***************************************************************** 08/16/01 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 9.197 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER CONTENTS 1 Waste shipments back up to speed 2 Relative risks 3 YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Ex-governor promotes nuke dump 4 Opinion: Gov. List's new client 5 Ex-governor takes 'Plan B' -- for Benedict? -- approach to Yucca Mountain 6 Berkley advocates federal loan guarantees for 'green' energy 7 Where I Stand -- Robert Loux: Standing up to DOE 8 Waste shipments back up to speed 9 Berkley proposes funds for energy research 10 Nevada leaders pooh-pooh List's lobbying for Yucca 11 Electrabel reconnects nuclear plant to grid after 100 mln eur overhaul 12 DOE plan would locate Oak Ridge's waste-storage site next to incinerator 13 ADAMS: Items of Interest - Thursday, August 16, 2001 14 N-Waste Ban After Procedure Error 15 Public Citizen Protests DOE Plan to Recycle Radioactive Metals 16 State urged not to block plutonium 17 NRC Appoints Jeffrey Cruz Resident Inspector at Wolf Creek 18 EPA Puts Off Power Plant Standards 19 Nuclear Plant to Be Sold to Entergy NUCLEAR WEAPONS CONTENTS 1 Inquiry complete; K-25 to go online 2 IAEA Support to International Efforts 3 Information available on compensation for sick nuclear workers 4 Harkin staff answer IAAP queries 5 PACRO to probe fluorine suitor options - 6 Livermore lab says new supercomputer key to nuclear safety 7 DOE appeals 'whistleblower' ruling 8 Our View: Generating DOE revenues locally for oversight role 9 Keep open mind about whistleblowers 10 Livermore Lab Unveils Supercomputer ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 Waste shipments back up to speed IdahoStatesman.com August 16, 2001 Restrictions lifted; INEEL can step up processing rate The Associated Press IDAHO FALLS -- Federal environmental regulators on Wednesday lifted their restrictions on nuclear waste processing in eastern Idaho, enabling the Energy Department to more than double the number of shipments its sends each week to its underground dump in New Mexico. The Environmental Protection Agency notified the department, dump operators and the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory that it found new equipment used to certify the contents of the waste drums was properly functioning and waste processed through it could be moved to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. The equipment was taken out of service in late June when EPA auditors realized that it had never been checked for accuracy. Regulators determined that none of the waste drums inspected by the equipment posed any health or environmental threat. But it left the INEEL with an older, less-efficient certification process that more than halved the amount of waste the facility could ship each week. The new equipment can process waste about three times faster. "We're looking to go up to 10 shipments a week by the end of August," INEEL spokeswoman Stacy Francis said. The facility has been averaging three to four a week for nearly two months. The processing disruption put the government even further behind schedule in meeting the Dec. 31, 2002, deadline for shipping 15,000 drums of plutonium-contaminated nuclear waste out of the INEEL. With less than 17 months left to meet the court-enforced deadline, the government has moved only 22 percent of the required waste to the $2 billion facility near Carlsbad. Its original schedule called for 35 percent of the material to have been shipped by mid-August 2001. Failure to comply with the deadline set in the state's 1995 nuclear waste cleanup agreement with the federal government would disrupt the Energy Department's plans for handling and storing other nuclear waste. State oversight officials have already indicated that the government's ability to meet the deadline would determine whether the state would try to block shipments of high-level radioactive waste from New York that were expected to be made to Idaho this summer. ***************************************************************** 2 Relative risks [Las Vegas Review-Journal] Thursday, August 16, 2001 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal To the editor: Not to belabor the point much longer, but Terry Peele's letter of Aug. 13 ("Keep it there") may be nicely argued, but it ignores the comparison that should count. The relative risk of storing nuclear waste at present sites should be compared with the possible permanent disposal in a repository for the same period of time -- 10,000 years. That comparison was done and is available in the draft Environmental Impact Statement published by the Department of Energy in July 1999. Transportation does pose a higher risk than storage, but the risk can be managed. That is what we all should agree should be ensured through careful planning, operations and regulations when such transportation is required. What Mr. Peele and others should ask is whether storage at 77 locations in 34 states for 10,000 years or longer is safer than storing at a single site selected and designed for that purpose. BRIAN O'CONNELL WASHINGTON, D.C. The writer is director of the Nuclear Waste Program at the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. This story is located at: http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2001/Aug-16-Thu-2001/opinion/16763873.html ***************************************************************** 3 YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Ex-governor promotes nuke dump LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: NEWS: "I don't expect to change minds." ROBERT LIST - FORMER NEVADA GOVERNOR WORKING FOR NUCLEAR ENERGY INTERESTS Thursday, August 16, 2001 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Ex-governor promotes nuke dump List says he'll use position to press for benefits on behalf of the state By JANE ANN MORRISON REVIEW-JOURNAL Former Nevada Gov. Robert List has begun work on behalf of nuclear energy interests to champion the position the industry's waste is inevitably coming to Yucca Mountain and it's time to negotiate for benefits -- dismaying public officials who see the move as a coup for proponents of a waste repository at Yucca Mountain. List, who becomes the highest ranking former official to align with the nuclear power industry, said Wednesday he is crafting a "shopping list" of potential benefits the state might obtain and will later disclose specifics. The decision of the former Republican governor to work for the Nuclear Energy Institute -- the industry's lobbying arm -- surprised and disappointed many of the officials who believe the proposed repository is a safety and health issue for Nevadans. Democrats were more vocal in their criticism than Republicans, but most agreed the nuclear industry had gained an ally with stature in the one-term governor and two-term attorney general. List told the Review-Journal it appeared likely that Nevada would be chosen to store the nation's nuclear waste, that the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas will be found scientifically safe and that transportation concerns will be adequately addressed. List, governor from 1979 to 1983, said he understands why elected officials from both parties have steadfastly opposed negotiating for benefits. He said he'd do the same if he were still governor, pointing out that a former attorney general's opinion says any negotiations imply consent to the repository. But calling himself a realist, List said if the site is recommended as suitable and Congress overrides a state veto "then it becomes a matter of making the most of it." "I think it sends the wrong signal at a very pivotal time in the process," said Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., the only member of the congressional delegation who could be reached directly Wednesday. "This is a mixed signal of monumental proportions. This is not the time to show weakness." Business and community leaders need to stand firm in opposing the repository, Berkley said, rather than align themselves with "an enemy of Nevada." List's new job drew a surprised "What!" from former Democratic Gov. Bob Miller. "I'm shocked and disappointed someone of his stature would take such a position," Miller said. "Certainly everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I totally disagree it's in our best interest to derive benefits in exchange for the safety of our citizens." Former Sen. Richard Bryan, who became governor by defeating List in 1982, said List's decision to work for the Nuclear Energy Institute "obviously is damaging, a former governor has stature and credibility. "Proponents of a nuclear dump in Nevada always try to camouflage their motives by saying it's inevitable," Bryan said. He questioned the inevitability of the project, saying if that were so it would make no sense for the industry to spend substantial sums on lawsuits and retaining List. Gov. Kenny Guinn said List, a lifelong friend who grew up with him in Exeter, Calif., mentioned his new job to him weeks ago. "I told him everyone is an individual and what he's doing doesn't change my position one iota," Guinn said. "I have no intention of talking benefits to anybody." Guinn said he agrees with polls that consistently show the public feels storing nuclear waste in Nevada is unsafe. He will send letters soon asking for contributions to help the state fight the nuclear repository through both litigation and public relations. U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., speaking through spokesman Nathan Naylor, said other governors such as Miller, Bryan, Mike O'Callaghan and Paul Laxalt could have gone out and made a fortune representing the industry. Reid said he wouldn't speculate why List made the move. The delegation's Republicans were unavailable to comment. U.S. Sen. John Ensign was vacationing and Rep. Jim Gibbons was with his family after returning from a congressional trip to Norway. List, now a Las Vegas attorney who represents gaming and business clients, said he entered into a long-term contract with the institute, but he declined to reveal the terms. List agreed with the two Democratic ex-governors that public sentiment against the repository has not changed. "I don't expect to change minds," List said. Still, he will start delivering speeches and trying to find those in the private sector willing to support the idea of negotiating for benefits. He'll also serve as a liaison with other states and carry the message to the institute about what the state's needs are. A few possible benefits, according to List: Nevada's tax woes might be alleviated, and transportation and schools might be improved. In his new position, he will work with the business and labor community to craft a list of benefits that would be acceptable. He provided a list of seven people backing his efforts: former UNLV President Don Baepler, union leader Jack Jeffrey, state Sens. Joe Neal and Ray Shaffer, car dealer Jim Marsh, former Department of Energy official Troy Wade and Jack Libby, chairman of the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission. The nuclear power industry made a similar move 10 years ago when it hired Las Vegas political consultants Kent Oram and Don Williams. Williams in turn employed television anchors George Knapp and Bryan Gresch to work on behalf of nuclear power. Oram, who was hired to create pro-nuclear ads, said he had no regrets about accepting the nuclear industry's contract. "I know it's a popular thing to jump on," Oram said. Nevadans overwhelmingly say they don't want waste in the state, but when asked for their top 10 issues "it's never even gotten a blip." Robert Loux, executive director of the state's Agency for Nuclear Projects, said List's new job "is certainly not helpful." But he noted that List left office before the fight against nuclear waste became much of an issue. "He probably doesn't know a heck of a lot about what's going on," Loux said. Judy Treichel, chairwoman of the Nevada Nuclear Waste Task Force watchdog group, said she isn't worried. "I think it's a sign of desperation. I'm terribly disappointed in Bob List." Retiring state Sen. Bill O'Donnell, R-Las Vegas, one of the few outspoken elected advocates of List's position to negotiate, said List is doing the right thing. "We need a dialogue. We can no longer afford to keep our head in the sand and think this thing is not to going to come. We need to talk to the federal government to mitigate any safety concerns," O'Donnell said. webmaster@lvrj.com Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal, 1997 - ***************************************************************** 4 Opinion: Gov. List's new client LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: OPINION: COLUMN: Steve Sebelius Thursday, August 16, 2001 Former Gov. Robert List, an attorney and lobbyist, has found himself a new client, the Nuclear Energy Institute. That's right, the selfsame organization that's been pushing for years to get a nuclear waste dump built at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles north of Sin City. The same group whose members donated heavily to President George W. Bush, and whose contributions appear ready to pay off as the president prepares to make a decision on whether to proceed on the dump. The same group that thinks Nevada is the Spanish word for "bend over." Hold tight. Here come the negative reactions. "Show me the money, and I'll sell the whole state down the river?" asked Steve Cloobeck, the Diamond Resorts owner who has become an anti-Yucca organizer in recent months. "I think a person of his stature undertaking the representation of the NEI is very damaging to Nevada's cause," said former U.S. Sen. Richard Bryan. "We're disappointed that he's decided to represent those who want to turn our state into a nuclear dumping ground," said Nathan Naylor, spokesman for U.S. Sen. Harry Reid. On one level, no one should be surprised, as List's other clients include such unsavory types as energy companies, developers and gambling interests. But representing the nuclear waste industry goes beyond even those groups, into an area few Nevadans have trod. (That's how you can tell List is finished with politics.) List says his job -- for which he has a long-term contract, the value of which he politely declines to disclose -- will be to speak with groups like business and labor about the benefits of a nuclear waste dump in Nevada. Benefits like jobs, university research opportunities and even direct aid from the federal government that, List says, could help solve some of Nevada's budget problems. "Unless there's some surprise in the next five to six months, it looks like this is going to come our way," List says. "Both business and labor have much to gain." (In fact, the only losers could be the Republicans, since List is one, and since Democrats have perfected the finely honed art of blaming Republicans for most recently pushing the dump, a neat little piece of spin that just happens to be accurate, which doesn't bode well for say, Republican Jon Porter's bid for Congress. But exactly how much the tourism-based gambling industry has to gain from the worldwide publicity surrounding a nuclear accident is no mystery.) But here's the other side of the story, and a shocking side it is: List just may be right. If the dump really is inevitable, then the time to negotiate for benefits is right now. Even Bryan admits that once Congress overrides an expected Nevada veto of the dump, there's no incentive to give Nevada anything. And while Bryan (and others, including Reid) maintain that the dump isn't inevitable and that negotiations will only ensure its approval, a worst-case scenario -- the dump without anything in return -- still looms. Forget the rhetoric that everyone -- including List -- spouts on this issue about health and safety, protecting the state, science, not politics. This has been a purely political issue since Day One, and will always be. As such, it needs a political solution, one that's elusive because current officeholders fear taking the stance that List has adopted, fearing voters' wrath. (State Sen. Bill O'Donnell, who embraced benefits on his way to political obscurity, is an exception.) The most that Nevada can do, almost entirely through Reid, is slow the dump down, starve its funding, stave it off for a little while longer. But in the end, it's too much to hope that Nevada won't end up in a dark place: Final approval by the nuclear power-loving Bush Administration, fruitless fights in the courts, followed by bulldozers and big cranes snaking their way north. "At that stage, I think we have to make the best of it," List says. And while he may be right, it still feels a little like former Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight famously declaring that if rape is inevitable, lie back and enjoy it. Steve Sebelius is a Review-Journal political columnist. His column runs Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Reach him at 383-0283 or by e-mail at Steve_Sebelius@lvrj.com. ***************************************************************** 5 Ex-governor takes 'Plan B' -- for Benedict? -- approach to Yucca Mountain LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: NEWS: COLUMN: John L. Smith Thursday, August 16, 2001 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal COLUMN: John L. Smith Who knows, maybe Benedict Arnold meant well. Perhaps Judas Iscariot was a helluva guy once you got to know him. It could be that Gen. Arnold was really a loyal American who dealt with the British just in case that revolution thing didn't go as planned. And it's always possible that Judas, despite those 30 pieces of silver, wasn't really in it for the jingling shekels of Tyre. But you know history: It remembers turncoats and traitors so negatively. Surely any comparisons to former Nevada Gov. Robert List, who recently signed a lucrative long-term contract to represent the Nuclear Energy Institute, a trade industry organization with direct ties to the Yucca Mountain Project, are coincidental and won't reflect on the man's character and political legacy. Then again, you know history. List has spent a lifetime building his name and reputation. He served as the state's attorney general and governor. He's a humble, likable gentleman who grew up on a cattle ranch, graduated from Carson High School and ascended to the Governor's Mansion before being defeated in 1982 by Richard Bryan. Since leaving office, he's practiced law, developed a gaming company and kept his hand in Republican Party politics. So why would he risk his credibility and political legacy by representing a key player in the nuclear industry when he knows the Yucca Mountain high-level waste repository is one of the most volatile issues in state history? Other than for a mountain of money, I mean. He says he loves the state and its people and cares about the environment. But he also says he's a realist who believes Nevada is best served by preparing an alternate plan should, as expected, the project be stamped scientifically safe and win a White House go-ahead next year. Like other industry representatives who have come before him, List notes that Nevada could reap billions in benefits in exchange for accepting the Yucca Mountain repository. Although he's sketchy on details, having worked only a short time for NEI, a wide range of potential benefits includes the creation of jobs, windfall tax relief, the conveyance of thousands of acres of federal land and all manner of "ancillary businesses." And, no, he doesn't mean Geiger Counters 'R' Us franchises and cancer research facilities. But who's he kidding? When it comes to federal handouts, Nevada's congressional delegation is in a much better negotiating position than List. Although List says he's been in contact with Gov. Kenny Guinn and our congressional delegation, he admits he hasn't actually spoken with either of the Democrats, Senate Majority Whip Harry Reid and Rep. Shelley Berkley. If List plans to open those prize doors on Nevada's behalf, it might be wise to at least have a word with Reid, a Washington powerhouse. But that's unlikely to happen. Nor, if they have a brain cell functioning, will Guinn, Sen. John Ensign and Rep. Jim Gibbons be taking photo opportunities with List. Guinn has a re-election to think about, and Ensign and Gibbons have their positions to keep straight. Perhaps, as he believes, List can communicate the needs and wishes of Nevada business with the nuclear industry. Maybe there is high ground to be had somewhere, but damned if I can see it. Even if he's right on some of the issues, he's set himself up as a world-class pariah. Could it be List isn't a traitor with a huge consulting contract, but a revolutionary who is willing to step away from the over-our-dead-bodies rhetoric and into the enlightened gloaming of the inevitable approach of the nuclear behemoth? Hey, that's the way I'd spin it. "I think we need to be ready with a 'Plan B' from a private-sector standpoint ..." List says. "I say that I love this state, and I'm a Nevadan. I want to see this state protected." From whom? The guys who sign his paycheck. It could be that List's role is a sign that Nevada's two-decade fight is all over but the shouting. Maybe List is only the first of many high-level public officials to cross over to the other side. Even so, who'd want to be remembered for that? John L. Smith's column appears Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. E-mail him at Smith@lasvegas.com or call him at 383-0295. ***************************************************************** 6 Berkley advocates federal loan guarantees for 'green' energy Rep. Shelley Berkley Opposes further development of traditional sources of power LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: BUSINESS: Berkley advocates federal loan guarantees for 'gr... The Black Book Thursday, August 16, 2001 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal Naming of oil, gas execs to panel criticized By JOHN G. EDWARDS REVIEW-JOURNAL Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Las Vegas, said Wednesday she has introduced a bill that would set aside $750 million in government guarantees for loans for renewable energy projects. Berkley told a group gathered at the Desert Research Institute that the government should promote solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric and biomass energy projects. She is opposed to further development of petroleum, gas, coal and nuclear power as electric generation fuels. "It is my feeling that expanding the use of fossil fuels that pollute our air and water is a terribly retro response to a growing problem," Berkley said. Berkley criticized President Bush for naming oil, gas and nuclear power executives to a federal energy commission that "turned the great debate into a self-serving soliloquy by industry executives." Under her legislation, House Resolution 2774, the federal government would guarantee up to $750 million for loans made for renewable power projects, as well as research and development projects, she said. A Loan Guarantee Board would be created with representatives for the secretaries of Energy, Commerce and Treasury, as well as the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. The borrower would provide collateral for the loan and pay a fee less than one-half a percent. Loans would be repaid no later than 2025. George Ormiston, executive director of the Nevada Test Site Development Corp., supported the bill. He cited projections that so-called fossil fuels, including oil and gas, would be exhausted in 20 years. "Now is the time to resolve this issue, not 20 years from now," Ormiston said. State Consumer Advocate Tim Hay saw potential in the measure for Nevada. "Nevada is, no matter how you rank it, certainly one of the most blessed states in terms of renewable resources," he said. "We can both develop these technologies as well as benefit from them." Dan Geary, a representative of the National Environmental Trust, pointed out that conventional power plants are heavy polluters. Renewable power technologies, he said, "are economically viable alternatives to fossil fuels," Geary said. "They are no longer novelties." John Scott, regional administrator of the Small Business Administration, mentioned a similar federal program that provides partial federal guarantees for bank loans to small businesses. Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal, 1997 - 2001 ***************************************************************** 7 Where I Stand -- Robert Loux: Standing up to DOE Las Vegas SUN Today: August 16, 2001 at 9:06:35 PDT Editor's note: In August Where I Stand is written by guest columnists. Today's writer, Robert Loux, is executive director of the state Agency for Nuclear Waste Projects, which is based in Carson City. IN 1986 the federal government's program to identify sites for the nation's first deep geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste was under attack from all sides. The site-screening process, which was supposed to result in the identification of three acceptable sites for extensive study or characterization, was in shambles because of the way it was mismanaged and politicized by the U.S. Department of Energy and the openly biased way potential sites were eliminated from further consideration. Enter Sen. J. Bennett Johnston, D-La., powerful chairman of the Senate Energy and Waste Development subcommittee on appropriations, who singlehandedly bailed out the DOE program by gutting the science-based selection process contained in the original Nuclear Waste Policy Act. The damage done to the country's efforts to find safe and acceptable solutions for spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste management by the Johnston "victory" in 1986 is almost incalculable. Yucca Mountain has turned out to be an even worse site than its detractors said it was in 1986 and 1987. The Nevada site has been shown to be a fractured sieve of a geologic formation where water moves rapidly from the surface to the aquifer below, providing ready-made pathways for radiation to escape into the environment and into direct contact with people. Even the DOE acknowledges that Yucca Mountain itself cannot isolate deadly radioactive waste. Instead, the DOE has focused its efforts on attempts to "engineer around" the many serious defects of the site. The simple concept of geologic disposal has been turned into a mad hatter, erector set-like array of exotic and highly questionable engineering fixes -- everything from waste disposal containers that are supposed to last for between 11,000 to 750,000 years to over 100 miles of emplacement tunnels lined with titanium drip shields. If that isn't enough, the issue of waste transportation to a Yucca Mountain repository is lurking on the national horizon like a thousand-pound gorilla waiting to pounce. Indications are that cities and states around the nation (thousands of communities in at least 43 states) will not stand for the massive nuclear waste shipping campaign a Yucca Mountain repository would require. Nevada is now poised to help make people in those communities aware of what they will be facing, thanks to Gov. Kenny Guinn's foresight in requesting the Legislature fund a national public information effort and to private sector activities spawned by the governor's program. On the legal front, Nevada is gearing up for long-awaited opportunities to finally challenge the DOE in court on a whole array of issues. If the DOE attempts to go forward with Yucca Mountain, there will be no more hiding behind the excuse that "we haven't made any decisions yet." Nevada's governor and attorney general are ready and eager to engage the legal battle. It is in the political arena, however, where the tide has turned dramatically -- and turned in a way that offers sweet irony for Nevada. In 2001 it is Nevada's senior senator, Harry Reid, the new assistant majority leader in the U.S. Senate, working closely with Guinn and the state's congressional delegation, who is poised to restore political balance to the issue. Even longtime repository supporters see the writing on the wall. Sen. Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska, former chair of the Senate Energy Committee and staunch supporter of attempts to force Yucca Mountain on Nevada by any means, said recently that, "(W)hen you've got a Nevada (congressional) delegation that says (Yucca Mountain) isn't going to happen over their dead body, do we want to continue looking down a rat hole or do we want to look at something else?" A former Reagan administration official, who was one of the early supporters of the approach, whereby Yucca Mountain was singled out as the only site for study, R. Kenneth Davis, recently wrote to President Bush recommending that Yucca Mountain be "mothballed." There are even rumblings within the nuclear power industry that further political support for Yucca Mountain may be unwise and even counterproductive to the industry's goal of reviving nuclear power. There is something to be gained by the unfortunate experience of the past 15 years. The nation has learned valuable lessons about how not to go about finding solutions to the problem of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. We know that any future solution must be acceptable, not only to the citizens in states where the waste will be stored or managed, but also to the nation as a whole. Public acceptance will have to become more than a buzzword, with consultation and concurrence replacing federal heavy-handedness. All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 8 Waste shipments back up to speed IdahoStatesman.com August 16, 2001 Restrictions lifted; INEEL can step up processing rate The Associated Press IDAHO FALLS -- Federal environmental regulators on Wednesday lifted their restrictions on nuclear waste processing in eastern Idaho, enabling the Energy Department to more than double the number of shipments its sends each week to its underground dump in New Mexico. The Environmental Protection Agency notified the department, dump operators and the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory that it found new equipment used to certify the contents of the waste drums was properly functioning and waste processed through it could be moved to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. The equipment was taken out of service in late June when EPA auditors realized that it had never been checked for accuracy. Regulators determined that none of the waste drums inspected by the equipment posed any health or environmental threat. But it left the INEEL with an older, less-efficient certification process that more than halved the amount of waste the facility could ship each week. The new equipment can process waste about three times faster. "We're looking to go up to 10 shipments a week by the end of August," INEEL spokeswoman Stacy Francis said. The facility has been averaging three to four a week for nearly two months. The processing disruption put the government even further behind schedule in meeting the Dec. 31, 2002, deadline for shipping 15,000 drums of plutonium-contaminated nuclear waste out of the INEEL. With less than 17 months left to meet the court-enforced deadline, the government has moved only 22 percent of the required waste to the $2 billion facility near Carlsbad. Its original schedule called for 35 percent of the material to have been shipped by mid-August 2001. Failure to comply with the deadline set in the state's 1995 nuclear waste cleanup agreement with the federal government would disrupt the Energy Department's plans for handling and storing other nuclear waste. State oversight officials have already indicated that the government's ability to meet the deadline would determine whether the state would try to block shipments of high-level radioactive waste from New York that were expected to be made to Idaho this summer. ***************************************************************** 9 Berkley proposes funds for energy research Las Vegas SUN Today: August 16, 2001 at 9:54:48 PDT By Launce Rake After scolding the Bush administration's response to energy shortages, Rep. Shelley Berkley on Wednesday proposed a $750 million fund to back loans for research and development of renewable, environmentally friendly energy sources. Berkley was surrounded by supporters of the proposed loan-guarantee fund, including Nevada Consumer Advocate Tim Hay, Small Business Administration District Director John Scott, Nevada Test Site Director George Ormiston and activist Daniel Geary with the National Environmental Trust. All of them said backing private-sector loans to develop renewable energy would make sense both for the country and for Nevada, which has an abundance of sun, wind and geothermal power potential. "Southern Nevada should be the epicenter of renewable technologies," Berkley said. Berkley slammed the Bush administration's energy policy. She echoed other critics who have said the administration is relying mostly on fossil fuels -- gas, oil and coal -- and nuclear energy, charges that administration officials say aren't warranted. But administration officials also are calling for dozens of new nuclear plants, which will create additional pressure to open the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, Berkley said. The loan guarantees would make sense for everyone, Berkley said -- "business, the environment and the taxpayer." Scott, with the Small Business Administration, said his agency is ready to administer a set-aside in the loan guarantee legislation for small businesses. He said the rising prices for gas and electricity that are hitting both residential and business customers have signaled the need to be less complacent about energy. "There is a lot of potential out there, a lot of untapped potential." Ormiston, whose Nevada Test Site is working to establish an electricity-producing wind farm, predicted oil from the Middle East would run out in about 20 years. "Twenty years goes by pretty fast," he said. "Now is the time to start resolving that issue, not 20 years from now, for gosh sakes." Ormiston and Geary said one of the big reasons for backing research into clean renewable fuels is the impact that burning fossil fuels has on the environment, including the effect on global warming. Geary said 30,000 people nationally die each year because of exposure to air pollution from fossil fuels. He said the federal government has spent much more money on research for nuclear fuels and even fossil fuel technologies, such as natural gas-fired electric generating plants. Now is the time to invest in technologies for renewable energy, Geary said. "There are economically feasible alternatives to fossil fuels," he said. Hay said Nevada is "clearly one of the most blessed states in terms of renewable resources," and could lead the country in their development. Berkley said she expects to get bipartisan support for the loan-guarantee fund, which will have to pass the House Commerce Committee. All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 10 Nevada leaders pooh-pooh List's lobbying for Yucca Las Vegas SUN Today: August 16, 2001 at 11:09:57 PDT By Jeff German Nevada officials said today that former Gov. Bob List's decision to sign up with the nuclear industry will have little effect on the industry's effort to make Yucca Mountain the nation's high-level nuclear waste dump. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., a member of the Nevada congressional delegation, which is united against the dump, said she was disappointed in List. "This is a fight worth fighting," she said. "Ultimately, Bob List will be marginalized while the rest of us continue to protect and defend the state of Nevada and the good people who live here." Berkley accused List, a lawyer and political consultant, of "throwing in the towel for financial gain." "This is a long way from over," she said. Republican Gov. Kenny Guinn this morning also downplayed the effect of List's joining the nuclear industry. "In my own mind, I look at it that one person doesn't win this battle for anybody," Guinn told the Sun. "It's not going to hurt the fight. "If we do our job, and right is on our side, one person is not going to stop us. "We're 1,000 percent dedicated to making sure (the dump) doesn't come here, and we have by far the best team." List, a Republican, served one term as governor, from 1979 to 1983. He was defeated for re-election by former Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev. Guinn said List told him several weeks ago he was considering going to work for the nuclear industry to push for benefits for the state should Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, become a reality. "I told him I'm not talking about benefits to anybody," Guinn said. Former Democratic Gov. Bob Miller, an ardent Yucca Mountain opponent, said List's defection to the nuclear industry will be used as a public relations ploy, but ultimately it "won't influence anything." Bryan, also a strong opponent of the dump, agreed. "Obviously the proponents and the folks in Washington will see this as perhaps a crack in the monolithic opposition to the dump in Nevada," Bryan said. "But in the long run, I don't think it will change a thing. "It is a further indication of the desperation of the nuclear industry." Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the Senate's assistant majority leader, could not be reached for comment this morning. Reid has been a longtime, strong opponent of the proposed dump. Bob Loux, executive director for the Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects, the state's Yucca Mountain watchdog, said some may view List's hookup with the nuclear industry as sending mixed signals in the fight. "It's not helpful, but in the long run, I don't think it's going to mean a whole lot," he said. "Nevadans aren't divided on this issue." List said this morning that he signed a long-term contract with the Nuclear Energy Institute, the industry's lobbying arm. He explained that he anticipated receiving criticism for making public his ties to the nuclear industry. "I'm not afraid of some controversy," he said. "I think dialogue is healthy. "I understand what our public officials are saying," he said. "Their job first and foremost is to protect the health, safety and welfare of Nevadans and secondly the environment of the state, and they're doing that. "My focus is on what I call Plan B, which is really coordinating with the private sector to do some preparation for the potentiality that the project will be located here. Science is increasingly indicating that could happen." List said he intends to work with business and labor leaders to promote benefits for Yucca Mountain. "I love this state," he said. "My family is here. The reality is it always makes good sense in any circumstance to be prepared for alternatives. And that's what I'm doing." Both the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority recently joined the casino industry in passing resolutions voicing their overwhelming opposition to Yucca Mountain. Polls show nearly 80 percent of Nevadans opposed the dump. All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 11 Electrabel reconnects nuclear plant to grid after 100 mln eur overhaul [AFX News - Europe] Story Filed: Thursday, August 16, 2001 7:31 AM EST BRUSSELS, Aug 16, 2001 (AFX-Europe via COMTEX) -- Electrabel SA said it has reconnected to the grid its Tihange 2 nuclear power plant, which had been shut down for a 100 mln eur overhaul and servicing June 9. During the period, Electrabel faced industrial action by workers complaining over employment conditions and restructuring plans, but Electrabel said it had nevertheless carried out a "world-class" operation in replacing three steam generators in 17 days in a total overhaul time of 63 days. "The excellent results achieved owed much to the experience acquired in previous steam generator replacement projects at other Belgian nuclear facilities and to the close cooperation between Electrabel and Tractebel Energy Engineering staff members," it added. bm/cml Copyright 2001. AFX News Ltd. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 12 DOE plan would locate Oak Ridge's waste-storage site next to incinerator KnoxNews: Business By Frank Munger, News-Sentinel senior writer OAK RIDGE -- The U.S. Department of Energy says it could save at least $180,000 annually by having a waste-storage facility next to its Oak Ridge incinerator, but it could take up to a year to get the necessary approvals. Walter Perry, a spokesman in DOE's Oak Ridge office, said the agency would like to use existing tent-like structures adjacent to the incinerator to store thousands of boxes. "This would really be a positive because everything would be centrally located where the incinerator staff could inspect and monitor every day,'' Perry said. The ready-to-burn boxes contain radioactive and hazardous wastes that are prepackaged by workers during period when the incinerator is down for maintenance and repairs. The incinerator is located on the west end of DOE's K-25 plant, but the incinerator-bound wastes currently are stored on the far east end of the facility a few miles away. Perry said DOE leases space from Weskem, a contractor that operates a waste-storage facility at the site. The cost savings would come from terminating that lease, he said. A public meeting is scheduled for Aug. 28 in Oak Ridge to discuss the proposed storage facility at the incinerator. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at the Jacobs Technical Center, 125 Broadway Ave. Angela Ivory of the state's Division of Solid Waste Management said she knows of no drawbacks or negatives regarding the change of storage sites. However, she said the process for permit modification requires a public comment period, issuance of draft license and extensive review. "If it goes through, it may take six months to a year,'' Ivory said. Frank Munger can be reached at 865-482-9213 or twig1@knoxnews.infi.net.-----End Of Story----- News-Sentinel Co. The Knoxville News-Sentinel Co. All Rights ***************************************************************** 13 ADAMS: Items of Interest - Thursday, August 16, 2001 State of Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects ADAMS - Items of Interest Recent Released Documents Added - Thursday, August 16, 2001 These documents and others may be retrieved at the NRC PERR web site ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Item ID: 012270112 Accession Number: ML012210023 Document Date: 8/8/01 Title: 07/11/2001 Meeting Summary - Duke Energy Corp. regarding NRC's Reactor Oversight Process annual assessment of safety performance for Catawba Nuclear Station for the period of April 2, 2000 - March 31, 2001. Author Affiliation: NRC/RGN-II/DRP/RPB1 Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270385 Accession Number: ML012270126 Document Date: 8/15/01 Title: 07/17/01 Meeting Summary with Westinghouse to Discuss 3-D Rod Ejection Analysis Methodology. Author Affiliation: NRC/NRR/DLPM/LPD4 Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270391 Accession Number: ML012270111 Document Date: Title: 07/17/01 Meeting Summary with Westinghouse to Discuss 3D Rod Ejection Analysis Methodology. Author Affiliation: Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270274 Accession Number: ML012250452 Document Date: 8/6/01 Title: 07/24/ 2001 MEETING SUMMARY OF TELECOMMUNICATION WITH EXELON CONCERNING ELECTRICAL PORTION OF PBAPS LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION (LRA) Author Affiliation: NRC/NRR/DRIP Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270388 Accession Number: ML012270169 Document Date: 8/14/01 Title: 08/14/01 Commission Meeting Slides/Exhibits, Briefing on NRC International Activities. Author Affiliation: NRC/OIP Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270384 Accession Number: ML012270013 Document Date: 8/15/01 Title: 08/28/01 Meeting with Electric Power Research Institute to Discuss Guidelines for EMI Testing in Power Plants. Author Affiliation: NRC/NRR/DLPM/LPD2 Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270387 Accession Number: ML012260529 Document Date: 8/14/01 Title: 08/28/2001 - Mtg w/Pacific Gas and Electric to discuss proposed license application for an independent spent fuel storage installation at Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. Author Affiliation: NRC/NMSS/SFPO Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270045 Accession Number: ML012180124 Document Date: 8/6/01 Title: ACNW Committee and Consultant Reports Author Affiliation: NRC/ACNW Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270371 Accession Number: ML012270211 Document Date: 8/13/01 Title: ADAMS Assessment Action Plan, Revision 1. Author Affiliation: NRC Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270229 Accession Number: ML012140221 Document Date: 6/30/01 Title: Analysis of Potential Radiobiological Effects Related to a Unified Skin Dose Limit. Author Affiliation: Baum & Associates Inc Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270145 Accession Number: ML012200458 Document Date: 7/30/01 Title: Army, Dept. of the, Deficiency Response dtd 07/30/2001. Author Affiliation: US Dept of Army, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270153 Accession Number: ML012180428 Document Date: 8/3/01 Title: Grand Gulf Response to NRC request for additional information for exemption to 10CFR50.71(e)(1) - UFSAR on World Wide Web. Author Affiliation: Entergy Operations, Inc. Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270170 Accession Number: ML012200502 Document Date: 8/9/01 Title: Information regarding radioactive waste being buried on federal land owned by the Laboratory of Perinatal Physiology located next to the Sabana Seca Naval Station. Author Affiliation: - No Known Affiliation Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270378 Accession Number: ML012270028 Document Date: 7/31/01 Title: Press Release-01-095: NRC Approves Power Uprate For Hope Creek Nuclear Power Plant In New Jersey. Author Affiliation: NRC/OPA Document/Report Number: Press Release-01-095 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270379 Accession Number: ML012270032 Document Date: 8/3/01 Title: Press Release-01-096: NRC Asks For Information From Certain Nuclear Plant Licensees On Reactor Vessels Author Affiliation: NRC/OPA Document/Report Number: Press Release-01-096 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270383 Accession Number: ML012270067 Document Date: 8/7/01 Title: Press Release-01-097: NRC Names Stephen L. Rosen To Advisory Committee On Reactor Safeguards. Author Affiliation: NRC/OPA Document/Report Number: Press Release-01-097 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270376 Accession Number: ML012270014 Document Date: 8/13/01 Title: Press Release-01-102: NRC Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste Elects Chairman and Vice Chairman. Author Affiliation: NRC/OPA Document/Report Number: Press Release-01-102 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270380 Accession Number: ML012270033 Document Date: 8/1/01 Title: Press Release-I-01-049: NRC Assigns New Resident Inspector to Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Plant. Author Affiliation: NRC/OPA:RGN-I/FO Document/Report Number: Press Release-I-01-049 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270381 Accession Number: ML012270035 Document Date: 7/30/01 Title: Press Release-II-01-033: NRC Holds Public Meetings At Global Nuclear Fuel Plant August 7 To Discuss Plant Performance And Revised NRC Oversight Program Author Affiliation: NRC/OPA:RGN-II/FO Document/Report Number: Press Release-II-01-033 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270377 Accession Number: ML012270023 Document Date: 8/13/01 Title: Press Release-II-01-034: NRC Schedules Conference to Discuss Summer Nuclear Plant... Author Affiliation: NRC/OPA:RGN-II/FO Document/Report Number: Press Release-II-01-034 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270382 Accession Number: ML012270041 Document Date: 7/31/01 Title: Press Release-IV-01-041: Donald B. Allen Named NRC Senior Inspector At Comanche Peak. Author Affiliation: NRC/OPA:RGN-IV/FO Document/Report Number: Press Release-IV-01-041 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270134 Accession Number: ML012220306 Document Date: 8/10/01 Title: Revised FRN for the 485th ACRS Meeting, September 5-8, 2001 Author Affiliation: NRC/SECY Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270205 Accession Number: ML012190174 Document Date: 8/1/01 Title: Revised LER-01-006-01 Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Revision 1. Author Affiliation: United States Enrichment Corp Document/Report Number: LER 01-006-01 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270220 Accession Number: ML012140163 Document Date: 10/27/99 Title: Rulemaking on Discrete Radioactive Particle Dose Constraint. Author Affiliation: NRC/EDO Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270273 Accession Number: ML012040560 Document Date: 7/27/01 Title: SECY-01-0141 - Proposed Bulletin: "Circumferential Cracking of Reactor Pressure Vessel Head Penetration Nozzles" Author Affiliation: NRC/EDO Document/Report Number: SECY-01-0141 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270283 Accession Number: ML012250152 Document Date: 8/10/01 Title: SECY-01-0151 - "Weekly Information Report - Week Ending 08/03/01" Author Affiliation: NRC/EDO/AO Document/Report Number: SECY-01-0151 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270232 Accession Number: ML012140137 Document Date: 10/23/98 Title: SECY-98-0245, "Rulemaking Plan - Protection Against Discrete Radioactive Particle (DRP) Exposures (10 CFR Part 20)." Author Affiliation: NRC/EDO Document/Report Number: SECY-98-0245 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270375 Accession Number: ML012270018 Document Date: 8/13/01 Title: Speech-01-021: The Future Ain't What It Used To Be. Author Affiliation: NRC/OCM Document/Report Number: Speech-01-021 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270386 Accession Number: ML012270168 Document Date: 8/14/01 Title: Summary of July 26-27, 2001 Meeting with Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and Industry on ECCS Strainer Blockage in PWRS. Author Affiliation: NRC/NRR/DRIP/RGEB Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270172 Accession Number: ML012210026 Document Date: 8/8/01 Title: Summary of meetings conducted at McGuire Nuclear Station on 07/10/01. Author Affiliation: NRC/RGN-II Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270160 Accession Number: ML012190374 Document Date: 8/3/01 Title: Transmittal of GE proprietary slides for 08/06/2001 GE/NRC teleconference. Author Affiliation: GE Nuclear Energy, General Electric Co Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270276 Accession Number: ML012130152 Document Date: 7/31/01 Title: United States Enrichment Corporation Response in Opposition to PACE's Appeal of Director's Decision Author Affiliation: United States Enrichment Corporation Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270191 Accession Number: ML012190014 Document Date: 7/31/01 Title: Westinghouse Owners Group - Revised Response to NRC Request for Additional Information on WCAP-15338, "A Review of Cracking Associated with Weld Deposited Cladding in Operating PWR Plants, " (MUHP-6110). Author Affiliation: Westinghouse Owners Group Document/Report Number: WCAP-15338 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012270255 Accession Number: ML012200082 Document Date: 8/8/01 Title: Yucca Mountain, COMMUNICATION PLAN FOR THE TRANSITION OF THE NRC'S YUCCA MOUNTAIN ONSITE REPRESENTATIVES OFFICE TO REGION IV Author Affiliation: NRC/RGN-IV/DNMS/FCDB Document/Report Number: ***************************************************************** 14 N-Waste Ban After Procedure Error THE WHITEHAVEN NEWS Thursday, August 16, 2001 Sellafield had to impose a temporary ban on moving radioactive waste on site, towards the end of last week. It followed failure by operators to vent a flask containing swarf, the radioactive metal which is stripped from fuel rods after they have been re-processed. The venting, to purge gas, was not done within the four-hour period specified to prevent it building up and causing a potential explosion. BNFL spokesman Alan Hughes said: "We were nowhere near this situation - this was more of a paperwork error." Once the incident was discovered, movements of the swarf - a medium-level radioactive waste - from the fuel handling plant to the encapsulation plant, where the metal is encased in concrete for storage - were suspended for 24 hours until revised operating rules were put in place to prevent a repetition. The swarf is being moved normally again and a board of inquiry is investigating the incident which BNFL class as low level. l In BNFL's own annual Environmental, Health and Safety report, chief executive, Norman Askew, says: "The number of accidents and injuries involving our employees is now lower than the average for the chemical industry both in the UK and the United States." ***************************************************************** 15 Public Citizen Protests DOE Plan to Recycle Radioactive Metals Press Release Aug. 16, 2001 Flawed Hearing Process Indicates Nuclear Waste Recycling is a Foregone Conclusion ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is stacking the deck against the public in an effort to do the nuclear industry’s bidding and ultimately authorize the recycling of radioactive waste into consumer products, Public Citizen said at a hearing today. Even though there is virtually no public support for the recycling of radioactive waste, the agency has embarked on the process necessary to authorize it, Public Citizen said. As part of this process, the DOE is holding two public hearings today in Arlington. But the public was given just a month’s notice – not enough time to study what is a complex issue and prepare comments, particularly during a time when so many people are away. The DOE is required to take public comments into account in determining the scope of its Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS). The DOE – under heavy pressure from the nuclear industry – is developing a program to dump vast quantities of radioactive scrap metal into municipal landfills or to recycle it into everyday household products and industrial materials. Currently, some radioactive wastes and materials – except some metals – can be released from DOE nuclear weapons sites without restrictions. The DOE, in January and July 2000, banned the release of some radioactive metals, but the policy being discussed in the hearings would replace those bans. The DOE’s process to authorize the release of radioactive metals begins with the PEIS being discussed at today’s hearings. The PEIS process has not had a promising start. The DOE initially contracted with San Diego-based Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) to perform an environmental review of the recycling plan. But SAIC would profit from radioactive recycling at a nuclear waste site in Tennessee – a clear conflict of interest. In late July, Public Citizen and others pointed out the conflict to the DOE, and the agency revoked the contract. A similar conflict involving radioactive recycling led to the termination last year of an SAIC contract with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. "Today’s hearings should have been postponed until another contractor was chosen," said Wenonah Hauter, director of Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program. "The agency should make all documents relevant to contractor selection available for review well in advance of any hearing. Evaluating the contractor is a crucial part of an open process." Another flaw in the process was revealed this week. For a similar Cincinnati public hearing on Tuesday, a telephone conference was quietly set up to allow "interested DOE/contractor staff and stakeholders at Paducah and Portsmouth to participate," according to a DOE employee’s e-mail. But members of the public who have expressed an interest in being kept up to date on issue and the PEIS process and who are on the PEIS distribution e-mail list were never notified or invited to participate by teleconference. "It has become clear that the DOE really wants to hear only from its own employees and contractors who support this ludicrous plan," said Public Citizen policy analyst David Ritter. "When special notification regarding this issue is sent out to DOE staff, but not to those on the PEIS distribution list, it indicates the degree to which DOE wants to stack the deck at these hearings." Yet another flaw in the process is evident in the DOE’s choice of hearing facilitator: Holmes Brown, a longtime employee of Afton Associates, Inc. Afton Associates is a paid advocate for the interests of radioactive waste producers and has received funding indirectly from the DOE to promote nuclear programs. Public interest groups are requesting information from the DOE about Brown and about the conflict of interest in the now-cancelled SAIC contract. "The hiring of a nuclear industry lobbyist to facilitate these so-called public hearings is clear evidence that the DOE is trying to push this plan through no matter what," Hauter said. "The DOE wants to help the industry follow the polluter’s golden rule: The solution to pollution is dilution." The DOE also has failed to make available to the public records indicating what radioactive materials have been and are currently being dispersed without restrictions or recycled into everyday products. Public Citizen is urging the agency to stop dispersing radioactive materials and to strengthen and expand its current bans on recycling radioactive metal. The DOE hearings are to be held today from 2-5 p.m. and 8-11 p.m. at the Hilton Crystal City, 2399 Jefferson Davis Highway, in Arlington, Va. Public Citizen representatives will be available to consult with the public and the media at both sessions. ### Public Citizen is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit www.citizen.org. ***************************************************************** 16 State urged not to block plutonium Governor orders training drills to stop shipment to state; Condon urges caution By LEE BANDY Staff Writer South Carolina Attorney General Charlie Condon urged Gov. Jim Hodges on Tuesday to proceed with caution in his drive to block shipments of surplus plutonium to the Savannah River Site near Aiken. The first shipments are scheduled to start in October. "In our zeal to block the shipments, we do not want to expose the state's treasury to millions of dollars in damages," he said in a one-page letter to the governor. Hodges is moving to halt planned plutonium shipments until the Department of Energy agrees to a legally enforceable long-term plan for removing the material. The governor has ordered troopers and other public safety workers to hold exercises Aug. 29 near SRS to practice what the state might do if the federal government tries to send plutonium to the site. Condon, a Republican, supports efforts to stop the shipments. He has sought a meeting with the Democratic governor to develop a joint strategy. But Hodges has declined the offer, saying it is premature. The attorney general termed it important the state speak with one voice in this matter. DOE is revamping a Clinton-era plan to dispose of 50 metric tons of surplus plutonium. At the same time, the Bush administration has put on hold part of the program that called for some of the plutonium to be put in glass logs for eventual burial at the Yucca Mountain nuclear repository in Nevada, once that facility is approved. That decision has brought complaints from S.C. officials who are concerned that the department will ship tons of plutonium from its weapons facilities to the state for processing with no assurance the material will ever leave. "When South Carolina agreed to accept plutonium ... DOE agreed that there would be a clear exit strategy," Hodges said. Now, he added, the department has "reneged" on the deal. The governor has threatened to use troopers to form roadblocks to keep the shipments out of the state. "We must be prepared to stand up to Washington for the health and safety of our state's citizens," the governor said. "I will not allow South Carolina to be the nation's dumping ground." Executing roadblocks might be difficult because shipping schedules and routes are kept under wraps, said Rick Ford, a DOE spokesman at SRS. The department plans to ship about 2,000 drums of plutonium to SRS from a site in Colorado, Ford said. Condon urged the governor to fight in the courts instead of standing in front of the trucks. "Of course, that gesture by you is something we all agree with in our hearts, but we must also use our heads," Condon wrote the governor. He warned that the state could be subjected to "untold millions of dollars in damages" if the trucks are physically blocked. "Disrespect for the law is not what we need. Now, more than ever, we need reasoned, logical thinking to develop a plan whereby these shipments can be blocked in accordance with the law. Condon said he could call upon his "excellent relations" with the Bush administration for the benefit of South Carolina. Getting troopers to stop a legal shipment would be unprecedented, said Condon, who is running for governor. More than a decade ago, Idaho's governor did dispatch the highway patrol and set up roadblocks to keep nuclear spent fuel shipments out of that state until a settlement was reached with DOE. Lee Bandy covers politics. You can reach him at (803) 771-8648 or by e-mail at lbandy@thestate.com. ? Copyright 2001 The State-Record Company ***************************************************************** 17 NRC Appoints Jeffrey Cruz Resident Inspector at Wolf Creek Region IV -- 2001- 44 - UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION IV 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 400, Arlington TX 76011 No. IV-01-045 August 16, 2001 CONTACT: Breck Henderson Phone: 817-860-8128 Cellular: 817-917-1227 e-mail: bwh@nrc.gov The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will increase inspection activity at Cooper Nuclear Station, a nuclear power plant near Brownville, Nebraska, in response to errors made during an emergency exercise that were not corrected. The NRC concluded that the issue was of low to moderate safety significance and thus constituted a "white" finding under the agency's new reactor oversight process, and issued a Notice of Violation. During an exercise of emergency procedures in August last year, simulated radiation exposure to the public was calculated incorrectly. As a result, incorrect protective actions were recommended to state and local authorities during the exercise. Although Nebraska Public Power District, which operates the Cooper plant, tried to fix the problem through revised procedures and personnel training, the same errors were repeated during a drill in April. NRC regulations require that identified weaknesses be corrected, which an NRC inspection ending in June concluded NPPD had failed to do. NPPD did not contest the proposed NRC action and declined a regulatory conference on the issue. Under the NRC's performance assessment process, the safety significance of each NRC inspection finding is characterized by a color -- green, white, yellow, or red. The agency response to the inspection findings is based on the significance of the items. A green finding receives normal NRC oversight, while white, yellow, or red assessments result in increasing NRC involvement, including additional inspections. NPPD has 30 days to respond to the Notice of Violation with planned corrective actions. The increased level of NRC inspection during the coming year will focus on problem identification and resolution in the emergency preparedness program at Cooper. Cooper's safety performance and applicable inspection reports can be viewed on the NRC's website at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/CNS/cns_chart.html. ***************************************************************** 18 EPA Puts Off Power Plant Standards Las Vegas SUN August 15, 2001 WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration has put off announcing whether it will stop tightening pollution requirements for power plants that are being repaired or upgraded. Environmentalists worry that the delay is a signal that industry will win changes in the rules. The Environmental Protection Agency postponed the decision until September, when it will propose legislation for reducing emissions of three major air pollutants. "Our top priority is protecting public health and the environment, and we are in the final stages of developing a comprehensive strategy that will allow us to take the next step forward into a new generation of air pollution controls," EPA Administrator Christie Whitman said Tuesday. At issue is the EPA's "new source review" program, which is supposed to minimize air pollution from new factories, power plants and refineries. Power industry officials say EPA has applied the regulations to routine maintenance and replacement work, making plant maintenance schedules longer and more costly. Environmentalists want the program left intact. The postponement "sends a clear signal that EPA is headed in the wrong direction," said Rebecca Stanfield, an attorney for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. "They're looking to obscure the impact of what they're doing by putting into the context of a bigger legislative proposal." In a statement, the EPA noted that the National Governors' Association last week called for reform of the program "to achieve improvements that enhance the environment and increase energy production capacity." The EPA's evaluation of the program was ordered by a task force, headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, that predicted the need for 1,300 new power plants. The agency held four hearings around the country and received 130,000 written comments on the issue, and was to report to President Bush by Friday. The Justice Department is separately reviewing enforcement actions that have been brought under the program to see if they were legal under the Clean Air Act. The legislation that the EPA is expected to propose next month will set caps on emissions of nitrogen, sulfur and mercury while allowing the industry to find the most cost-effective means of compliance, the agency said. The administration has refused to include carbon dioxide among those pollutants, despite its link to global warming. "We are developing a comprehensive approach to improving our efforts to control air pollution, to achieve significant reductions in air pollution while simultaneously streamlining the regulatory process so it works better, achieving real reductions and full industry compliance at far less cost," Whitman said. --- On the Net: Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 19 Nuclear Plant to Be Sold to Entergy Las Vegas SUN August 15, 2001 MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Entergy Corp. announced a deal to buy the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant for $180 million, nearly twice the price of a previous deal from with AmerGen Energy Co., which was scrapped. Vermont Yankee and Entergy said the cash deal includes $145 million for the plant and its assets and $35 million for its nuclear fuel. Vermont Yankee's abandoned the deal with AmerGen, based in Kennett Square, Pa., amid escalating prices that energy companies were willing to pay for nuclear power plants across the Northeast and put the plant up for sale through an auction, which Entergy won. If state and federal regulators approve the sale of the only nuclear reactor in Vermont, Yankee would become the 10th nuclear plant owned by New Orleans-based Entergy, the fifth in the Northeast. "We expect to realize significant operating efficiencies since Vermont Yankee is a sister plant to our Pilgrim plant in Plymouth, Mass., and our FitzPatrick plant in Oswego County, N.Y.," Wayne Leonard, Entergy's chief executive, said in a statement announcing the sale. The plan calls for Entergy to continue operating the 540-megawatt Yankee plant through 2012, when its current operating license expires. It also requires Entergy to commit to selling electricity to Yankee's current utility owners at average annual prices ranging from $39 to $45 per megawatt hour through the life of the current license. "We are pleased to be selling this outstanding nuclear plant to a national leader in nuclear plant operations with a strong track record of safe operations," Yankee President Ross Barkhurst said in a statement. All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR WEAPONS ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 Inquiry complete; K-25 to go online KnoxNews: Business Aug 15 OAK RIDGE -- BNFL Inc. has wrapped up the investigation of a July 25 fire at its nuclear cleanup project and wants to resume full operations next week at the government's K-25 plant, the company's Oak Ridge chief said Tuesday. Jim McAnally, BNFL's general manager, said he will review information with U.S. Department of Energy staff regarding the disassembly activities in the K-31 Building -- where the fire occurred. Much work is continuing at the cleanup site, but DOE must approve the restart in K-31. "We're ready," McAnally said. BNFL has a $238 million contract with DOE to clean up three huge buildings -- K-31, K-29 and K-33 -- formerly used to process uranium for nuclear weapons and reactor fuel. The federal contractor is stripping equipment from the old buildings and shipping more than 2 million pounds of contaminated scrap each week to disposal sites in Nevada and Utah. The July fire occurred when workers were using a plasma torch to cut a large metal vessel known as a "converter." McAnally emphasized that no one was hurt in the incident, and he said sampling indicated there were no significant releases of radioactive materials. He also said there's no guarantee that a similar fire won't happen in the future. "That possibility always exists because it's a chemical reaction with some of the materials in (the converter)," McAnally said. "It's a slow reaction that causes a red glow inside." The BNFL chief said he couldn't go into detail about the materials involved for fear of revealing classified information. Some aspects of the gaseous diffusion operation used to separate isotopes of uranium are still classified. McAnally said BNFL has taken steps to reduce the possibility of fires, such as no longer using hot torches to cut internal components of the converters. But the custom-made converters are not identical and as long as certain materials are present during cutting operations, there is the possibility of a fire, he said. BNFL has a safety plan to deal with fires, and workers are equipped with respirators and wear fire-retardant, anti-contamination suits, he said. Frank Munger can be reached at 865-482-9213 or twig1@knoxnews.infi.net. Copyright 2001 The Knoxville News-Sentinel Co. ***************************************************************** 2 IAEA Support to International Efforts [Depleted Uranium] [Kosovo inspection] The IAEA's laboratories contributed to analyses of DU samples. More photos... The IAEA is responding to international concerns about possible health effects of depleted uranium ammunition arising in post-conflict situations. The Agency’s focus is radiological safety, both with respect to assessing environmental conditions and the health impact on individuals that may have been exposed to depleted uranium. IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei has pledged the Agency’s support of international efforts and has emphasized the importance of a comprehensive assessment of depleted uranium’s possible effects. The Agency has conducted a number of radiological assessments in recent years at the request of its Member States. In late January, the IAEA and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) announced they are exploring the feasibility of sending fact-finding missions to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Iraq. Since then, the IAEA Laboratory in Seibersdorf, Austria, has forwarded the results of its analysis of soil samples from sites in Kosovo where depleted uranium was detected. IAEA scientists took part in a UNEP-led fact-finding mission in November 2000, which took 340 samples of water, soil, vegetation, milk and dust from vehicles and fragments of armaments after visiting 11 locations in Kosovo. Samples from the Kosovo mission also were analyzed by laboratories in , , , and the . The ([pdf file] ) was issued in March. To broaden scientific understanding of DU and its analysis, the IAEA is developing a training course for specialists from concerned countries. The main focus will be on the measurement methods and the assessment of risks from depleted uranium and other sources of radioactivity. In its basic form, DU is only slightly radioactive, being about 60% as radioactive as natural uranium. Chemically and physically, DU behaves in the same way as uranium that is found naturally in the Earth. ***************************************************************** 3 Information available on compensation for sick nuclear workers By Associated Press, 8/15/2001 14:18 WASHINGTON (AP) Information on a new federal program to compensate sick nuclear weapons workers and their survivors is now available at health care centers throughout New York state. Thousands of New Yorkers may benefit from the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program which began last month, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., said. Of the 317 nuclear sites where workers are eligible, 36 are in New York. ''These veterans of the Cold War who worked on behalf of our nation's defense did so at great peril to their own health,'' Clinton said Wednesday. ''Our nation owes these brave workers and their families the just and fair compensation that they are due.'' Clinton sent information packets on the compensation package to New York health care providers, occupational illness centers and cancer centers. Clinton and Rep. John LaFalce, D-Tonawanda, also sent a letter to Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao in July to call for the creation of a resource center in Buffalo. Two years ago, the government conceded that many workers who built America's nuclear weapons likely became ill because of on-the-job exposure. Congress approved the compensation program last year. The law provides medical care and $150,000 to sick workers exposed to radiation, which can cause cancer, and silica or beryllium, which can cause lung diseases. New York Nuclear Energy Facilities Covered Under The Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act are: Allegheny-Ludlum Steel, Watervliet American Machine and Foundry, Brooklyn Ashland Oil, Tonawanda Baker and Williams Warehouses, New York Bethlehem Steel, Lackawana Bliss and Laughlin Steel, Buffalo Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton Burns and Roe, Inc., Maspeth Colonie Site (National Lead), Colonie Columbia University, New York City Electro Metallurgical, Niagara Falls General Astrometals, Yonkers Hooker Electrochemical, Niagara Falls International Rare Metals Refinery, Inc., Mt. Kisko Ithaca Gun Co., Ithaca Lake Ontario Ordinance Works, Niagara Falls Ledoux and Co., New York Linde Air Products, Buffalo Linde Ceramics Plant, Tonawanda New York University, New York Peek Street Facility, Schenectady Radium Chemical Co., New York Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy Sacandaga Facility, Glenville Seaway Industrial Park, Tonawanda Seneca Army Depot, Romulus Separations Process Research Unit (Knolls Lab), Schenectady Simons Saw and Steel Co., Lockport Staten Island Warehouse, New York Sylvania Corning Nuclear Corp., Hicksville Sylvania Products Corp., Bayside Titanium Alloys Manufacturing, Niagara Falls Trudeau Foundation, Saranac Lake University of Rochester Medical Laboratory, Rochester Utica St. Warehouse, Buffalo West Valley Demonstration Project, West Valley New Yorkers can also get information by calling the Labor Department's toll-free help line at 1-866-888-3322. ***************************************************************** 4 Harkin staff answer IAAP queries The Hawk Eye Newspaper August 16, 2001 Iowa Time: 12:15 AM The Hawk Eye Two members of Sen. Tom Harkin's staff will visit Burlington Thursday to talk to local residents about contamination and worker exposure to chemicals at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant. Lowell Ungar and Alison Hart will be in the supervisors boardroom in the Des Moines County Courthouse at 1:30 p.m. to meet with anyone concerned about efforts to clean up the plant, and the compensation program for people whose health suffered due to exposure while working at IAAP. "Over the past several months, we have made a lot of progress in addressing the legacy of the former nuclear weapons work at IAAP," Harkin said. " I have been pleased recently to help get funding for the second year of the health study, and to get the U.S. Senate to press the Army to speed cleanup and to consider a 'flyover' to look for unknown radioactive contamination of the site. "However, much remains to be done. I am not satisfied that the Defense Department has dragged its feet in meeting requirements to address its secrecy policies, and I am also concerned with the Department of Labor's compensation rule, which may prevent some survivors from receiving just compensation." Harkin said his staffers from Washington and Davenport are looking for feedback on what further work needs to be done at IAAP. The Hawk Eye 800 S. Main St., Burlington Iowa 52601 319-754-8461 Front Desk · 319-754-6824 FAX · 1-800-397-1708 Toll Free ***************************************************************** 5 PACRO to probe fluorine suitor options - The Paducah Sun Paducah, Kentucky Thursday, August 16, 2001 By Joe Walker jwalker@paducahsun.com--270.575.8650 MAYFIELD, Ky.--A regional economic development group will expand its search for firms interested in creating local jobs by recycling fluorine cells at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant. Meeting Wednesday in Mayfield, the Paducah Area Community Reuse Organization's executive committee voted to broaden the search beyond ToxCo, a California firm that wants to buy the fluorine for recycling elsewhere. PACRO officials are seeking a firm willing to build a job-creating recycling facility at or near the plant. PACRO Director John Anderson said the group will meet again Aug. 30 with ToxCo officials, while gauging interest from other companies. "That in no way implies that negotiations with ToxCo are not working," he said. "We just feel the need to have as many people looking at the fluorine as we can find." PACRO also is talking with Chemical Vapor Deposition Manufacturing (CVD), a Canadian firm interested in recycling some of the 9,700 tons of contaminated scrap metal at the plant. Anderson said the company has agreed to test samples of discarded nickel at the plant to verify its conversion process. CVD is blocked by a temporary U.S. Department of Energy ban on selling radioactively contaminated scrap metal at any of its plants because of safety concerns. Anderson said the National Academy of Sciences is working to establish safety standards for commercial use of the metal. If accepted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the standards will be discussed in Energy Department public meetings at Paducah, perhaps as early as February, he said. ***************************************************************** 6 Livermore lab says new supercomputer key to nuclear safety sacbee: Cal Report By Brian Bergstein Associated Press Writer LIVERMORE (AP) -- After keeping the world's most powerful supercomputer to themselves for a year, government researchers showed off the $110 million wonder Wednesday and said it might help save the world from nuclear war. With the ability to perform 12.3 trillion calculations in a second, the supercomputer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory will mainly be used to simulate how well the nation's aging nuclear weapons arsenal would function if ever launched. Those simulations must be as precise as possible because the United States suspended underground nuclear tests in 1992. Gen. John Gordon, the Department of Energy's under secretary for nuclear security, called the supercomputer the "key to the country's mission of maintaining the stockpile" and assuring nuclear deterrence. Still, not everything about the supercomputer -- known as Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative White, or ASCI White -- is so serious. The researchers who get to use it say it has a mind-boggling amount of uses. First of all, ASCI White is roughly as powerful as 50,000 of the desktop computers regular people use -- it can store the equivalent of 300 million books, or six Libraries of Congress. It has 8,192 microprocessors, housed in a series of black refrigerator-sized boxes linked together by 83 miles of wiring in a 12,000 square-foot room. That's the size of two basketball courts. A giant air-conditioning system cools ASCI White from underneath, humming constantly and making any metal object in the room cold to the touch. That system requires three megawatts of electricity, enough for a small city. (The lab has its own supply of juice, so as not to strain California's wobbly power supply.) ASCI (pronounced ASK-ee) White was designed for the government by IBM Corp., which delivered it to Livermore last year in 28 tractor-trailers. The mammoth computer is 1,000 times more powerful than Deep Blue, which defeated chess grand master Garry Kasparov in 1997. The machine is networked to researchers at Livermore and the Sandia and Los Alamos national labs in New Mexico via a special, encrypted line. It went through months of testing, debugging and initial experiments before officially being dedicated Wednesday. Lab scientists and officials shared a cake with ASCI White's logo on it. Tomas Diaz de le Rubia, a materials program leader at Livermore, marveled at how ASCI White has enabled his team to create three-dimensional models that can track the behavior of 1 billion atoms at once. "It opens up a whole new way of studying how materials behave, how they perform under different conditions, how they age," he said. "It's beautiful." It's also just the beginning. The government says that to certify the nuclear arsenal with full confidence, it needs a supercomputer that is 10 times as powerful as ASCI White by 2004. On the Net: Livermore Lab: http://www.llnl.gov ***************************************************************** 7 DOE appeals 'whistleblower' ruling Oak Ridger Online --> Story last updated at 12:51 p.m. on Thursday, August 16, 2001 by Paul Parson Oak Ridger staff The Department of Energy has appealed a ruling recommending that the federal agency pay damages to three Oak Ridge "whistleblowers." DOE spokesman Steven Wyatt said the agency filed the appeal on Aug. 9 with the Administrative Review Board, a component of the Department of Labor. Daniel F. Sutton, an administrative law judge with the Labor Department, recommended the damages in a July 31 ruling to the following people, who were security analysts: + Ken Warden -- $50,353 in compensation and reinstatement to his former position. + Commie Byrum -- $25,000 in compensation, and DOE should rescind a reprimand for "insubordination and threatening behavior" and expunge its records about the action. + Virginia Johnson -- $2,500 in compensation. The ruling also instructed DOE to pay all legal fees, which will be assessed later, and to post copies of Sutton's order at prominent places in the Federal Building in Oak Ridge. The cases represent the second round in a series of complaints filed by the employees. According to legal documents, complainants "expressed concerns that questionable individuals, including convicted felons, drug dealers and abusers, and persons with psychological problems, had their national security clearances granted or renewed in contravention of DOE personnel security regulations." All Contents ©Copyright The Oak Ridger ***************************************************************** 8 Our View: Generating DOE revenues locally for oversight role Oak Ridger Online --> Story last updated at 1:12 p.m. on Thursday, August 16, 2001 The Department of Energy is taking a second look at honoring previous commitments to environmental cleanup and oversight in Oak Ridge. Perseverance may yet pay off. Certainly the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation has made a fairer contest out of the city's quest to gain the funds promised for environmental cleanup, management and oversight. Belated though that effort has been, Nashville and the Sundquist administration deserve credit for joining DOE in serious talks about fulfilling environmental pledges to Oak Ridge. John Owsley, director of TDEC's DOE Oversight Division, believes that as a result of recent negotiations the Local Oversight Committee will be funded in the next fiscal year, though the amount and what happens beyond next year remain in question. This is where Oak Ridge needs to step up and, if it is possible, take greater charge of its own destiny here. Rather than relying upon the vagaries of federal budget-making to learn whether funding promises are going to be honored, the city should explore whether fees might be levied on federal facilities and storage activities which will assure some or all of that funding is there. This would need to be earmarked, targeted funds, specifically for cleanup and oversight, not a sweeping money grab to fatten the city's coffers. And it may well require state legislative approval to gain this kind of special tax or fee. But we can hope that a Nashville that has listened once will again be sympathetic to the city's David-and-Goliath plight against Washington, and that our own local representatives will be persuasive in arguing for any such tax or fee that might gain local backing. All Contents ©Copyright The Oak Ridger ***************************************************************** 9 Keep open mind about whistleblowers Seeks accountability The Oak Ridger Online - Opinion - Your Views 08/16/01 Oak Ridger Online --> Story last updated at 1:17 p.m. on Thursday, August 16, 2001 Your Views In light of the recent awarding of financial damages by an administrative law judge to three Oak Ridge whistleblowers that suffered retaliation, job stress, and health problems after reporting security concerns and fighting with management over the issues, I think it is appropriate to ask, exactly what is a whistleblower. At a workshop I attended this year that discussed human experimentation in the U.S. and steps taken to protect individuals, one of the speakers defined a whistleblower as a "disgruntled employee." This description bothered me a great deal because I do not think it accurately describes those who choose to go through the life-altering ordeal of taking on a system they have little chance of beating, and when they do the economic gains are quite small compared to the career damage and agony involved (e.g., $50,353, $25,000, and $2,500 for the three mentioned previously). For the record, I found the following definition at www.findlaw.com: "A whistleblower is an employee who reports to a government agency the fact that he (or she) has reasonable cause to believe there is a violation of state or federal law occurring in his (or her) workplace. Whistleblower statutes prohibit employers from firing a worker who is a whistleblower and also prohibit employers from firing employees who participate in government investigations and hearings relating to violations of law at the workplace." This has a very different tone to me than "disgruntled employee." I encourage members of the public to keep an open mind about whistleblowers and to take the time to learn their stories. You might be surprised at how rational and reasonable many of their complaints are. However, I believe you will conclude it would have been a lot easier, not to mention less financially and emotionally damaging, for them to just quit and find another job in another town and/or industry. . . Susan Kaplan Knoxville The Oak Ridger welcomes letters of general interest. Letters must be signed and include the full name, address and telephone number of the writer. Telephone numbers and addresses will not be published. Letters may be mailed to The Oak Ridger at P.O. Box 3446, Oak Ridge, TN 37831; emailed to dmcconn@oakridger.com; faxed to 482-7834, or dropped by our office at 785 Oak Ridge Turnpike. Letters may be edited for length and style. All Contents ©Copyright The Oak Ridger ***************************************************************** 10 Livermore Lab Unveils Supercomputer Las Vegas SUN August 15, 2001 LIVERMORE, Calif.- After keeping the world's most powerful supercomputer to themselves for a year, government researchers showed off the $110 million wonder Wednesday and said it might help save the world from nuclear war. With the ability to perform 12.3 trillion calculations a second, the supercomputer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory mainly will be used to simulate how the nation's aging nuclear weapons arsenal would function if launched. Those simulations must be as precise as possible because the United States suspended underground nuclear tests in 1992. Gen. John Gordon, the Department of Energy's under secretary for nuclear security, called the supercomputer the "key to the country's mission of maintaining the stockpile" and assuring nuclear deterrence. The supercomputer - known as Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative White, or ASCI White - has a mind-boggling amount of other uses, say researchers who use it. ASCI White is roughly as powerful as 50,000 desktop computers. It can store the equivalent of 300 million books, or six Libraries of Congress. It has 8,192 microprocessors, housed in a series of black refrigerator-sized boxes linked together by 83 miles of wiring in a room the size of two basketball courts. A giant air-conditioning system that cools ASCI White requires three megawatts of electricity, enough for a small city. ASCI White was designed for the government by IBM Corp., which delivered it to Livermore last year in 28 tractor-trailers. The mammoth computer is 1,000 times more powerful than Deep Blue, which defeated chess grand master Garry Kasparov in 1997. The machine is networked to researchers at Livermore and the Sandia and Los Alamos national labs in New Mexico via an encrypted line. It went through months of testing and debugging before being dedicated Wednesday. Tomas Diaz de le Rubia, a materials program leader at Livermore, marveled at how ASCI White has enabled his team to create three-dimensional models that can track the behavior of 1 billion atoms at once. "It opens up a whole new way of studying how materials behave, how they perform under different conditions, how they age," he said. "It's beautiful." It's also just the beginning. The government says that to certify the nuclear arsenal with full confidence, it needs a supercomputer that is 10 times as powerful as ASCI White by 2004. On the Net: Livermore Lab: http://www.llnl.gov ASCI White: http://www.rs6000.ibm.com/hardware/largescale/supercomputers/asciwhite All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 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: *****************************************************************