably would
be enlisted to monitor and verify corresponding cuts in Russia's
arsenal.
Nevada lawmakers were less certain about the effect on warheads
stored at Nellis Air Force Base, reportedly one of the Air
Force's main depots for nuclear weapons.
A 1998 report by the Natural Resources Defense Council estimated
that 775 gravity bombs withdrawn from retired B-52 bombers are
stored in a secured area at the northeast corner of the base.
An additional 575 surplus air-launched cruise missile warheads
also were estimated to be kept there.
This story is located at:
http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2001/Nov-14-Wed-2001/news/17445986.html
[http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2001/Nov-14-Wed-2001/news/17445986.html]
*****************************************************************
8 Radioactive memories
The Frontier Post From Peshawar Pakistan
Robert C Cowen
Updated on 11/14/2001 11:34:35 AM
Edward Teller - widely known as the “father” of the American
hydrogen bomb - has been a controversial guy.
To his detractors, he represents the archetypal Dr. Strangelove,
with an unnatural passion for nuclear weapons and “star wars”
antimissile systems. His fans see a champion of US national
defense who punctures arms-control hype. Forget those
stereotypes.
Dr. Teller’s best critic is Teller himself.
He long ago warned us to take his defence policy advocacy with a
grain of salt. Its wisdom has been coloured by a passionate
determination to ensure that what Nazis and Communists did to his
native Hungary will not happen to America. Now, he has given us
the whole salt shaker in this fascinating, introspective memoir.
Teller’s account of growing up in a culture that was rough on
Jews, of surviving hardships after the arbitrary partition of
Hungary after World War I, and of losing friends and family to
Nazi and Communist oppression explains his passion to protect the
freedom he found in the United States.
Those challenges stiffened his backbone when his vision of an
adequate defence clashed with what many arms-control-oriented
colleagues considered appropriate. Add to that his self-confessed
penchant for speaking bluntly, and it’s understandable that the
heated policy debates that ensued turned even some of his friends
into adversaries.
Teller regrets the acrimony, but makes no apology for his
convictions. Cherished colleagues felt the destructiveness of a
hydrogen bomb made it “an evil thing considered in any light,” to
quote a report of atomic scientists who opposed the weapon.
How would you answer Teller’s counter-question: Would it have
been better for humanity if the United States had held back while
the Soviet Union proceeded? The case of J.
Robert Oppenheimer is different.
Oppenheimer, the brilliant World War II leader of the Los Alamos
atomic bomb lab, was challenged as a security risk in the
mid-1950s. Old communist associations were revisited, even though
the government had overlooked them during the war.
More important, opponents to Oppenheimer’s positions on weapons
policy claimed that he gave dangerously bad advice.
Hearings were held to decide whether to continue Oppenheimer’s
security clearance.
Teller was a key witness.
He testified that he had no doubt about Oppenheimer’s loyalty,
but was ambivalent as to the trustworthiness of Oppenheimer’s
advice. When Oppenheimer’s clearance was revoked, many American
physicists blamed Teller.
He felt ostracized for a time by his own scientific community,
and some of his colleagues from those days may have yet to fully
forgive him.
It’s obvious from Teller’s retrospective account that he still
feels the pain of that episode and has yet to make peace with it
himself.
There’s much more to this memoir than policy battles. In the
1930s, Teller studied at the feet of the creators of modern
quantum mechanics.
His vignettes of those scientists are delightful.
He worked under Heisenberg, one of the greatest physicists.
The question of whether Heisenberg supported the Nazi atom bomb
project or just gave lip service and dragged his feet lingers.
Teller says that, given his knowledge of the man, he can’t
believe Heisenberg would have willingly served Hitler. But he
admits that is speculation.
The memoir also gives vignettes of Teller the family man, Teller
the musician - never far from his piano - and Teller the wannabe
academic research scientist. He shares some of the enthusiasm of
being caught up in the creation of quantum physics - his “most
satisfying years.” He laments that he couldn’t get back into the
game after the war.
Whenever he tried to settle down to an academic career, he was
pulled back into the world of weapons-making and research
administration. While he became an outstanding scientist, he
never achieved scientific greatness.
Teller has done posterity an invaluable service in publishing his
memoirs. Objective historians and living participants in the
recorded events may pick bones with them.
But there is one assertion I think we can take at face value.
Teller says that, while he could sometimes have been more
gracious, he always tried to speak his mind honestly even when it
made him unpopular with friends. It’s hard to hate a guy like
that.
© Copyright 2001 The Frontier Post
*****************************************************************
9 U.S. Government Nonproliferation and Threat Reduction Assistance
to the Russian Federation
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 13, 2001
Fact Sheet
The United States is committed to strong, effective cooperation
with Russia and the other states emerging from the former Soviet
Union to reduce weapons of mass destruction and prevent the
proliferation of these weapons or the material and expertise to
develop them. The importance of that cooperation has long been
recognized, and is underscored by the tragic events of September
11.
The U.S. Government currently conducts over 30 different
cooperative programs with Russia in this area, with a total
appropriation from Fiscal Year 1992 through Fiscal Year 2001 of
approximately $4 billion. Another important cooperative endeavor
in this area is U.S. purchase of material blended down from
Russian highly-enriched uranium from dismantled nuclear warheads,
for use in civilian nuclear reactor fuel.
Principal elements of the multifaceted U.S. nonproliferation and
threat reduction assistance to Russia include:
- Reduction of strategic nuclear delivery vehicles, including
intercontinental ballistic missiles and silos, ballistic
missile-carrying submarines, submarine-launched ballistic
missiles, and heavy bombers;
- Support for safe and secure transport of nuclear warheads to
dismantlement;
- Reduction of weapons-usable material from dismantled nuclear
warheads;
- Increased security for storage of nuclear warheads, chemical
weapons, and biological materials; and
- Provision of alternative, peaceful employment for Russian
scientists previously employed in nuclear, chemical or biological
weapons programs.
The Administration is nearing completion of a detailed review of
these programs, designed to ensure that existing efforts serve
priority threat reduction and nonproliferation goals, as
efficiently and effectively as possible, and to examine new
initiatives to further those goals.
*****************************************************************
10 President Announces Reduction in Nuclear Arsenal
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 13, 2001
Press Conference by President Bush and Russian President Vladimir
Putin The East Room
[Fact sheet] Joint Statements and Fact Sheets [watch] View
the President's Remarks [listen] Listen to the President's
Remarks
[President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin
walk out to address the media at the White House Nov. 13.
"This is a new day in the long history of Russian-American
relations, a day of progress and a day of hope," said
President Bush in his remarks. White House photo by Paul Morse.]
PRESIDENT BUSH: It's a great honor for me to welcome President
Vladimir Putin to the White House, and to welcome his wife as
well. This is a new day in the long history of Russian-American
relations, a day of progress and a day of hope.
The United States and Russia are in the midst of a transformation
of a relationship that will yield peace and progress. We're
transforming our relationship from one of hostility and suspicion
to one based on cooperation and trust, that will enhance
opportunities for peace and progress for our citizens and for
people all around the world.
The challenge of terrorism makes our close cooperation on all
issues even more urgent. Russia and America share the same
threat and the same resolve. We will fight and defeat terrorist
networks wherever they exist. Our highest priority is to keep
terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction. Today, we
agreed that Russian and American experts will work together to
share information and expertise to counter the threat from
bioterrorism. We agreed that it is urgent that we improve the
physical protection and accounting of nuclear materials and
prevent illicit nuclear trafficking.
And we will strengthen our efforts to cut off every possible
source of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons, materials and
expertise. Today, we also agreed to work more closely to combat
organized crime and drug-trafficking, a leading source of
terrorist financing.
Both nations are committed to the reconstruction of Afghanistan,
once hostilities there have ceased and the Taliban are no longer
in control. We support the UN's efforts to fashion a
post-Taliban government that is broadly based and multi-ethnic.
The new government must export neither terror nor drugs, and it
must respect fundamental human rights.
And Russia and the United States -- as Russia and the United
States work more closely to meet new 21st century threats, we're
also working hard to put the threats of the 20th century behind
us once and for all. And we can report great progress.
The current levels of our nuclear forces do not reflect today's
strategic realities. I have informed President Putin that the
United States will reduce our operationally deployed strategic
nuclear warheads to a level between 1,700 and 2,200 over the next
decade, a level fully consistent with American security.
Russia and the United States have also had vast discussions about
our defensive capabilities, the ability to defend ourselves as we
head into the 21st century.
We have different points of view about the ABM Treaty, and we
will continue dialogue and discussions about the ABM Treaty, so
that we may be able to develop a new strategic framework that
enables both of us to meet the true threats of the 21st century
as partners and friends, not as adversaries. The spirit of
partnership that now runs through our relationship is allowing
the United States and Russia to form common approaches to
important regional issues. In the Middle East, we agree that all
parties must take practical actions to ease tensions so that
peace talks can resume. We urge the parties to move without
delay to implement the Tenet work plan and the Mitchell Report
recommendations.
In Europe, we share a vision of a European Atlantic community
whole, free and at peace; one that includes all of Europe's
democracies, and where the independence and sovereignty of all
nations are respected. Russia should be a part of this Europe.
We will work together with NATO and NATO members to build new
avenues of cooperation and consultation between Russia and NATO.
NATO members and Russia are increasingly allied against
terrorism, regional instability, and other threats of our age.
And NATO must reflect this alliance.
We're encouraged by President Putin's commitment to a political
dialogue in Chechnya. Russia has also made important strides on
immigration and the protection of religious and ethnic
minorities, including Russia's Jewish community. On this issue,
Russia is in a fundamentally different place than it was during
the Soviet era. President Putin told me that these gains for
freedom will be protected and expanded. Our Foreign Ministers
have sealed this understanding in an exchange of letters.
Because of this progress, my administration will work with
Congress to end the application of Jackson-Vanik Amendment to
Russia.
Russia has set out to strengthen free market institutions and the
rule of law. On this basis, our economic relationship is
developing quickly, and we will look for further ways to expand
it.
A strong, independent media is a vital part of a new Russia.
We've agreed to launch a dialogue on media entrepreneurship, so
that American and Russian media representatives can meet and make
practical recommendations to both our governments, in order to
advance our goal of free media, and free exchange of ideas.
Russia and the United States will continue to face complex and
difficult issues. Yet, we've made great progress in a very short
period of time. Today, because we are working together, both our
countries and the world are more secure and safe.
I want to thank President Putin for the spirit of our meetings.
Together, we're making history, as we make progress. Laura and I
are looking forward to welcoming the Putins to our ranch in
Crawford, Texas. I can't wait to show you my state, and where I
live. In the meantime, I hope you have a fine stay here in
Washington, D.C. And it's my honor to welcome you to the White
House, sir, and welcome you to the podium.
PRESIDENT PUTIN: Ladies and gentlemen, I don't know whether I
would have an opportunity to address such a representative
audience of the press and media. I would like to begin, anyway,
with a thanks to the President of the United States, not only for
his kind invitation to visit the United States and Washington,
but also for his very informal initiation of our negotiations
earlier today. Myself and my colleagues are very pleased to be
here, this historic building of the White House. And President
Bush deemed it appropriate not only to tour me, to guide me
through the premises of this house, where he lives, he -- saw
almost every picture hanging on the walls of this great building.
It's not only very interesting, but it is not only very
interesting, but it also changes for the better the quality of
our relationship. I would like to once again thank the President
and the American people, and I would like to express our
condolences in connection with the recent plane crash in the
United States. As they say in Russia, tragedy does not come
alone. And tragedies always come in many numbers. I am
confident that the U.S. -- American people would face this
tragedy very bravely.
I would like to inform you that the Washington part of our
negotiations is being completed and our discussions proved very
constructive, interesting and useful and will continue at
Crawford. But the preliminary results we evaluate as extremely
positive.
This is our fourth meeting with President Bush in the last few
months. I believe this is a vivid demonstration of the dynamic
nature of the Russian-American relations. We have come to
understand each other better and our positions are becoming
closer on the key issues of bilateral and international
relations.
We are prepared now to seek solutions in all areas of our joint
activities. We intend to dismantle conclusively the vestiges of
the Cold War and to develop new -- entirely new partnership for
long term.
Of course, we discussed in detail the subject matter of fight
against terrorism. The tragic developments of September 11th
demonstrated vividly the need for a joint effort to counter this
global threat. We consider this threat as a global threat,
indeed, and the terrorists and those who help them should know
that the justice is inescapable and it will reach them, wherever
they try to hide.
Also, post-crisis political settlement in Afghanistan was
discussed. The most important thing for today is to return peace
and the life and honor to Afghanistan, so that no threat
originate from Afghanistan to the international stability. Of
course, we do not intend to force upon the Afghani people the
solutions; it is for them to resolve those issues with the active
participation of the United Nations.
We discussed in detail our dialogue related to strategic
offensive and defensive weapons. Here, we managed to achieve
certain progress. First of all, it has to do with the prospects
of reaching a reliable and verifiable agreement on further
reductions of the U.S. and Russian weapons. Here I must say, we
appreciate very much the decision by the President to reduce
strategic offensive weapons to the limits indicated by him. And
we, for our part, will try to respond in kind.
On the issues of missile defense, the position of Russia remains
unchanged. And we agreed to continue a dialogue and consultations
on this. I believe that it's too early now to draw the line under
the discussions of these issues, and we will have an opportunity
to continue the work on this -- one of the very difficult issues
at the Crawford ranch.
We also exchanged on a number of topical issues of international
importance: the Balkans, Iraq, and we reiterated in a joint
statement the resolve of the United States and Russia to
facilitate settlement in the Middle East and the early resumption
of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.
We also discussed seriously the development of relations between
Russia and NATO, including, taking into account a changed
international situation. We consider that there are
opportunities for an entirely new mechanism, joint
decision-making and coordinated action in the area of security
and stability. We considered in detail a number of economic
cooperation issues. The Russian-American dialogue in this area
has become recently more constructive and more tangible. Such
major investment projects as Sakhalin I and Caspian Pipeline
Consortium are gaining momentum. Successful is cooperation in
the airspace, mining, chemistry, car building and other
industries.
Direct contacts are expanding between entrepreneurs of the two
countries, including within the Russian-American business
dialogue. It is with satisfaction that we note a certain
progress in issues related to the Russia's accession to the WTO.
In recognizing Russia as a market economy country, and we've felt
a great degree of understanding that such issues should be
resolved, I mean, dealing with the Jackson-Vanik amendment, not
de facto, but in legal terms. And in this context, our Foreign
Minister and the Secretary of State, Messrs. Ivanov and Powell
exchanged letters reiterating the resolve of Russia and the
United States to observe human rights and religious freedoms.
Of course, the capabilities imbedded in the bilateral
relationship have not been fully implemented. The key -- we have
quite a lot of things to do, but we are confident that the
success is by and large predetermined by our resolve to cooperate
energetically and constructively. That, and I'm confident, would
benefit both countries. And which is reflected, also, in our
visit to this country today.
Thank you.
Q Mr. President, welcome to the White House, sir. Mr.
President, the Northern Alliance forces took over Kabul, and
there are reports of executions of POWs and other violent
reprisals. Can the Alliance be trusted to form a broad-based
government? If not, what should happen next to stabilize
Afghanistan, and what role, if any, should U.S. troops play in
that political phase?
PRESIDENT BUSH: First of all, we're making great progress in our
objective, and that is to tighten the net and eventually bring al
Qaeda to justice, and at the same time, deal with the government
that has been harboring them. President Putin and I spent a lot
of time talking about the Northern Alliance and their
relationship to Kabul, as well as Mazar-e Sharif and other cities
that have now been liberated from the Taliban. I made it very
clear to him that we would continue to work with the Northern
Alliance to make sure they recognized that in order for there to
be a stable Afghanistan, which is one of our objectives, after
the Taliban leaves, that the country be a good neighbor, that
they must recognize that a future government must include a
representative from all of Afghanistan.
We listened very carefully to the comments coming out of the
Northern Alliance today. And they made it very clear they had no
intention of occupying Kabul. That's what they said. I have seen
reports, which you refer to, and I also saw a report that said,
on their way out of town the Taliban was wreaking havoc on the
citizenry of Kabul. And if that be the case -- I haven't had it
verified one way or the other -- but I wouldn't be the least bit
surprised. After all, the Taliban has been wreaking havoc on the
entire country for over a decade, this has been on of the most
repressive regimes in the history of mankind. And -- but we will
continue to work with our Northern Alliance -- with the Northern
Alliance commanders to make sure they respect the human rights of
the people that they are liberating.
I also saw reports -- and I think President Putin mentioned this
today as well -- that in some of the northern cities, there was
great joyous -- a wonderful joyous occasion as the citizens were
free, free from repression, free from a dictatorial government.
But we are both mindful and particularly mindful of the need for
us to work with our Northern Alliance friends to treat people
with respect.
PRESIDENT PUTIN: All of our actions were aimed at liberating the
northern parts of Afghanistan and the capital of Afghanistan,
liberate from the Taliban regime. And any military action is
accompanied not only by the military resistance, but also an
information resistance. What we are witnessing right now,
exactly.
We tend to forget now the destruction of the cultural heritage of
humankind. We tend to forget now the atrocities by Taliban. And
we are talking less than usual of the Taliban harboring
international terrorism. The information that Northern Alliance
are shooting -- are shooting the prisoners of war was launched a
few days ago. The Northern Alliance was not in Kabul a few days
ago; they were liberating northern parts of the country.
And for those who do not know, I will tell, the northern part of
the country is inhabited by the ethnic groups represented in the
Northern Alliance, I mean, Uzbeks and Tajiks. It is very
difficult for me to imagine them shooting their own population.
I utterly exclude this. If there are any instances in the course
of the military action of the violation of human rights and
treatment of the prisoners of war, we must investigate and take
action. But we need proof. Talking of this, we should not forget
the things that we see, the way people meet advancing Northern
Alliance troops, liberating the cities and villages of the
Taliban. The women getting rid of chadors and burning them. And
this, I would like you, ladies and gentlemen of the press, to pay
attention to. Thank you.
Q Specific numbers were mentioned here with regard to the
reductions of offensive weapons. When, and if at all, one could
expect that such specific numbers made public be substantiated by
some papers, maybe during a possible visit by President Bush to
Moscow? And by the way, when could this visit take place?
PRESIDENT BUSH: Got to get invited first. (Laughter.) Do you
want to start?
PRESIDENT PUTIN: President Bush is aware of that. And I would
like to reiterate, he has an open invitation to visit the Russian
Federation, with an official working or a private visit, in any
format, at any time convenient for him. I mean, the best time
would be during the time of the beginning of the year, White
Nights in St. Petersburg. Of course, the official part would
start in Moscow in the capital of the Russian Federation. But as
for the business part, I think that before that time, our
advisors will continue working. And we, for our part, for the
Russian part, are prepared to present all our agreements in a
treaty form, including the issues of verification and control.
PRESIDENT BUSH: I think it's interesting to note that a new
relationship based upon trust and cooperation is one that doesn't
need endless hours of arms control discussions. I can remember
watching the news, years ago, and seeing that people would sit at
tables for hours and hours and hours trying to reach reduced
levels of nuclear armament.
My attitude is, here's what we can live with. And so I've
announced a level that we're going to -- that we'll stick by. To
me, that's how you approach a relationship that is changed, and
different. And we'd be glad to -- and I looked the man in the
eye and shook his hand, and if we need to write it down on a
piece of paper, I'll be glad to do that. But that's what our
government is going to do over the next 10 years.
And we don't need an arms control agreement or an arms control --
let me say this -- we don't need arms control negotiations to
reduce our weaponry in a significant way. And today you've now
heard for the first time the level that I think is commensurate
with the spirit of reducing our own weaponry, and at the same
time, keeping the peace.
Q You mentioned vast discussions on the ABM Treaty. What
progress are you making? And are you convinced you won't have to
withdraw from the treaty now? PRESIDENT BUSH: Well, I'm
convinced that the treaty is outdated and we need to move beyond
it. And we're having discussions along those lines. We had good
discussions today; we had good discussions in Shanghai; we had
good discussions in Slovenia; and we'll have good discussions in
Crawford. This is obviously a subject that's got a lot of
ramifications to it. I clearly heard what the President has had
to say and his view of the ABM Treaty; he's heard what I've had
to say. And we'll continue working it.
But my position is, is that it is a piece of paper that's
codified a relationship that no longer exists -- codified a
hateful relationship. And now we've got a friendly relationship.
And I think we need to have a new strategic framework that
reflects the new relationship, based upon trust and cooperation.
But we'll continue to work it.
Q A question to President Bush. His advisors expressed
concern over the situation with the freedom of speech in Russia.
But after September 11th, it would seem to me that the situation
is changing somewhat in the United States, too. There are
special rules for covering -- anti-terrorist operation, bin Laden
is denied any opportunity to present his views in the media,
quite appropriately, in my view. And so on and so forth.
The authority of the special services have been extended, and
there have been rumors that some of your members of your
administration went to Hollywood explaining to them a few things.
Where is the line in the sand where -- beyond which it is
impossible to cross, delineating a voluntary restraint on the
part of the media and --
PRESIDENT BUSH: Yes. First of all, I have been trying to tame
our press corps ever since I got into politics, and I've failed
miserably. (Laughter.) They get to express their opinions,
sometimes in the form of news -- (laughter) -- any way they want
to.
I asked them the other day, would it be okay if I cut a 30-minute
tape, a piece of propaganda, no questions, just here -- here it
is, here's 30 minutes of me talking; please run it, not only
across your airwaves but run it internationally, if you don't
mind; I've got something to say about the conflict and our fight
against evil. They said, no, they're not going to do that. If
I'm going to get on the news, they've got to ask me questions.
And so we extended the same courtesy to Osama bin Laden. He
doesn't get to just cut a 30-minute tape where he may be calling
his soldiers to action, where he is definitely condemning all
Jews, Christians, threatening individuals, to be able to put a
30-minute propaganda tape on the free airwaves. And we made that
suggestion; we didn't dictate, we just suggested. And some of
the news organizations -- or all the news organizations readily
agreed that was a responsible posture to take. And for that, I'm
grateful.
But the press in America has never been stronger, and never been
freer, and never been more vibrant. Sometimes, to my chagrin,
and a lot of times to my delight. But whoever thinks that I have
the capability, or my government has the capability, of reining
in this press corps simply doesn't understand the American way.
PRESIDENT PUTIN: I would also offer a couple of words. Today,
giving a rostrum to international terrorists would be equal to
giving an opportunity to -- newspapers of the second world
wartimes to an opportunity to print Dr. Goebbels' articles. This
question could be termed in the following way: What is the limit
and what is the measure of giving an opportunity to the
terrorists and destructive element to use media in pursuit of
their anti-human, inhuman, objectives? Let's look at it this
way.
Q Yes, sir, Mr. President, thank you. If I could return to
the situation in Afghanistan, where the concern seems to be a
potential breakdown in civil order, and a possible dramatic
increase in civil conflict between the tribes in the Northern
Alliance and other groups, which President Putin's country has
experience with, what specifically can be done in the next
several days to ensure the safety of the citizens of Kabul? And
does the Northern Alliance, now that they've taken that city,
enjoy pride of place at the bargaining table in the future of
Afghanistan?
PRESIDENT BUSH: There is no preferential place at the bargaining
table. All people will be treated the same. That's what we're
working with our friends, the Russians, on. That's the concept
we're working on with the UN. And that's only fair. That's been
the vision all along. That's been the vision we talked about in
Shanghai; it's the vision we have shared again today.
Secondly, I repeat, the Northern Alliance, with whom President
Putin has got some influence and I've got some influence, has
told us both they have no intention of occupying -- and they
said this publicly -- they intend not to occupy Kabul, which is
fine. That's the way it ought to be. And we will continue to
work with their commanders. We've got troops there with their
commanders, and we will continue to urge restraint.
Again, I think before we jump to conclusions, we want to make
sure we understand what the facts are, because the evacuating
army has been one that has held this country -- has terrorized
this country for a long period of time. But any -- regardless of
that, any -- any -- army, advancing or retreating, needs to treat
people with respect. And we will continue to work that they do
so.
PRESIDENT PUTIN: Well, the thing is that the Northern Alliance
did not take Kabul by storm. The Northern Alliance is looming
over -- has been looming over Kabul for a long time. That was
our mutual agreement with President Bush. And suddenly they
discovered, all of a sudden, that Kabul had been abandoned, and
they had to insert their certain security elements to prevent
looting and robberies and murders. There was complete
lawlessness in that city and the situation must be put under
control and it was very difficult. It would be very difficult
for us if we -- to meet with the Northern Alliance leaders to
tell them that they've negated their obligation.
The city of Kabul was abandoned by Taliban. They were trying to
preserve their manpower and their equipment, a very cunning move
on the part of Taliban. Maybe, technically, their decision was
right. But we should not be deluded on that score. Quite a
serious amount of work is still ahead. They did not disappear;
they just moved out of the city a few kilometers from there, and
I am absolutely in agreement with the President on the need to
follow the developments with a view to preventing abuses of human
rights and maltreatment of the POWs, although the line we agreed
upon has not been yet reached. Dear colleagues, the final
question.
Q Two questions to two Presidents. Mr. Bush, what is your
evaluation of the situation in Pakistan, which was always in the
sphere of influence of the United States, and whether there are
any dangers that the forces up in opposition to General Musharraf
would gain control of the nuclear weapons? And to President
Putin, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan made available their airbases
and their air corridors to the United States armed forces, giving
the green light. Can you tell us whether you gave a green light
to that? Aren't you apprehensive of the struggle for power and
influence in that area?
PRESIDENT BUSH: I had a very good dinner with President
Musharraf last Saturday night in New York City. It was the first
time I had met him. My Secretary of State had met him in
Pakistan, as had my Secretary of Defense and other officials in
my administration. All of us came away with our respect for
President Musharraf and our desire to make sure that his
administration is successful in Pakistan.
The best way to make sure that terrorists do not end up with
nuclear weaponry in that part of the world is for President
Musharraf to provide a stable government and to fulfill what he
said he would do, which is to have elections in a short period of
time. And I believe he is -- he deserves our nation's support,
and so we are putting together an economic package that will help
him with debt, help him with the expenses of the ongoing
operations, helping with trade. And we will continue a dialogue
with the Pakistan leader, with the full intent of finding ways we
can cooperate, in order to bring stability to that part of the
world.
Q With regard to the possible redrawing of the spheres of
influence, and the enhanced American influence in Central Asia, I
would like to say the following:
I am more concerned with the presence of the terrorist training
camps in the Northern Afghanistan, who send guerrillas to the
Caucasus -- have been sending in the recent years, after Ahmad
Shah Massoud was killed, I had a very, very sad feeling. That
was prior to September 11th. And I told President Bush at that
time that perhaps some serious developments are in the making.
And this is concerning -- this concerns me very much.
If we look at the relationship between the Russian Federation and
the United States from the old standpoint, distrust and the
enmity, that's one thing. If we are looking through the prism of
partnership and alliance, we have nothing to be afraid of. This
is one thing.
Secondly, one shouldn't forget that both Uzbekistan and
Tajikistan are independent states and decide, therefore, in
policies independently, who cooperate with and at which level.
But focusing my attention at the following circumstance, and I
related to President Bush quite frankly. We just mentioned
President Musharraf. We all should support President Musharraf.
This would be the right thing to do. And we agree with this, and
we accept this.
It is also true that American flags are being burned in the
streets of the Pakistani cities; one should not leave that
unnoticed. In Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, the Muslim countries,
too, American flags are not being burned. Moreover, those
countries cooperate, for the first time, so openly and so
consistently with the United States and with the international
alliance against terrorism. Being Muslim countries, with their
own problems, none of them are squeaking or crying foul, they are
trying to address their own problems on their own.
And in these conditions, the continued application of
Jackson-Vanik amendment to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, and so on
and so forth, one wouldn't call it justified and just. We need
to, and want to, build a new relationship in the new 21st
century.
Thank you very much.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you. END 2:27 P.M. EST
*****************************************************************
11 Reid switches focus to anti-terrorism spending
Las Vegas SUN
Today: November 14, 2001 at 10:44:11 PST
Senator drops economic plan for new construction
By Benjamin Grove
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who has been leading a
charge in Congress to create more than a half-million jobs, has
pared back the plan and shifted his focus from new construction
programs to anti-terrorism projects.
The Reid plan is no longer geared toward providing money for
general construction projects nationwide that might have included
the Strip monorail, Interstate 15 construction or a proposed
high-speed train between Las Vegas and Anaheim, Calif.
But the new plan does contain money states could apply for to
implement anti-terrorism measures such as food safety and airport
security programs. Reid and other key Democrats are trying to
negotiate a proposal Republican lawmakers will accept, aides
said.
"This is not our original provision -- we thought that what we
had before was good," Reid spokesman Nathan Naylor said. "But
we're trying to go the extra mile to get something out of
(Congress). We tried to take out anything we thought was
contentious or debatable."
At issue is a broader debate in Congress about how to jumpstart
the economy. In short, Republicans want corporate tax breaks; the
Democrats support more limited individual tax cuts, spending to
create jobs and extending unemployment and health benefits to
laid-off workers.
Reid last month envisioned one piece of the stimulus package as
a $30 billion plan for mostly rail, transit and highway
construction projects, a few of which could benefit Nevada.
Reid later joined Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.V., who pitched a
smaller package: $20 billion for transportation and water
projects. The two lawmakers, mobilizing the nation's mayors to
lobby on their behalf, said the legislation would create jobs as
unemployment soars.
But GOP leaders have not embraced the plan.
So Reid and Byrd have trimmed their proposal back to something
more politically feasible. This week, the plan re-emerged as a
$15 billion proposal strictly geared toward anti-terrorism
projects that are not earmarked for specific states and would not
be perceived as "pork" for key lawmakers.
"Legislation is the art of compromise," Reid said earlier this
month.
Along the way, Reid has dropped from his first proposal $2.2
billion that could have been used in part to further develop a
futuristic proposal to construct a Las Vegas-to-Anaheim
high-speed magnet-propelled train. Also gone: money that states
could use for transit and transportation projects like the
under-construction Strip monorail and widening of Interstate 15.
It's not yet clear how much Las Vegas could get of the new $15
billion pie -- if Congress embraces it as part of the larger
stimulus legislation. States likely would apply for the money for
the anti-terrorism programs.
According to Reid, the latest plan includes:
* $4 billion for bioterrorism prevention and food safety
programs
* $2.1 billion for federal anti-terrorism law enforcement
* $2 billion for state and local antiterrorism law enforcement
*- $1.2 billion for mass transit security
* $1.1 billion for border security
* $1.1 billion for airport security
* $1 billion for federal computer security and upgrades
* $900 million for nuclear power plant security
* $800 million for Amtrak security
* $600 million for state and local fire-fighting programs
through the Federal Emergency Management Agency
* $200 million for port, rail and ferry security
Lawmakers had targeted the end of the week to work out a
compromise on the broader economic stimulus bill.
"At this point, we must get an economic stimulus package out
soon," Naylor said.
All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc.
*****************************************************************
12 Canada creates national advisory committee on biological or nuclear attack
November 13, 2001
Canada creates national advisory committee on biological or
nuclear attack VANCOUVER (CP) -- Federal Health Minister Allan
Rock is creating a committee to advise him on how to proceed in
the event of a biological or nuclear attack.
"Here in Canada the risk of that happening is remote," Rock said
at a news conference Tuesday at the B.C. Centre for Disease
Control.
"But that doesn't make it any less important for governments to
plan prudently and be ready."
Dr. Donald Low, chief of microbiology at Toronto's Mount Sinai
Hospital, will head the committee, whose complete membership will
be announced in the coming weeks.
Earlier Tuesday, Rock participated in a roundtable discussion on
emergency preparedness with Vancouver's fire and police chiefs,
the mayor, the city's medical health officer and officials from
the disease control centre and the province.
"We all agreed that the most important thing we can do is learn
how to work together better," Rock said.
He plans to meet with similar groups across the country to get
input on who should be part of the committee.
Rock's announcement was in addition to other precautions Canada
has taken in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in
the United States.
The federal government's $12-million effort includes the
strengthening of laboratory capacity to test suspicious
substances, provisions for stockpiling drugs, training and buying
equipment.
Rock said many of the committee members will volunteer their
time and there's no big expense attached to the initiative that
also doesn't have any particular time line.
"I think the greatest challenge we face is making sure that
everybody up the line communicates clearly with each other, that
we have a co-ordinated response so that if an emergency arises we
know before it even starts who's responsible for what," Rock
said.
He also said Canada will be stockpiling smallpox vaccine and
that officials have yet to decide whether it will be domestically
developed or bought from the same companies contracted by the
U.S. government.
The vaccine is not currently being produced anywhere, Rock
noted.
He has previously said Canada has about 390,000 doses of
smallpox vaccine in storage and suggested he would like to have
about 30 million doses ready.
Liberal MP Hedy Fry, who also attended the news conference, said
Vancouver has the best emergency preparedness team in the country
and that's possibly why Rock chose the city to make his
announcement.
"We have the fire, police and the public health personnel who
have been working on this for a long time, who have the right
kind of protocols ready to roll," Fry said in an interview.
"It was just something that was kind of an offshoot of knowing
that one day we may get the big one," said Fry, a former
Vancouver family doctor who was referring to the possibility of a
large earthquake on the West Coast.
Vancouver is also noted as being one of Canada's best prepared
cities in case of bioterrorism.
A 73-page protocol called Exposure to Biological Agents Response
Plan was prepared before the APEC summit in 1997.
The initiative was undertaken because of fears that protesters
could use biological and chemical agents at the summit.
CNEWS Forums
2001, Canoe Limited Partnership. All
*****************************************************************
13 No Room for Cutting Corners When It Comes to Nuclear Security
The Salt Lake Tribune -- Utah's Statewide Newspaper
November 14, 2001
WASHINGTON -- When Sam Rayburn was speaker of the House, he
used to say, "There is no education in the second kick of a
mule.'' We are about to learn whether Congress and the Bush
administration have realized there is nothing to be gained by
ignoring the threat of terrorism twice.
In the aftermath of Sept. 11, we discovered belatedly that
the government had brushed off warnings from three blue-ribbon
commissions that this nation was ill-equipped to defend itself
against any form of terrorist attack.
Now, we are about to learn whether similarly clear and
authoritative warnings about the possibility of Russian nuclear
weapons and materials slipping into the hands of terrorists will
be treated with the seriousness they deserve. Thousands of lives
could rest on the answer.
For reasons that seem trivial, and really inexplicable, Bush
administration budgeteers are trying to save a few million
dollars by holding back a successful, 10-year-old program to
assist Russia in securing its vulnerable nuclear materials and
ensuring that penniless Russian nuclear scientists do not join or
assist hostile forces.
The program was launched in 1991 by Sen. Richard Lugar, the
Indiana Republican, and then-Sen. Sam Nunn, the Georgia Democrat,
who between them know almost everything worth knowing about
America's national security.
Under the Nunn-Lugar program, high-energy uranium and
plutonium that could have built 5,000 nuclear weapons have been
removed from Russian warehouses and "defused.'' But the same
Energy Department special task force that cited that success last
January warned that "much more remains to be done [to counter]
the most urgent unmet national security threat to the United
States, . . . the danger that weapons of mass destruction or
weapons-usable material in Russia could be stolen and sold to
terrorists or hostile nation-states.''
A number of such attempts have been made and thwarted, the
report said, but "imagine if such material were successfully
stolen and sold to a terrorist like Osama bin Laden.''
The authors of this report were neither amateurs nor
alarmists. They were Howard H. Baker Jr., the former Senate
Republican leader and Reagan White House chief of staff,
subsequently named ambassador to Japan, and Lloyd Cutler, White
House counsel during the Carter and Clinton administrations.
They recommended that the Nunn-Lugar program be increased to
the point that all nuclear weapons-usable material in Russia
could be secured or neutralized within the next eight to 10
years. That would cost about $30 billion -- just 1 percent of
projected defense expenditures.
President Bush, as far back as the campaign and as recently
as this month, has spoken of his concern about nuclear weapons or
materials falling into terrorist hands. But his budget last
winter proposed cutting overall defense nuclear nonproliferation
programs by $100 million, with roughly $55 million coming out of
the programs focused on Russia.
As Nunn told me the other day, there is "a puzzling
disconnect between the president's words and his budget
recommendations.''
Nunn delivered a blunt warning of the nuclear-terrorist
danger at the National Press Club last March, calling it
"America's greatest unmet threat.'' Now, he said, "it must be
apparent to everyone that keeping weapons of mass destruction
away from terrorists is our most urgent security need.''
Lugar agrees. "After 10 years,'' he told me, "we are at the
point where the Russians are ready to push the Nunn-Lugar program
further. It is clearly in our interest and theirs to avoid the
fatal intersection of nuclear weapons and terrorist groups.''
Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III told me, "I
can't think of a better use of our funds. It is probably some of
the best money we could ever spend.''
Harvard's Graham Allison, a former Clinton Defense Department
official, lays out the case at length in the latest edition of
The Economist.
All this makes it mind-boggling that Congress and the
administration are haggling over the miniscule sums involved. The
recently passed Energy Department appropriations bill brought the
money for Nunn-Lugar to within $10 million of last year's figure,
but conferees rejected a move by Rep. Chet Edwards, a Texas
Democrat, to boost the program by $131 million.
The issue faces the House Appropriations Committee again this
week. With bipartisan support for expanding the program, Chairman
Bill Young, a Florida Republican, was prepared to put $45 million
for Nunn-Lugar into the supplemental spending bill. But when Bush
read the riot act to legislators last week about staying within
his overall budget limits, even threatening his first veto, Young
cut back the proposal to $18 million.
Spending discipline is important. But if, God forbid, a
terrorist ever slips a suitcase nuclear weapon, with stolen
Russian materials, into the United States, we will rue the day
the government decided this was a good place to economize.
© Copyright 2001, The Salt Lake Tribune All material found on
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14 Federal government to give money to workers diseased by uranium exposure -
11/14/2001 - ENN.com
Wednesday, November 14, 2001 By Nancy Lofholm, The Denver Post
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Wayne Hill was front and center, proudly
sporting a brand-new Colorado Uranium Workers Council cap, when
U.S. Justice Department officials came to town last week.
Forty years after he hauled uranium ore from mines to mills in
the Four Corners area and just months after his latest round of
radiation and chemotherapy for lung and brain cancer, Hill is
smiling because he is one of 5,123 former uranium workers who
have received a piece of paper from the Justice Department
telling them they have been approved for compensation.
Hill's letter tells him that he'll soon be getting a check for
$100,000 for the illnesses he has suffered as a result of his
work during the Cold War. Hill, 70, is one of the lucky ones,
even though he had been waiting for that approval for nearly two
years. He almost died several times during that wait. Many others
have died waiting.
"I don't think people realize how hard that waiting is. You think
he is going to die before he gets it," said Hill's wife, Lucille,
who was next to him at the meeting.
There were more than a few satisfied uranium workers or widows
and children of those workers who came out Thursday night to hear
the latest updates on the Radiation Compensation Exposure Act in
a Grand Junction meeting that had been delayed several times by
the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"We're doing our level best," said Jerry Fischer, director of the
radiation-exposure compensation program for the Justice
Department, after he spent two hours answering questions about
payments. "I know some people have had claims pending for a long
time, but we're doing our best. People have seen some evidence of
progress."
The compensation program was initially approved in 1990 and
amended in July 2000 to increase the one-time compensation
amounts from $50,000 to $100,000 and to expand the coverage to
some previously excluded workers, such as millers and haulers,
such as Hill. The expansion of the program resulted in 250 to 400
claims per week flowing into the Justice Department, rather than
the 24 to 40 per week the department used to receive.
More than 4,000 new claims have been sent in since the act was
amended. More than $359 million worth of those claims have been
approved so far.
Questions at the meeting illustrated why many others have been
delayed and snarled in red tape. Records have been difficult to
access: Many of the uranium subcontracting companies no longer
exist. Some paid in cash, so there are no government employment
records. Old medical records and X-rays have been just as
difficult to find in many cases, according to Becky Rockwell, a
Durango private investigator who specializes in helping claimants
find the records they need. Even with the records, some uranium
workers don't qualify because they don't have specified types of
cancer. The government has approved differing lists of cancers
and a few nonmalignant diseases for each type of exposure: above
ground, underground, or in the vicinity of atom bomb tests.
Funding has also been a pervasive problem. The trust fund set
aside for the compensation payments was depleted in 2001, and the
Justice Department had to send out IOUs. Most of those claims
were eventually paid under an emergency appropriation.
The department is still waiting on its fiscal 2002 budget and may
run short again. "The last thing we want to do is send out IOUs
again," Fischer said. "If we do it, we will be able to
communicate to people that their claim has been approved."
Uranium workers now face one more hurdle in this compensation
process: anthrax. In the past several weeks, the compensation
program mail — including claims and documents relating to claims
— has been cut off because of the anthrax cases in Washington.
Copyright 2001, Knight Ridder/Tribune
*****************************************************************
15 Where Warheads Are Made, and Where a Good Pair of Pliers Can Put Them to Rest
November 14, 2001
By JAMES GLANZ and DENNIS OVERBYE
Experts on nuclear arms are uncertain how many weapons would
actually be dismantled under President Bush's proposal and how
many simply placed in some kind of storage, where they would no
longer be "operationally deployed," in his words.
But American weapons destined for destruction will end up at the
Pantex plant near the Texas panhandle town of Amarillo, the place
where warheads are made and where they go to die. The plant, a
place of concrete bunkers surrounded by razor wire and patrolled
by guards armed with machine guns, has been taking apart
thousands of decommissioned weapons for decades. The final
resting place for the plutonium "pits," or nuclear cores, of the
disassembled bombs, is less clear. So far, they have simply been
stockpiled at Pantex.
The United States has produced about 100 tons of plutonium, the
prime fuel for thermonuclear bombs, said David Albright, a
defense expert who is president of the Institute for Science and
International Security. About 32 tons of this is in the 10,000
warheads in the present arsenal. Another 15 tons reside in some
5,000 bomb cores that are stored as a strategic reserve at
Pantex.
About 38 tons of weapons-grade plutonium at Pantex has been
declared surplus under an agreement with Russia and is scheduled
to be converted to a form called mixed- oxide (MOX) fuel to be
burned in reactors. But a proposed plant to do the conversion in
Savannah River, S.C., has not yet been built. Most of the rest of
the plutonium is spent reactor fuel and other non-weapons- grade
plutonium.
Russia is thought to have produced about 130 tons of plutonium,
Mr. Albright said.
When a weapon is to be dismantled, its warhead is separated from
the missile or other delivery system before being sent to Pantex.
There, the pits and other parts containing uranium are separated
in bunkerlike assembly lines. The pits are stored there in
enclosures resembling giant igloos, said Robert S. Norris, a
researcher and analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
"Literally you are taking out a screwdriver and a pliers and a
clippers and you are taking it apart in the reverse process of
putting it together," Mr. Norris said.
Dismantling warheads has been going on a long time. "They don't
last forever," Mr. Albright said, and the material is often
recycled into newer designs.
He estimated that the United States has already dismantled 50,000
weapons. From 1990 to 1997, 10,482 warheads were disassembled at
Pantex, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Until
1997 the company dismantled slightly over 1,000 a year; but
accidents and other delays that year, the last for which numbers
are available, cut the figure in half. There are many components
to a warhead, including high explosives, toxic chemicals,
electronics packages, and various radioactive materials,
including plutonium.
Mr. Albright said that warheads could also contain explosive
switches or security devices that would disable the warhead if
the wrong person tampered with it. Typically, the high explosives
are burned, and the electronics are smashed, Mr. Albright said.
The highly enriched uranium is trucked to Oak Ridge National
Laboratories in Tennessee. That uranium can be used as fuel in
Navy nuclear reactors, Mr. Albright said.
The disposition of plutonium is a worry, say nuclear experts who
fear that it could be diverted to produce weapons for terrorists
or other states like Iraq. "The warhead is easier to protect than
fissile material," Mr. Albright said.
Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company | Privacy Information
*****************************************************************
16 Last tainted soil removed at Fernald
Nov. 14, 2001
The Associated Press
The government said Tuesday the last of 400,000 cubic
yards of contaminated soil and debris has been removed from the
Fernald plant, the former uranium processing plant in Crosby
Township.
The government is spending at least $3.7 billion to clean
up and decontaminate the 1,050-acre site.
The U.S. Department of Energy hopes to complete the
cleanup by Dec. 31, 2006, barring major problems or action by
Congress to reduce funding for the project.
Energy Department officials said its cleanup contractor,
Fluor Fernald Inc., had finished removing the contaminated dirt
from a 26-acre plot of land. The tainted dirt had been
contaminating underground water.
The location is just south of where the government
processed uranium for almost 40 years to be used at other federal
sites in the production of nuclear weapons. Tons of contaminated
construction debris, dirt and ash from boilers were dumped on the
land between the early 1950s and the late 1980s. Uranium
processing at the Fernald site was halted in 1989.
Lisa Crawford, president of Fernald Residents for
Environmental Safety and Health, which is monitoring the
government's cleanup,said it eliminates the leaking of
contaminated materials that had been located above the Great
Miami River aquifer, a regional source of drinking water.
Ms. Crawford was renting a house near the Fernald site
when she learned in 1984 of radioactive contamination in a well
that her family had been using.
Before 1995, testing of the underground water revealed it
had uranium concentrations as high as 2,000 parts per billion,
compared to 1 to 3 parts per billion which are considered normal
background levels.
Energy Department officials said monitoring of the ground
water now shows uranium contamination levels — before treating
the water — at about 50 parts per billion.
[http://cincinnati.com/copyright] updated 4/5/2000.
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17 Chechnya Radiation Detected -
The St. Petersburg Times. General news from St.Petersburg and
Russia
#721, Tuesday, November 13, 2001
By Yuri Bagrov
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
VLADIKAVKAZ, North Ossetia - Officials said Friday that a site
for the burial of radioactive waste in the separatist region of
Chechnya emits radiation strong enough to kill a person within
days.
Radiation at the site near Chiri-Yurt is about 3,000 micro
roentgens per hour - more than 100 times safe levels, NTV
reported. The report didn't give the size of the contaminated
area.
Radioactive waste had been delivered to the site from across the
former Caucasus republics of the Soviet Union from 1965 to 1992,
the year when Chechnya started to claim more independence from
Russia, NTV said.
The site, home to a radioactive waste treatment plant and waste
storage facilities, has apparently suffered damage in the ensuing
war between 1994 and 1996 and the current war that started in
1999.
The facilities hadn't been guarded until recently, allowing theft
of radioactive items, Abdul Khamadov, director of Chechnya's
radioactive-safety center, told NTV. An elderly Chechen was
installed to watch the site a month ago.
The Chechen minister for emergencies, Ruslan Aytayev, said the
site would be decontaminated "as soon as adequate funds are
received," and that a contract for the work has already been
signed, Itar-Tass reported.
Earlier, NTV reported that the commander of Russian troops in
Chechnya, Lieutenant General Vladimir Moltenskoi, requested that
Chechnya's Emergency Situations Ministry clean up the site, but
the ministry said the plant itself should tackle it.
[Copyright] copyright The St. Petersburg Times 2001
*****************************************************************
18 Y-12 safety system gets good review
Oak Ridger Online -->
Story last updated at 10:38 a.m. on Wednesday, November 14, 2001
by Paul Parson
Oak Ridger staff
BWXT Y-12 has successfully implemented the Integrated Safety
Management System, according to a recent review by the Department
of Energy.
The system is a process that incorporates safety into management
and work practices at all levels, addressing all types of work
and all types of hazards, to ensure safety for the workers, the
public and the environment.
A 12-person team representing DOE headquarters spent a week and
a half looking at a broad range of management activities and work
practices including fire protection, chemical safety, project
management, environmental management and hazard identification.
The team noted that it had found "significant improvement
overall."
In June, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board had urged
DOE to make safety improvements at Y-12. The independent federal
agency indicated inadequate attention had been paid to the
storage of hazardous materials, maintenance needs and fire
prevention.
When announcing the team's findings this morning, John Mitchell,
president and general manager of BWXT Y-12, said the Integrated
Safety Management verification is a major step forward for Y-12.
"It is a clear recognition of the tremendous efforts by all Y-12
employees to make safety our first priority and to reflect this
in our management processes and our everyday activities,"
Mitchell said. "The focus of our continuous improvement efforts
to fully incorporate ISM into every facet of our company is
making a significant difference in the way Y-12 is now and will
be in the future."
Mitchell also pointed out that the assessment team left BWXT
Y-12 with some "very focused and very effective suggestions" on
how the company can improve the Integrated Safety Management
System in the future and "stay on the path to continuous
improvement."
BWXT Y-12 officially took over as Y-12's manager on Nov. 1,
2000.
Besides Y-12, safety concerns have been a lingering problem at
DOE's other Oak Ridge facilities.
Recently, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board pointed
out that several Integrated Safety Management System-related
deficiencies have yet to be remedied despite the fact that DOE
pointed them out to Bechtel Jacobs Co. over a year ago. Bechtel
Jacobs is in charge of nuclear cleanup activities at facilities
under the jurisdiction of DOE's Oak Ridge Operations office,
including the Oak Ridge K-25 site.
Last week, DOE halted cleanup activities at K-25 because of
deficiencies in several key safety documents.
All Contents ©Copyright The Oak Ridger
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19 Mouse House renamed for distinguished ORNL couple
Oak Ridger Online -->
Story last updated at 11:33 a.m. on Wednesday, November 14, 2001
by Paul Parson
Oak Ridger staff
Oak Ridge National Laboratory's new Mouse House has been renamed
for one of the most distinguished scientific couples to work at
the federal facility. It will now officially be known as the
William L. and Liane B. Russell Laboratory for Comparative and
Functional Genomics.
"It was a total surprise," said Liane Russell, 78, who helped
found ORNL's Mammalian Genetics and Development Section in 1947
with her husband, William, 91. Liane Russell still works
part-time for the laboratory.
ORNL Director Bill Madia announced the name change during a
groundbreaking ceremony for the facility Tuesday morning at ORNL.
"Their contributions have provided the foundation for ORNL's
current genetic and genomic program," said Madia, who dubbed the
Russells the "most distinguished scientific couple" in the lab's
history.
In addition to praising the Russells, U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-3rd
District, who attended the groundbreaking, boasted that the new
Mouse House will produce "enormous benefits to all humanity." The
facility is expected to house more than 60,000 mice that
researchers will study in order to get a better understanding of
the functioning of genes in order to treat human genetic
diseases, such as cancer, obesity, diabetes and Alzheimer's
disease.
Wamp said initially there was some debate whether to proceed
with the construction of a new Mouse House at the same time the
Spallation Neutron Source was being built.
"We're proving today that 'Yes we can,'" the congressman said.
"We just needed to have the guts to go for it."
Wamp, who is on the subcommittee for the energy and water
appropriations bill, helped get $11.4 million in funding this
fiscal year to construct the new facility instead of having the
money spread out over a two-year period.
The 36,000-square-foot Mouse House, which is scheduled for
completion in 2003, represents the first new construction in
ORNL's Life Sciences Division in more than 30 years. It will
replace the current facility, which is more than 50 years old and
is located at the Y-12 National Security Complex.
While Liane Russell was pleased to be recognized for her
research contributions, she offered her own praise for Dabney
Johnson, who she says has been a "tremendous force" behind the
Mouse House. Johnson heads mammalian genetics research at ORNL.
All Contents ©Copyright The Oak Ridger
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20 -Wackenhut disappointed by contract rejection
Oak Ridger Online -->
Story last updated at 11:35 a.m. on Wednesday, November 14, 2001
by Paul Parson
Oak Ridger staff
Despite an unapproved union contract, the Department of Energy's
Oak Ridge security provider maintains the local facilities will
remain secure.
"We're disappointed," says Lynn Calvert, senior vice president
and general manager of Wackenhut Services Inc. in Oak Ridge,
regarding the International Guards Union of America's vote Monday
night not to approve a new five-year contract.
Calvert said Wackenhut feels the contract offered the guards an
"excellent package," adding that he thought negotiations with the
union were going well. Around 331 security guards working at Oak
Ridge National Laboratory, the Federal Building and the Y-12
National Security Complex are affected by the deal.
However, union officials issued a press release earlier this
week citing some inadequacies with the contract, including
protection for short-term disability. As of this morning, those
officials had not returned calls for comment.
The union voted on the contract Monday night with 93 percent of
its eligible voters rejecting the deal. In a separate vote, a
proposal affecting 33 ORNL officers was approved by their
membership.
The current contracts are set to expire before the end of the
year.
"No matter what happens," Calvert said, "We will make sure these
facilities are protected."
Calvert pointed out that Wackenhut's guards are currently doing
a lot of overtime to sustain the heightened state of security
implemented following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Wackenhut is in the process of hiring additional guards. It is
rumored that at least 100 extra guards could be added at Y-12,
though that figure could not be confirmed.
All Contents ©Copyright The Oak Ridger
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21 DOE whistle-blower suit delayed again
The Paducah Sun
Paducah, Kentucky
Wednesday, November 14, 2001
The Justice Department still hasn't decided whether to join the
1999 suit against previous operators of the gaseous diffusion
plant.
By Bill Bartleman bbartleman@paducahsun.com--270.575.8650
The U.S. Department of Justice has asked for its eighth extension
in deciding whether to join a whistle-blower lawsuit against
Lockheed Martin Corp. and predecessors that operated the Paducah
Gaseous Diffusion Plant.
The suit claims the companies filed false environmental reports.
At stake are hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses paid to
Lockheed for meeting environmental milestones the suit claims
were never met.
The suit was filed in June 1999 by the Natural Resources Defense
Council; Thomas Cochran, nuclear program director for the
council; and Paducah plant workers Charles Deuschele, Garland
Jenkins and Ronald Fowler. Lockheed operated the plant for the
U.S. Department of Energy.
The delay could be another indication the government and
plaintiffs are trying to reach a settlement, although a Lockheed
Martin spokesman downplays the possibility.
Justice investigators have reviewed thousands of pages of
documents and conducted on-site investigations to determine the
validity of the claims. Justice's involvement would add the full
resources of the federal government to pursue the claims in
court.
The latest deadline expired Monday, and Assistant U.S. Attorney
Bill Campbell has filed a motion asking U.S. District Judge
Joseph McKinley Jr. to extend the deadline to Feb. 15, 2002. The
plaintiffs and defendants agreed to the extension, according to
Campbell's motion.
Campbell was not available Tuesday, but said previously
settlement talks with Lockheed Martin were one reason for past
delays. Campbell said in the motion that Lockheed lawyers "have
expressed a desire to meet" with Department of Justice attorneys,
and the parties "believe that further discussions will be
useful."
Plaintiff attorney Joseph Egan said that as the delays continue,
the plaintiffs are continuing to find records and documents to
strengthen their case. In August, Campbell said he forwarded a
recommendation to Attorney General John Ashcroft regarding the
government's involvement. Sources at that time said government
investigators found sufficient evidence to warrant intervention.
But the same sources said the Department of Energy disagreed and
felt the government should not get involved.
Egan said the plaintiffs will continue the case, even without the
government's help. "Every extension of time has provided a wealth
of new evidence that has aided our case," Egan said. "It has
allowed us to uncover a vast amount of new information that is
relevant to our claims."
He also hinted another whistle-blower suit could be filed. "We
found enough new material recently that we are considering a
whole new case," he said. "I'm not allowed to discuss what we
found and what the case would involve." If Lockheed Martin is
ordered to repay funds to the government, or if there is an out
of court settlement, those who filed the suit would receive up to
25 percent of the proceeds.
Egan said previously that most of the money received by the
plaintiffs would be used to support the Natural Resources Defense
Council, an environmental watchdog agency.
One new element that one source said could entice Lockheed to
settle is that Lockheed recently was awarded a $200 billion
defense contract to build new fighter jets for the military. Some
on Capitol Hill have objected to the contract, the largest ever
by the Defense Department, and want the work divided among
several companies.
If the government gets involved in a suit claiming Lockheed
falsified records while operating the Paducah plant, political
opponents could use leverage to discredit Lockheed and force a
change in the contract, the source speculated. James Fetig, chief
spokesman for Lockheed, said the fighter jet contract is not a
factor in the Paducah case.
"We have been cooperating with the government throughout the
course of their investigation," Fetig said. "There have been no
negotiations for a settlement, nor do we anticipate any. We don't
believe there is any basis for the suit in the first place."
Egan would not comment on settlement negotiations. He said in an
interview last summer that a settlement figure was being
discussed by Department of Justice attorneys. He would not reveal
the figure, but said if the case goes to court, the potential
cost for Lockheed "is in the hundreds of millions of dollars." He
also declined to comment when asked if Lockheed might be
encouraged to settle in order to prevent the suit from becoming
an issue in the fighter jet contract.
Egan expressed optimism this will be the government's final
extension request. Martin Marietta and its subsidiaries began
operating the Paducah plant in 1984, merging with Lockheed in
1994 to form Lockheed Martin, and continued to operate until 1999
when the uranium enrichment operations were formally taken over
by the United States Enrichment Corp.
*****************************************************************
22 Russian official refuses to rule out chance that nuclear materials were stolen
Copyright 2001 British Broadcasting Corporation
BBC Monitoring Former Soviet Union - Political Supplied by BBC Worldwide
Monitoring
November 13, 2001, Tuesday
SOURCE: TV6, Moscow, in Russian 1600 gmt 13 Nov 01
Text of report by Russian TV6 on 13 November
Presenter Marianna Maksimovskaya Usamah Bin-Ladin has once again
been saying that he is quite capable of using nuclear weapons.
There are fresh claims that Russian scientists may be involved in
trading nuclear materials. A senior official from Gosatomnadzor
State Nuclear and Radiation Safety Inspectorate spoke to one of
our correspondents today about whether thefts from Russian
nuclear installations were possible. With more on this, Viktor
Detlyakovich.
Correspondent Usamah Bin-Ladin is sure that, if he so wished, he
could buy Russian nuclear weapons as soon as tomorrow. He said
this to the journalist, Hamid Mir editor of Ausaf, a Pakistani
daily . The editor of one of Pakistan's newspapers met Bin-Ladin
very recently, in a mountainous area of Afghanistan.
Journalist Bin-Ladin told me that, in actual fact, if you have
10m or 20m dollars, it's not difficult to buy a atomic bomb. You
can buy it in Asia, or in Russia. I don't know if you know, but
over the last few years 17 atomic bombs have been illegally
transported out of Russia.
Correspondent This statement from the Pakistani journalist
concurred with an article in The Washington Post. Journalists
claim that a serious attempt to steal nuclear materials took
place recently in Russia. The newspaper quoted a senior official
at Gosatomnadzor, Yuriy Volodin.
In Russia, there are almost 70 nuclear installations where
nuclear materials are stored and used. Gosatomnadzor is confident
that stealing them isn't so easy.
But in an interview with us, Yuriy Volodin, who was quoted by the
US newspaper, confirmed that there was a recent case where a
nuclear installation took delivery of a consignment of fuel which
was smaller than stated in the accompanying documents.
Volodin, captioned as head of the security directorate at
Gosatomnadzor There is a dispatcher, and there is a recipient. If
the dispatcher receives as heard one amount, and the recipient
receives less or more than that, then we
PAGE 2 BBC Worldwide Monitoring, November 13, 2001, Tuesday
call that a discrepancy. And so there must be a reason somewhere.
In theory it is possible that a theft did take place.
Correspondent The investigation into this case is yet to be
completed. But Gosatomnadzor says that it has a lot of
reservations about the way in which nuclear installations are
guarded.
Volodin I wouldn't so much emphasize the storage of nuclear
materials as their transportation. There are certain requirements
in this area as well, in terms of their physical protection. But
it is transportation, I would say, which is the most vulnerable
area, as far as theft is concerned.
Correspondent And yet, according to experts, there are few fewer
attempts to steal nuclear materials now than at the start of the
1990s. At that time, employees of the enterprises were stealing
them, keen to take advantage of the high prices. For example, one
kilogram of uranium costs 1,000 dollars on the world markets. The
criminals were taking the nuclear materials out of the
enterprises, but had no idea of whom to sell them to, and so
ended up in prison. Now this practically never happens, because
everyone has realized that you can't make a bomb out of uranium
alone.
Volodin Even if Bin-Ladin was able to buy large quantities of
nuclear materials, that doesn't mean that he would be able to
make some sort of explosive device out of them. You see, after
all, a nuclear explosive device has a pretty complicated design.
So, if we were talking about having rapid access to a nuclear
explosive device, we would need to talk about stealing specific
parts, and not nuclear materials.
Correspondent Strictly speaking, Usamah Bin-Ladin said in his
interview that he was prepared to buy a ready-made bomb, but
representatives from the Russian Defence Ministry and the Russian
Foreign Ministry today said that Russian nuclear weapons are
under reliable guard, and cannot find their way into the hands of
international terrorists.
To prove his own words, all Bin-Ladin has to do is buy just one
of the 17 Russian atomic bombs, which according to him, have been
transported out of Russia and are being offered for sale.
LOAD-DATE: November 13, 2001
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23 Abraham Designates INEEL S.T.A.R. Fusion Facility A "National User Facility"
energy.gov - Headquarters' Press Release
RELEASE DATE: November 8, 2001 [Print Friendly Version]
Releases $1.5 Million in Environmental Management
Research Grants Idaho Falls, Idaho - Visiting the Department of
Energy's Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Lab (INEEL)
today, U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham declared the
Safety and Tritium Applied Research (STAR) facility a "national
user facility," opening the facility's resources to increased
scientific research from around the world.
"By designating STAR a national user facility, the department is
increasing accessing to this important research facility for
scientists and researchers across the world," Secretary Abraham
said. "INEEL has a reputation of being an outstanding research
facility in the area of fusion safety and I am pleased to open
this facility to new and different research. Supporting fusion
safety research is another example of the way the INEEL applies
technical expertise to support DOE's major missions in science,
energy and environment."
The STAR facility houses specialized systems for investigating
the consequences of accidents in fusion reactors. Scientists
believe fusion can be an almost infinite source of energy, but
learning to safely harness the reaction is a tremendous
challenge. The facility is designed to host a number of
experiments to determine how tritium, the "fuel" in a fusion
reaction, interacts with other materials used to produce a fusion
reaction. Currently, the STAR facility is hosting a collaboration
between the United States and Japan to explore a number of fusion
safety research initiatives.
Announces $1.5 Million for Environmental Management Research In
addition, Abraham said that the department's Environmental
Management Science Program has awarded INEEL $1.5 million in
grant funding over the next three years for research to support
the department's Environmental Management cleanup program.
The grants, to fund research initiatives to develop new
approaches to dealing with the disposition of high level waste
and the deactivation and decontamination of facilities, are part
of 45 research grants totaling $39 million.
Media Contact:
Joe Davis, 202-586-4940 Tim Jackson, 208-526-8484 Release No.
R-01-190
*****************************************************************
24 Energy Department Awards $39 Million For 45 Research Projects To
Address Environmental Cleanup Challenges
energy.gov - Headquarters' Press Release
RELEASE DATE: November 9, 2001 [Print Friendly Version]
WASHINGTON, D.C. B Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham today
announced funding totaling over $39 million for 13 deactivation,
decontamination and decommissioning (D) research projects, and 32
new high level waste (HLW) research projects to help solve some
of the nation's most complex environmental cleanup challenges.
Researchers at 21 universities, eight Department of Energy (DOE)
laboratories, one other government and one private institution
will conduct scientific studies focusing on environmental
problems at DOE facilities that were once part of the nation's
nuclear weapons production complex.
"The projects outlined are designed to apply advanced scientific
research and initiatives to make significant strides in nuclear
waste cleanup efforts at various DOE sites," Abraham said. "The
success of these programs and the success of the Department's
Environmental Management Science program will be measured in
actual cleanup results, and we expect these programs to deliver."
A formal review process was used to ensure awards were made to
the most meritorious and relevant applications, including
external peer reviewers by experts in specific scientific
disciplines. Proposals were also reviewed to ensure relevance to
DOE-EM's cleanup needs by the technical managers who are both
familiar with the problems and potential users of the research
results. Funding is provided only after the proposal successfully
completes the review process. Members of the project teams attend
periodic meetings with federal staff to review the status of the
projects and each team is required to provide a written progress
report on an annual basis.
This is the sixth year of grants and other awards made under the
department's Environmental Management Science Program,
established by Congress in fiscal year 1996.
The 13 D awards focus on characterization, decontamination and
remote system problems. Characterization research will
concentrate on the development of techniques to determine the
type and extent of contaminants, radionuclides and toxic
materials, prior to D to ensure adequate protection of workers
and the environment. Deactivation and D research will focus on
equipment and facilities to reduce radiation and contamination
levels and other hazards to allow worker access. Robotic remote
systems will provide a unique means to separate workers from
direct contact with hazardous work areas to enhance their safety
and productivity.
The 32 HLW awards focus on research technologies to characterize,
retrieve, treat waste concentrates and dispose of radioactive
waste stored in underground storage tanks at DOE facilities.
Characterization research will provide the knowledge necessary to
handle chemical and radioactive compositions and physical
parameters that are essential to safe and effective tank
remediation. Retrieval of tank waste and tank closure research
will concentrate on developing processes to mix and mobilize bulk
waste. Treatment research will focus on methods to determine the
most efficient approach to reduce the volume of HLW and minimize
the generation of secondary waste.
Two Energy Department offices share responsibility for managing
the Environmental Management Science Program (EMSP): the Office
of Environmental Management, which is responsible for the
environmental cleanup of the nation's nuclear weapons complex,
and the Office of Science, which manages the department's basic
research programs. The Office of Science conducts the research
solicitation and scientific review process and assists in the
scientific integration of the EMSP portfolio. The Office of
Environmental Management ensures that the research is relevant to
the department's environmental cleanup mission and that the
results are applied accordingly. A complete list of the projects,
including funding and research summaries, is available on the
World Wide Web at http://emsp.em.doe.gov [http://emsp.em.doe.gov]
.
The institutions receiving funding are:
Alabama: University of Alabama
California: University of California-Berkeley, University of
California-Davis, DOE's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory,
DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
District of Columbia: Department of Defense's (DOD) Naval Research
Laboratory
Florida: University of Florida
Idaho: University of Idaho, DOE's Idaho National Engineering and
Environmental Laboratory
Illinois: Illinois Institute of Technology, DOE's Argonne National
Laboratory, NorthWestern University
Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mississippi: University of Mississippi
New Jersey: Princeton University
New Mexico: DOE's Los Alamos National Laboratory, DOE's
Sandia National Laboratories
New York: X-Ray Optical Systems, Inc.
North Carolina: University of North Carolina
Ohio: Ohio State University
Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma
Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University, Carnegie Mellon University
South Carolina: Clemson University, DOE's Savannah River
Technology Center
Tennessee: DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Texas: Rice University, Texas A University, University of North Texas,
College Station, Texas A University at Commerce
Washington: University of Washington, Washington State University, DOE's
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Media Contact:
Dolline Hatchett, 202/586-5806
Joe Davis, 202/586-4940
Release No. R-01-193
*****************************************************************
25 Erudite Adds Nuclear Radiation Database to Its Online Database
of Bio-Terrorism Agents
Business Wire; Nov 14, 2001
LANSING, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 14, 2001--In response to
hundreds of visits from healthcare professionals worldwide to its
free quick-reference online database of medical protocols for
bio-terrorism agents, Detroit-based Erudite Corporation has added
a database of protocols for nuclear radiation to its medical
education Web site, www.MyCME.com.
Erudite's president and chief executive officer, Frank J.
Palazzolo, announced the development of the database at
DefendTech, a conference sponsored by the Small Business
Association of Michigan to inform small and medium-size Michigan
companies how to secure government research and development
grants to help finance innovations in anti-terrorist
technologies.
"We've had hundreds of physicians and nurses from all over the
country -- and from as far away as New Zealand -- register at our
Web site in order to view the bio-terrorism database," said Dr.
Steve Levine, Erudite's medical director. "By their response, we
know that healthcare professionals are looking for ways to
prepare for these types of public health problems."
"We decided to establish the nuclear radiation database because
there is so little information available on the subject of
nuclear radiation that is geared to healthcare providers,"
Palazzolo said. "For years, everyone thought that if things went
nuclear, everyone would be dead. But due to miniaturization, a
suitcase-size dirty nuclear bomb can cause lots of nonfatal
casualties who face both short- and long-term health problems.
Healthcare professionals need to know how to operate under these
conditions."
The nuclear radiation database includes a short primer on
radiation and its ionizing effects on the body, the effects of
different dose levels, decontamination procedures, other
precautions for healthcare professionals, lab tests, treatments,
and long-term health problems, Palazzolo said.
Erudite plans to establish a database of protocols for chemical
agents in the near future to provide healthcare professionals
with comprehensive information terrorism agents, Palazzolo said.
Erudite also plans to link its anti-terrorism databases to a
geographical reporting system to create a "syndrome surveillance
system" that would allow public health officials to monitor
potential exposure to and incidence of nuclear, biological, and
chemical agents, he said.
Erudite developed the bio-terrorism database last month in
response to the anthrax contamination of mail delivered by the
U.S. Postal Service. It contains medical protocols on botulism,
bubonic plague, ebola, smallpox, and tularemia, as well as
anthrax.
Both the bio-terrorism and nuclear radiation databases present
their information "in a `CliffsNotes(TM)' format in order to
provide key information to healthcare professionals who may be
working in extremely stressful circumstances," said Scott T.
Wrobel, Erudite's vice president of sales and marketing. Similar
information is available on the Web sites of the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other healthcare
institutions, but not in quick-reference formats, he said.
"Physicians and nurses are able to access the information through
the Web 24/7/365, whether they are in their clinics, offices, or
hospitals," Wrobel said.
To access the databases free of charge, healthcare professionals
must click on the "Join Now" bar on the www.MyCME.com home page
and complete and submit the registration form. They can then
access either database by clicking on the "Bioterrorism" bar or
the "Nuclear Radiation" bar at the top of the page that appears
after they submit the form.
The databases cover symptoms, diagnosis, transmission,
prevention, and treatment, with links to CDC videos on emergency
preparedness, Wrobel said. Erudite will amend the program as new
data become available, he said.
Currently, most of Erudite's other medical education courses and
programming are available exclusively through client
organizations. However, individual healthcare professionals can
view sample courses that demonstrate the capabilities of standard
courses, including streaming video, audio, and text.
"In the future, we hope to open up most of our library to
individual healthcare practitioners," Palazzolo said. "We
therefore encourage individuals to register and view the free
programming, which we intend to change periodically."
Erudite is a leading e-learning company focused on healthcare,
with content development agreements with Henry Ford Health
System, the University of Michigan Medical School, and the
University of Michigan-Dearborn. For additional information,
visit Erudite's corporate Web site, www.MyErudite.com.
CONTACT: Erudite Corporation John Lundberg, 313/640-4164
johnlundbergerudite@hotmail.com or Durocher Dixson Werba, LLC.,
Detroit David Adrian, 313/961-5508 adrian@ddwpr.com Gabe Werba,
313/961-8899 werba@ddwpr.com www.ddwpr.com 12:32 EST NOVEMBER 14,
2001 World Reporter
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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:
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