***************************************************************** 07/20/01 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 9.177 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER CONTENTS 1 Yucca backers say Reid playing on fear with train crash 2 Leavitt Fires Back in Suit On N-Waste 3 Nuclear Newspeak 4 Reid: Some Yucca Mountain money to return 5 ENERGY AND WATER APPROPRIATIONS BILL PASSES SENATE, MILLIONS 6 REID REACTS TO TRAIN DERAILMENT IN BALTIMORE WARNS OF SAME 7 Editorial: When less definitely is better 8 Reid points to train fire danger 9 Activist: Nuclear train spells trouble ahead 10 British Energy eyes Czech nuke plants 11 Computer Monitoring System for Qinshan Nuclear Power Station Passes Appraisal 12 Adviser to decide whether reactor restart needs vote 13 SHIP CARRYING NUCLEAR WASTE HEADED TOWARD THE CARIBBEAN 14 Company Executives State Case For Nuclear Power 15 Lawmakers approve $18 million for uranium-plant cleanup in Paducah 16 NRC sees tornado safety concern at Duke S.C. nuke 17 USEC bonuses list stirs union in contract talks 18 ADAMS: Items of Interest - Friday, July 20, 2001 19 Survey says California unsure of nuclear power 20 Broad Energy Bill Heads to Floor 21 New Jersey renews nuclear plant's water permit despite fish kills 22 EPA to investigate uranium in Upstate 23 Company Executives State Case For Nuclear Power 24 Compensation checks OK'd for ill miners 25 Nuclear Power Too Dangerous 26 NRC Plans Additional Inspection at Oconee Nuclear Power Plant Due NUCLEAR WEAPONS CONTENTS 1 Deal will mean checks for nuclear workers 2 Former DOE Employees Attend Compensation Meeting 3 Long battle ahead over nuclear cleanup 4 Feud Breaks Out Over Nuclear Theft 5 Kidney cancer added to compensation program coverage 6 Coalition assists sick workers 7 Kidney cancer benefits, more funds for cleanup added for Paducah 8 Wamp says some cleanup funds to be restored 9 Editorial: Law should help Pantex workers 10 DOE Announces Swearing-In of Jessie Roberson Assistant Secretary of 11 Department of Energy Fines Kaiser-Hill for Safety Violations 12 Robots Start Russian Sub Salvage Effort 13 Kidney cancer added to sick workers' coverage list 14 Former site official takes lead DOE job 15 Radiation exposure calculated 16 Radiation Victims to Be Compensated 17 Senate OKs Hanford cleanup money 18 U.S. fines Flats cleanup firm **************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 Yucca backers say Reid playing on fear with train crash July 20, 2001 RENO, Nev. (AP) - Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the hazardous train derailment in Baltimore underscores the danger of transporting nuclear waste across the country. But backers of a proposed waste facility at Nevada's Yucca Mountain said Friday Reid is using scare tactics to try to thwart the project. They say a nuclear waste train wouldn't leak materials in a crash. "Sen. Reid is looking to drum up fear about what is a safe, responsible nuclear waste transportation record," said Sarah Berk, press secretary to Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho. Reid said in a Senate floor speech Thursday that the crash in a Baltimore tunnel near Camden Yards baseball park should slow the "mad clamor by the nuclear power industry to send nuclear waste somewhere. "They don't care where it goes, but they have focussed on Nevada for the present time. And I think everyone needs to recognize that transporting dangerous materials is very difficult," he said. The leaking hydrochloric acid in Baltimore is nothing compared to the high-level radioactive waste proposed for the Yucca Mountain site north of Las Vegas, he said. "A speck the size of a pinpoint would kill a person. And we're talking about transporting some 70,000 tons of it across America," Reid said. Reid, the second-ranking Sen. behind Majority Leader Tom Daschle, said an estimated 60 million people would be within 1 mile of the truck and rail routes proposed to ship waste to Yucca Mountain. "What we should do with nuclear waste is leave it where it is," he said. Craig, a leading advocate of the Yucca site as a place to ship nuclear waste in Idaho, was not immediately available for direct comment. But his spokeswoman told The Associated Press on Friday that Craig believes Reid is engaged in "a misguided and misinformed effort to connect something that should not be connected. "The fact of the matter is, if that train had been carrying nuclear components, it would have been protected in containers that would have prevented this sort of a spill," Berk said in a telephone interview from Washington. "The nuclear power industry has a phenomenal safety record and is continuing to develop safe and responsible methods to handle nuclear waste," she said. All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 2 Leavitt Fires Back in Suit On N-Waste The Salt Lake Tribune -- Thursday, July 19, 2001 BY BRENT ISRAELSEN Eager to air his anti-nuke fervor in court, Gov. Mike Leavitt struck back Wednesday against an American Indian tribe and a consortium of "foreign" utilities that want to bring highly radioactive waste to Utah. The state was sued in April by the Tooele County-based Skull Valley Band of Goshutes and Private Fuel Storage (PFS), which have signed a lease agreement to build a nuclear waste repository on Goshute land, about 45 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. Filed in U .S. District Court, the Goshute-PFS lawsuit claims that new state laws banning the waste and imposing heavy taxes on anyone who does business with the nuclear-waste industry are unconstitutional and violate federal commerce laws. In response, Leavitt and his new anti-nuclear lawyer, Monte Stewart, on Wednesday filed a counterclaim to the Goshute-PFS lawsuit, questioning the legitimacy of the nuclear-waste proposal. The counterclaim does not directly address the constitutional and legal arguments raised in the Goshute-PFS lawsuit. Rather, it cites five "fatal flaws" to the Goshute-PFS proposal, any one of which could defeat the proposal, said Stewart, a Brigham Young University law professor whom Leavitt appointed in May to lead the state's legal fight against the waste proposal. In essence, the counterclaim seeks to show that because the proposal is illegitimate, the tribe and PFS, comprised of eight out-of-state utility companies, has no legal standing to challenge the Utah laws dealing with high-level nuclear waste. PFS spokeswoman Sue Martin scoffed at the state's counterclaim. "It seems this is a blatant attempt to try to distract the court from the issues in our lawsuit," she said. The Goshute-PFS proposal -- which would locate on the Goshute reservation a disposal facility for up to 41,000 metric tons of spent fuel from the nation's nuclear power plants -- has been a sore spot for Leavitt ever since it was conceived in the mid-1990s. "We intend not to leave a stone unturned" to ensure this nuclear waste does not come to Utah, Leavitt said at a news conference Wednesday with Stewart. The governor said the state also is pursuing political and administrative remedies. "This [counterclaim] is just one leg of our entire effort." The counterclaim alleges that: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has no jurisdiction to license a private facility for this type of waste. Such a license would violate federal environmental policy law. The tribe's membership has not properly approved the Goshute-PFS lease. The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) did not properly approve the lease. Any BIA approval of the lease would be invalid because it breaches the federal government's trust obligation to the tribe. Leavitt said he is pleased the fight is in federal court and hopes the case is decided by a jury. Part of any fight is the verbal battle, which was evident at a news conference Wednesday. Leavitt referred to pro-nuclear-waste Goshutes as a "small number" of the 124-member tribe, and Stewart referred to PFS as a group of "foreign utilities," a term he later said was legalese. Stewart also invoked the image of legendary Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe, an Indian, by quoting his daughter, Grace, who said, "Those supporting such [nuclear-waste] sites are selling our sovereignty." © Copyright 2001, The Salt Lake Tribune All material found on ***************************************************************** 3 Nuclear Newspeak The Salt Lake Tribune -- Friday, July 20, 2001 I appreciate the information shared by Scott Northard, project manager for Private Fuel Storage, regarding the problems facing nuclear plants operating in the United States. In his opinion piece ("Tribune Wrong About Opposition to Nevada Waste Site and Goshute Proposal," Tribune, July 1), Mr. Northard very briefly explains the serious problems involved with trying to deal with the spent fuel used by these plants. However, what he fails to acknowledge is the fact that there simply is no safe way to either reprocess or effectively dispose of the highly toxic waste coming from these plants. Instead, he, insists that nuclear energy is "clean" and "affordable" and that we all "benefit" from it. I think Northard, along with President Bush, must be speaking a different language. Perhaps, they are using newspeak, the language George Orwell warned us about in his futuristic novel. Clearly, the words "clean," "affordable," and "benefit" mean something different to the proponents of nuclear power plants than they do to the rest of us. Until we figure out a way to deal with nuclear waste, we have no business operating these plants, let alone building new ones. Stockpiling this toxic material in Skull Valley is not the answer. It only postpones the need to develop a sound nuclear waste policy. I urge the state of Utah to not only fight the current proposal but to figure out a way to make the Goshute people a more attractive offer. CHRISTINE G. MEECHAM Salt Lake City © Copyright 2001, The Salt Lake Tribune All material found on ***************************************************************** 4 Reid: Some Yucca Mountain money to return [Las Vegas Review-Journal] Friday, July 20, 2001 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal By STEVE TETREAULT DONREY WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Thursday he will agree to restore some of the $170 million he cut from the Yucca Mountain budget as Congress prioritizes energy spending for next year. At the end of four days of debate, the Senate voted 97-2 in favor of a $25.4 billion bill the majority whip put together to pay for projects within the Energy Department and water development agencies. While many initiatives received increases, the budget for studying the Nevada site as a potential nuclear waste repository was cut 38 percent. Senators who support nuclear waste burial at Yucca Mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, prepared amendments to restore funding, but decided in the end to hold off until a House-Senate conference committee is convened later this summer. To avoid a floor fight, Reid and pro-repository Sens. Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Larry Craig, R-Idaho, negotiated a resolution Thursday declaring the Yucca Mountain budget should be increased "to an amount closer to the House-passed version" to ensure the site study can continue. Reid said afterward that the statement was not legally binding, but he would agree to put back some of the funding in conference committee. He did not specify how much he would accept but several of his aides have said the conference committee probably will settle on a figure somewhere between the $275 million approved by the Senate and $433 million approved by the House. "We're still faced with the fact we have less money than the House. It will be increased, I've said that all along." On Wednesday, the Energy Department said the $170 million Reid cut from the nuclear waste disposal budget would cause the layoff of 650 workers and postpone indefinitely any license application to develop a spent-fuel repository at the site. Joe Colvin, president of the Nuclear Energy Institute whose members are pressing for a nuclear waste repository, said the Senate's deep budget cut at Yucca Mountain "is not in the national interest." He said he was encouraged by the Senate's resolution that funding should be increased. Reid said he would like to convene the conference committee next week and finish the bill before Congress goes on summer vacation in August. The measure that cleared the Senate would boost spending for nuclear weapons maintenance and nonproliferation, environmental cleanup at nuclear weapons facilities, and renewable energy research. Reid identified more than $137 million for Nevada in the bill, which would steer more than $32 million for research and improvements to the Nevada Test Site. This story is located at: http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2001/Jul-20-Fri-2001/news/16582958.html ***************************************************************** 5 ENERGY AND WATER APPROPRIATIONS BILL PASSES SENATE, MILLIONS INCLUDED FOR NEVADA PROJECTS FLOOD CONTROL, YUCCA MOUNTAIN OVERSIGHT, NTS, UNIV. SYSTEM ALL BENEFIT July 20, 2001 WASHINGTON – Nevada Senator Harry Reid announced today that more than $137 million for Nevada projects will be included in the Senate version of the 2002 Energy and Water Appropriations spending bill. Included in the bill are funds for state and county oversight of the Yucca Mountain project, flood control, water quality work and funding for new Nevada Test Site (NTS) science projects and related energy development programs. "As Chairman of the Energy and Water Appropriations sub-committee I am in a unique position to fund those programs that are vital to local communities and the environment while also looking for new opportunities to expand and diversify Nevada's economy," Reid said. "I am especially pleased with the funding now available for alternative energy development. The on-going energy crisis demonstrates how critical it is that we find other sources of power." Following is a list of projects funded in this year's Energy and Water Appropriations bill. Solar and Renewable Programs $5,000,000 National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to establish a renewable technology deployment site presence in Nevada $1,000,000 Million Solar Roofs program to demonstrate roofing materials that generate solar-electric power $1,000,000 UNLV to deploy and demonstrate solar thermal power generation using Dish Sterling technology $300,000 Clark County to demonstrate diesel engine particulate emission reduction technology $1,000,000 Department of Energy to fund environmental studies and documentation for projects that generate renewable power on the Nevada Test Site $3,000,000 Nevada universities and power generators for geothermal power generation research and development $2,000,000 to continue the development and demonstration of hydrogen-powered underground mining equipment $3,000,000 Advanced thermal energy storage research and development Yucca Mountain-Related Funding $2,500,000 State of Nevada to provide technical oversight of the activities at Yucca Mountain $6,000,000 Yucca Mountain oversight by units of affected local government Office of Science $200,000 UNLV studies of the biological effects of exposure to low-level radiation $250,000 Desert Research Institute to continue its studies of the effects of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) on the growth of natural vegetation as a part of the national Free Air CO2 Experiment (FACE) $700,000 DRI/Nevada Universities, EPSCoR for three years for research and development on advanced radiography technology DEFENSE ACTIVITIES $2,500,000 UNR establish and operate a petawatt laser at UNR to be moved from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (the petawatt laser is an extremely short-pulse laser providing the highest power light source in the world) $5,000,000 UNR and UNLV research and development activities in support of the U.S. nuclear weapons program $2,000,000 NTS for readiness-to-test activities $2,000,000 Nevada's Remote Sensing Laboratory (RSL) for enhanced pilot proficiency, aircraft safety, and improved aviation support elements (RSL is the facility located at Nellis) $1,000,000 State of Nevada's Tumor Registry to improve the accuracy and completeness of public health records for a population with significant potential exposure to low level radiation $2,000,000 for installation of exhibits at the Atomic Testing History Institute in Las Vegas $4,000,000 Nevada Test Site for project engineering and design of a new Subcritical Experiment Support Facility $6,200,000 Nevada Test Site for electrical power systems safety, communications, and bus upgrades at $2,000,000 to renovate existing roadways at the Nevada Test Site $5,000,000 to establish the Remote Systems Test and Engineering Center at the Remote Sensing Laboratory (RSL) $4,400,000 environmental restoration and waste management at the Nevada Test Site $4,000,000 to improve understanding of the circulation of the ground water beneath the Nevada Test Site (advanced sensors that may be helpful in tracking migration of groundwater beneath the underground test areas and Yucca) $3,000,000 for a Nevada partnership to develop and deploy micro sensors for environmental monitoring at the Nevada Test Site $6,000,000 for UNLV research and development of economic and environmentally sound technologies to refine spent nuclear fuel as an alternative to permanent geologic disposal $6,000,000 for development and implementation of nuclear worker medical records management for the Department of Energy US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS $750,000 Lower Las Vegas Wash Wetlands feasibility studies to determine environmental restoration plans for the Wash $500,000 Truckee Meadows preconstruction and design activities for flood control and environmental restoration in the Reno/Washoe County area $200,000 feasibility studies for flood control/environmental restoration of the Walker River Basin $100,000 Las Vegas Wash (Interstate 15 to Confluence of Monson Channel), North Las Vegas, NV. $9,000,000 Rural Nevada Project flood control, environmental infrastructure, and environmental restoration – projects are at Lawton-Verdi, Silver Springs, and Mesquite. Potential new projects are in the Moapa Valley and in Elko County. $30,000,000 Tropicana and Flamingo Washes for continued construction of the flood control project. ($22,000 for construction, $8,000,000 reimbursement to Clark County Regional Flood Control District). $100,000 Carson River environmental restoration. $150,000 Steamboat Creek/Washoe County, environmental restoration project. BUREAU OF RECLAMATION $2,000,000 South Lake Tahoe environmental restoration project $120,000 flood control and environmental restoration studies at Halfway Wash, Mesquite County $8,436,000 Lahontan Basin Project $1,400,000 Lake Mead/Las Vegas Wash environmental restoration project $2,000,000 Newlands Project Water Right Fund $1,500,000 Southern Nevada Water Recycling Project $200,000 continued studies in the Walker River Basin. $100,000 Steamboat Creek, Reno, NV environmental restoration project ***************************************************************** 6 REID REACTS TO TRAIN DERAILMENT IN BALTIMORE WARNS OF SAME POSSIBILITY WITH NUCLEAR WASTE TRANSPORTATION July 20, 2001 "I hope everyone recognizes the tremendous tragedy that was just barely averted yesterday in Baltimore. We had a train derail in a tunnel. The fire is still burning. The hydrochloric acid is still leaking from that tank, and literally last night the city of Baltimore, one of the largest cities in America, was closed down. The Baltimore Orioles were in the middle of a double-header. They stopped the game, sent everybody home. The reason I mention this is that there's been this mad clamor by the nuclear power industry to send nuclear waste somewhere. They don't care where it goes, but they have focused on Nevada for the present time. And I think everyone needs to recognize that transporting dangerous materials is very difficult. People think hydrochloric acid is bad, which it is, but not as bad as nuclear waste. A speck the size of a pinpoint would kill a person. And we're talking about transporting some 70,000 tons of it all across America. So I would hope that before everybody starts flexing their muscles about the reestablishment of nuclear power in this country, that we recognize first that there has to be something done with the waste associated with nuclear power. It's estimated that some 60 million people would be within a mile of the proposed roots of transporting this nuclear waste either by train or truck, and this is not even considering the problems related to terrorism. What we should do with nuclear waste is leave it where it is. Eminent scientists say that that is the safest way to store the nuclear waste. It could be stored on site in dry-cask storage containers for a fraction of the cost of a repository, a monitor retrieval storage system or a permanent repository. It could be done with no danger. The scientists say it would be safe for a hundred years. And then, during that period of time, there might be some idea as to what could be done with these spent fuel rods." ***************************************************************** 7 Editorial: When less definitely is better July 20, 2001 It was encouraging that the Senate on Thursday passed the smallest budget for the Yucca Mountain Project in nearly a decade. The investigation to determine whether Nevada's Yucca Mountain is suitable to store high-level nuclear waste has not earned the public's trust because the Department of Energy has not carried out truly objective research. Congress also tipped the scales by designating only one place in the nation to consider as a proposed dumping ground for man's deadliest waste -- leaving out other places that scientists had deemed more suitable for such a dangerous task. Nevadans should be excused then if they don't share the same sense of alarm that the DOE and some members of Congress have expressed regarding the Senate's smaller funding for the project, which would be $275 million annually instead of the $445 million sought by the DOE. For instance, the DOE claimed that a significantly smaller budget would mean that a repository's 2010 target date to open could not be met. The DOE also said huge staffing cuts would occur, including money for federal staff oversight and independent technical reviews. Sen. Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska, who is one of the dump's biggest sponsors in Congress, even suggested that lowering the funding would "basically kill" the project. In an unintentionally hilarious episode during the debate Wednesday regarding the funding request, Murkowski suggested he was shocked -- shocked! -- that politics might have played a role in scaling back the funding for the Yucca Mountain Project. The target of the Alaska Republican's ire was Nevada's Sen. Harry Reid, chairman of the Senate subcommittee that slashed funding oversight for the Yucca Mountain Project. Murkowski's accusations are laughable since they come from a man who has used strong-arm politics at nearly every turn to try to ensure that the repository -- and the 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste that will accompany it -- is built in Nevada. The Senate's vote is important, but a final budget for the Yucca Mountain Project will have to be worked out among Senate and House negotiators since the House authorized spending $443 million, nearly matching DOE's request. Still, Thursday's vote was an important step that signals it's time for the bloated Yucca Mountain Project budget to go on a much-needed diet. There's no reason to rush this misguided program, and throwing more money at it will only create the likelihood of a hasty decision that ignores the folly of burying such deadly waste in Nevada. All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 8 Reid points to train fire danger July 20, 2001 Senator warns about nuke shipment risk By Benjamin Grove LAS VEGAS SUN WASHINGTON -- While soot-covered firefighters tried to contain a hazardous materials freight train fire in a Baltimore tunnel on Thursday, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the accident is another example of the potential dangers of transporting high-level nuclear waste. The Nevada delegation opposes a federal plan to one day ship the nation's nuclear waste from 103 power plants nationwide on trains and trucks to a permanent burial ground at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Nuclear industry officials who are eager for Yucca Mountain to open and accept their waste say transporting waste is safe. High-tech shipping containers would prevent leaks even in fiery, catastrophic accidents, nuclear experts say. They say Nevada officials are needlessly scaring people about the risks. Nevada officials stress the potential shipping dangers as part of their overall argument against the Yucca plan. "If people think hydrochloric acid is bad -- which it is -- think about how bad nuclear waste is," Reid said in a Senate floor speech. "A speck the size of a pinpoint would kill a person. We are talking about transporting some 70,000 tons of it all across America." Reid aides said the senator next week may add language to the nation's transportation spending bill that addresses emergency preparedness for hazardous materials crews. The Senate is likely to debate the bill next week. Reid argued that it is safer to leave nuclear waste at the plants that produce it. That's too expensive, argue nuclear plant operators. They add that the federal government broke a contract promise to haul the waste away by 1998. "It could be stored onsite in storage containers for a fraction of the cost of a permanent repository," Reid said. "It could be stored relatively safely for 100 years, the scientists say. During that period of time, we might develop a breakthrough idea as to what could be done safely with these spent fuel rods." Reid's comments fell on the day the Senate voted 97-2 to approve a $25.5 billion bill that pays for the nation's energy and water projects. The bill contains $275 million for continued projects at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. That's down from $445 million requested by the Department of Energy, the project's manager. Reid, a member of the Appropriations Committee, slashed the funding in an effort to slow the project. The House approved $443 million for Yucca funding. House and Senate negotiators, including Reid, are expected to meet to reach a compromise on the budget this summer or in early fall. Pro-Yucca Sens. Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Larry Craig, R-Idaho, among others, intend to restore Yucca funding. Budget cuts threaten the project, they said. The Associated Press contributed to this article. All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 9 Activist: Nuclear train spells trouble ahead Lawrence Journal-World: Toxic cargo to pass through town By Dave Ranney Scott Rothschild, Journal-World Staff Writer Friday, July 20, 2001 Sometime this summer, a train carrying tons of nuclear waste will roll through North Lawrence. A train carrying nuclear waste from the East Coast will pass through North Lawrence on an undisclosed date. Kevin Kamps, an environmental activist from Washington, D.C., is on an information campaign to attract attention to the potential threat of such cargo. Thursday, Kamps was in Lawrence with a model nuclear waste canister to raise awareness about environmental issues. Government officials have said the shipment is safe. But Kevin Kamps, an environmentalist from Washington, D.C., on Thursday was in Lawrence to dispute the government's assurances. "High-level nuclear waste is one of the most deadly substances on earth," Kamps said, standing next to a replica of one of the canisters being used to ship spent fuel rods from a nuclear power plant in western New York to a temporary storage facility in Idaho. Kamps, 31, said the canisters' abilities to withstand fire and high-impact accidents have not been adequately tested. An information specialist with the Nuclear Information and Research Service, Kamps has been traveling along the same route that the nuclear cargo will travel from western New York to Idaho. The shipment this summer is expected to be in Douglas County no longer than 30 minutes, and in Kansas for about three hours, officials have previously said. For security reasons, the time and date of the shipment are a secret. • www.wvnsco.com/images/Route12B.jpg Only emergency management and law enforcement groups will be informed when it is coming through town, officials say. Kamps said he hopes to raise awareness about the dangers of nuclear waste and that cross-country shipments will be common, if a proposed waste dump is built beneath Yucca Mountain in Nevada. "The Department of Energy has testified that somewhere between 18,000 and 29,000 truckloads of nuclear waste will eventually pass though Lawrence on I-70. That's two trucks a day, every day, for decades," he said. "And then, depending on how they decide to ship by truck, there could be as many as 3,500 rail shipments." These numbers, Kamps said, increase the odds of an accident occurring. But energy officials insist the shipments pose no cause for alarm. "The shipment is absolutely safe," said John Chamberlain, a spokesman for West Valley Nuclear Services, which is coordinating the shipments this summer. In accordance with Department of Energy regulations, the spent fuel rods will be shipped in steel casks with walls more than 9 inches thick. Each cask is approximately 20 feet long, 7 feet in diameter and weighs 75 tons when empty. The train will consist of a locomotive, two flatbed cars carrying the casks, several spacer or buffer cars, and a personnel car. Kamps said the shipment will travel Union Pacific tracks through Lawrence. The route was chosen based on an Energy Department evaluation that ranked 12 different routes evaluated for distance, track quality and population. "The risk is so minimal it's virtually nonexistent," said Paula Phillips, director of Douglas County Emergency Management. Kamps' concerns touched a nerve with Melanie Birge, a massage therapist at Lunaria Bodywork Institute. "I wish (the shipment) wouldn't go through here. It's too close to the population," Birge said. •Lawrence Journal-World •Sunflower Cablevision •KUSports.com ***************************************************************** 10 British Energy eyes Czech nuke plants Friday July 20, 10:32 AM PRAGUE, July 20 (Reuters) - British Energy said on Friday it was interested in two Czech nuclear power plants, Temelin and Dukovany, and was forming a consortium for the forthcoming privatisation of the country's energy group CEZ . The Czech government plans to sell CEZ, which operates the two plants with planned combined output of 3,700 megawatts, by mid-2002 together with stakes in regional power distributors. British Energy's local public relations agency Ogilvy told Reuters the company would take over Temelin even if the government decides to sell it before it comes fully on line. Dukovany has been operating since 1985. "We are interested in both Dukovany and Temelin. Of course we would prefer to buy a running Temelin but if the cabinet prefers a sale before its launch we would buy it," Ogilvy's Jan Piskacek said. He added British Energy would join forces with one or more partners for the privatisation but declined to comment on local media reports that International Power (LSE: - ) was the other part of a planned consortium. The value of the energy block slated for sale is estimated at around 150 billion crowns ($3.75 billion). It would be the largest energy selloff in central Europe. Electricite de France [EDF.UL] was seen as one of the favourites in the privatisation exercise. The first block in Temelin is planned to start operating at 100 percent by the end of this year. The chain reaction is expected to be re-launched in August after repairs to its turbine. Temelin's planned output is 1,962 megawatts, while Dukovany operates four 440 megawatts blocks. Germany and Austria have exerted diplomatic pressure on the Czech government over Temelin which they want to close down because of fears the reactor might be unsafe. CEZ hopes cheaper nuclear power will give it an advantage in energy sector liberalisation in the Czech Republic and on neighbouring markets. Analysts have said the government may prefer to sell the nuclear plant separately ahead what could be a lengthy privatisation of CEZ. Copyright © 2001 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 11 Computer Monitoring System for Qinshan Nuclear Power Station Passes Appraisal Friday, July 20, 2001, updated at 18:27(GMT+8) Computer Monitoring System for Qinshan Nuclear Power Station Passes Appraisal The computer control and monitoring system for the Qinshan Nuclear Power Station, a system designed and manufactured by Chinese engineers, passed an appraisal Friday. The system has surpassed overseas products with its strong anti- clutter capacity, real-time reactivity, and high precision and resolution, said experts from the Ministry of Information Industry, who are here for the appraisal. The system, with independent intellectual property, consists of a computer system and a failure detection and safety monitoring system, through which the operators can perform a real-time surveillance of each part of the power station to ensure efficiency and stability in operation. The computer control and monitoring system is designed and manufactured by the Beijing-based Helishi System Engineering Co. Ltd., China's largest industrial automation base, as well as the first company in the Chinese mainland that can provide large-scale computer systems for nuclear power stations. Copyright by People's Daily Online, all rights reserved | ***************************************************************** 12 Adviser to decide whether reactor restart needs vote This story was published Thu, Jul 19, 2001 By John Stang Herald staff writer If reviving the partly built Hanford No. 1 reactor appears technically feasible and desirable, then the state and owner Energy Northwest would have to research whether its resurrection requires a public vote, Gov. Gary Locke's executive policy adviser on energy said Wednesday. David Danner, speaking to about 55 members of the Pasco-Kennewick Rotary Club in Kennewick, said the state and Energy Northwest want to find out first whether finishing the closed nuclear construction project is feasible. Until then, they won't tackle the next step -- whether a statewide referendum would be required to restart the work. The unfinished reactor is north of Richland near Energy Northwest's Columbia Generating Station, which is the state's only operating nuclear reactor. Energy Northwest halted No. 1's construction in the early 1980s because of massive cost overruns. But the nation's energy crisis and the Bush administration's blossoming interest in nuclear power have prompted Energy Northwest to reconsider. Two studies are under way, said Don McManman, Energy Northwest spokesman. Bechtel Power and Framatome ANP are studying construction and licensing issues. Meanwhile, Energy Northwest is looking at training and operations implications of running the reactor. Those studies are supposed to be done later this summer, McManman said. Another engineering firm will double-check the two studies' facts, figures and conclusions. Then, an independent review panel will review the information and make recommendations to Energy Northwest's executive board in the fall. If those feasibility studies support finishing the plant, on which work began in the mid-1970s, then several legal questions must be addressed, Danner said. In 1981, Washington's voters passed an initiative that requires a public referendum on any attempt to build a major power plant in the state using bonds issued through a public agency. Several issues must be resolved before any recommendation can be put into effect, Danner said: -- Would a plan to finish No. 1 keep it in public hands, or would it switch the project over to a private company with private money? -- Would completing it be legally considered finishing an approved project after a 20-year hiatus, or would it be considered a brand-new project? -- Should all Washington voters cast ballots on the proposal, or just voters in the public utility districts that make up the Energy Northwest consortium? If finishing the reactor works its way to a referendum, then politics will enter the picture, Danner said. "A lot of people in Seattle don't want to think about nuclear power. They think of Chernobyl, and they think of (Oregon's) Trojan (reactor that was decommissioned). ... I think it'll be very contentious. I couldn't predict the outcome," Danner said. Copyright 2001 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved. This ***************************************************************** 13 SHIP CARRYING NUCLEAR WASTE HEADED TOWARD THE CARIBBEAN -- PUERTO RICO Summary: San Juan, Jul 20, 2001 (EFE via COMTEX) -- The British-flagged ship Pacific Sandpiper, which is transporting a load of radioactive waste from Japan to Britain, is headed toward the Caribbean, according to Greenpeace. Story Filed: Friday, July 20, 2001 9:53 AM EST San Juan, Jul 20, 2001 (EFE via COMTEX) -- The British-flagged ship Pacific Sandpiper, which is transporting a load of radioactive waste from Japan to Britain, is headed toward the Caribbean, according to Greenpeace. The environmental watchdog group called on Caribbean nations to block the vessel's passage through their waters. The Pacific Sandpiper is carrying six containers of nuclear waste from the Japanese reactor in Tokai. Greenpeace spokespersons added that the vessel, which passed through the Panama Canal on Wednesday, probably sailed through Colombian waters Thursday night and later passed through the La Mona Channel, located between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Greenpeace spokeswoman Rosa Moreno expressed concern over the secrecy and silence concerning the ship's route and suggested Latin American and Caribbean nations renew demands to halt the transportation of nuclear waste through their waters. In Panama, the National Movement for the Defense of Sovereignty (MONADESO) protested the ship's "secret" passage through the Panama Canal late Wednesday night and insisted this had jeopardized the lives of hundreds of thousands of people as well as the region's flora and fauna. EFE cm/wd/rm Copyright (c) 2001. Agencia EFE S.A. ***************************************************************** 14 Company Executives State Case For Nuclear Power International Nuclear Forum -- Climate Change: Summary: BONN, Germany, Jul 19, 2001 (U.S. Newswire via COMTEX) -- International Nuclear Industry leaders from around the world have rallied to encourage negotiators at the UN climate change talks in Bonn to recognize the essential role that nuclear electricity plays in controlling greenhouse gas emissions. Ninety-nine senior executives from various industry sectors including utilities, mining, technology, manufacturing and engineering have endorsed a statement supporting the use of nuclear power in the global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The companies involved are based in Australia, Canada, Europe, Japan, Korea, Russia, South Africa and the United States. The statement reflects the broad support for nuclear around the world as a vital technology for addressing climate change. The executives point out that nuclear electricity generation produces virtually no greenhouse gas emissions and are calling on governments negotiating an international emission control regime to acknowledge nuclear electricity as a necessary and uniquely effective part of the solution to the issue of climate change. By avoiding the need to burn fossil fuel, nuclear electricity generation worldwide avoids emissions of about 1.8 billion tonnes of CO2 a year. In the European Union nuclear energy accounts for the avoidance of 550 million tonnes - a saving equivalent to taking 140 million cars off the road. In the United States, without nuclear electricity the emissions reductions to achieve baseline levels in the original climate change treaty would double. In Japan, nuclear avoids 20% of the total current emissions. The executive statement complements ongoing activities of the International Nuclear Forum (INF), an umbrella group of national and international nuclear associations from around the world. The INF is made up of the Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA), the European Atomic Forum (FORATOM), the European Nuclear Society (ENS), the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF), the Korea Atomic Industrial Forum (KAIF), the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) in the United States, and the World Nuclear Association (WNA). The statement is available on the World Nuclear Association website: http://www.world-nuclear.org/policy/sigdoc.pdf. Source: U.S. Newswire Date: 07/19/2001 12:05 ***************************************************************** 15 Lawmakers approve $18 million for uranium-plant cleanup in Paducah Daily news from Louisville, Kentucky and Southern Indiana from courier-journal.com July 20, 2001 By James R. Carroll The Courier-Journal WASHINGTON -- House and Senate negotiators yesterday approved $18 million in additional spending this year on cleaning up contamination at the Paducah uranium plant. The money is in a supplemental spending bill that may be approved by the House today and by the Senate soon after that. The House originally had halved an $18 million Bush administration request for additional cleanup at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant. Tennessee lawmakers wanted $9 million for cleanup at a sister facility in Oak Ridge. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., a member of the House-Senate conference on the spending measure, reinstated the $18 million for the Paducah installation. Also added to the bill by McConnell was language that included kidney cancers among illnesses for which current and former Paducah workers may receive compensation if their diseases are linked to jobs where some employees unknowingly were exposed to high levels of radiation and to various hazardous chemicals. ''Paducah's cleanup efforts got a big boost from Capitol Hill today,'' McConnell said in a statement. In separate action, the Senate approved an amendment by Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., removing a regional Energy Department office from the line of authority in spending and planning matters involving Paducah. The department's Oak Ridge office has been overseeing the Paducah cleanup, an arrangement that critics have argued has resulted in delays, confusion and sometimes competition for money. ''My amendment cuts out the middleman,'' Bunning said in a statement. His measure creates a direct link in budgeting and planning between Paducah and Washington. Copyright 2001 The Courier-Journal. ***************************************************************** 16 NRC sees tornado safety concern at Duke S.C. nuke Friday July 20, 11:06 am Eastern Time NEW YORK, July 20 (Reuters) - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Friday said it has found safety concerns regarding tornado mitigation procedures at Duke Energy Co.'s (NYSE:DUK - news) Oconee nuclear power plant in South Carolina. ``In March of this year, the NRC conducted an inspection at the Oconee plant, and inspectors identified that the licensee had not corrected deficiencies in the implementation of the plant's tornado mitigation strategies,'' the NRC said in a statement. ``Specifically, because of the location of some equipment, plant personnel would be unable, in a sufficient amount of time, to align a pump to provide lake water to the steam generators, should such water be needed to mitigate the effects of an accident during a tornado,'' the NRC said. The NRC categorized the safety significance of the tornado mitigation issues as white, or of low to moderate safety significance. A green finding receives normal NRC oversight, while white, yellow or red assessments mean increasing NRC involvement, including more inspections. The NRC said the pump alignment problem, along with additional concerns over tornado mitigation at Oconee, will mean another NRC inspection will be conducted at the plant. The NRC also said it cited the Oconee plant for a violation related to the tornado mitigation, and said Duke Energy has 30 days to respond to that notice of violation. The Oconee plant, located in Seneca, S.C., is made up of two units, each with a generation capacity of 846 megawatts (MW), giving the plant a total capacity of 1,692 MW. Copyright © 2001 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy ***************************************************************** 17 USEC bonuses list stirs union in contract talks The Paducah Sun Paducah, Kentucky Friday, July 20, 2001 Paducah workers are being asked by the company to make concessions in their new contract. By Bill Bartleman bbartleman@paducahsun.com--270.575.8650 Union workers at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant say they are insulted by a request from the U.S. Enrichment Corp. to make concessions in their new contract when top executives are receiving salary bonuses reported to be more than $2.6 million. "It is almost unbelievable when they are explaining to us in negotiations why we have to face concessions, when at the same time they are paying such high bonuses," said David Fuller, president of the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy (PACE) Workers Union Local 5-550. "We have to wonder how the bonuses are being financed, and if they are being financed by the concessions they want from hourly workers." Copies of a confidential list of proposed salary bonuses for 33 top executives have been circulating at the Paducah plant all week as the union and company officials meet at the Executive Inn to negotiate a new contract. Union leaders at the closed enrichment plant in Portsmouth, Ohio, also have received copies. The list also has been circulated among the Paducah plant's 700 salaried workers. USEC officials were trying to determine how the list got from headquarters in Maryland to Paducah and Portsmouth. "The sheet was not distributed by the company," said spokeswoman Elizabeth Stuckle. "It contains proprietary information." Normally, only the bonuses of the top four or five executives are made pubic through required Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Stuckle said the list, dated July 6, is not accurate. "It does not reflect current compensation and bonuses," she said. Asked how close to accurate it was, she said, "It depends on how you define close." The list, which includes five managers at the Paducah plant, proposes bonuses ranging from $44,192 to $207,515. It does not include the proposed bonus for William "Nick" Timbers, USEC chief executive officer, who received a bonus last year of $617,625, according to SEC filings. The bonuses do not include salary, benefits or other annual compensation. Most workers at the plant received bonuses this week equal to 3.125 percent of their annual salary, reportedly based on meeting certain safety standards during the fiscal year that ended June 30. Stuckle defended the practice of giving large bonuses to managers, and of the amounts paid to top USEC officials. "The USEC bonuses for managers are very competitive with the utility industry," she said. "If you don't stay competitive, you won't keep excellent managers." Fuller said he doesn't know how the bonus list got to Paducah, or who initially was responsible for circulating it among employees. Fuller said he was contacted at the Executive Inn during negotiations by several employees who told him about it. "Several dropped copies off to us down here (at the hotel)," he said. The current contract between PACE and USEC expires at the end of the month. Fuller said it is too early to predict whether a new contract will be signed by the deadline. ***************************************************************** 18 ADAMS: Items of Interest - Friday, July 20, 2001 State of Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects ADAMS - Items of Interest Recent Released Documents Added - Friday, July 20, 2001 These documents and others may be retrieved at the NRC PERR web site ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Item ID: 012000285 Accession Number: ML010380495 Date Added: 7/19/01 4:14:09 PM Title: 02/21-22/2001 Meeting with Sequoyah Fuels Corp. to discuss data needs for hydrological and geological modeling at Gore, OK. Author Affiliation: NRC/NMSS/DWM/DCB Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012000240 Accession Number: ML010590126 Date Added: 7/19/01 2:41:31 PM Title: 03/09/2001 Meeting with Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) re: development of guidance documents for license termination requirements for decommissioning reactors Author Affiliation: NRC/NMSS/DWM/DCB Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012000016 Accession Number: ML011920087 Date Added: 7/19/01 9:11:52 AM Title: 03/19/2001 meeting handouts re FPL and Entergy brief overview of their 03/02/01 licensing submittals on proposed merger. Author Affiliation: NRC/NRR/DLPM/LPD2 Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012000056 Accession Number: ML011920684 Date Added: 7/19/01 9:17:17 AM Title: 06/20/2001 Meeting Summary Errata With Entergy Operations, Inc. Re End-of-Cycle Performance Assessment at Waterford, Unit 3. Author Affiliation: NRC/RGN-IV/DRP Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012000303 Accession Number: ML011840324 Date Added: 7/19/01 4:16:18 PM Title: 06/25/01 Meeting Summarywith Westinghouse to Discuss Beacon Core Monitoring and Operation Support System. Author Affiliation: NRC/NRR/DLPM/LPD4 Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012000095 Accession Number: ML011970311 Date Added: 7/19/01 9:22:28 AM Title: 07/13/01 Senate Energy Hearing on S. 472, Nuclear Energy Supply Assurance Act, 7/12/01. Author Affiliation: NRC/OCA Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012000122 Accession Number: ML011990326 Date Added: 7/19/01 9:34:45 AM Title: 07/23/01 - Meeting Notice (CANCELED): BNFL Fuel Solutions to discuss revised Safety Analysis Report drawings for VSC-24 dry spent fuel storage system for two amendment applications. Author Affiliation: NRC/NMSS/SFPO Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012000123 Accession Number: ML011930434 Date Added: 7/19/01 9:34:51 AM Title: 07/25/2001 meeting with Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) to resolve process issues and to develop a better understanding of the issues for further evaluation. The meeting agenda is in ADAMS: ML011910032. Author Affiliation: NRC/NRR/DRIP Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012000201 Accession Number: ML011990489 Date Added: 7/19/01 10:13:38 AM Title: 07/31/2001 Meeting with Individual from South Pittsburgh Cancer Center Re apparent attempted improper disposal of Depleted Uranium. Author Affiliation: NRC/RGN-I/DNMS/NMSB1 Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012000205 Accession Number: ML011990596 Date Added: 7/19/01 10:14:19 AM Title: 07/31/2001, Public Meeting Notice, Integrated Materials Performance Evaluation Program Lessons Learned Working Group Meeting. Author Affiliation: NRC/STP Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012000194 Accession Number: ML003732802 Date Added: 7/19/01 10:12:49 AM Title: 09/06/00 - Memo to SShankman, SFPO RE Summary of May 8, 2000 meeting with Nuclear Energy Institute Decommissioning Working Group - ML003732802 Author Affiliation: NRC/NMSS/SFPO Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012000272 Accession Number: ML003774432 Date Added: 7/19/01 4:12:01 PM Title: 12/19/00 Meeting with DOE Re Quality Assurance Meeting Author Affiliation: NRC/NMSS/DWM/HLWB Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012000241 Accession Number: ML010940016 Date Added: 7/19/01 2:41:37 PM Title: 3.29.01 SLDA Mtg Attach Author Affiliation: Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012000098 Accession Number: ML011900100 Date Added: 7/19/01 9:22:59 AM Title: Certificate of Compliance 1014 For Spent Fuel Storage Casks. Author Affiliation: Holtec International Document/Report Number: 1014, 5014422 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012000199 Accession Number: ML011990410 Date Added: 7/19/01 10:13:19 AM Title: IR 07007002/2001005 (DNMS), Portsmouth and Notice of Violation. Author Affiliation: NRC/RGN-III/DNMS/FCB Document/Report Number: IR-01-005 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012000158 Accession Number: ML011860147 Date Added: 7/19/01 9:51:22 AM Title: Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation - Final Status Survey Report Adjacent Land Area Tulsa, Oklahoma Facility. Author Affiliation: Earth Sciences Consultants, Inc Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012000170 Accession Number: ML011930035 Date Added: 7/19/01 9:54:21 AM Title: Meeting Handouts for 6/27/2001 TSTF Meeting provided by Excel Services Author Affiliation: Nuclear Energy Institiute Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012000171 Accession Number: ML011930045 Date Added: 7/19/01 9:54:54 AM Title: Meeting Handouts from 6/27/2001 NEI TSTF Meeting provided by NRC Staff Author Affiliation: NRC/NRR/DRIP/RTSB Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012000231 Accession Number: ML010740429 Date Added: 7/19/01 2:40:36 PM Title: Meeting Notice-SLDA Author Affiliation: - No Known Affiliation Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012000288 Accession Number: ML010640299 Date Added: 7/19/01 4:14:49 PM Title: ML010640299 - Meeting Report for February 22, 2001 Meeting With Mallinckrodt Inc. Author Affiliation: NRC/NMSS/DWM Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012000268 Accession Number: ML003761188 Date Added: 7/19/01 4:11:29 PM Title: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission/U.S. Department of Energy Technical Exchange and Management Meeting on Structural Deformation and Seismicity (October 11-12, 2000) Author Affiliation: NRC/NMSS/DWM/HLWB Document/Report Number: ***************************************************************** 19 Survey says California unsure of nuclear power ContraCostaTimes.com Published Thursday, July 19, 2001 POWER CRISIS + Repeated studies say the most environmentally aware state in the nation fluctuates on the benefits and risks By Daniel Borenstein TIMES POLITICAL EDITOR Californians aren't in love with nuclear power after all. Less than two months ago, the statewide Field Poll reported that 59 percent favored building more nuclear power plants in California. News accounts labeled the findings in a state known for its green politics as "surprising," "startling" and "stunning." Nuclear power advocates across the county could hardly hide their glee. For President Bush, the timing couldn't have been better. "The latest trends and styles are said to start in California and move eastward across the country," the Houston Chronicle opined. "The Bush administration, which is promoting new nuclear plants as a clean way to meet the nation's energy needs, may find itself in style." Now, a poll released today from the Public Policy Institute of California finds most state residents are squeamish. Given a choice, 55 percent said nuclear power is too dangerous, while 38 percent said it's necessary to help solve the country's energy problems. "Public opinion isn't very stable on this issue right now," said pollster Mark Baldassare. "People are still concerned about the dangers." The poll also demonstrates the danger of drawing quick conclusions from survey results about complex public policy issues. The state's three leading polling organizations -- Field, Public Policy Institute and the Los Angeles Times -- have asked state residents about nuclear power five times since the start of the year. Results are split. Three polls found at least a plurality of opposition to nuclear power. Two found support. Pollsters agree the outcome depends on the timing, the nature of the poll, the placement of the question and its wording. When the Los Angeles Times suggested in a poll question that nuclear power might reduce global warming, residents reacted warmly. With fear of electricity blackouts peaking in May, the Field Poll also found strong support for nuclear. The Field Poll had last asked the same question of Californians in 1984. Then, only one-third supported building more nuclear plants. The contrast from 1984 to May 2001 was too much to ignore. Even though May was a period of electricity anxiety in California, it was seen across the country as a sign that public opinion had undergone dramatic change. "With the growing prospect of power shortages and soaring utility bills, Californians now are well disposed to nuclear power," the Boston Herald editorialized. "What a difference a pending crisis makes." But when that crisis didn't turn out to be as bad as first feared -- after more than a month of the summer without blackouts, when the Public Policy Institute referred to nuclear "dangers" in its question -- support for nuclear power subsided. Environmentalists have been frustrated that the Field Poll grabbed so much media attention. "We've seen a lot of volatility on nuclear polling both in California and the nation," said Bill Magavern, Sacramento lobbyist for the Sierra Club. "Much too much has been made of one poll that has been touted by the nuclear industry." Even a pollster for the nuclear industry acknowledges that public sentiment is fluid. "Opinions shift," said Mark Richards, pollster and sociologist for Bisconti Research in Washington, D.C. "People don't have firm feelings one way or another." The new Public Policy Institute poll found that 57 percent of Californians would oppose a nuclear power plant in their region of the state, while 39 percent would support it. The survey of 2,007 adults, taken July 1 through 10, has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Given options for new electric power plants, nuclear is down the list, trailed only by coal-powered plants. Forty-two percent favor hydroelectric, 25 percent natural gas, 17 percent nuclear and 2 percent coal. Californians' concern about the danger of nuclear runs counter to the nation's. When the Gallup Poll in June included a national survey question, 49 percent said nuclear power is necessary and 46 percent said it is too dangerous. But that doesn't necessarily mean Californians are more likely to oppose nuclear plants than the rest of the nation. The Los Angeles Times also did a national survey on its question about nuclear power as a possible solution to global warming and found that Californians are more likely to support nuclear power than the nation as a whole. Confused? Think if of it this way: Californians are more likely than the rest of the nation to want to do what is best for the environment -- if they could only figure out what that is. Reach Political Editor Daniel Borenstein at 925-943-8248 or dborenstein@cctimes.com. ***************************************************************** 20 Broad Energy Bill Heads to Floor July 19, 2001 WASHINGTON (AP) - A broad energy bill including new fuel economy requirements for sport utility vehicles and subsidies for clean coal technology was sent to the House floor Thursday. Republican leaders want to pass it before departing for the August recess. Joining a series of energy tax measures and a call for drilling in an Arctic refuge - all approved in separate legislation earlier in the week - the latest energy bill to emerge from committee focuses on conservation. Among other measures, it calls for reducing the amount of gasoline used by SUVs, incentives to buy ultra-fuel-efficient hybrid gasoline-electric cars, and new efforts to cut energy use by federal agencies. While the legislation, approved 50-5 by the Energy and Commerce Committee, received broad bipartisan support on the final vote, many of the Democrats argued it does not go far enough to promote conservation. Proposals to require more ambitious auto fuel economy standards, tougher energy appliance standards, and broader support for renewable energy programs were defeated by wide margins. Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La., the committee chairman, said the next step was for the House GOP leadership to decide how at least four energy bills now before the House will be packaged for consideration. Leaders of the Republican-controlled House have said they want to send legislation to the Senate this month. One of the bills, which cleared the Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday, calls for $33.5 billion in energy tax breaks over 10 years. From oil and gas producers to the coal industry, the bill provides billions of dollars more than President Bush proposed for traditional energy producers. More than a quarter of the tax benefits would benefit oil and gas producers. Approximately $3.3 billion goes to coal companies for investing in clean coal technology, $3.5 billion in write-offs is earmarked for gas distribution pipelines and $2 billion for the cost of taking nuclear plants off line. The benefits, approved in a 24-17 vote, appeared to represent payback for industries that were left out of the 10-year, $1.35 trillion tax cut signed into law by Bush, said Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas. That bill's tax cuts focused almost entirely on individual taxpayers. The panel's chairman, Republican Rep. Bill Thomas of California, said the items benefitting the energy industry were added to the tax bill to provide better balance amid predictions of substantial growth in energy demand over the next 20 years. "This bill presents a balanced package of tax measures that address energy conservation, energy reliability and energy production," he said. The bill's $12.5 billion in energy conservation provisions most affecting individual taxpayers include a 15 percent credit for residential solar water heaters, credits for purchase of hybrid vehicles and a credit of up to $2,000 for energy-efficient improvements to existing homes and businesses, including insulation, windows and doors, and for heating or cooling units in new homes. Democrats who voted against the bill questioned where the money would come from in light of a dwindling budget surplus, other spending and the president's income tax cut. An attempt by Democrats to scale back the Bush tax cut to cover the energy bill's cost was defeated. While the House Energy and Commerce Committee rejected a proposal that would have brought automobile fuel economy to 37.5 miles per gallon in 10 years, the panel required that SUVs cut gasoline use by 5 billion gallons over the next six years. Opponents estimated it would do little to help cut energy demand, arguing it amounts to only about a 1 mpg increase for new SUV fleets. Supporters of the measure said the increase could be as much as 3 to 5 mpg depending on how the Transportation Department implements it. The 5 billion gallons is equal to about two weeks of gasoline consumption by all motor vehicles. The overall legislation also directs the EPA to re-examine its requirements for cleaner gasoline blends and mandates new energy saving measures for government agencies. It seeks to spur the popularity of hybrid-fuel vehicles by directing they be allowed commuter lanes restricted to high-occupancy vehicles. In addition, the House Science Committee approved Bush's $2 billion, 10-year clean-coal research program and authorized $900 million for a long-range government-industry research program to help develop oil and gas reserves in extremely deep waters of the western Gulf of Mexico. Separately, the committee directed increases in Energy Department research programs on conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, in some cases doubling program recommendations from the Bush administration. Associated Press writer Curt Anderson contributed to this report. All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 21 New Jersey renews nuclear plant's water permit despite fish kills Thursday, July 19, 2001 By Environmental News Network [Salem Nuclear Generating Station Units #1 and #2] Salem Nuclear Generating Station Units #1 and #2 A permit to continue using the Delaware River to cool a nuclear power plant in New Jersey will also expand what may be the largest privately funded environmental restoration project in the country. But that is not sufficient to save the river's fish, environmentalists maintain. On June 29, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) gave final approval for Public Service Electric &Gas (PSEG) of Newark, N.J., to continue using the river to cool the Salem Nuclear Generating Station. The plant is situated on the Delaware River 18 miles south of Wilmington, Del. At the same time, the agency approved $7.8 million to expand the restoration project, known as the PSEG Estuary Enhancement Program (EEP). The Estuary Enhancement Program originated with approval of the company's previous permit application in 1994. "As a result of the 1994 permit, we instituted what is probably the largest privately funded restoration in the U.S. and the world, said Neil Brown, a spokesman for PSEG Nuclear. "The company overall believes that the permit renewal issued by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is certainly justified by the depth of scientific information that we provided to the agency." Under the 1994 permit, the company committed to restore 32 square miles of degraded coastal environment in New Jersey and Delaware. As part of the restoration project, the company constructed fish ladders to aid fish in getting to their destinations and installed state-of-the-art technology to keep fish away from the power plant's water intakes. The permit issued in July 1994 requires the company to restore, enhance or preserve 14,500 acres of wetlands in and around the Delaware estuary to improve habitat for fish propagation. It specifically requires the company to purchase a minimum of 8,000 acres of degraded wetlands plus 6,000 acres of upland buffers or an additional 2,000 acres of degraded wetlands. A biological monitoring program was established, and the company is investigating underwater sound technology as a way to keep fish away from the intakes. PSEG also funded an artificial reefs program and is making various environmental improvements in Delaware. Delaware, which shares the river with New Jersey, intervened on both permit applications to continue using cooling water under the New Jersey Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. But even considering the ongoing environmental restoration, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network is opposed to the permit renewal. Speaking for the environmental group at an NJDEP permit hearing in January, Maya van Rossum said, "PSE through its Salem plant is the single largest predator in Delaware Bay. Every year the Salem Nuclear Generating Station kills over 3 billion Delaware River fish including over 59 million blueback herring, over 77 million weakfish, over 134 million Atlantic croaker, over 412 million white perch, over 448 million striped bass and over 2 billion Bay anchovy," she said. "This is no small impact, not to us and not to the commercial and recreational fishermen who are subject to size and catch limits while Salem is allowed to continue killing indiscriminately," van Rossum said. In the 1994 permit proceeding, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection agreed that PSEG could draw up to 3.024 billion gallons of water daily on a monthly average for cooling the plant. That total remains in force. The water does not come into contact with any nuclear material and does not pick up any radioactivity, though it does return to the river at a higher temperature. That temperature change could affect the breeding and living habits of fish and aquatic life in and around the river. Fish and other water creatures are drawn into the plant through the water intakes. They don't survive the trip, and both recent agreements include a requirement that the plant must find ways to eliminate as much animal traffic through the water intakes as possible. A hot issue in the previous permit procedure centered on whether PSEG should build cooling towers instead of using river water. A cost/benefit analysis indicated that cooling towers were not feasible, and this determination led to the establishment of the restoration project. Van Rossem says that was the wrong decision. More than 10 years ago the NJDEP's own expert told them that cooling towers would reduce Salem's fish kills by 95 percent, she told the January hearing. "Both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and an expert hired by the State of Delaware have made clear that cooling towers would minimize the plant's fish kills," she said. Maria Taylor, spokeswoman for the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, said, "With regard to the PSEG settlement, the river and the aquatic life there are shared resources we have an interest in protecting." Now that its permit has been renewed, PSEG is required to continue its wetlands restoration program, which is expected to show improvements by 2006. An enhancement oversight committee will monitor progress. The new agreement requires that PSEG hone its own biological monitoring program for better data on the plant's impact on fish and more information on how well the fish ladders and enhancements are performing. Copyright 2001, Environmental News Network ***************************************************************** 22 EPA to investigate uranium in Upstate The Environmental Protection Agency will send officials to the Upstate to answer questions and gather information about uranium contamination in wells. Lt. Gov. Bob Peeler's office said Thursday that arrangements had been made for a visit on July 30. Peeler previously had requested EPA Administrator Christine Whitman's assistance, including an investigation of how widespread the problem is. Also on Thursday, Gov. Jim Hodges said that he would ask the State Budget and Control Board to put $500,000 into water and sewer projects around the affected area. That request will come before the five-member board, which Hodges chairs, during an Aug. 7 meeting. So far, the state estimates 37 percent of the 170 homes tested in the Simpsonville-Fountain Inn area have wells contaminated well with uranium. State health officials said last week that test results of 94 of 105 Simpsonville-Fountain Inn area residents showed their bodies had elevated levels of the uranium. Uranium is a radioactive metal naturally present in granite. Research shows it can cause kidney damage with prolonged exposure. It can decay into other forms, such as radium and radon, that can cause cancer. The federal government has committed to spend $2 million to extend water lines to home with high uranium levels in the wells if the state comes up with $1 million in matching funds. The $500,000 would cover half of that obligation. Peeler asked that Whitman or EPA representatives come to the state to meet with local officials to determine the extent of the problem. Whitman won't make the trip, Peeler spokesman Luke Byars said. "The hope is that we will be able to get some kind of answers about where we need to go from here," Byars said. ? Copyright 2001 The State-Record Company ***************************************************************** 23 Company Executives State Case For Nuclear Power International Nuclear Forum-Climate Change: Thursday July 19, 2:12 am Eastern Time Press Release SOURCE: International Nuclear Forum via BCE Emergis e-News Services BONN, Germany International Nuclear Industry leaders from around the world have rallied to encourage negotiators at the UN climate change talks in Bonn to recognize the essential role that nuclear electricity plays in controlling greenhouse gas emissions. Ninety-nine senior executives from various industry sectors including utilities, mining, technology, manufacturing and engineering have endorsed a statement supporting the use of nuclear power in the global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The companies involved are based in Australia, Canada, Europe, Japan, Korea, Russia,South Africa and the United States. The statement reflects the broad support for nuclear around the world as a vital technology for addressing climate change. The executives point out that nuclear electricity generation produces virtually no greenhouse gas emissions and are calling on governments negotiating an international emission control regime to acknowledge nuclear electricity as a necessary and uniquely effective part of the solution to the issue of climate change. By avoiding the need to burn fossil fuel, nuclear electricity generation worldwide avoids emissions of about 1.8 billion tonnes of CO2 a year. In the European Union nuclear energy accounts for the avoidance of 550 million tonnes - a saving equivalent to taking 140 million cars off the road. In the United States, without nuclear electricity the emissions reductions to achieve baseline levels in the original climate change treaty would double. In Japan, nuclear avoids 20% of the total current emissions. The executive statement complements ongoing activities of the International Nuclear Forum (INF), an umbrella group of national and international nuclear associations from around the world. The INF is made up of the Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA), the European Atomic Forum (FORATOM), the European Nuclear Society (ENS), the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF), the Korea Atomic Industrial Forum (KAIF), the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) in the United States, and the World Nuclear Association (WNA). The statement is available on the World Nuclear Association website: http://www.world-nuclear.org/policy/sigdoc.pdf. --30--mwa/in* CONTACT: International Nuclear Forum Jack Ashton, Media Relations Manager Mobile: +32 478 234 148 or International Nuclear Forum Karen Daifuku, Media Relations Director Mobile: +33 607 268 642 Website: www.world-nuclear.org/policy/sigdoc.pdf ***************************************************************** 24 Compensation checks OK'd for ill miners Radiation exposure calculated Rocky Mountain News: Politics Rocky Flats cleanup firm fined Key panel wants $32 million for Cold War uranium hunters By M.E. Sprengelmeyer, News Washington Bureau WASHINGTON -- Congress is finally going to make good on its promises to former uranium miners and others with radiation-related illnesses. A Senate and House conference committee inserted language in a supplemental appropriations bill Thursday that would guarantee payment of $31.8 million of outstanding IOUs in the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act trust fund. The supplemental bill still must be approved by the full House and Senate, but that's considered a formality after Thursday's bipartisan agreement by the conference committee. "It's a major victory," said Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., who led nearly a year of lobbying after the Justice Department program ran out of funds and left hundreds of families with worthless acceptance letters. "It concerns me we have to go through this much trouble to get the money." "I've been working so our country is not embarrassed," Domenici said. The RECA program was created in 1990 to give up to $100,000 in compassionate compensation to former uranium miners, nuclear test participants, downwind residents and others. However, it virtually ran out of money last year, meaning long delays for families who qualified for compensation, and 486 families still waiting with government IOUs as of this week. That includes 191 outstanding IOUs worth $10.1 million in Utah alone, plus 71 worth $6.5 million in Colorado, 42 worth $4 million in New Mexico, and 68 worth $3.5 million in Nevada. Many of the victims are Navajo miners or others who pulled prized uranium out of the Colorado Plateau during the Cold War. The Justice Department is awaiting final approval, perhaps within the next week, then will send checks as fast as it can, a spokesman said. Former miner Gene Cox of Montrose said he'll believe it when he sees it. "I think it ought to be about time. It has been a year and a half," said Cox, who suffers from lung cancer and has been waiting with an award letter since January 2000. Cox uses bottled oxygen 24 hours a day and said, if nothing else, survivors will get the money. "I'm glad to hear it, that they will do it for my survivors," Cox said. Many victims died holding the unpaid IOUs, prompting outrage from advocates who call for turning the program into an entitlement program -- not subject to year-to-year funding shortfalls. "This is certainly a victory, most importantly a victory for the families who deserved this compensation they've been promised," said Blain Rethmeier, spokesman for U.S. Rep. Scott McInnis, R-Grand Junction. Meanwhile, the miners can apply for another $50,000 through the new Department of Labor program for nuclear weapons industry workers described in a town hall meeting Thursday. The 625 people in Colorado who've already been approved for that program can apply immediately and could receive checks as soon as September, officials said. Another 213 RECA claims from Colorado are pending. Contact M.E. Sprengelmeyer at (202) 408-2729 or sprengelmeyerm@SHNS.com. July 20, 2001 2001 © The E.W. Scripps Co. ***************************************************************** 25 Nuclear Power Too Dangerous July 19, 2001 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A poll released Thursday said 55 percent of Californians believe nuclear power is too dangerous, even if building more plants would help alleviate the country's energy problems. The findings by the non-partisan Public Policy Institute of California conflicted with the results of another group's poll in May that found 59 percent of Californians favored nuclear power and 36 percent opposed it. The May poll, conducted by the nonpartisan Field Institute, was taken at a time when energy shortages had forced rolling blackouts and state officials were predicting a summer of worse shortages. But unusually cool weather and increased supply in recent weeks have helped the state avoid blackouts. The Public Policy Institute's poll found that 57 percent of Californians say they would oppose a proposal to build a nuclear plant in their region. California has two nuclear power plants currently in operation - the 2,254-megawatt San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in San Clemente owned by San Diego Gas and Electric Co., and the 2,212-megawatt Diablo Canyon power plant near San Luis Obispo, owned by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. The Public Policy Institute polled 2,007 California adults from July 1-10. The margin of error was plus or minus 2 percentage points. The poll by the Field Institute included 1,015 adults and was taken May 11-20. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points. All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 26 NRC Plans Additional Inspection at Oconee Nuclear Power Plant Due to Multiple Performance Deficiencies Press Release Region II - 2001 - 32 - UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION II 61 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30303 Web Site: http://www.nrc.gov/OPA No. II-01-032 July 20, 2001 CONTACT: Ken Clark (404)562-4416/e-mail: kmc2@nrc.gov Roger D. Hannah (404)562-4417/e-mail: rdh1@nrc.gov The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has completed its significance determination of an inspection finding at Duke Energy's Oconee nuclear plant near Seneca, South Carolina, related to the adequacy of the plant's tornado mitigation procedures, and concluded that the finding was White (low to moderate safety significance). In March of this year, the NRC conducted an inspection at the Oconee plant, and inspectors identified that the licensee had not corrected deficiencies in the implementation of the plant's tornado mitigation strategies. Specifically, because of the location of some equipment, plant personnel would be unable, in a sufficient amount of time, to align a pump to provide lake water to the steam generators should such water be needed to mitigate the effects of an accident during a tornado. This finding and another tornado mitigation related White finding in the same time period both affect the mitigation systems cornerstone (a cornerstone is one of seven specific areas the NRC uses to measure plant performance) on Unit 1, resulting in a degraded cornerstone. As a result of the degraded cornerstone, the NRC staff will perform an additional inspection at the Oconee plant to better understand the causes contributing to these performance issues. 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. The NRC cited the Oconee plant for a violation related to the finding, and Duke Energy has 30 days to respond to that notice of violation. ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR WEAPONS ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 Deal will mean checks for nuclear workers [Las Vegas Review-Journal] Friday, July 20, 2001 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal Those exposed to radiation will be paid By ROBERT GEHRKE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON -- Uranium miners and residents exposed to radiation from Cold War-era nuclear weapons tests will finally see promised compensation for their illnesses. In a deal struck Thursday as part of negotiations over a supplemental spending bill, those holding IOUs will be paid the amounts promised under a 1990 act. The Senate had estimated outstanding IOUs for those exposed to radiation at $84 million. The government had been issuing IOUs to the radiation victims since the compensation program ran out of money more than a year ago. Many of the IOU holders are in Nevada, southern Utah, and northern Arizona. The compromise budget bill must be approved by the House and Senate and signed by President Bush. Funding for victims under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act is part of a $6.5 billion spending bill designed to address programs in need of urgent funding. The House hadn't budgeted for it, while the Senate had. "That's great news, and it's a relief for the families of the ill IOU-holders," said Lori Goodman, spokeswoman for the group Dine-CARE, which represents Navajo Indians who worked uranium mines on the reservation. "They're doing the right thing -- the humane thing." The act provided cash payments of $100,000 to uranium miners and $50,000 to "Downwinders" -- residents sickened by their exposure to radioactive fallout caused by nuclear weapons tests in Nevada. Government scientists conducted 928 full-scale nuclear weapons tests at the Nevada Test Site, 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas, from 1951 to 1992. Of those, 100 were exploded in the atmosphere, spreading fallout carried by the wind. Last year, the law was expanded to cover more people, but no new money was added. Starting in May 2000, qualifying claimants received letters informing them the program was out of money. According to the Justice Department, which administers the program, there are 191 claimants -- either miners, Downwinders or their survivors -- holding IOUs worth $10 million in Utah. In Colorado, 71 claimants are owed $6.5 million. Sixty-eight claimants are owed $3.5 million in Nevada, 47 are owed $3 million in Arizona, 42 are owed $4 million in New Mexico, and 13 are owed $1 million in California. Other claimants are scattered across the country. Justice Department spokesman Charles Miller said it is unclear how long it would take for claimants to begin receiving checks. Review-Journal staff writer Keith Rogers contributed to this report. This story is located at: http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2001/Jul-20-Fri-2001/news/16581026.html ***************************************************************** 2 Former DOE Employees Attend Compensation Meeting Local News 8 KIFI-TV Idaho Falls/Pocatello/Blackfoot Tuesday, July 17, 2001 Idaho Falls - THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR MET WITH HUNDREDS OF FORMER INEEL WORKERS TODAY WHO SUFFER FROM VARIOUS ILLNESSES THEY SAY WERE CAUSED BY EXPOSURE TO HAZARDOUS MATERIALS AT WORK. LESLIE CHARBONEAU WORKED WITH TOXINS AT THE INEEL FOR 10 YEARS. NOW SHE'S GOT A LOT IN COMMON WITH HUNDREDS OF OTHER PEOPLE WHO TURNED OUT AT THE SHILO TODAY. CHARBONEAU NEVER KNEW THE HAZARDS SHE WAS DEALING WITH.NOW SHE SUFFERS AS A RESULT. LESLIE CHARBONEAU\FORMER INEEL EMPLOYEE: "I'm on a lot of medication, I'm on oxygen every night, I have a muscle disease.all kinds of problems I never had before." TODAY'S GATHERING WAS THE FIRST OF 2 IN IDAHO FALLS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO PEOPLE WHO MIGHT QUALIFY FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR'S "ENERGY EMPLOYEES OCCUPATIONAL ILLNESS COMPENSATION PROGRAM ". D-O-L OFFICIALS KNOW THEY CAN'T HEAL SICKNESS.BUT SAY 150-THOUSAND DOLLARS AND MEDICAL EXPENSES IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION "Obviously people would rather be in a situation without cancer, silicosis and beryllium disease and be wondering whether they would qualify for benefits, but this is a concrete effort by the government to remedy whats been a substantial problem." THEY'VE HELD MEETINGS LIKE THIS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.AND WHILE NOT EVERYONE IS SATISFIED WITH THE LAW.REACTION HASN'T BEEN ALL BAD. "There have been expressions of unhappiness. there have been expressions of skepticism and there have also been expressions of people who come up to us and thanked us for coming out and doing the program and explaining the law." LESLIE IS JUST HAPPY SHE'S GETTING THE CHANCE TO BE HELPED. "Its a start. its nice to see they can acknowledge it now or take some responsibility for our health. I'm glad to see something's being done." ANOTHER MEETING IS BEING HELD TONIGHT AT 7:30 AT THE SHILO. THE LAW GOES INTO EFFECT JULY 31ST. ANYONE WHO DOESN'T QUALIFY FOR THIS PROGRAM CAN STILL GET COMPENSATION FROM THE STATE'S WORKER HEALTH PROTECTION PROGRAM. Website Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Copyright 2001 by the Post Company ***************************************************************** 3 Long battle ahead over nuclear cleanup By NANCY CUNNINGHAM, Middletown Press Staff July 19, 2001 HADDAM -- It's going to be a long battle, but the community watchdog group contesting Connecticut Yankee's plan to deal with lingering contamination at the Haddam Neck site is determined to set a national precedent for how defunct nuclear power plants clean up. The Citizens Awareness Network says the company has failed to produce a detailed License Termination Plan, which describes what measures will be taken to decommission the closed nuclear power plant. The plan is being reviewed by the Atomic Safety Licensing Board, a branch of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. As part of that review, the CAN submitted tot he licensing board a list of contentions disputing the cleanup plan. "What we are fighting over is how much radioactive waste this nuclear corporation gets to leave behind," Rosemary Bassilakis, director of the Connecticut chapter of the CAN, said in a statement. The board recently ruled in a 108-page decision the contentions - relating to water contamination, site characterization, how the amount of on-site contamination is calculated and the scope of work necessary to meet NRC requirements - warrant further scrutiny. "This decision is a victory for the people," Bassilakis said in the statement. "It is essential that ordinary citizens participate in the site clean-up of nuclear reactors." However, Neil Sheehan, a spokesman for the NRC, said it has yet to be determined if those contentions call for adjustments to the company's clean-up plan or justify a formal court hearing. Debby Katz, executive director of the CAN, said the outcome of this lengthy process will set the standard for how nuclear power plants around the country go about decommissioning. "The NRC regulations are not clear enough in terms of specificity ..and Connecticut Yankee is taking advantage of it and not providing sufficient information," Katz said. During the lengthy hearings, the CAN questioned the lack of detail regarding site cleanup and raised doubts the plan adequately addresses public health and safety. "We're concerned about public safety," Katz said. Now, the CAN plans to demonstrate the company's License Termination Plan is inadequate and, therefore, poses a threat to public health. "We want a plan that is detailed," Katz said. "It's the least they can do as a good neighbor. They have to clean up the mess they made ..it's their practical responsibility." Kelley Smith, a spokesperson for Connecticut Yankee, said the contentions raised are part of the process to ultimately release the site from the NRC license. "This is an important part of the [decommissioning] process," Smith said. "It will provide a structured scientific and legal environment which will help resolve any outstanding issues." ©The Middletown Press 2001 ***************************************************************** 4 Feud Breaks Out Over Nuclear Theft F.A.Z. - English Version22. Jul. 2001 F.A.Z. STUTTGART. The theft six months ago of a glass tube of radioactive waste residue containing plutonium from a closed reprocessing plant in Karlsruhe has triggered a dispute between Environment Minister Jürgen Trittin of Alliance 90/The Green Party and his Christian Democratic Union counterpart in Baden-Württemberg, Ulrich Müller. Mr. Trittin has demanded that Mr. Müller present an action plan "for a comprehensive examination and elimination of the failures in the plant's security management," by Friday. In a statement to the state parliament in Stuttgart on Thursday, Mr. Müller said that it was a matter of obtaining comprehensive information. "That cannot be done by Friday," Mr. Müller told Mr. Trittin. Security measures at the facility in Karlsruhe did not fail for technical reasons, Mr. Müller said. They were evaded by the thief who deliberately risked his own health, he said. "That cannot be allowed to happen again," he said, although he added that it was almost impossible to achieve complete protection against criminal and reckless acts. Officials are still trying to determine the exact composition of the nuclear waste stolen by the worker, 47. The man has since been arrested. His 51-year-old girlfriend who hid the radioactive booty has been released. Mr. Müller said other people who had been in contact with the couple from Landau also may have been radioactively contaminated. Jul. 19, 2001 © Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 2000 ***************************************************************** 5 Kidney cancer added to compensation program coverage Messenger-Inquirer: News 20 July 2001 Associated Press WASHINGTON -- A House-Senate committee has agreed that nuclear weapons workers who worked at the country's uranium enrichment plants in Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee and have suffered from kidney cancer should be compensated. Kidney cancer was inadvertently left off a list of diseases that automatically qualify sick workers at those sites as well as workers on Alaska's Amchitka Island for compensation under a new government program. Congress passed a bill last year that specified the government should presume that particular kinds of cancer were work-related at those sites, which did a poor job of maintaining records. Kidney cancer is linked to uranium exposure and should have been on the list, said Richard Miller, who followed the bill's progress for the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers union. "It was a technical error in drafting in the legislation," Miller said. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., included a provision in a supplemental spending bill that added kidney cancer to that list. The House-Senate committee charged with ironing out differences on the spending legislation approved the McConnell measure Thursday. "Frankly that's about as fast as you can turn around and solve a problem legislatively," Miller said. The issue was brought to McConnell's attention by Charles Cornwell of Metropolis, Ill. He has suffered from kidney cancer and is a longtime employee of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant. The Supplemental Appropriations conference report is expected to be approved by the House on Friday and the Senate shortly thereafter. It then goes to President Bush, who is expected to sign it into law. The compensation program is slated to begin on July 31. It provides for $150,000 and lifetime medical care to Cold War-era workers exposed to health-robbing levels of radiation, silica or beryllium. ©2000 Messenger-Inquirer ***************************************************************** 6 Coalition assists sick workers Oak Ridger Online --> Story last updated at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, July 20, 2001 by Paul Parson Oak Ridger staff When you get them together, members of the Coalition for a Healthy Environment are likely to toss around a few jokes and update each other on their respective medical conditions. But when it comes to accomplishing their mission, they get serious. The group serves as a support and research group pertaining to the illnesses of workers at Department of Energy facilities and the citizens of Oak Ridge and the surrounding areas. "It's amazing," says Janine Voner, a coalition member, "being a group with sick members and fighting the fights we have." Coalition members say the group has come a long way since it started in 1995, with a handful of concerned employees at the Oak Ridge K-25 Site who were trying to get help because of chemical exposures. The group quickly evolved into about 15 to 20 people meeting at various places in Oak Ridge. They named themselves The Exposed. "It was not a very pretty name, but that name said it all," said coalition member Sherrie Farver. Donzettia Hill became the first president of the group, which changed its name to Coalition for a Healthy Environment in 1996. Janet Michel succeeded Hill as president. Members of the coalition say they got a bad reputation from the very start. "We were considered troublemakers," said Harry Williams, the coalition's current president. Hill said people initially thought the group was out to shut down DOE's facilities. "We were just trying to protect the people," Hill said. Though there are still misconceptions about the group to this day, according to Williams, the Coalition is for the most part better understood by the community. "I think we have built a good reputation," Voner added. "[The coalition] continues to be a self-educating group. We go about our efforts in a professional manner." Today, the coalition has around 50 members, including many who say they are ill because of their work at DOE and some who are considered "whistleblowers" because they voiced concerns about the safety of their working environments. Some of the most recent projects the group has been involved in include having worked to get a compensation plan for people who are ill because of their work at DOE facilities and the investigation of contaminated water at K-25. Coalition members say they worked hard to get an adequate compensation plan, but they are quick to point out that the legislation Congress approved wasn't acceptable. "We did not want them to pass an inadequate compensation bill," Voner said. "But they did." The sick-worker compensation plan, or the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act, covers radiation-induced cancer and beryllium disease for Oak Ridge workers. It provides a $150,000 lump-sum, nontaxable payment as well as related medical expenses. However, people who believe their illnesses were caused by exposure to other toxicants will have to settle for possibly getting state workers' compensation. And, coalition members say the state compensation program won't be able to handle illnesses related to exposures at DOE. Voner said the coalition hopes the compensation plan, which is being administered by the Labor Department, can be changed to include the other toxic exposures category. Regarding the water issue, several Coalition members either serve on the oversight team for the project or regularly attend its meetings. The goal of the project is to determine if K-25 employees could have been exposed to chemicals as a result of cross-connected water lines. As for the group's future, Farver says, "We're not going away." The Coalition for a Healthy Environment has public meetings from 6 to 8 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month at Pellissippi State Technical Community College. Check the group's Web site, www.che-or.org/, or call Williams at 693-7249 for more information. The coalition is a nonprofit organization that accepts donations, which can be sent in care of Farver at 106 Gordon Road, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. All Contents ©Copyright The Oak Ridger ***************************************************************** 7 Kidney cancer benefits, more funds for cleanup added for Paducah The Paducah Sun Paducah, Kentucky Friday, July 20, 2001 The conference committee provided more cleanup money for the Paducah plant than the House bill gave. Staff Report A House-Senate conference committee has approved a bill adding $18 million for Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant cleanup and providing benefits for current and former plant workers with kidney cancers. Approved Thursday afternoon, the conference report is expected to be passed by the House today and the Senate soon, said Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Louisville. President Bush is expected to then sign it into law, he said. The conference version has $9 million more cleanup money than the original House version, McConnell said, and adds kidney cancers to the list of diseases for which plant workers and their families qualify for $150,000 in lump-sum compensation, plus medical benefits. David Fuller, president of the plant's Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers (PACE) union, credited McConnell and other Kentucky lawmakers for pushing the legislation. "We have individuals directly affected by this (kidney cancer), and the cleanup money means jobs for PACE workers," he said. "It's very meaningful to us." Also Thursday, the Senate passed the Energy and Water Appropriations Bill, including $103 million for Paducah plant cleanup besides the $18 million. It now goes to a House-Senate conference committee. The bill includes an amendment by Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Southgate, to set up direct planning and budgetary communications between the Paducah plant and the Department of Energy's assistant secretary of environmental management in Washington, D.C. The change would eliminate going through DOE's Oak Ridge, Tenn., operations office, a layer of bureaucracy that has been "one of the constant frustrations" in keeping plant cleanup on track, he said. Bunning said the bill has $24 million for lock work at Kentucky Dam; $41 million for the Olmsted locks and dam; and $6.9 million for operation and maintenance of Barkley Dam and Lake Barkley. ***************************************************************** 8 Wamp says some cleanup funds to be restored Oak Ridger Online --> Story last updated at 12:36 p.m. on Friday, July 20, 2001 by Paul Parson Oak Ridger staff U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-3rd District, disputes reports that the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge cleanup efforts will be reduced by $90 million in fiscal year 2002. In fact, the congressman said this morning that the House and Senate will vote today on a $12 million supplemental bill for the current fiscal year that will be earmarked for use in Oak Ridge during FY 2002. "It's a signal for people not to panic," Wamp said during a phone interview. "We're making progress. We've really been pressing hard to make up this shortfall." As it stands, funding for local cleanup efforts could be reduced by as much as $90 million in FY 2002 when compared to the current fiscal year. That's a drop from $423.7 million to $332.457 million. If the budget for DOE is approved with this cut, it could mean that out of 16 ongoing cleanup projects and 23 projects with new phases planned to begin, 30 will be eliminated and two will have seriously reduced efforts. Layoffs would most likely follow. However, Wamp says the $90 million figure is way off. "A lot of what I read and hear is unnecessary," he said, adding that people should not panic over the cleanup budget. He pointed out that the House Appropriations Committee unanimously approved in June an additional $20 million for cleanup work at the Oak Ridge K-25 site. Wamp said he anticipates additional funding will be added to the cleanup budget when members of the House and Senate meet for a conference committee in September. He will be on that committee. "I'm very sure we are going to add a lot of money back in for Oak Ridge at this conference," Wamp said. The congressman was quick to point out that the cleanup funds were the only sore spot in DOE's Oak Ridge budget. Other projects, including the Spallation Neutron Source and the new Mouse House, will receive full funding requests for FY 2002. In a press release, U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., announced that the Y-12 National Security Complex would also be receiving $5.8 million in additional funding through the supplemental bill. In response to the possible cleanup cuts, the Oak Ridge Reservation Local Oversight Committee's board of directors voted Thursday afternoon to send two letters stating the need to maintain adequate funding for cleanup projects. One of those letters will be sent to Wamp and Thompson, U.S. Reps. Jimmy Duncan, R-2nd District, and Van Hilleary, R-4th District; and U.S. Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn. "The [board] is deeply concerned that the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, through their respective Energy and Water Development Subcommittees, are unwilling to fund the continued progress toward environmental cleanup (both ongoing and planned work) on the Oak Ridge Reservation in fiscal year 2002," the letter states. "Don't allow the federal government to abandon its obligation to Tennessee by halting remediation efforts just when DOE is finally moving into the actual cleanup phase of many projects." The LOC's other letter will be sent to Gov. Don Sundquist. This document also expresses concern about the DOE cleanup budget in addition to possible funding cuts for the Tennessee Oversight Agreement. "It would seriously damage the state's ability to carry out its responsibilities of environmental monitoring and oversight by [Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation] and emergency planning and response by [Tennessee Emergency Management Agency]," the letter states. The LOC is funded under the Tennessee Oversight Agreement. All Contents ©Copyright The Oak Ridger ***************************************************************** 9 Editorial: Law should help Pantex workers Amarillo Globe-News: Opinion: U.S. to pay employees' compensation To hear Washington insiders tell it, the government is on our side.

The 800 or so current and former Pantex Plant workers, and their spouses, who attended informational meetings Thursday, could be forgiven for saying, "It's about time."

Officials from the departments of Labor and Energy were in town last week to tout the benefits of a new law passed in October. The Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act will pay anyone who is or was seriously ill because of exposure to beryllium, silica or radiation while working for the Department of Energy, its contractors or subcontractors in the nuclear weapons industry. The payment is a lump-sum compensation of $150,000.

The act, which goes into effect July 31, also covers families of workers who have died because of the exposures. For those workers who have beryllium sensitivity, medical monitoring is provided.

To qualify for compensation, workers will have to provide the Department of Labor with medical records and employment history. That's all well and good, but what about the workers whose medical histories are missing, as several people in the audience Thursday afternoon said has happened to them? What about the workers whose employment histories are sketchy and reports of accidents that occurred at Pantex weren't included in those documents, as one former employee mentioned during the question-and-answer por tion of the presentation?

Not to worry, government officials stressed. And this might be the best part of the new measure.

"We're trying to make this as easy as possible," said Geoffrey Collver of the Department of Labor.

The Energy Department will provide employment records whenever possible. Employment histories also can be established by Social Security and pension records or through statements by co-workers.

Collver said workers could just say, "I worked with Joe. I know he worked there."

Having problems with obtaining medical records? No sweat, said Jeff Eagan of the Department of Energy. The department will get it for you. All workers need to provide is where the records are, and "we'll help you," Eagan said.

Government officials were clear that not everyone who applies for compensation will get the money. And it must be noted that $150,000 won't wipe away costly doctor's visits, but it will help.

Congress should be given kudos for passing such a bill. The departments of Energy and Labor also should be praised for doing what has needed to be done for years now: Taking care of those workers who sacrificed so this country could win the Cold War.

***************************************************************** 10 DOE Announces Swearing-In of Jessie Roberson Assistant Secretary of energy.gov - Headquarters' Press Release RELEASE DATE: July 18, 2001 [Print Friendly Version] Environmental Management Details Energy Department's Support of Climate Change Policy ---> [Jessie Roberson was sworn-in as Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management.] WASHINGTON-The Department of Energy announced today that Jessie Roberson was sworn-in as Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management. "I am pleased and excited about Jessie joining me here at the Energy Department. She brings tremendous experience and knowledge that will be an asset to our team at DOE," Secretary of Energy Abraham said. As Assistant Secretary of Environmental Management, Roberson will spearhead the efforts in cleanup of inactive waste sites and facilities, waste management operations, research and development programs and environmental restoration. She was confirmed by the United States Senate by unanimous consent last week. Following is a short biography. Jessie Hill Roberson, Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management Roberson is a member of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board and was previously the Department of Energy's Manager of the Rocky Flats Field Office at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site in Colorado from 1996 to 1999. In 1996 she was named National Black Engineer of the Year for Professional Achievement in Government. She has also held positions with Georgia Power Company and DuPont. Originally from Evergreen, Alabama, she is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Media Contact: Jessica Morris, 202/586-4940 Release No. R-01-117 ***************************************************************** 11 Department of Energy Fines Kaiser-Hill for Safety Violations energy.gov - Headquarters' Press Release RELEASE DATE: July 19, 2001 [Print Friendly Version] Details Energy Department's Support of Climate Change Policy ---> WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a $385,000 civil penalty to Kaiser Hill Company, LC, operator of the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology site in Denver, Colorado, for violations of rules and procedures designed to assure nuclear safety. The penalty was issued by DOE's Office of Price-Anderson Enforcement in coordination with the DOE Rocky Flats Field Office. While none of the violations presented a serious threat to worker health or safety, the events could serve as precursors to more serious incidents. The Preliminary Notice of Violation (PNOV) follows several months of investigation and focuses on four areas. • Repeated failures to assure the quality of materials procured for nuclear-related work. Problems in the Kaiser-Hill procurement program have been the subject of previous DOE enforcement actions over the past two years, including two civil penalties and an Enforcement Letter. This PNOV cites an August 2000 event when the contractor procured 500 lids for 55-gallon drums that were to be used in nuclear waste interim storage. The waste would eventually be shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Program. Kaiser-Hill purchased the drum lids without conducting mandatory quality assurance reviews and also failed to establish appropriate criteria for inspecting the lids once they were received. Ultimately, all 500 drum lids had to be rejected due to damage and defects. DOE expressed its concern that, after the enforcement conference for this action took place, Kaiser-Hill identified another procurement-related problem, this time with electrical circuit breakers. Because of the recurrent nature of procurement problems and to emphasize the need to effectively resolve these issues, DOE escalated a portion of the civil penalty. In response to the findings, the contractor has reorganized the Procurement Systems Department to report directly to the Chief Operating Officer. In addition, Kaiser Hill hired a replacement for the Procurement Systems Manager (to report to the site on July 23) and strengthened internal procedures/requirements for documenting and disposing of suspect items that are identified during receipt inspections. • Criticality Safety and Work Controls. A number of deficiencies were associated with a series of recent events involving resizing plutonium pieces into smaller pieces for packaging, loading of containers, and storage of waste containers after the nuclear material content was measured. While none of the events itself posed a serious threat to worker health or safety, DOE believes that the repeated nature of the problems demonstrates that these are fundamental concerns requiring serious management attention. In response to these findings, Kaiser Hill has taken the following actions: completed a ‘Safety Pause' in January-February 2001 in which waste management operations were suspended during a detailed review of work requirements and procedures; reviewed/ revised procedures related to nuclear operations in Building 707; reviewed all Criticality Safety Evaluations for compliance issues; conducted a Senior Review Board to ensure operators were properly trained before resuming activities; and initiated a supervisory watch for restart of operations from the Safety Pause. In recognition of these corrective actions, DOE reduced the penalty by 25 percent from the maximum amount associated with a violation of this nature. • Building 771 Radiation Safety Program. Several procedural violations regarding radiation safety were identified in both Kaiser-Hill and DOE investigations of worker uptakes of plutonium in a building that is being decontaminated and decommissioned. None received exposures high enough to be considered a health risk. The contractor's investigation of an October 2000 event identified additional concerns related to compliance with radiological procedures, adequacy of work controls, and effectiveness of management oversight. In response to the findings of the investigations, Kaiser Hill has completed a number of corrective actions. These include: a complete survey of the building and continued monitoring to maintain an accurate record of the facility's condition to identify sources of contamination and areas where worker exposures could occur; completion of bioassay samples on a representative group of employees to determine potential exposures, in addition to the bioassays that were completed on the 11 workers initially identified; initiated a requirement that respiratory protection be worn during all waste handling and packaging operations; assigned additional management personnel and supervisors to the Building 771 radiation protection program; and strengthened the Radiological Work Permit system required for entry in the building areas. In recognition of the corrective actions, DOE reduced the penalty by 25 percent from the maximum amount associated with a violation of this nature. • Failure to correct identified problems. Kaiser-Hill was specifically cited for failing to take effective corrective actions for previously-identified problems in the areas of procurement, criticality safety, and authorization basis implementation. DOE determined that had effective corrective actions been taken, the majority of the deficiencies cited in this action may have been avoided. The Price-Anderson Amendments Act of 1988 requires DOE to undertake regulatory enforcement actions against contractors for violations of its nuclear safety requirements. Additional information can be found on the Internet at http://www.eh.doe.gov/enforce. Media Contact: Dolline Hatchett 202/ 586-5806 Release No. R-01-118 ***************************************************************** 12 Robots Start Russian Sub Salvage Effort ABCNEWS.com : July 18, 2001 First, a Probe Work on Sunken Russian Sub Begins With Exploratory Efforts By Maxim Marmur The Associated Press ABOARD THE S.S. KLAVDIYA YELANSKAYA, July 17 — Naval engineers using a remote-control, deep-sea vessel conducted exploratory work today at the site where the Kursk nuclear submarine sank, laying the groundwork for a two-month operation to raise the shattered ship. Seven ships including the Mayo, a Norwegian dive support ship, were at the site in the Barents Sea, about 93 miles away from the Russian Arctic port of Murmansk. They were joined by an eighth ship, the Klavdiya Yelanskaya, carrying scores of journalists. The exploration vessel from the Mayo began radiation checks Sunday, taking samples from the water and sea bed, to make sure the area is safe for divers to begin the operation to raise the Kursk. The operation's commander, Vice Adm. Mikhail Motsak, said today it was "imperative to raise the Kursk. We must find all the submariners that died and give them a respectable burial." Concerns About Radiation The Kursk exploded and sank on Aug. 12, 2000, during a training exercise in the Arctic waters off northern Russia, killing all 118 crewmen aboard. The operation to raise the submarine, which has two nuclear reactors and is believed to have unexploded torpedoes aboard, is scheduled to last through mid-September. Russia has maintained that no radiation has leaked from the wreck and says it is raising it to ensure it poses no future danger. But nuclear safety officials in nearby Norway have said the operation's tight schedule increases the risk of a nuclear accident in the Arctic. In Moscow, Russian Navy spokesman Igor Dygalo said that regular monitoring over the past year had shown no increased levels of radioactivity. "We have seriously addressed the ecological aspect in the technical project of the operation," he said in an interview on NTV television. Dygalo said that the unmanned vessel had mapped out the site where the Kursk lies. "The maps show in detail the situation 50 meters (100 feet) around the submarine," he said. "Naturally, water and soil samples have been taken to check for radioactivity." Russian Security Fears Realized? Meanwhile, Russian naval aviation chief Ivan Fedin said today that his pilots had spotted several foreign "underwater objects" trying to approach the Kursk and pointed them out to Russian Navy ships, which drove them out, the Interfax news agency reported. Fedin wouldn't identify the objects or their countries of origin. Russian officials hope raising the Kursk will enable them to learn more about the cause of the explosions and recover the remains of more of the crewmen. Only 12 were recovered during a salvage operation last fall. "The [Russian] Northern Fleet has and will always think it is its sacred duty to determine the reason for the Kursk's sinking," said Motsak, the operation's commander. "It is entirely possible that we can establish the accident's cause only when we lift the front section, which is planned for next year and will be done by the Russian side," he said. Copyright 2001 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This ***************************************************************** 13 Kidney cancer added to sick workers' coverage list Oak Ridger Online --> Story last updated at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, July 20, 2001 by Nancy Zuckerbrod The Associated Press WASHINGTON -- A House-Senate committee has agreed that nuclear weapons workers who worked at the country's uranium enrichment plants in Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee and have suffered from kidney cancer should be compensated. Kidney cancer was inadvertently left off a list of diseases that automatically qualify sick workers at those sites as well as workers on Alaska's Amchitka Island for compensation under a new government program. Congress passed a bill last year that specified the government should presume that particular kinds of cancer were work-related at those sites, which did a poor job of maintaining records. Kidney cancer is linked to uranium exposure and should have been on the list, said Richard Miller, who followed the bill's progress for the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers union. "It was a technical error in drafting in the legislation," Miller said. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., included a provision in a supplemental spending bill that added kidney cancer to that list. The House-Senate committee charged with ironing out differences on the spending legislation approved the McConnell measure Thursday. "Frankly that's about as fast as you can turn around and solve a problem legislatively," Miller said. The issue was brought to McConnell's attention by Charles Cornwell of Metropolis, Ill. He has suffered from kidney cancer and is a longtime employee of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant. The Supplemental Appropriations conference report is expected to be approved by the House on Friday and the Senate shortly thereafter. It then goes to President Bush, who is expected to sign it into law. The compensation program is slated to begin on July 31. It provides for $150,000 and lifetime medical care to Cold War-era workers exposed to health-robbing levels of radiation, silica or beryllium. All Contents ©Copyright The Oak Ridger ***************************************************************** 14 Former site official takes lead DOE job Web posted Friday, July 20, 2001 By Brandon Haddock Staff Writer A former Savannah River Site administrator is now the U.S. Department of Energy's top environmental official. Jessie Hill Roberson was sworn in Wednesday as assistant secretary of energy for environmental management. Ms. Roberson worked at SRS from August 1989 to October 1994, leaving as the Energy Department's deputy assistant manager for environmental restoration at the site. In her new post, Ms. Roberson will oversee efforts to clean pollution and treat radioactive waste at former nuclear-weapons production sites, including SRS. The department's environmental-management budget for fiscal year 2001 was more than $6 billion. ''This is indeed one of the toughest and most challenging jobs in the government,'' Ms. Roberson said in a statement. ''... I am eager to get started and to begin getting the kind of performance the public expects and deserves.'' Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham heaped praise on Ms. Roberson in a statement. ''She brings tremendous experience and knowledge that will be an asset to our team at the Energy Department,'' Mr. Abraham said. Besides her work at SRS, Ms. Roberson served as manager of the Energy Department's Rocky Flats Field Office from 1996 to 1999. She is a member of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, a federal commission that advises the energy department about safety issues at the nation's nuclear-weapons sites. In 1996, Ms. Roberson was named National Black Engineer of the Year for Professional Achievement in Government. Reach Brandon Haddock at (706) 823-3409 or bhaddock@augustachronicle.com. All contents ©1996 - 2001 The Augusta Chronicle. All rights ***************************************************************** 15 Radiation exposure calculated Rocky Mountain News: Local Ex-nuclear workers sickened by toxic levels might face long wait for $150,000 payments By Ann Imse, News Staff Writer Rocky Flats workers hoping to quickly collect $150,000 in federal compensation for radiation-related illness may have a long wait. Federal officials at a meeting with workers Thursday said they must calculate the radiation exposure of each claimant before deciding who is eligible. "For a number of years, we were required to wear our radiation badges behind our lead aprons," said Richard Mizak, an 18-year veteran of Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant. "What will they do about that?" Mizak said he worked eight years with his dosimeter covered, and no way to measure the radiation exposure to his head. Pete Turcic, director of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation program, said federal workers will collect all possible exposure records, and estimate individuals' radiation levels from the jobs they performed. If federal charts show a 50 percent or higher chance of their cancer being caused by radiation, they will qualify for the compensation, he said. Turcic couldn't say how long that would take -- but he expects 80,000 claims in the first 14 months. The government has estimated the program will cost $955 million in that period, Turcic said. That implies fewer than 6,400 people will receive the $150,000 by September 2002. "If we can speed up some of this, it would help a lot," Carolyn Clark, widow of Rocky Flats worker C.C. Clark, told the officials. The new program starts July 31 and will provide $150,000 to nuclear weapons industry workers who have suffered cancer, beryllium disease or silicosis from their jobs, plus medical expenses. It covers workers at weapons plants and 340 subcontractors. Six are in Colorado: Rocky Flats, Coors Porcelain, University of Denver Research Institute, nuclear testing sites in Rifle and the Grand Valley, and Shattuck Chemical in Denver. Victims of beryllium disease should have their claims approved as soon as September because there is no doubt that the cause was working with beryllium, Turcic said. But receiving this compensation bars lawsuits. So workers who sue for damages -- such as in the recent failed lawsuit in Golden against beryllium producer Brush Wellman -- could end up with nothing, said Jeffrey Nesvet, a labor department attorney. Many of the hundreds of workers and survivors attending the meeting were hopeful and skeptical at the same time. "My husband died five years ago of lung cancer," said Clark. "But he smoked. I have a feeling he'll be excluded. But he was involved in cleaning up the plutonium fire" and seriously exposed to radiation, she said. "And how good are these employee records," she asked. "It'll be interesting to see if my records agree with the company's." Contact Ann Imse at (303) 892-5438 or imse@RockyMountainNews.com. 2001 © The E.W. Scripps Co. ***************************************************************** 16 Radiation Victims to Be Compensated July 19, 2001 WASHINGTON (AP) - Uranium miners and residents exposed to radiation from Cold War-era nuclear weapons tests will finally see promised compensation for their illnesses. In a deal struck Thursday as part of negotiations over a supplemental spending bill, those holding IOUs will be covered - although no amount has yet been attached. The Senate had estimated outstanding IOUs for those exposed to radiation at $84 million. The government had been issuing IOUs to the radiation victims since the compensation program ran out of money more than a year ago. The compromise budget bill must be approved by the House and Senate and signed by President Bush. Funding for victims under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act is part of a $6.5 billion spending bill designed to address programs in need of urgent funding. The House hadn't budgeted for it, while the Senate had. "That's great news and it's a relief for the families of the ill IOU-holders," said Lori Goodman, spokeswoman for the group Dine-CARE, which represents Navajo Indians who worked uranium mines on the reservation. "They're doing the right thing - the humane thing." "It's a long time overdue," said Ed Brickey, co-chairman of the Western States RECA Reform Coalition. "It's an oversight that shouldn't have happened." The act, passed in 1990, provided cash payments of $100,000 to uranium miners and $50,000 to "Downwinders" - residents sickened by their exposure to radioactive fallout caused by nuclear weapons tests in Nevada. Last year, the law was expanded to cover more people, but no new money was added. Starting in May 2000, qualifying claimants received letters informing them the program was out of money. Many have died while awaiting payments. Bob Key of Fruita, Colo., who suffers from pulmonary fibrosis after working for four years in a uranium mine, was hospitalized this week and is in need of surgery. He received his IOU last August. According to the Justice Department, which administers the program, there are 191 claimants - either miners, Downwinders or their survivors - holding IOUs worth $10 million. In Colorado, 71 claimants are owed $6.5 million. Sixty-eight claimants are owed $3.5 million in Nevada, 47 are owed $3 million in Arizona, 42 are owed $4 million in New Mexico, and 13 are owed $1 million in California. Other claimants are scattered across the country. Justice Department spokesman Charles Miller said it is unclear how long it would take for claimants to begin receiving checks once the deal is approved. On the Net: Justice Department's Radiation Exposure Compensation Program: http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/torts/const/reca/index.htm All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 17 Senate OKs Hanford cleanup money This story was published Fri, Jul 20, 2001 By the Herald staff By a veto-proof tally of 97-2, the U.S. Senate on Thursday approved spending enough money -- $1.834 billion -- to meet Hanford's minimum legal cleanup obligations in fiscal 2002. The vote sets up a yet-unscheduled conference with U.S. House members for the two chambers to compromise on appropriations for Department of Energy nuclear cleanup money. The action also puts Congress in a strong position when President Bush studies congressional appropriations this fall to determine if he will sign them, said the staff of U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. The federal budget political situation is expected to change this fall since the administration is seeking additional defense spending to go with its massive tax cuts. "Now that both the Senate and House have done the right thing by approving money for nuclear cleanup, I hope the Bush administration will decide to support our effort as well," Murray said. This is the status of the Hanford cleanup budget for fiscal 2002, which starts Oct. 1. -- Congress is expected to pass a supplemental DOE cleanup budget for fiscal 2001 of $180 million, including $53 million for Hanford. That is expected to be spent in 2002, so DOE officials and congressional members are informally adding it to the 2002 budget. -- In fiscal 2001, DOE's national cleanup budget was $6.267 billion with $1.456 billion for Hanford. DOE calculated Hanford needs at least $1.832 billion in 2002 to meet minimum legal obligations plus accelerate cleanup along the Columbia River. -- The administration asked Congress for $5.913 billion for nationwide cleanup in 2002, with $1.4 billion for Hanford, a $432 million shortfall. -- The House recently passed a nationwide cleanup budget of $6.613 billion. With the extra $53 million, that would send $1.814 billion to Hanford. -- Thursday's Senate vote appropriates $6.754 billion to nationwide cleanup, with $1.834 billion for Hanford with the $53 million included. Copyright 2001 Tri-City Herald. All rights ***************************************************************** 18 U.S. fines Flats cleanup firm Denver Post.com Theo Stein Denver Post Environment Writer --> Friday, July 20, 2001 - The president of Rocky Flats cleanup contractor Kaiser-Hill said schedule pressures led to a series of eight violations of nuclear safety procedures, for which the company was fined $385,000 by the Department of Energy on Thursday. The violations, which occurred in the fall of 2000, included work conditions that exposed 10 employees to radioactive plutonium and led to the purchase of substandard materials. Another series of lapses involved workers resizing plutonium chunks into smaller pieces for packaging and the subsequent loading and storage of the waste containers. DOE officials said that while none of the violations presented a serious threat to worker safety, more significant failures could have occurred if procedures weren't corrected. Barbara Mazurowski, the DOE's manager at Rocky Flats, said that although Kaiser-Hill had taken steps to correct the violations, the DOE will keep a close eye on the cleanup. Kaiser-Hill president Alan Parker took responsibility for the failures. In early June, Parker told DOE investigators that workers had "lost focus" on details and procedures because of schedule pressures. The firm stands to gain millions of dollars if it finishes the cleanup by December 2006. A key Senate subcommittee this week raised funding for the Rocky Flats cleanup by $9 million. Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., said that will keep the plant on track for closure in 2006. The Senate Energy and Water Committee allocated $628.5 million for Rocky Flats. This year, Rocky Flats received $619.3 million in funding. The penalties were issued under a 1988 law that requires the Energy Department to punish contractors that violate nuclear safety requirements. The biggest fines arose from continuing errors in the the company's procurement process, according to a preliminary notice of violation issued by the DOE on Thursday. In August 2000, the company purchased 500 lids used to close drums containing nuclear waste prior to shipment without verifying that they met quality standards. All 500 had to be returned because of various defects. DOE officials fined the company $165,000 for the infractions, then tacked on another $55,000 because officials had failed to correct a pattern of procurement errors. It was the company's third fine in the past two years for procurement violations. The company also was fined for errors that led to workers receiving doses of radiation. In one case, workers cut an air line containing plutonium dust, contaminating the immediate work area. In another, workers swapped hoses on a device that handled contaminated air without first getting approval or following safety procedures. Two employees received "significant" doses of radiation, though neither was exposed to levels exceeding DOE limits. A third set of violations involved workers overloading containers with plutonium and other radioactive material, exceeding limits designed to prevent a nuclear chain reaction. All contents Copyright 2001 The Denver Post or other copyright ***************************************************************** 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: *****************************************************************