***************************************************************** 07/15/01 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 9.173 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER CONTENTS 1 Tour warns of nuclear waste transport risks 2 Nuclear accident: 'cover-up' probed 3 G-8 plans high-level energy meet 4 Statement of United States Senator Harry Reid,Chairman - 5 Statement of United States Senator Harry Reid Before the 6 30 YEAR OLD BOLTS THREATENED NUCLEAR SAFETY 7 Burma Seeks Nuclear Research Plant 8 North Anna plant could be a site for future reactor 9 Putin nods nuclear waste import monitored by special commission 10 Germany Studies Possible Nuclear Theft 11 Radium standards causing conflict - 12 Nuclear Power Plant in East China Runs Safely 13 Dimona family sues over cancer death 14 Ariz. 1,270-MW Palo Verde 2 nuke trips off line 15 Nuclear dump for Snowdonia 16 Bid to recover radioactive fuel rods 17 Fifth Unit Of Balakovo Nuclear Power Plant To Be Operational In 2006 18 MP given nuclear plant assurance 19 Myanmar in nuclear reactor deal with Russia 20 Yucca Mountain funding clears congressional hurdle NUCLEAR WEAPONS CONTENTS 1 'Unauthorized kitchens' at Y-12 to be shut down 2 State continues leukemia investigation 3 Radiation illnesses "unlikely" for NZ nuke veterans 4 DOE to investigate fate of scrap metals 5 Our View: DOE cluelessness won't do where cleanup's at stake 6 Comments on Radioactive Metals Recycling 7 Ill miners with IOUs face setback 8 More nuclear test evidence comes to light 9 For the Newest Nuclear Powers, a Little Chat 10 Nuclear Testing and National Honor 11 Nuclear danger in raising the Kursk ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 Tour warns of nuclear waste transport risks Journal and Courier Online - In the News posted July 14, 2001 By Beth Hlavek, Journal and Courier WARNING: Kevin Kamps, a nuclear waste specialist with the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, talks about the Radioactive Roads and Rails tour on Friday in Lafayette. Kamps is traveling with a replica of the container that will haul nuclear waste from the West Valley Demonstration Project in New York to the Idaho National Engineering Lab. (Photo by Tom Leininger, Journal and Courier) The cross-country "Radioactive Roads and Rails" tour entered Lafayette on Friday, towing a 20-foot sheet metal cask, marked with the slogan "Mobile Chernobyl." A group of anti-nuclear activists are following the Norfolk Southern train route that will be used this summer to transport used nuclear fuel from New York through Tippecanoe County to Idaho. The replica tour is sponsored by the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, a Washington, D.C., group that calls for government policies to support renewable energy. NIRS members say they are concerned that this could be the first of many cross-country shipments, which would enable the production of more waste. "If there were a serious accident with this kind of material, it would be devastating," said Diane D'Arrigo, radioactive waste project director. "If you increase the number of shipments, you increase the risk." State and county emergency management officials have said they are convinced that the Department of Energy's precautions will ensure the used nuclear fuel is transported safely. They say the casks' walls are nine inches thick and can withstand steep falls, engulfing fires, punctures and underwater pressure. But Kevin Kamps, NIRS Nuclear Waste Specialist, voiced concerns about the tests' adequacy. And D'Arrigo said routine shipments would have an adverse effect on property values. The NIRS tour began Monday in West Valley, N.Y., the starting point for this summer's shipment of used nuclear fuel. The "Radioactive Rails and Roads" tour included Indiana stops in New Haven, Fort Wayne, Huntington, Wabash, Peru, Logansport and Lafayette. The trip is scheduled to end July 25 in Idaho. The DOE has not released the date of the actual nuclear waste train shipment, citing precautions to avoid a terrorist attack. Kamps said several of NIRS's affiliate groups have planned to hold candlelight vigils when the train passes through their states. NIRS is affiliated with 32 groups throughout the nation, including the Citizens Action Coalition, based in Fort Wayne. The tour stop in Fort Wayne included a workshop on civil disobedience. NIRS opposes the generation of nuclear waste. Indiana is one of several states without a nuclear reactor. Copyright © 2001, Federated Publications, Inc. A Gannett Site. ***************************************************************** 2 Nuclear accident: 'cover-up' probed Sunday Herald By Torcuil Crichton Reactors at Chapelcross nuclear power station are to be shut down in a bid to locate and recover highly radioactive fuel rods which were dropped down a 50ft shaft. British Nuclear Fuels, which operates the plant near Anan in Dumfries and Galloway, now faces a carpeting from the Government for attempting to cover up details of the incident. When the Sunday Herald revealed the accident last week, three days after it happened, BNFL insisted that 24 fuel rods contained in a shielded basket had only fallen a few feet onto the floor out of a remote-controlled arm. It has since emerged that the fuel rods fell more than 50ft into a disposal chute and that 12 of them are still missing. Brian Wilson, Westminster Energy Minister, has summoned the BNFL chairman Hugh Collum and chief executive Norman Askew to a meeting this week to explain why the company attempted to cover up the seriousness of the situation. 'I will expect an explanation of why the initial information about what happened at Chapelcross seems to have fallen some way short of the reality,' said Wilson. ' The government, which owns BNFL, is waiting for a report from the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) on the causes of the accident before considering its next move. A spokesman for BNFL said closing the reactors will enable the station to concentrate on the fuel recovery programme. 'We have been able to locate half of the rods that have been dislodged and we desperately need to find the other 12,' he said. Nuclear experts estimate that the 40-year-old nuclear plant could be shut down for more than two months while the company comes up with a recovery plan that satisfies the NII on safety grounds. ©2001 smg sunday newspapers ltd. no.176088. all rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 3 G-8 plans high-level energy meet Daily Yomiuri On-Line Masashi Amano Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent The Group of Eight major nations have agreed to set up a ministerial forum to discuss energy issues, including nuclear-waste disposal and the development of alternative energies, it was learned Thursday. The official announcement to hold the forum will be made at a summit meeting of the G-8 on July 20 in Genoa, Italy, sources close to Japanese and U.S. governments said. Energy-policy ministers from the eight nations will attend the planned forum and discuss ways to improve international coordination on securing a stable flow of energy, as well as other issues that include the safe use of nuclear power. The first meeting is expected to be held in the United States next spring, following the official announcement of the forum. G-8 leaders will consider holding the meeting on a regular basis. Industrialized nations are faced with mounting energy problems, including high crude-oil prices, disposal of nuclear waste and delays in the development of alternative forms of energy--all problems that require global cooperation. The G-8 ministers will aim to promote talks between oil-producing nations of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and non-oil-producing nations, in addition to the coordination of issues on developing energy-saving technologies within the eight nations. They will also discuss measures to ensure safe storage and disposal of nuclear waste in Russia. The establishment of the ministerial meeting initially had been proposed by U.S. President George W. Bush. Copyright The Yomiuri Shimbun ***************************************************************** 4 Statement of United States Senator Harry Reid,Chairman - Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development Committee on Appropriations regarding FY 2001 Energy and Water Appropriations Act Full Committee Mark-up July 12, 2001 * Remarks as prepared for delivery Washington, DC - Thank you, Chairman Byrd. I am pleased to present, on behalf of myself, Senator Domenici, and the other Members of my Subcommittee, the Fiscal Year 2002 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill. Since the Subcommittee mark-up this morning, Committee staff has worked to assemble a Manager's package which will be passed out while I am speaking. There is a cover sheet that describes each accepted amendment. The manager's package contains no authorization language. Senator Domenici and I would prefer to put those issues off until Floor consideration of the bill to allow staff more time to review the requests. There is nothing controversial in this package, so I hope it will meet with your approval. I feel, and suspect that Senator Domenici, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee would agree, that the Energy and Water Subcommittee has always been amongst the most bipartisan in the Senate. My staff assures me that, despite the unusual circumstances this year, that tradition has continued unabated. We have produced a bill that, while not perfect, is one that addresses many important issues facing our nation. Before I get into the details of what is in the bill, let me say a few words about Member requests. This Subcommittee received over 1300 requests from Members this year, more than 300 more than last year. Most requests were for enhanced or new funding for water projects. We have done as much as we can to enhance funding for water projects. The Subcommittee has added $400 million to the budget of the Army Corps of Engineers and $64 million to the budget of the Bureau of Reclamation. With those funds, we have tried to accommodate as many Member priorities as possible. I wish we could do more. Even with the additional funding the Committee has added we are still several hundred million dollars shy of current year levels. We are also shy of the House mark. The Other Body was able to artificially raise their numbers for the Corps and Bureau by moving defense-dollars into these non-defense accounts. Senate rules, the budget resolution, and common sense do not allow us to do such things in the Senate. What I will say now to all of my colleagues is that, in my years on this Subcommittee, water numbers have always gotten better for everyone as we have moved along and they will again this year. Last year was the best year in recent memory for the Corps of Engineers and my hope is that we can get back to that level of spending again this year --- with or without the support of the Administration. Before I turn to Senator Domenici for his comments, let me just take a couple of minutes to hit the bill highlights. Summary The Senate bill in total provides $25 billion in budget authority and approximately $24.7 billion in outlays. The bill exceeds the President's request by $2.6 billion. The major highlights of the bill follow: Army Corps of Engineers The Senate bill provides $4.305 billion, $405 million above the President's request, but $236 million below current year level Due to the funding constraints the bill contains no new construction starts and no new environmental infrastructure projects. The intent in drafting the bill is to continue the focus on ongoing construction and O projects at appropriate levels. The Committee is eager to avoid stretching out schedules and costs on projects that are already underway. Any new construction starts will be considered at conference. If last year is any guide, there will be construction new starts in the final bill. Bureau of Reclamation and related Interior accounts The Senate bill provides $884 million,$64 million above the President's request and $67 million above the current year level This funding for the Bureau is higher than it has been for many years. I am pleased that the Subcommittee is able to provide $40 million for CALFED-related projects. While the Subcommittee is hopeful that the authorizers will provide us with a full authorization of the CALFED program, the Subcommittee has funded $40 million of CALFED-related projects under other accounts. Department of Energy For Renewable Energy Programs, the bill provides $435 million, $160 million above the President's request and $60 million above the current year level. The Subcommittee received a letter signed by nearly two-thirds of the Senate requesting higher funding levels for renewable energy programs. In a year when our nation has struggled with energy production and distribution, I am delighted to be able to enhance funding levels for these important reseach and development efforts. Consistent with the budget resolution, the bill provides $6.1 billion to the National Nuclear Security Administration for stockpile stewardship activities. This funding is $705 million over the President's request and $1.05 billion over the current year level. This is a huge increase, but is necessary to get the NNSA to get the pit production and weapons refurbishment programs back on track and to initiate a program to address the crumbling infrastructure across the 50-year old nuclear weapons complex. In recent days I have told General John Gordon, the head of the NNSA, that I am going to give him the resources he needs to do his job. However, I also told him that I am now holding him accountable for getting the job done over there. As all of you know, I have been a long-time critic of cost overruns and management incompetence within the weapons complex. I hope the General will take these enhanced resources and use them to get some fresh blood and fresh thinking going on over there. I am sure that Senator Domenici, as the Senate's leading expert on NNSA and the nuclear weapon's complex, will want to add his thoughts on this matter. Finally, I am very pleased to report that the Committee has made great strides in restoring and enhancing the devastating cuts that the Administration proposed for the Environmental Management Program at DOE. The Senate bill provides $7.23 billion, $900 million above the President's request, and $450 million above the current year level I am pleased to report that the biggest beneficiaries of these additional clean-up dollars are the Hanford, WA site ($380 million); Savannah River Site, SC ($175 million); Idaho ($156 million); Ohio ($30 million); and Kentucky ($30 million). As with water programs, I realize there are never enough resources that we can spend to clean up the legacy of the Cold War and other activities, but Senator Domenici and I have done our best. Let me close by thanking the staff. The Energy and Water Development Subcommittee staff has done great work for me and Senator Domenici for many years. The faces have changed a bit over time, but the quality of work has remained great. Senator Domenici and I would not be sitting here this morning without the great work of Clay Sell, Tammy Perrin, and Jim Crum from Senator Domenici's team and without Drew Willison, Roger Cockrell, and Nancy Olkewitz from my staff. I am grateful for the hard work and terrific product. ***************************************************************** 5 Statement of United States Senator Harry Reid Before the Senate Finance Committee regarding S. 249, The Renewable Energy Development Incentives (REDI) Act July 11, 2001 * Remarks as prepared for delivery Washington, DC - I thank Chairman Baucus and Senator Grassley for holding hearings on energy tax incentives. This is an important and timely hearing. Our nation needs a comprehensive and responsible energy strategy which encompasses conservation, efficiency, and an expanded generating capacity with an emphasis on renewable energy sources. On February 6, 2001, I introduced S. 249, the Renewable Energy Development Incentives (REDI) Act. S. 249 expands the currently limited production tax credit, which has fueled a boom in new wind energy development, to include environmentally-preferred renewable energy sources such as geothermal, solar, biomass, and incremental hydropower. I urge the support of tax incentives for renewable energy technologies – for the energy security of the United States, for the protection of our environment, and for the health of the American people. Additionally, by making the production tax credit permanent, my legislation signals America's long-term commitment to renewable energy resources and provides the needed business certainty for utilities to invest in renewable energy sources. My legislation (1) provides a credit for renewable energy production on native American and Alaskan Native lands; (2) provides a co-production credit to encourage blending of renewable energy with other production processes; and (3) provides a production incentive to tax exempt energy production facilities (e.g., public power utilities) by allowing them to transfer their credits to taxable entities. My bill also allows the credit to offset the alternative minimum tax – ensuring that smaller producers can benefit from this tax incentive. Renewable energy is poised to make major contributions to our Nation's energy needs over the next decade. The Department of Energy has estimated that we could increase our generation of geothermal energy almost ten fold, supplying ten percent of the energy needs of the West, and expand wind energy production to serve the electricity needs of ten million homes. My home state of Nevada is sometimes referred to as the "Saudi Arabia of Geothermal Energy." Nevada has already developed 230 Megawatts of geothermal power, with a longer-term potential of more than 2,500 Megawatts, enough capacity to meet half the state's present energy needs. As fantastic as it sounds, enough sunlight falls on a 100 mile-by-100 mile area of southern Nevada that — if covered with solar panels — could power the entire nation. Hopefully, the Nevada Test Site will soon be home to a state-of-the-art wind farm supplying 260 Megawatts to meet the energy needs of 260,000 homes. However, this wind-farm project is experiencing delays in securing loans from banks due to the uncertain nature of the production tax credit for wind energy. Once again, we must make the tax credit permanent to send the signal to utilities that we are committed, for the long term, to the growth of renewable energy. Encouraging growth in the renewable energy industry in the United States will also provide employment opportunities, and help the United States compete in world markets. In states like Nevada, expanded renewable energy production will provide jobs in rural areas – areas that have been largely left out of America's recent economic growth. The Unites States needs to move away from its dependence on fossils fuels that pollute the environment and undermine our national security interests and balance of trade. Ensuring that the lights and heat stay on is absolutely critical to sustaining America's economic growth and Americans' quality of life. Renewable energy -- as an alternative to traditional energy sources -- is a common sense way to ensure the American people have a reliable source of power at an affordable price. Enactment of S. 249 is critical to increasing the supply of renewable energy for the American people. ***************************************************************** 6 30 YEAR OLD BOLTS THREATENED NUCLEAR SAFETY Environment News Service: AmeriScan: July 13, 2001 AmeriScan: July 13, 2001 MONTICELLO, Minnesota, July 13, 2001 (ENS) - Two nuclear power plants learned this week that packing clamps left in place 30 years ago could have threatened radioactive containment in the event of a reactor accident. The Duane Arnold Energy Center in Palo, Iowa found packing bolts still attached to vents in the pipes intended to direct radioactive steam or hot water away from the reactor in case of a nuclear meltdown or other reactor accident. The bolts could have kept the vents, which work like giant bellows, from expanding enough to encompass all the steam, causing some steam to be released into other parts of the reactor containment building. The bolts were attached when the vents were shipped to the plant almost 30 years ago to keep the vents from expanding during transit. After the bolts were discovered, plant operator Nuclear Management Co. notified its other nuclear plants of the potential problem. Bolts were also discovered attached to the vents at the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant in Monticello, Minnesota. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is investigating the plants to learn why the bolts went undiscovered for three decades. Nuclear Management officials said that none of the routine inspections required by the NRC, state agencies or the utility itself would have found the bolts. Both plants have reactors and turbines designed by General Electric, and both were built by Bechtel in the early 1970s. The leftover bolts did not pose a safety hazard to plant workers or the public, the NRC said. Officials from the NRC said that even if the bolts caused one or more of the vents to fail during a reactor accident, radioactive steam would still have been contained within the reactor containment building, and would not have been released into the atmosphere. While agreeing that the bolts had not endangered the public in the past, David Lochbaum, a nuclear safety engineer and spokesperson for the Union of Concerned Scientists, warned that failed vents could have increased the amount of radiation released in a nuclear accident 100 fold. © Environment News Service (ENS)2001. ***************************************************************** 7 Burma Seeks Nuclear Research Plant IHT: Thomas Crampton International Herald Tribune Saturday, July 14, 2001 Russia Negotiating to Help Impoverished Nation With Reactor Project RANGOON In a bid to join the world's atomic nations, Burma is negotiating to build a nuclear reactor with Russian financial and technical help. Nuclear experts say that the research reactor project, to be built in accordance with International Atomic Energy Agency guidelines, could not easily be retooled to produce nuclear weapons. But officials from donor governments privately have expressed shock at such expenditure by one of the world's poorest and least developed countries. The project would also put high-maintenance nuclear technology in the hands of a government that is now unable to provide a constant supply of electricity to the country's capital. Burma and Russia quietly agreed early this year to build a 10-megawatt research reactor. Russian officials affirm that intense discussions are now under way on implementing the agreement. Eager to raise cash by exporting nuclear know-how, Russia recently angered the United States by helping build a reactor in Iran and providing nuclear fuel to India, which runs an active weapons program. "This project is foolish because it is beyond Burma's means to build and service a reactor," said one international nonproliferation official familiar with the project. "Problem is, the Russians will sell equipment to anyone." Burma's secretive military government declined requests to discuss details of the project, but a furtive and unauthorized look around the recently established Department of Atomic Energy on Pyay Pagoda Road in Rangoon revealed little visible progress toward a nuclear program. Slipping past a sleepy security guard at the entrance, a foreign journalist wandered among the complex's buildings for several minutes before being escorted out, but found no evidence of new construction, computers or, for that matter, air-conditioning, despite the sweltering tropical heat. Russia's ambassador to Rangoon calls the nuclear project the most important cooperative effort between the two countries in decades and said Burma, also known as Myanmar, could pay for the reactor in cash or in trade. "We cannot offer so much credit," said Gleb Ivashentsov, the Russian ambassador. "So we could, for example, accept payment for the reactor in rice, teak or perhaps fish." The price of the reactor depends on its political importance, but experts say that even small models can cost up to $5 million, equivalent to more than Burma's 1999 national health budget. Rangoon and Moscow, which enjoyed close relations during the Soviet era, are now in the process of rebuilding lapsed links. In addition to helping construct dams and hospitals in the 1950s, Soviet engineers built and staffed the Rangoon Institute of Technology. Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet leader from 1953 to 1964, paid two visits to Burma, during one of which he reputedly designed the swimming pool alongside the Soviet-built Inya Lake Hotel. Cooperation ended as Burma's government severed ties to the outside world and the Soviet Union collapsed, but within the last few years Moscow has courted Rangoon as a counterbalance to China's increased influence in Burma. Burma's nuclear intentions have, however, puzzled diplomats, who point to the global decline of interest in research reactors. There are roughly 400 research reactors worldwide, about half of which have been mothballed, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. The prime mover behind the reactor project is Burma's minister of science and technology, U Taung, who reportedly considers nuclear research necessary for a modern nation. As for military concerns, Burma has been a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency since 1957, acceded to the nonproliferation treaty in 1992 and agreed to a protocol allowing inspections in 1995. But this has not left the foreign diplomatic community complacent. "Financially, this pariah state cannot afford to turn into a rogue nuclear nation," said one Rangoon-based diplomat. "But we do keep an eye on the situation and listen to all the rumors with interest and growing amusement." Shortly after hearing about the Russian reactor, one foreign diplomat was shocked to see expansive blueprints depicting a missile-like object posted in the science minister's office. Closer scrutiny, however, revealed the diagram to be an architect's drawing of restoration work on the pointed peak of Shwedagon, Rangoon's enormous gold-festooned pagoda. Copyright © 2001 the International Herald Tribune All Rights ***************************************************************** 8 North Anna plant could be a site for future reactor [The Free Lance-Star] The signal monitor board in the control room alerts operators to potential problems, as well as indicating which portions of the plant may be inoperative because of repair work. Massive machinery such as a moisture separator and reheater line the top floor of the building that houses two turbines. A new nuclear power plant hasn't been ordered in the U.S. since 1978. But with the political pendulum swinging back toward nuclear energy, that could change, and the Fredericksburg area could be affected. By RUSTY DENNEN Date published: Sun, 07/15/2001 No one is predicting that a third or fourth nuclear reactor will appear anytime soon at the North Anna Power Station in Fredericksburg's back yard. But, in a surprising indication of how much public opinion has changed on nuclear power, officials at Dominion Virginia Power say that what was unthinkable only a few years ago is now possible. Dominion, Virginia's largest power producer, has had preliminary discussions with federal regulators about securing "early site permits" for new reactors that would most likely be built at an existing nuclear plant. North Anna has two reactors, but was originally designed for four. David A. Christian, senior vice president and chief nuclear officer for Dominion, said the company has no immediate plans to add any new reactors, but that down the road, it might. "If, at some time in the future, nuclear power is readily accepted by the public--and most importantly, economical compared to other sources of energy such as coal and natural gas--you have to be prepared," Christian said in a recent interview. "It just seems like to us that if [nuclear] is ever going to come back that this is a good first step." Four utilities, including Dominion, have had discussions with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, but no applications have been filed. Any application would require local, state and federal review and public hearings. Thomas F. Ferrell, chief executive officer of Dominion Energy, a division of the utility, told the Nuclear Energy Assembly in May that adding new units to existing nuclear sites "may make the most sense." Nuclear power has traveled a bumpy road from the 1979 Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania, which galvanized public opinion against the industry, to the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in Russia, in which radioactive material was spewed across the countryside, killing plant workers and sickening thousands. The last nuclear reactor ordered for a commercial power plant in the United States was in 1978, and since then about 100 reactors have been canceled. Until only recently, any utility chief executive officer seriously thinking about building nuclear would have been laughed out of the boardroom. With the election of a nuclear energy-friendly president and California's power crisis, prospects seem to be improving. In a speech this spring on his national energy policy, President Bush declared nuclear energy to be "clean and safe and an answer to the U.S. energy crisis." That had some eager industry representatives predicting that a new nuclear reactor could be in the pipeline within a year or two. Opponents scoff at the notion, suggesting that nuclear plants are dangerous, too expensive, and that some big issues--such as what to do with tons and tons of highly radioactive spent fuel piling up at the nation's nuclear plants--still have to be resolved. North Anna's waste fuel is still stored on the site. After 14 years in the works, a national waste repository in Nevada for the nation's 103 nuclear plants is years from completion. "The nuclear industry is perennially optimistic," said Jerry Rosenthal, president of a local environmental watchdog group, Concerned Citizens of Louisa. "I think the chances of seeing another nuclear plant are extremely slim." For one thing, he said, nuclear plants in the past have been notoriously expensive, and new technology that would be used in any new plant is still too new to be trusted. Christian acknowledged there are hurdles ahead. "It's still a little early. This has never been done and you've got a lot of unknowns." He cautioned: "If you did go forward, there's a whole lot more work to be done. This is not like a back door way to sneak a nuclear plant in. We've done some basic work to demonstrate that a site could take an additional unit or two." He said that North Anna and Dominion's Surry nuclear plant on the James River near Williamsburg would be on the list for consideration. At North Anna, for example, much of the groundwork, engineering and planning has already been done. The plant, overlooking the 13,000-acre Lake Anna on the Spotsylvania-Louisa county line, was originally designed for four reactors. Only Units 1 and 2 were ever built; the first came online in 1979; the second, in 1980. Units 3 and 4 were under construction, but by mid-1981, plans for those two reactors were shelved as company officials accurately predicted at the time that--due to uncertain demand and growing opposition from environmentalists--no more reactors would be feasible for the rest of the century. The steel and equipment at the site was cut up and sold for scrap and the licenses were terminated. For now, the smart money on power generation has been going to natural gas, coal, and oil-fired plants. Several of those have been built in recent years around Fredericksburg by Dominion and its suppliers. But even those options have proved to be expensive as the cost of oil and natural gas has soared. Environmental issues aside, nuclear remains one of the most economical ways to make electricity. And the industry has been touting new technology that could make reactors smaller, safer and more efficient. North Anna has twin Westinghouse Electric pressurized-steam reactors that run 24 hours a day, every day, except for the three to four weeks every 18 months that they are taken out of service for refueling. Combined, North Anna and Surry produce just over a third of Dominion's total output of electricity. Enriched uranium pellets packed in 157 rectangular fuel assemblies lowered into the reactors create fission, producing steam, which turns two massive turbines, generating electricity. Each unit zaps 500,000 volts into Dominion's generation grid, lighting up millions of homes, government offices, schools and businesses in the mid-Atlantic region. On a typical day, 900 people work at North Anna. Security is everpresent--guards check everyone in and out; visitors to some areas of the plant must wear sensors to measure radiation exposure. In the building next to the reactors where steam is piped to the turbines, the roar is deafening and workers scurry around with earplugs, hard hats and safety goggles. The control room, which resembles a giant jet cockpit with shelves of switches, monitors, dials and gauges, typically has half a dozen operators and assistants on duty around the clock. Senior reactor operators wear wine-colored shirts; reactor operators, a step below them in training, wear green. Much of their time is spent reviewing checklists, monitoring gauges and in training. One of the most eerie places at North Anna is the room containing the spent fuel assemblies removed from the reactors after refueling. The assemblies are submerged in 27 feet of water in a steel-lined tank resembling an Olympic-size swimming pool. The water, infused with neutron-absorbing boron, shields workers from radiation. The highly radioactive spent fuel stays submerged in the pool for seven years before it can be safely moved for storage in giant steel cocoonlike casks outside. "The big question we get all the time is, 'Are you going to build Units 3 and 4?'" said Chris L. Funderburk, manager of station operations and maintenance at North Anna. His answer: "Not anytime soon.We're just being prudent in trying to plan for the future." The early site permit discussion "is one of our planning tools." Roger Hannah, a spokesman for the NRC, said an early site permit completes the initial step in the two-step permit process. "At some point later, they would come in and file the necessary paperwork to get a construction permit and begin the whole process," he said. Dominion has applied to the NRC to relicense North Anna's existing reactors for another 20 years and to extend the licenses on its Surry units, which expire in 2012 and 2013. The Louisa coalition's Rosenthal wonders if North Anna's relicensing is a good idea. "I have several questions about letting it run 20 more years. It's on tired legs already," he said. What Dominion has not been able to build, the company has been busy buying. In March, it bought the Millstone nuclear power station in Waterford, Conn., for $1.3 billion. And it has an eye on the Vermont Yankee plant along the Connecticut River, and the Seabrook, N.H., plants. "Energy companies today have to consider options well into the future," Christian said, "and this is a challenge." ©2001 The Free LanceStar Publishing Co. of Fredericksburg, Va., ***************************************************************** 9 Putin nods nuclear waste import monitored by special commission Pravda.RU Jul, 12 2001 Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has decreed to set up a special commission to monitor import of irradiated elements of foreign manufacture to Russia. The commission is supposed to be looking into every specific case. Renowned Russian physicist Academician Zhores Alferov, a Nobel prize winner, has been appointed to chair the commission, the presidential press-service said Wednesday. Apart from Academician Alferov, 20 people are yet to be included in the commission– 5 from the President, 5 from the Federation Council (upper house), 5 from the State Duma (lower house), and 5 from the government. President Putin simultaneously introduced a bill in the State Duma stipulating that each particular case of the import of nuclear waste should be “cleared” by the above commission. Along with the decree “Of a special commission for regulating the import to the territory of the Russian Federation of irradiated elements of foreign manufacture,” the President also singed into law the bills “Of inserting supplements to the federal law “Of nuclear energy use”, “Of inserting supplements to the article 50 of the RF law “Of environmental protection,” and also “Of special environmental programmes for the rehabilitation of polluted areas.” Academician Alferov has stressed that all the money Russia is to receive for the import of wasted nuclear fuel to its territory will be allocated through the budget. The money will go to improve the state of nuclear facilities, develop new technologies for the processing and storing wasted nuclear fuel, improve environmental protection, he is quoted by RIA Novosti as saying. Academician Alferov aslo said that the first batches of radioactive cargoes may not arrive very soon. "In 2001, we will not have take any imports-related decisions", said the Nobelist. RIA 'Novosti' Pravda.RU:Politics ***************************************************************** 10 Germany Studies Possible Nuclear Theft Today: July 15, 2001 at 13:15:28 PDT BERLIN- Germany's environment minister ordered an inquiry Sunday into reports that radioactive material was stolen by an employee of a nuclear reprocessing facility near the western city of Karlsruhe. Police declined to comment on media reports that the man, under investigation since last Monday, has been arrested and questioned about the alleged theft, and that a stash of radioactive material was found at a disused airfield nearby. Prosecutors are to make a statement Monday. If true, the allegations of theft indicate "scandalous security failures" at the plant, Environment Minister Juergen Trittin said. He ordered officials in the Baden-Wuerttemberg plant to report to him by Monday on what went wrong. Routine tests in recent weeks on the 49-year-old man and in his apartment had found unusually high levels of radiation. The man's partner and her daughter reportedly were also found to have been exposed. Their names and the quantity of material allegedly stolen have not been released. German radio reported Sunday that investigators are examining suspicious material found in a small tube near Landau, close to the French border. SWR radio said the man had told investigators where the tube was hidden at the former airfield, which was once used by French military forces. About 200 tons of spent fuel from German nuclear power plants was reprocessed at the research plant in Karlsruhe between 1971 and 1990. Work to dismantle the plant has been going on since 1996. -- All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 11 Radium standards causing conflict - lacrossetribune.com News La Crescent grumbling and searching for affordable ways to comply. By JEFF DANKERT / Lee Newspapers A new federal standard for radium in drinking water has the cities of Goodview and La Crescent grumbling and searching for affordable ways to comply. In 2000, 15 Minnesota communities, including Goodview and La Crescent, exceeded the drinking water standard for radium 226 and radium 228. Also, 15 community water systems, including La Crescent, exceeded the drinking water standard for gross alpha emitters. Radium is a naturally occurring element in underground soil and rock, and is the source of radon, a radio-active gas produced by the decay of uranium and radium in the ground. In 1991, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed loosening the radium standard for drinking water from 5 picocuries to 20 picocuries per liter. In December 1997, the EPA announced the standard probably would not be changed to 20 but would remain at 5. The state of Minnesota, obligated to follow the Clean Water Act, also went back to 5. Last year, the EPA formally reaffirmed a standard of 5 picocuries per liter for combined radionuclides, forcing states and cities to improve affected water supplies. La Crescent officials could not be reached for comment last week. In an April story, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported La Crescent was one of six cities backing the city of Waukesha's (Wis.) federal appeals court petition challenging the new standard. La Crescent has signed a compliance agreement and hired an engineer to take duplicate samples to see if further tests show a violation of standards, he said. Minnesota has 8,300 public drinking water systems, the seventh highest number in the nation. Of these, 955 are community systems that deliver water to people's homes, and 710 are municipal services for entire towns and cities. Most of these use groundwater, but 23 systems in the state use surface water from lakes or rivers. Correcting Goodview's municipal water supply could cost $500,000 to $1 million for special filters, Public Works Director Greg Volkart said. The city has agreed to a July 2004 deadline to comply. But the city council recently agreed to send a letter saying it would comply but does not agree with the requirement. Karla Peterson, senior compliance engineer with the Minnesota Department of Health, said the state and cities are "playing catch-up" to come into compliance. Data showed enough risk to keep the standard at 5 picocuries per liter. "They've used many different studies, but some of the science that goes into the radium rule is some of the better data," Peterson said. Scientists studied workers who once painted watch dials with a green glowing paint, the kind that once made watches glow in the dark. These workers had a habit of occasionally licking their fine-tipped paint brushes. After this paint was banned, the workers coincidentally became test subjects on the effects of radium, which can cause bone cancer. "There is a cancer risk and the risk is based on 70 years of consumption at 2 liters per day," Peterson said. The risk is chronic, like smoking cigarettes. Negative effects are not immediate but accumulate over time. It is assumed the subterranean radium has always been present, so older residents of Goodview and La Crescent should be concerned but not overly alarmed, she said. If residents consumed two liters per day for 70 years, the chances of getting cancer from the water is from 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 1 million, Peterson said. In general, deeper, older municipal wells in Minnesota tend to have higher radium levels than other wells. However, using shallow wells is not a good solution because of other contamination problems associated with surface water infiltration, she said. Contact Jeff at (507) 453-3513, or e-mail jdankert@winonadailynews.com ***************************************************************** 12 Nuclear Power Plant in East China Runs Safely July 13, 2001, updated at 19:28(GMT+8) China's first self-designed, constructed, and managed nuclear power plant, Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant, is in sound condition after 10 years of safe operation, plant management said. Over the past 10 years, the plant in Haiyan County, Zhejiang Province in east China has produced 16.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. It has replenished its nuclear power reserves five times and the plant has been overhauled the same amount of times over the 10- year period, the last of which was finished in January 2001. In the first half of the year, the plant generated 1.15 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, beating the half-year target. The management said they have been able to maintain plant standards, keeping the plant in the best condition ever. The plant's discharge of nuclear waste has been kept under control, and the radioactive level at the plant has been kept within the control range, the management said. Copyright by People's Daily Online, all rights reserved | ***************************************************************** 13 Dimona family sues over cancer death Haaretz Daily Newspaper - English Internet Edition Friday, July 13, 2001 By Zafrir Rinat Ha'aretz Correspondent Relatives of a technician in Dimona's nuclear research plant who died of cancer are suing the state for NIS 3.5 million. The suit, filed in Jerusalem District Court on Wednesday, claims Mordechai Peled, who worked in uranium processing, died from exposure to radioactive materials. A letter Peled wrote shortly before his death in 1982 describing his daily routine and work accidents at the nuclear facility has been submitted with the plaintiffs' claim. Peled, a Be'er Sheva resident, suggested the facility had failed to provide suitable protective equipment or to require workers to use whatever protective gear they had. "Though it was written we should work wearing masks, nobody made sure we would put them on," Peled wrote. In one passage he described a "yellow cloud" that hovered over workers who scrambled to escape from it. The cancer victim wrote in detail about a worrisome incident while he was doing a repair job in one part of the facility. Equipment which measured radioactivity levels warned of a dangerous spillage of tritium, but since Peled was pinned between a pipe and a wall while doing the repairs, he was unable to leave the site. Peled worked in the nuclear facility for 20 years. His relatives argue his fatal melanoma was contracted because the nuclear research facility supplied neither suitable protective equipment, nor reasonable briefings for workers about protecting themselves from harmful materials. The plant failed in its duty to keep tabs on possible worker exposure to radiation, they charge, and failed to disclose medical reports to Peled confirming his exposure to radioactive materials. The lawyer representing the Peled family, Reuven Lester, has in recent years handled a number of suits filed against the state on behalf of workers from the Dimona plant, claiming they suffered work-related health damage. [ vspace=5] © copyright 2001 Ha'aretz. All Rights Reserved Syrian ***************************************************************** 14 Ariz. 1,270-MW Palo Verde 2 nuke trips off line Yahoo - Friday July 13, 3:52 pm Eastern Time SAN FRANCISCO, July 13 (Reuters) - The 1,270-megawatt (MW) Unit 2 at the Palo Verde nuclear plant in Arizona tripped off line on Friday following an equipment problem involving steam to the unit's main turbine, operator Arizona Public Service (APS) said. ``While all of the equipment operated normally during the shutdown, the details are being investigated and it is expected that the unit will return to service early next week,'' the company said in a statement, adding they had ``adequate supply to meet customer needs.'' Meanwhile, the adjacent units 1 and 3, both rated at 1,270 megawatts, continued to run at full power, APS said. Arizona Public Service, a unit of Pinnacle West Capital Corp. (NYSE:PNW - news), has a 29.1 percent stake in the plant. Other part owners of the Palo Verde nuclear generating facility include Salt River Project (17.5 percent), Southern California Edison (NYSE:EIX - news) (15.8), El Paso Electric (AMEX:EE - news) (15.8), Public Service Co of New Mexico (NYSE:PNM - news) (10.2), Southern California Public Power Authority (5.9) and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (5.7). Copyright © 2001 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy ***************************************************************** 15 Nuclear dump for Snowdonia © 2001 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd By Robert Mendick 15 July 2001 British Nuclear Fuels has unveiled plans to build an above-ground nuclear waste dump the size of a football stadium in the heart of Snowdonia National Park, in a move described by environmentalists as a "nightmare". The giant building, costing £50m, will store parts of the reactor from Trawsfynydd nuclear power station which was shut down in 1993. A planning application by the nuclear authority has prompted calls for a public inquiry from environmental campaigners. BNFL says it has no alternative but to build the storage facility at Trawsfynydd. There is currently no central dump anywhere in the UK for storing intermediate level nuclear waste, which includes parts of the reactor left over when a nuclear power station is decommissioned. In 1997, plans for an underground test laboratory that would have paved the way for a subterranean dump at Sellafield in Cumbria were rejected by John Gummer, then Secretary of State for the Environment, on account of fears that radioactive waste would seep into the ground. The Council for National Parks (CNP), a campaign group, says all possible options for storing the waste must be debated at a public inquiry. "The prospect of 100 years or more of nuclear storage in a national park is disgraceful," said CNP spokeswoman Sylvia Davies. "It is a nightmare. "Trawsfynydd shows the damaging legacy of nuclear power. These plans must now be subject to rigorous examination at a public inquiry, including all alternatives for decommissioning." While building a nuclear power station in a national park would never be allowed today, Trawsfynydd was given the go-ahead just prior to the creation of Snowdonia National Park. The power station was built at Trawsfynydd in the 1950s, generating electricity for 28 years until it was closed eight years ago. BNFL delivered its planning application – including an environmental assessment report that filled seven boxes – to Snowdonia National Park Authority last week. The park authority is responsible for planning laws. A spokesman for BNFL said the new building would be 120 metres long, about 23 metres high and 30 metres wide. But he said it would be hidden from view by the existing decommissioned power plant, which will be reduced in height to 20 metres. He said the planning application followed a long-term consultation with people in nearby villages. "One of the things they called for was to have the visual impact of the site reduced because of its unique position in the national park," said the spokesman. "Our proposal is to lower the height of the roof [of the reactor] and then clad it in local slate and coloured stainless steel. We are also planting 40,000 trees to screen it." He attacked the CNP for criticising BNFL's plans before it had even seen them. "We have had support from the local community," said the spokesman. "We have worked hard with them to find out what they want." Also from the Environment section Koizumi forecasts stalemate in Bonn over Kyoto treaty University devises project to preserve red squirrel colony Nuclear accident 'covered up' Seized rare birds boost Scottish population Dartmoor re-opens today after farm virus ***************************************************************** 16 Bid to recover radioactive fuel rods Ananova - Reactors at a nuclear plant are to be shut down in a bid to recover radioactive fuel roads that were dislodged during a routine operation. The three reactors at Chapelcross nuclear power station in Dumfries and Galloway will be gradually shut down during next week. British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL), which operates the plant near Annan, says the shutdown has been agreed as part of an ongoing inquiry to determine how 24 fuel rods fell from a machine on July 5. The radioactive rods were in a basket, which is believed to have fallen during a routine refuelling manoeuvre. A BNFL spokesman says the shutdown will pose no threat to public safety. He states: "This action will enable the station's resources to be concentrated on the fuel recovery programme. "We have been able to locate half of the rods that have been dislodged and we desperately need to find the other 12. By shutting down the three remaining reactors, we should be able to do this sooner." The spokesman says the inquiry has taken longer than expected and he is unsure when the recovery operation will be completed. The news comes a day after Russell Brown, MP for Dumfries, said he had been assured by plant bosses there were no signs of increased radioactivity readings, and fuel rods involved in the incident appeared to be undamaged. The fuel rods, each weighing 12kg, are thought to have dropped 50ft or more inside a discharge chute at the plant. The rods are bars of uranium metal clad in an outer magnox can.They are placed inside reactors as part of the nuclear fission process that generates heat and, ultimately, electricity. Story filed: 07:32 Sunday 15th July 2001 RELATED STORIES: + Copyright © 2001 Ananova Ltd Terms and conditions of use - - ***************************************************************** 17 Fifth Unit Of Balakovo Nuclear Power Plant To Be Operational In 2006 Pravda.RU Jul, 13 2001 The fifth unit of the Russian Balakovo power plant (in the Saratov Region in the Volga area) will be put into operation in 2006, and the sixth - in 2010. Head of the forecasting development and long-term planning department at the Rosenergoatom concern Vladimir Severinov announced this news today. He held a meeting of a working group in Saratov during which a draft declaration of intention to complete the second phase of the Balakovo nuclear power plant and its operational launch was considered. This was the first time that such a document had been worked out, Severinov noted. The issues involved in the construction of new power-generating units were earlier decided exclusively between the leadership of regions and the Ministry of Atomic Energy of Russia. Now the intentions of the federal and regional authorities have been formalised as a declaration and submitted for discussion by a wide circle of specialists and the public. The authors of the declaration paid great attention to environmental security. A 30-kilometre observation zone, the inhabitants of which will be entitled to financial compensation, will be established in the area of the units. The cost of the construction is estimated at 38 billion roubles (one US dollar = more than 29 roubles). An additional 6,000 jobs will be generated during construction, while profitable orders will be given to Saratov enterprises. RIA 'Novosti' ***************************************************************** 18 MP given nuclear plant assurance BBC News | SCOTLAND | Friday, 13 July, 2001, 15:15 GMT 16:15 UK The Chapelcross plant is operated by BNFL A Labour MP has said he was satisfied there was no danger to the public from an incident under investigation at a Scottish nuclear plant. Russell Brown, MP for Dumfries, said he had been assured by plant bosses that there were no signs of increased radioactivity readings, and fuel rods involved in the incident appeared to be undamaged. Mr Brown was speaking after he and Dumfries Labour MSP Dr Elaine Murray visited the Chapelcross nuclear power station near Annan, south-west Scotland. In last week's incident, fuel rods weighing 12kg each are thought to have dropped 50ft or more inside a discharge chute at the plant, operated by British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL). Local MP Russell Brown is due to meet bosses The incident happened at a reactor which had been shut down for refuelling, and Mr Brown said the plant's three other reactors were unaffected. Mr Brown said a basket containing fuel rods was being lowered when it dropped a distance of about 5ft. Some fuel rods remained in place in the basket but others went out of the basket and fell down the remainder of the chute. But Mr Brown said he and Dr Murray had been assured monitoring showed no increase in radioactivity and there was little likelihood of damage to the fuel rods. Heavily shielded container "There is no danger to the safety of the workforce, nor the environment and most importantly there is nothing the local community should be worrying about," he said. Company spokesman Paul Vallance said the basket involved in the incident was a heavily-shielded container holding 24 fuel rods. He said the basket was normally lowered down the shoot allowing the rods to be placed in protected flasks at the bottom from where they could be moved away for reprocessing. He added: "We have now been able to do a camera inspection and we have basically found that a number of fuel elements aren't where we expected them to be. "There were 24 rods originally inside the basket. We know that 12 are still in the basket. Completely safe "The 12 other rods, we are not sure where they are, other than to say that because of the physical arrangements, we are almost certain that they have dropped down the fuel discharge route to the bottom of the chute." He insisted the rods were "completely safe" as it was a "cladded part of the reactor". He added: "Even if there is any damage to the rods, they are clearly exactly where they should be in a very highly shielded area with absolutely no personnel access." Fuel rods are bars of uranium metal clad in an outer magnox can which are placed inside reactors as part of the nuclear fission process that generates heat and ultimately electricity. ***************************************************************** 19 Myanmar in nuclear reactor deal with Russia 15 July 2001 : The Times of India BANGKOK: Myanmar's ruling military is negotiating with Russia to buy a nuclear reactor, in a move that raises concerns over the impoverished nation's ability to cope with high-maintenance technology. David Kyd, chief spokesman of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said that although Yangon had asked for "general advice" on the purchase, there were safety concerns. The deal would provide Myanmar -- snubbed by much of the Western world for its human rights record and alleged involvement in the illicit drugs trade -- with its first taste of nuclear technology. "We have not been asked to get involved, except to give technical advice on what the establishment of a research reactor involves," Kyd told Reuters in a telephone interview on Friday. "If asked for further advice, we will be impressing on Myanmar authorities that they don't just have to get the piece of equipment and the instruction book. You have to be sure you have the scientific ability to operate it, to maintain it in good condition and to supervise its safety," Kyd said. "You don't just hand this over to a bunch of scientists and say: 'get on with it'." Nuclear experts say that of the roughly 400 research reactors world-wide, nearly half have been mothballed due to their expense and complicated maintenance. "Thailand already has one such reactor, and it has been struggling with the construction of a second with technical problems, financial problems, and in the case of Thailand, which I don't think will be a problem in Myanmar, with environmental and political opposition," said one non-proliferation expert. Myanmar officials have declined to discuss the reactor deal, but a nascent Department of Atomic Energy is now in evidence on Yangon's Pyay Pagoda Road, in the form of a blue and white sign in front of a cluster of low-slung, largely empty buildings. Moscow and Yangon reached an in-principle agreement earlier this year, and are in ongoing talks to finalise the technical and commercial aspects of the transaction. "The idea is that Myanmar wants to have this reactor and the Ministry of Atomic Energy in Russia is ready to cooperate," Russia's Ambassador Gleb Ivashentsov said in a recent interview in Yangon. "Do not demonise Myanmar. They should not be denied the right to develop their own atomic science...If the U.S. has no doubts in making up their minds to supply reactors to North Korea (why not Myanmar)." No military use Ivashentsov declined to give the reactor's specifications, describing it only as "a kind of small research reactor." "It is purely scientific, non-military," he said. A source close to the deal said the reactor was likely to be in the five-to-10 megawatt range with a cost of between $1 million and $5 million. "The 10 megawatt is the standard model you will be offered when you walk into the showroom," he said. Kyd confirmed that such a reactor was not likely to be suitable for the production of nuclear weapons. "A research reactor of this type would be to advance science and not have a more suspect dimension to it. However, we do keep our eyes on more elaborate nuclear research reactors of this type. There have been worries, for example, about one in Algeria built by the Chinese." Foreign diplomats in Yangon said they were aware of the deal, and that a number of technicians from Myanmar were believed to have left for Russia earlier this year for training. Ivashentsov said the financial aspects of the deal had yet to be finalised, but that Myanmar could pay in cash or barter with produce such as timber, rice and fish. "Russia is not in a position to provide long-term credit, (but) we can offer them technology," he said. Russia and Myanmar have a long history of close bilateral cooperation, which fizzled out with the collapse of the Soviet Union. It was resumed in the mid 1990s, and since then Moscow has sold around a dozen Mi-17 transport helicopters to the military regime, the ambassador said. The most obvious signs of the early years of cooperation include a hotel in the capital, a university, and a number of dams and irrigation schemes. The Soviet leader Nikita Kruschev also visited Yangon twice, in 1955 and 1960. (Reuters) ***************************************************************** 20 Yucca Mountain funding clears congressional hurdle [Las Vegas Review-Journal] Saturday, July 14, 2001 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal House panel approves bill containing provision easing way for Nevada project to be financed By STEVE TETREAULT DONREY WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- Congress took a step forward this week to make it easier for the Energy Department to claim money from a special fund to build a Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. Late Thursday, a House panel approved an energy bill that would create a separate account in the U.S. Treasury for billions of dollars collected from nuclear utilities to pay for studies and possible construction of a dump 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The provision enjoyed strong backing by lawmakers on the energy and air quality subcommittee. Most of its 31 members are pro-nuclear and support efforts to bury nuclear waste in Nevada. Part of a larger bill that deals with energy conservation, fuel programs, hydropower and coal technology, the nuclear provision was only briefly discussed. The subcommittee action was an early stage in the bill-forming process. Lobbyists and congressional officials say the idea of loosening the purse strings to benefit nuclear waste disposal is certain to draw more scrutiny in the weeks ahead. Environmental groups and Nevada elected officials oppose the idea, saying it would ease development of a repository in the state. Officials who favor federal budget discipline also don't like it, nor do lawmakers who sit on congressional spending panels. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., has started feeling out allies for a possible attempt to derail the provision, a spokesman said. Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., has informed House leaders that he will vote against the energy bill if the Yucca Mountain item remains in it. "The congressman's support for the energy package weighs on whether they try to include that in the bill," said Gibbons aide Robert Uithoven. "They will lose one reliable vote." At issue is a fund established by the 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act that started the government looking for a suitable burial ground for thousands of tons of highly radioactive spent fuel generated by utilities. To pay for repository search and development, utility customers have been assessed a fee of one-tenth of 1 cent per kilowatt hour of electricity generated by nuclear power. Over the years, the fee has generated $17 billion; the fund now contains about $9 billion after spending for studies, the Energy Department says. But for accounting purposes, money gathering in the nuclear waste fund is bunched with other revenues taken in by the government and included in calculations of how much should be spent each year on federal programs. In essence, it competes each year for spending allocations. Yucca Mountain managers note the project has been underfunded by Congress in recent years, leading to delays in repository development. In upcoming years, the squeeze will be even tighter, as the Energy Department will need to claim more than $1 billion a year for repository construction. Coincidentally, the same day the Yucca Mountain budget break passed the House subcommittee, the program was dealt a big cut in spending on the other side of Capitol Hill, by repository critic Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. As chairman of an energy spending panel, Reid reduced next year's nuclear waste budget by 38 percent. Proponents of taking the nuclear waste fund "off-budget" say that since Yucca Mountain has its own funding source, it should be handled separately from other government programs, and not be subject to limits that Congress sets each year to stay within its budgets. "By taking the nuclear waste fund off-budget, as it should be, it will give ratepayers what they paid for," said Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, a leading backer of the idea. Proponents also say it's not true that removing budget caps would hamper the ability of Congress to oversee the program. Barton aide Samantha Jordan said Congress would retain that authority under the legislation being considered. Jim Hagan, director of legislative programs for the Nuclear Energy Institute, said congressional appropriators still could set spending amounts each year based on their assessment of progress at Yucca Mountain. The difference is that they would not be under pressure to divert nuclear funds to other priorities. "We're not against any oversight on this, we're not for just opening the vault and taking the money out," said Mitch Singer, an institute spokesman. But critics characterize the budget change as a money-grab by nuclear interests. Reid said he will try to block the bill in the Senate. "It doesn't make sense fiscally or from energy policy to give pro-Yucca Mountain forces unlimited spending ability," said Anna Aurilio, legislative director for U.S. Public Interest Research Group, an environmental and consumer organization that opposes nuclear waste burial. Leaders of the House Appropriations Committee oppose singling out nuclear waste for special budget treatment, said committee spokesman John Scofield. He said the committee will likely weigh in during upcoming debates. "It's a question of why should that program be placed at the front of the line, in front of veterans, education, you can go down the list," Scofield said. "We oppose putting programs on autopilot." Also opposing the budget change is Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., an influential voice on fiscal matters who chaired the Senate Budget Committee. "The federal budget has 138 trust funds of one sort or another," Domenici said. "The purpose of the budget is to show the total effect of everything on the economy of the United States. If you started taking things off budget, where would it stop?" This story is located at: http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2001/Jul-14-Sat-2001/news/16538602.html ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR WEAPONS ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 'Unauthorized kitchens' at Y-12 to be shut down July 14, 2001 By Frank Munger, News-Sentinel senior writer [PHOTO] About 100 cooking facilities -- featuring stoves or outdoor grills, such as this, -- were found at sites throughout the sprawling Y-12 complex, posing a 'potentially serious' health and safety hazard. OAK RIDGE -- Building bombs and burning burgers apparently don't mix, and officials plan to crack down on "unauthorized kitchens" at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant. About 100 cooking facilities -- featuring stoves or outdoor grills -- were found at sites throughout the sprawling Y-12 complex, posing a "potentially serious" health and safety hazard. That's according to a memo this week from John Mitchell, president and general manager of BWXT, the federal contractor. "The use of this type of cooking equipment presents a risk that we as a company are unwilling to accept," Mitchell said. BWXT replaced Lockheed Martin as manager of the warhead factory last November and pledged it would make safety the No. 1 priority at a plant beset by accidents -- including a major chemical explosion in late 1999. Mitchell said BWXT cannot regulate activities at all these cooking areas and ensure that equipment is in working order or that combustible materials are being kept at a safe distance. Also, without inspections, the "appropriate cleanliness" cannot be enforced, he said. The Oak Ridge plant was constructed during the World War II Manhattan Project and produces parts for every atomic weapon in the U.S. arsenal. The complex in Bear Creek Valley includes more than 500 buildings, many of them in deteriorated condition, and the government has proposed a multibillion-dollar modernization of facilities. Y-12 currently employs about 4,200 workers. "In order to adequately protect the health and safety of our employees, the operation of these 'unauthorized kitchens' MUST be eliminated," Mitchell wrote in the staff memo. BWXT has ordered that all kitchens and "food-preparation equipment" not operated by the plant's Food Services Department will be prohibited, effective Aug. 31. "This does not include microwave ovens or toaster ovens for heating food or refrigerators for keeping employees' food from spoiling," the memo said. Mitchell, in a brief interview Friday, said he was surprised to learn how prevalent kitchens were at the weapons plant. "But I have to admit I didn't look." He said. If there's a legitimate need for cooking equipment, exceptions to the order may be granted, but Mitchell said they will have to meet fire codes and other standards. "It'll have to be done right," he said. It remains to be seen how effective the order will be. Y-12 employees have a history of independent, sometimes maverick behavior. In the early 1990s, when the Department of Energy's Tiger Teams conducted a series of inspections at nuclear installations, they were astonished to find that Y-12 workers had stuffed socks into speakers to muffle annoying alarms and announcements. The speakers were part of a plant system used to alert workers to dangerous situations, including the need to evacuate work areas. Federal inspectors removed the socks, but were doubly astonished months later -- upon their return -- to find that workers had muffled the speakers again. During the same time frame, tougher procedures were enacted because workers in Y-12's uranium-processing areas were not following health precautions when going on their breaks. Some vending machines in a break area had to be removed and disposed of because they were embedded with uranium -- the result of workers not washing their hands or changing clothes. Frank Munger may be reached at 865-482-9213 or twig1@knoxnews.infi.net. [Get Copyright Clearance] Copyright 2001 The Knoxville News-Sentinel Co. ***************************************************************** 2 State continues leukemia investigation tahoe.com CARSON Saturday, July 14, 2001 By Amanda Hammon, Appeal Staff Writer Despite further testing of the jet fuel pipline feeding Naval Air Station Fallon, state officials insited Friday there are no links between the fuel and the community's leukemia cluster - thus far. "It's reassuring to know it's probably not part of the problem," said Dr. Randall Todd, state epidemiologist. "On the other hand, here is one more thing it isn't. I know people are getting frustrated. It doesn't get to what is causing the problem. We may wind up at the end doing the best science there is to do and won't come up with an answer." The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection recently flew the pipeline, photographing it using infrared technology, but found no leaks. Kinder Morgan, the company which operates the pipeline, hired a company to further test a 15-mile section of the pipeline for leaks, said Eugene Braithwait, Kinder Morgan Northern Nevada operations director. State Health Officer Dr. Mary Guinan said the state has no evidence to support the theory that jet fuel is a potential cause of the cluster, which includes 14 children associated with Churchill County. Todd also announced Thursday, three Churchill County residents, Dr. Roberta Lindeman, Rachel Dahl-Curtis and Carinsa Rivers, will join a join a panel of nine academics and government officials from around the country tasked with overseeing the state's investigation. The state added the three members to gain more community insight into their investigation. Rivers is the mother of a leukemia victim. State officials are gearing up for another community meeting 7 p.m. Monday at the Fallon Community Center. Members of the state's expert panel will be on hand as well as state officials and Fallon physicians to update residents on the status of the leukemia investigation. A second meeting with the expert panel will be open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to noon, Tuesday in Churchill County Hospital's Tahoe Room, 801 E. Williams St. The state's mental health division spent Thursday and Friday in Fallon working with local mental health providers to train them to deal with the unique stresses caused by the cancer cluster. "There is a clear need for an organized approach to the emotional needs of the community of Fallon," said Dr. Kevin Crowe, state mental health planning and evaluation chief. "Individuals experiencing this stress are normal, everyday people being exposed to abnormal stresses. "What we're learning is the community is stoic in its response. Individuals are not showing up in droves, but the folks affected are really affected. It's our strategy to prioritize a plan to deliver care to these families." Investigations by the Centers for Disease Control and Disease Control and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry will begin at the end of this month or at the beginning of August. Nevada health officials began investigating last summer seven cases of childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia, or ALL, in the rural farming and Navy community of 26,000. The cluster now includes 13 cases of ALL and one case of acute myelogenous leukemia, or AML. Thirteen of the cases were diagnosed in the last two years. The only link in the cases is that each child lived in Churchill County for some period between 1996 and 1999. The high number of cases in such a short time has drawn national attention to Fallon. The cause of the outbreak has not been determined. Theories on the cause of the leukemia clusters ranges from a large influx of people to a rural area and agricultural chemicals to industrial pollution and leaks in the jet fuel pipe line. About tahoe.com ***************************************************************** 3 Radiation illnesses "unlikely" for NZ nuke veterans Reuters | Ananova | Sky News | This Is London | Photos July 15, 02:16 PM By Graeme Peters WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Eleven New Zealand servicemen who watched British and American nuclear tests in the 1950s were "extremely unlikely" to have suffered from radiation-related health problems, the New Zealand government has said. Releasing a report into claims that New Zealand officers were used as guinea pigs in British and American radiation experiments, the government said the specialist technical or weapons officers were briefed before and after the blasts. They were sent at the request of the then New Zealand government and its defence department, so that they could stay up to date with nuclear technology in the Cold War era. Of the 11 observers of the nuclear blasts, six are still alive, aged between 71 and 87. The other five men were aged between 54 and 81 at the time of their deaths. "The Ministry of Health advises that it is extremely unlikely that any of the recorded causes of death could be linked to the observation of nuclear tests," NZ Veterans' Affairs Minister Mark Burton said in a statement. Similarly, there was no suggestion of links with any existing medical conditions, he said. The probe was launched after Britain's Ministry of Defence said in May that it used New Zealand, Australian and British servicemen in experiments in Maralinga in the South Australia desert, which involved the soldiers entering an area contaminated by British atomic bomb blasts. Officers had been exposed to low-level radiation to test the effectiveness of protective clothing, British officials said. Burton had immediately sought assurances that the men had appropriate health checks and that they witnessed the blasts with their informed consent. He said on Sunday that the surviving officers had been tracked down and offered aid through his office and in general were satisfied with their current arrangements. The inquiry was separate to an investigation underway into the health effects on 528 New Zealand Navy personnel who took part in a British nuclear testing programme at Christmas Island in the Pacific in 1957-58. Comments to: news-admin@uk.yahoo-inc.com Copyright © 2001 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 4 DOE to investigate fate of scrap metals Oak Ridger Online --> Story last updated at 11:34 a.m. on Friday, July 13, 2001 by Paul Parson Oak Ridger staff The Department of Energy is preparing to conduct an investigation to determine the fate of potentially contaminated scrap metals that were banned from release last year by former Energy Secretary Bill Richardson. The primary metals to be considered in the environmental impact statement are carbon steel and stainless steel in addition to copper, aluminum, lead and precious metals (silver, gold, platinum), which exist in smaller quantities. These metals may have residual surface radioactivity as a consequence of past operations or activities. According to DOE, its analysis will examine four alternatives for disposing of the metals, which are: * Continuation of the suspension on unrestricted release of scrap metals from DOE radiological areas for recycling. * Unrestricted release of scrap metals for recycling under existing DOE requirements. * Unrestricted release of scrap metals for recycling under alternative requirements. * No unrestricted release for recycling of scrap metals with any potential for residual surface radioactivity. When he announced the recycling suspensions last year, Richardson said they would remain in effect until DOE sites could confirm that recycled metal would contain "no detectable contamination from departmental activities." The suspensions met with both positive and negative reaction from various groups. DOE plans to conduct a series of public meetings to assist in defining the scope of the environmental impact statement. According to a notice in the Federal Register, meetings will be held in Oak Ridge from 2 to 5 p.m. and from 8 to 11 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 2, at the American Museum of Science and Energy. Contents ©Copyright The Oak Ridger ***************************************************************** 5 Our View: DOE cluelessness won't do where cleanup's at stake Oak Ridger Online --> Story last updated at 1:24 p.m. on Friday, July 13, 2001 Our View: DOE cluelessness won't do where cleanup's at stake While we can appreciate his candor coming from a federal agency not always known for its forthrightness, we find it unsettling and insufficient that a top official with the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Environmental Management program would say that he doesn't "have a clue" as to the impact budgetary cuts will have on local cleanup commitments. "It's really too early to tell," Rod Nelson, assistant manager for DOE's Oak Ridge Environmental Management program, told members of the Oak Ridge Site-Specific Advisory Board at their meeting this week. His answer is of course an improvement over the kind of sugar-coated reassurances that too often pass for answers to difficult questions. But the difficult questions must continue to be posed, and the full answers must be forthcoming. DOE must not be permitted to unilaterally retreat from its environmental management commitments, certainly not without a lot more fight from this community and, one would hope, the state of Tennessee. As matters now stand, funding for local cleanup efforts could be reduced by $90 million in FY 2002 when compared to the current fiscal year. That's a drop from $423.7 million to just under $332.5 million. And that would have an impact on dozens of cleanup programs now in place in Oak Ridge. Members of the House and Senate meeting in conference to hammer out the specifics of the DOE funding need to decide whether not having a clue will do. It might be a good idea to find out if anyone in DOE's hierarchy has a clue. If they do not, or if they can offer up only pat, formula answers, then it might be time for conference committee members to reconsider this serious retreat on standing environmental commitments and restore the necessary funding. All Contents ©Copyright The Oak Ridger ***************************************************************** 6 Comments on Radioactive Metals Recycling Department of Energy Should Extend Deadline for July 13, 2001 Comment Period on Scope of Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Is Too Short WASHINGTON, D.C. - Public Citizen has requested that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) extend its deadline to receive comments on a proposal that is critical in establishing how radioactively contaminated scrap metals will be disposed of. The current deadline for comments is Sept. 10, which allows the public only two months to examine what are highly complex issues. The DOE on Thursday published a Notice of Intent for a document called a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS), which is designed to examine alternatives for disposing of the contaminated materials. The notice lists various policy alternatives, all of which allow for the disposal of radioactively contaminated metals in unlicensed sanitary landfills, where they would be treated as "non-radioactive." The PEIS also could permit the "unrestricted release of scrap metals from DOE radiological areas and scrap metals outside radiological areas that may have residual surface radioactivity." This would allow the metals to be recycled, where they could end up in any number of consumer and industrial products. It is highly unlikely that any such materials would be tracked or labeled, so consumers would be denied the opportunity to make informed choices and avoid any radiation hazards. "All of these possible outcomes sound frighteningly similar to previous policies of the NRC, which attempted to assist the nuclear industry by eliminating some types of nuclear waste from regulatory control," said Wenonah Hauter, director of Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program. "Although Congress wisely revoked those policies in 1992, it looks as though DOE is attempting to revive them by tinkering with the language and attaching various euphemisms to what is really the recycling of nuclear waste." The Notice of Intent also announced that six public meetings are to be held around the country beginning at the end of July. This provides less than three weeks for concerned citizens who plan to participate to study the relevant issues and prepare accordingly. "Considering the enormous impact such a policy could have, public participation must be taken seriously, and processes must be conducted with integrity, " Hauter wrote in a letter to Carolyn Huntoon, assistant secretary of the Department's Office of Environmental Management. "Unless corrected, the unacceptably short comment period will further erode public confidence in the department's handling of the dangerous materials of our nation's nuclear legacy." The DOE was instructed in January by then-Secretary Bill Richardson to publish the Notice of Intent by March 20. However, by publishing it this week, the department in effect extended its own deadline by 114 days. "If the agency can extend the deadline for itself, we certainly hope it will extend the same benefit to the public," said Dave Ritter, policy analyst for Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program. "The agency has all the resources, while the public does not. Further, people’s summer schedules are irregular. And once the scope of this document is set, there’s no going back. It’s critical to get it right now, and the public should have at least until December to do that." Public Citizen Home Page ***************************************************************** 7 Ill miners with IOUs face setback Rocky Mountain News: Politics By M.E. Sprengelmeyer, News Washington Bureau WASHINGTON -- Congress dealt a setback Thursday to efforts to get emergency funds for ailing uranium miners and others waiting with unpaid government IOUs. The House and Senate are about to begin negotiations to reconcile their versions of a $6.5 billion appropriations bill. The Senate version includes $84 million for the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act trust fund, which has been out of money since last year. The House version does not include the money. On Thursday, House Democrats tried to pass a motion instructing their negotiators to accept the $84 million for the program as part of the final bill. But that motion failed. Rep. Scott McInnis, whose district includes many affected miners, was one of two Republicans to vote in favor. Chances are 50-50 that the RECA money will be included in the final version of the bill, said Lawrence Pacheco, spokesman for Rep. Mark Udall, D-Boulder. As of May 11, the Justice Department had issued IOU letters worth about $31 million to 438 people, including 51 Coloradans with claims totaling $5 million, Udall said. McInnis, Udall and Diana DeGette, D-Denver, voted for the motion. Reps. Tom Tancredo, Joel Hefley and Bob Schaffer were opposed. July 13, 2001 2001 © The E.W. Scripps Co. ***************************************************************** 8 More nuclear test evidence comes to light More documents have been released which could support claims Australian army personnel were exposed to nuclear tests in the 1950s. Scottish researcher Sue Rabbitt Roff said on Friday documents held by the National Australian Archives also showed the army was concerned about the level of protection offered to staff during nuclear tests. She said around 50 members of the Australian Radiation Detection Unit were exposed to radiation as part of their training course in the 1950s. Ms Rabbitt Roff earlier this year released previously classified documents which showed Australian soldiers had been used in nuclear experiments. The documents contradict previous assertions by the British government that no personnel had been used during its nuclear testing in the Australian outback. The government is seeking information from Britain about Ms Rabbitt Roff's initial claims. Friday's revelations include a memo which says the most senior person on the radiation safety team delegated to Australian personnel was not qualified and had only the most basic education. Another questioned the allocation of some army personnel as they could not read the required instrumental dials used to measure radiation. A Centurian tank, irradiated at ground zero in one test, was taken to the Puckapunyal army base north of Melbourne where it posed a risk to staff for months. "Although the present activity of the vehicle does not present any hazard to personnel in the vicinity, the material remaining could be ingested into the body with some effect," one document stated. Ms Rabbitt Roff said the new documents were further evidence of the danger which Australian personnel faced. "Radiation protection regimes at Maralinga relied on very simplistic cleaning techniques including vacuuming of contaminated vehicles, scrubbing under finger nails, and washing garments separately used during decontamination," she said in a statement. "But now we have very sophisticated radio biological tests to measure radiation exposure in those people, even from 50 years ago." Ms Rabbitt Roff said Australia should participate in a consortium of Scottish and New Zealand researchers who are refining tests for British and French nuclear veterans. Australian Democrats nuclear spokeswoman Lyn Allison said the government had to start taking notice of Ms Rabbitt Roff's research. "I challenge (Veterans Affairs Minister Bruce Scott) to stop stalling, hiding behind epidemiological tests, and to participate in this consortium that will give veterans real answers about their exposure and be vital to cancer research in general," she said in a statement. ©AAP 2001 ninemsn ***************************************************************** 9 For the Newest Nuclear Powers, a Little Chat July 15, 2001 By BARRY BEARAK The Associated Press In Agra, India, where the leaders of India and Pakistan are to meet, a policeman stands guard near the Taj Mahal as three Muslims sit on the bank of the Yamuna River. Pakistani Leader Arrives in India for 3-Day Summit (July 15, 2001) NEW DELHI — UNTIL another nation tests the tools of apocalypse, India and Pakistan will remain known as the world's two newest nuclear powers. In May 1998, these hostile neighbors set off tit-for- tat underground explosions. Given their bloody history — having fought three all-out wars and then sustaining a lethal ritual of cross-border artillery fire — they immediately seemed the nuclear gunslingers with the planet's itchiest trigger fingers. The world again thought the unthinkable. This weekend, the leaders of both countries are meeting in New Delhi and then Agra, site of the Taj Mahal, for the first official talks between the adversaries in nearly two and a half years. There is no formal agenda, but whatever the drift of the conversation, the nuclear genie will undoubtedly hover above the proceedings. As youthful nuclear competitors, India and Pakistan are going through a phase considered by most analysts as especially dangerous, a time when an arms race is on and neither side knows whether it is falling fatefully behind. Because smaller arsenals are more vulnerable than bigger ones, nerves are more easily rattled. Michael Krepon, president emeritus of the Henry L. Stimson Center, which studies security matters, likens the present circumstances to the early cold war years — and thinks today is even more precarious. Berlin and Korea may have been divided territory, he said, but there was no constant artillery fire across the lines between nuclear powers as there is in Kashmir, the disputed Himalayan region that lies between India and Pakistan. "U.S. and Soviet military planning was not predicated on daily, violent interactions," Mr. Krepon said. Also, proximity is an added peril. Kent L. Biringer, of Sandia National Laboratories, which does national security work for the United States Department of Energy, points out that a missile can span the distance between the Indian and Pakistani capitals in less than five minutes — not enough time to determine the authenticity of an attack. "In 1995, Russian officials misinterpreted a missile launch conducted as a joint Norwegian-American rocket study of the Northern Lights," he wrote recently. "Despite prior notification, Russian authorities did not get word and used their internal hot line link to discuss a possible retaliatory strike." How would New Delhi or Islamabad react in such an occurrence? The Indians and Pakistanis are not unmindful of the dangers. Indeed, in February 1999, just nine months after their paired thunderclaps, there seemed an aftershock of prudence. India's aging Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, rode a bus across the fertile plains of the Punjab to ceremoniously embrace his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif. The two men proceeded from a border checkpoint to the historic city of Lahore, where they declared a shared vision of "harmonious relations and friendly cooperation." They signed a "memorandum of understanding," pledging to work out the technical details for reducing the risks of a nuclear exchange. The customary nuke- think phraseology was employed: confidence-building measures, advance notification of ballistic missile flight tests, moratoriums on conducting further explosions. But in the following spring, with India still brightened by the afterglow of Lahore and the world resting a bit easier, Pakistan's leaders somehow decided that a betrayal was in their strategic interests and ordered troops across the "line of control" into the Indian side of Kashmir. These soldiers, described then as Muslim holy warriors, assumed perches in some of the world's highest peaks above a vital Indian supply route. A PERVERSE dynamic may have been at work, many observers now conclude. Rather than fearing a nuclear exchange, smaller, weaker Pakistan — the loser in each previous war — might well have been emboldened by the newly-tested weaponry, perhaps assuming that India would blunt its response rather than risk an apocalyptic confrontation. Indeed, while the Indians eventually triumphed in the campaign that came to be called "Kargil," they did so without counterattacking across the "line," a measure of restraint that won them plaudits as good global citizens. Much remains to be known about this mini-war in the mountains; one of the more intriguing questions is how close it came to going nuclear. The Indian journalist Raj Chengappa, author of "Weapons of Peace" (Harper Collins Publishers India, 2000), writes that the Indians moved to their Readiness State 3, "meaning that some nuclear bombs would be ready to be mated with the delivery vehicle on short notice." A missile capable of launching a nuclear warhead was moved to a state nearer to Pakistan, according to Mr. Chengappa's account: "A trajectory was worked out so that the two stages that are detached after burn out did not fall on Indian territory and hurt anyone. Pakistan is learnt to have kept its nuclear weapons in an advanced state of readiness." After Kargil, there seemed little hope of Mr. Vajpayee again spending political capital on a grand gesture of peace. This seemed especially so after October 1999, when Mr. Sharif was overthrown in a military coup that left Gen. Pervez Musharraf at Pakistan's helm. The general had been the army chief of staff during the mountaintop fighting and was then — and is now — considered in India as "the architect of Kargil." But two months ago, after the long drought in discussions, Mr. Vajpayee issued a surprise invitation for talks. By happenstance — or perhaps quite purposefully — on the same day India released a 135-page report about national security concerns. The volume, written by a high-level advisory panel, portrays India's archenemy as an irrational foe. "Pakistan believes that nuclear weapons can compensate for conventional inferiority; its leaders have not concealed their desire to use nuclear weapons against India," reads the document. If that assessment is correct, India and Pakistan may well be facing a calamitous nuclear childhood. They have a good deal to talk about. Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company | Privacy Information ***************************************************************** 10 Nuclear Testing and National Honor July 13, 2001 Nuclear Testing and National Honor By RICHARD BUTLER Last weekend, The New York Times reported the latest attack by the Bush administration on a major international agreement — the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, banning all test explosions of nuclear weapons. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz recently raised the possibility of circumstances "where you would have to contemplate" nuclear testing, and an administration official told Agence France-Presse that the treaty "has no support within the administration." Meanwhile, General John Gordon, head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, recently informed Congress that he is looking hard at "improving test site readiness." The intention of the White House to kill the test ban treaty, if fulfilled, would have deeply serious consequences for nuclear arms control and would constitute a major renunciation by the United States of undertakings it has solemnly made. It also throws glaring light on the extremist views of international law held within the administration. The test ban treaty was signed by President Bill Clinton in September 1996, after its adoption by the United Nations General Assembly by a vote of 158 to 3. (Five nations abstained; nineteen others were either absent or so behind in their dues they could not vote.) The United States voted for it. The three states actively opposed were India, Bhutan (acting under Indian pressure) and Libya. The treaty has now been signed by 161 nations and ratified by 31 of the 44 nuclear- capable, or potentially capable, states named as necessary participants for it to enter into force. A test ban organization has been established, in Vienna, to verify the operations of the treaty. A global seismological network has been set up to detect violations. Until the treaty enters into force, it is universally agreed that a moratorium on testing should be observed. Three years after President Clinton's signature, the Senate decided against ratifying the treaty by a vote of 51 to 48. Senate debate was gagged by the Republican leadership, and the vote was influenced by Republicans' wish to take retribution against President Clinton for winning the impeachment battle. Simply put, there was shabbiness all round, for which a terrible price was paid. This treaty has been sought for almost 30 years. The United States had promised to support it on several crucial occasions during the last 10 years, when failure to end nuclear testing was manifestly threatening the broader nonproliferation effort that the United States said, and continues to say, it considers of fundamental importance for national security. If the United States now destroys the test ban treaty and moves to resume nuclear testing, other nuclear- weapons states will follow suit, and still other states will consider acquiring nuclear weapons. The nonproliferation regime will perish. Not only will the world be made a much more dangerous place in the obvious ways, but it will become a world in which the word of the United States will have been exposed as meaningless. There is such a thing as national honor. However intangible, it nonetheless exists and is the basis for successful relationships between states. The consequences of simply refusing to honor national commitments — of the United States going back on its word — are incalculable for American and global security. In May 2000, as part of a regular review conference concerning the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, the United States, together with the four other acknowledged nuclear-weapons states, declared that it remained unequivocally committed to "the ultimate goal of a complete elimination of nuclear weapons" and agreed to 13 steps toward nuclear arms control, including aggressive advocacy of the test ban treaty. But that was in the distant days of the Clinton administration. The new team in Washington seems to have declared year zero as far as prior American undertakings are concerned. The attitude of senior figures in the administration to past commitments and to international law seems to suggest that there is no history before them, a ludicrous and dangerous conception. At present, government legal analysts in Washington have prepared papers for senior policy makers on the attitude the United States should adopt toward international law. One such paper posits the existence of a new, threatening concept of international law that would gradually strip nations of their sovereignty, replacing national laws with global norms. International law, in this vision, would become a weapon used by a concert of nations against the United States. The administration's approach is a fearful and misguided one of unilateral rejection. International agreements already in existence and considered offensive, virtually to the United States alone, include the treaties banning land mines and biological weapons, and the accord to establish an International Criminal Court. We might add the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and, most recently, a pact now being negotiated at the United Nations to limit small-arms trafficking. The administration seems to believe that international agreements will increasingly pressure the United States to sacrifice its sovereignty and become subject to direction by international institutions. This argument ignores reality. The United States depends on international treaties for its own safety and prosperity. After all, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is just that, a treaty organization. The World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, the Free Trade Area of the Americas, the United Nations — all these are based on treaties, and the United States, under normal circumstances, has participated in them, often led them, and benefitted immensely. International commitments do not threaten American sovereignty. If anything, they make possible a measured extension of American sovereignty. Without them we would not have globalization and America would not, in all likelihood, enjoy its present prosperity or, indeed, its power. Until recent months, America has behaved largely as a good international citizen. Fulminating against the dark forces of "new" international law can only limit American influence in the international arena. The wiser course now would be for the United States to work to improve treaties where they are flawed and to put its muscle behind gaining universal acceptance of them, to deploy, not withdraw, its sovereignty. If this does not occur, we may well find ourselves at year zero — on nuclear time. Richard Butler is author of the forthcoming ``Fatal Choice: Nuclear Weapons and the Illusion of Missile Defense.'' Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company | Privacy Information ***************************************************************** 11 Nuclear danger in raising the Kursk Guardian | Russia is accused of rushing a tricky operation to lift submarine loaded with torpedoes from the seabed Amelia Gentleman in Moscow Saturday July 14, 2001 A team of divers will arrive above the wreckage of the Kursk tomorrow night to launch the critically dangerous first stage in the fraught operation to raise the nuclear submarine from the Arctic ocean floor. Within the next few days they will begin work with robotic cutting instruments to saw off the badly damaged front section of the Kursk, which is loaded with an unknown quantity of torpedoes. Despite a powerful public relations campaign aimed at reassuring Russia and its neighbours that the salvage exercise will be relatively safe, there is some concern that safety standards are being sacrificed in the rush to fulfil a presidential commitment to raise the hull. The condition of the front section of the submarine is uncertain after almost 11 months lying corroding in the salty currents of the Barents sea, but salvage experts warned that unless it was removed, the whole lifting manoeuvre would be destabilised. Any mistake during the sawing-off process could trigger a torpedo explosion, further damaging the wreck and reigniting fears of radiation contamination from the submarine's two nuclear reactors. Senior naval officials have conceded that weapons could explode during the slicing open of the vessel. "Everything is possible, considering that we are dealing with a submarine loaded with torpedoes," naval commander Vladimir Kuroyedov said recently. The Norwegian environmental group Bellona, which specialises in monitoring the nuclear problems of the Russian navy, accused officials yesterday of rushing the work. "Even this first step of operation is flawed," said a spokesman, Igor Kadrik. "We estimate that there are some seven tonnes of TNT explosives scattered around the bow of the submarine and a new explosion could be provoked when they try to cut away this section, which could cause damage to the reactors. "The equipment they are using has never been tried in this kind of operation and some of it has never been tested underwater. This is what we define as rushed." Working in temperatures around zero, divers will set up equipment to wash out the sand and silt which has accumulated within the wreck in preparation for removing the submarine's nose. Once separated, the front section will be left on the seabed while the rest of the hull is lifted; officials have not decided whether or when the front section will be retrieved. The arrival of the international team of Russian, British, Norwegian and Dutch divers marks the beginning of a hugely expensive, extremely risky operation on an unprecedented scale, due to be completed, if everything goes smoothly, by late September, when the wreckage of the submarine is scheduled to be dragged to shore. Political pressure has spurred the navy to seize the small window of calm weather this summer. In the emotional aftermath of the accident last August, during a meeting with the widows and relatives of the 118 submariners who died, president Vladimir Putin gave a firm pledge that the submarine would be raised, and the remaining bodies recovered. He has adhered to this promise, in the face of concerns about the £55m cost and the feasibility of lifting the 14,000 tonne vessel from the seabed. Unless the Kursk is raised by autumn, another year will pass, leaving the relatives little chance of ever burying their dead. Mr Putin, who was harshly criticised for his slow response to the disaster, is anxious not to disappoint them. The desire to establish what caused the two explosions in the Kursk's torpedo bay - a technical fault, a collision with a mine, or another vessel - initially added urgency to the operation. Officials said no conclusions could be made until the wreck was studied, but the decision to leave the weapons arsenal on the seabed means that a full assessment of what happened will not be possible this year. Russia is under pressure to lift the wreck to avoid the risk of polluting the fishing area with radiation, which could start leaking once the nuclear reactors begin to disintegrate. "There is also a desire not to leave military secrets lying abandoned on the seabed, in a spot theoretically accessible to foreign navies," a military commentator, Yury Gladkeyevich, said. The rapidly organised consortium of Russian and international engineering firms has had little time to prepare. The deal with Dutch company Mammoet and Smit International was signed only two months ago, after an earlier consortium of international engineers pulled out, saying it was not ready to compromise safety in order to finish the work this year. Norway is particularly uneasy about the dangers that a rushed operation bring. "There is a risk of the raising operation itself going wrong, that they could, for example, lose the submarine. That could result in the reactor being more damaged," a spokesman for Norway's Nuclear Protection Board said. "The Barents sea is one of the world's cleanest oceans and it is not desirable to have any kind of uncertainty about the important fisheries resources in that area." Government websites have set out to allay concerns, providing detailed information about the salvage plans. A massive floating platform, named the Giant, is being modified in Rotterdam, equipped with 26 thick lifting cables, each of which is strong enough to lift 900 tonnes. Over the summer, divers will cut 26 holes in the hull of the Kursk using powerful underwater jets. When the Kursk is ready to be lifted, the cables will be lowered from the platform and anchored in these holes, using large steel clamps. Sometime around September 15, when the weather permits, the submarine will be dragged by the cables about 100 metres to just below the floating platform, and later towed slowly towards the port at Murmansk. The actual lifting stage is expected to take no more than about 10 hours. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2001 ***************************************************************** 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: *****************************************************************