***************************************************************** 01/23/01 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 9.21 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER CONTENTS 1 Text of letter to Secretary Bill Richardson from Jim Gibbons and 2 STRICKLAND SENDS LETTER TO PRESIDENT REGARDING COMMITMENT TO PIKETON 3 Editorial: Seeing results - Plant cleanup gains momentum 4 CP&L Gains Approval to Further Accelerate Nuclear Depreciation 5 Nuclear waste carried through Sydney 6 Anti-nuclear protesters caught on the hop 7 Nuclear body defends waste move 8 Reid fears new energy secretary already sold on Yucca waste dump 9 Power plant negotiations break down 10 Planned transport of nuclear waste along the Norwegian coast 11 USEC Allowed to Pursue Russia Uranium Deal 12 Funds earmarked in Yucca fight 13 EPA toughens Yucca rules 14 Waste Going to Unlicensed Site, Protesters Say 15 Santa Susana Waste Removal Begins 16 Shipping tainted soil to landfill criticized 17 Unfinished nuke plant deserves second look NUCLEAR WEAPONS CONTENTS 1 Scarboro meeting to address lawsuits 2 EPA to check site of WWII plant in Memphis 3 European firms dump uranium, agency says - 4 BALKANS SYNDROME FALLOUT 5 Uranium weapons fallout part of our making 6 Nuke Sub Still in Gibraltar Despite Tireless Protest 7 American bombs were "cocktail of nuclear waste" 8 Kostunica: The USA are the most responsible for the aggression 9 Europe disturbed over contamination 10 The reaction to DU: an update - 11 Hoon accused of being glib over uranium shells 12 Explosions Sank Russian Sub, LANL Scientists Say 13 US experts: Double blast 'sank Kursk' 14 What caused the accident? 15 'Blast sank Kursk, not collision' 16 Reid lone dissenter at Abraham hearing ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 Text of letter to Secretary Bill Richardson from Jim Gibbons and Shelley Berkley, Members of Congress - Re: Disposal of Low-Level and Mixed Low-Level Radioactive Waste At the Nevada Test Site January 17, 2001 Secretary Bill Richardson Department of Energy 1000 Independence Avenue S.W. Washington, D.C. 20585 Re: Disposal of Low-Level and Mixed Low-Level Radioactive Waste At the Nevada Test Site Dear Secretary Richardson: The Department of Energy's (the Department or DOE) Record of Decision (ROD) that was issued pursuant to the Waste Management Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (WM PEIS) identifies the Nevada Test Site (NTS) as a primary disposal site for low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) and mixed low-level waste (MLLW) generated at various DOE sites across the country. Further, the Department has amended its 1996 ROD for the NTS Environmental Impact Statement to implement the Expanded Use Alternative for waste management activities at NTS. These actions by the Department will have the effect of significantly increasing out-of-state radioactive waste shipments from DOE sites for disposal in Nevada. We are extremely concerned about the Department's plans to dispose of large quantities of LLRW and MLLW from other sites at the NTS. The state of Nevada and our constituents have done more than their fair share in disposing of radioactive waste from the Department's weapons complex. Nevertheless, DOE's intends to increase this burden on our state even more. We do not understand why the state of Nevada has been made to bear the weight of DOE's radioactive waste disposal, particularly when other options exist. We urge the Department to look at alternatives to NTS for the disposal of low-level radioactive wastes, including options that currently are available and anticipated in the commercial sector. We understand that the Department disposes of LLRW and MLLW at appropriately licensed and operated commercial facilities under certain circumstances and two key factors DOE assesses in determining whether to ship waste to a commercial site for disposal are cost and protection of public health and the environment. Several commercial facilities have received authorizations to dispose of DOE waste, and such facilities certainly are a viable option to the Department for the disposal of LLRW and MLLW. We understand that rail transportation is generally safer for the shipment of large volumes of waste. As you know, the NTS has no rail access for the disposal of radioactive wastes from other DOE sites while several commercial facilities do have such rail access. We do not understand how the Department can justify shipping LLRW and MLLW to NTS when it must ship such waste in trucks over narrow roads and through small towns that were never intended for the shipment of large volumes of radioactive waste. Further, commercial disposal facilities must be licensed by external regulatory agencies. They are not self-regulating like DOE. We have confidence that independent regulation helps to ensure appropriate protection of public health and the environment at commercial facilities. In addition, it appears that the Department is not utilizing the Hanford site for the disposal of off-site LLRW and MLLW despite the WM PEIS ROD that Hanford would be a primary disposal site for the Department's LLRW and MLLW. Indeed, recent news articles have reported that the state of Washington has conditioned Hanford's acceptance of out-of-state DOE wastes from the Department, satisfactorily addressing the large cleanup problems at the Hanford site. We would appreciate a full explanation of the current status of the Department's plans to use all of the disposal options available to DOE for the disposal of LLRW and MLLW. As you may know, the General Accounting Office issued a report dated April 12, 2000 entitled "Low-Level Radioactive Wastes--Department of Energy Has Opportunities to Reduce Disposal Costs." We would like to know the progress made by DOE in addressing the GAO's recommendation that the Department "develop criteria and guidance for DOE's waste managers to use in making decisions on the best available options within DOE and at commercial facilities for treating, storing, and disposal of their wastes." Further, DOE recently developed a so-called "flat-rate disposal fee proposal" program for the disposal of LLRW at NTS. This program appears to create an incentive to encourage DOE sites outside of Nevada to dispose of as much waste as possible at NTS. The proposal raises numerous questions about DOE's compliance with the Economy Act, 31 USC ? 1535 and its overall intentions to make the NTS DOE's primary dumping ground for LLRW. We have very strong concerns about this program and we would like to receive a full explanation. In addition, we have the following questions: What is the overall cost (transportation and disposal) to the Department on a unit price basis for the disposal of LLRW at the NTS as opposed to commercial options that are available to the Department? We understand that the Department is shipping waste for disposal from DOE sites in Ohio to both commercial facilities and the NTS. What is the cost of transportation, on a unit price basis, for the shipment of LLRW waste from Ohio sites to commercial facilities via rail as opposed to shipments to the NTS via truck? What is the cost, on a unit price basis, for the disposal of LLRW waste from Ohio sites at commercial facilities as opposed to disposal at the NTS? What risk analyses have been performed by the Department or others analyzing the risks of transportation of radioactive wastes via rail versus truck? How much LLRW does the Department plan to ship from off-site sources to NTS over the next 20 years? How does DOE plan to ship this waste? Where does DOE plan to dispose of this waste? How much MLLW does the Department plan to ship from off-site sources to NTS over the next 20 years? How does DOE plan to ship this waste? Where does DOE plan to dispose of this waste? What are the Department's plans for obtaining permitting in order to ship MLLW from out-of-state sources to the NTS? Has the Department made the determination required by the Economy Act, 31 U.S.C. ? 1535, that the LLRW disposal services to be provided at NTS cannot be provided by an independent commercial enterprise as conveniently or cheaply? What steps has the Department taken to implement the recommendations made by the General Accounting Office in its April 2000 report entitled "Low-Level Radioactive Wastes: Department of Energy has Opportunities to Reduce Disposal Costs"? We understand that the scope of the Bechtel Nevada contract for operation of the NTS was enlarged in October 1999 to include operation of a Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility to receive wastes from local operations as well as off-site locations. How does the Department justify a non-competitive award of this new scope of work? Finally, DOE recently changed its truck transportation routing for shipments of radioactive waste for disposal at NTS so that the city of Las Vegas is bypassed. However, the new routing now involves a much longer route over county roads and through small towns. While we certainly do not want to see shipments of radioactive waste through Las Vegas, we remain very concerned about the safety of DOE's shipments to NTS on this new route. Please identify all studies that have been prepared by the Department analyzing the health and safety risks involved in this transportation route. Also advise us of any evaluation of the infrastructure impacts on these roads and whether DOE intends to provide funding for costs incurred by local governments that result from such shipments. In view of the foregoing as to DOE's disposal of LLRW at NTS from sites throughout the complex, we respectfully request you to terminate the flat-rate disposal fee program and shipments of LLRW at NTS until the new Secretary of Energy has had an opportunity to review these issues and address our concerns. We look forward to receiving a response to this letter and answers to our questions at your earliest convenience. Thereafter, we would appreciate receiving a briefing so we can follow up on these matters and obtain additional information on the Department's plans for the shipment and disposal of LLRW and MLLW in Nevada. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Jim Gibbons Shelley Berkley Member of Congress Member of Congress cc: Governor Kenny C. Guinn Senator Harry Reid Senator John Ensign Carolyn L. Huntoon, DOE-EM ***************************************************************** 2 STRICKLAND SENDS LETTER TO PRESIDENT REGARDING COMMITMENT TO PIKETON WORKERS Congressman Ted Strickland SERVING OHIO'S SIXTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT WASHINGTON – Congressman Ted Strickland and Ohio’s Senators today sent a letter to President Bush urging him to maintain his commitment to job protection at the Portsmouth uranium plant. “We must work quickly to provide support for the economic assistance efforts, site cleanup, development of new enrichment technology, and the preservation of our country’s capacity to enrich uranium, nbsp; “It is imperative that DOE move forward...with substantive support on these fronts in the spirit of the Departments’ original plan.” The letter applauds the President for a commitment he made in October p; In a letter to Governor Taft, President Bush said that he would “aggressively” support the workers at the plant, as well as the research and development of new enrichment technologies. p; We believe that the Department needs to expedite its review of this program, so that it can be implemented nbsp; “ I trust that the President will see the importance of this time-sensitive issue and move quickly.” Congressman Strickland also sent a letter to the new Secretary of In that letter, Strickland expressed his concern that the suspension of funds released by the Department threatens efforts to prepare the plant for standby, and to develop next-generation uranium enrichment technology. “I cannot overstate the importance of securing the Piketon facility on “cold standby” and investing in the development of the next generation p; “Without a competitive nuclear fuel industry, our nation will depend bsp; Last October, Strickland and Secretary Richardson announced the initiative, which will employ more than 1,000 workers and protect the nation’ s energy security by keeping the Portsmouth Uranium Plant on standby, increasing clean up and building an advanced technology demonstration plant for uranium enrichment on site. The program will employ the highly trained and qualified workforce at the Portsmouth Plant to maintain the facility in standby, while preparing workers to operate a gas centrifuge pilot plant, and follows the June announcement by United States Energy Corporation (USEC), the private operator of the plant, to end enrichment operations at nbsp; That USEC decision would have resulted nbsp; Now, most of these workers will be employed to support the Department of Energy’s standby and centrifuge operation, as well as in environmental clean p; ***************************************************************** 3 Editorial: Seeing results - Plant cleanup gains momentum The Paducah Sun Tuesday, January 23, 2001 The U.S. Department of Energy has taken some deserved lumps for its indifferent — and sometimes utterly negligent — performance as overseer of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant. But even DOE's harshest critics, which include this editorial page, must acknowledge that over the past seven months the agency has made substantial progress in cleaning up the plant. Obviously, the federal government has a long way to go in removing more than 40 years' worth of contamination from the plant grounds. Still, the people of the Paducah area are happy to see that DOE, with increased funding and a strong push from Congress, is capable of rapidly cleaning up some of the worst environmental hazards. State environmental regulators also deserve credit for getting off the sidelines and putting real pressure on DOE to live up to its commitments to the state. If Congress continues to provide funding and motivation while the state provides appropriate oversight, we believe DOE will complete the cleanup within 10-15 years. That sounds like a long time, but consider this: DOE spent more than a decade and almost $400 million studying the contamination problem in Paducah. During that period not a single barrel of waste was removed from the site. Since last spring the agency's contractors have leveled the infamous "drum mountain," which was made up of more than 85,000 drums of radioactive and hazardous waste. Now DOE is moving on to an even greater environmental concern — 160 storage areas, some of which pose a small risk of an uncontrolled nuclear reaction. A "criticality accident" wouldn't destroy the plant, but it could release dangerous amounts of radiation. Department of Energy officials responded somewhat casually to this threat until last year, when a special agency investigative team said eliminating the criticality risks should be given a high priority. Next month contractors will begin cleaning up 33 high-priority sites. The entire project is expected to take five years to complete, but we hope DOE and its contractor tackle it with the same speed and determination they showed in hauling away drum mountain. In any event, it's encouraging that the agency is trying to sustain the momentum the cleanup gained last year. An impression is that the Kentucky Natural Resources Cabinet is working to sustain that momentum, too. During the 1980s and early 1990s, state environmental regulators were less than aggressive in dealing with clear violations at the Paducah plant. While environmental officials in Ohio and Tennessee were pressing to gain access to federal nuclear facilities in their states, Kentucky regulators were letting DOE have its way. In the past year, Kentucky has gotten tougher with the federal government. State officials now are demanding that DOE follow through on its commitment to clean up the plant by 2010. The state is right to aggressively enforce its environmental laws. A private industry that turned a plant site into a massive dumping ground for radioactive waste would face enormous legal and financial consequences. The federal government should not be protected from the consequences of its environmental failures. Last year the federal government began to accept some of the consequences of those failures. Against that background, McCracken County residents have reason to believe that DOE will make even greater progress on the cleanup in 2001. ***************************************************************** 4 CP&L Gains Approval to Further Accelerate Nuclear Depreciation MONDAY JANUARY 22, 2:10 PM EASTERN TIME Press Release SOURCE: Progress Energy, Inc. RALEIGH, N.C., Jan. 22 /PRNewswire/--CP&L, a wholly owned subsidiary from regulators in both North Carolina and South Carolina to further accelerate the cost recovery of its nuclear generation facilities in the year 2000. CP&L requested this action in an effort to fully utilize the $200 million proceeds from the sale of the company's BellSouth PCS interest. In the third quarter, the company reported a $121.1 million, or $.79 per share gain, as a result of the sale. ``Accelerating our cost recovery strengthens our financial position as we prepare for increased competition,'' said William Cavanaugh, chairman, president & CEO, Progress Energy. ``Using the gain from the BellSouth transaction to accelerate depreciation on our nuclear assets during the year 2000 will provide us with a stronger financial position for the future.'' CP&L filed a request in October to further accelerate the cost recovery of its nuclear generation facilities in 2000 up to the extent of the gain on the sale of the BellSouth PCS business. Pursuant to earlier regulatory orders, the allowed range of accelerated depreciation expense was set at a minimum of $106 million to a maximum of $150 million per year from 2000 through 2004. Based on this approved plan for the year 2000, the company will record the maximum of $150 million and an additional one-time charge of $125 million for a total of $275 million of accelerated depreciation in the year 2000. The total minimum allowed accelerated depreciation during the remaining 4 years will be reduced by $125 million. The total minimum and maximum amounts of accelerated depreciation for the 5-year period will remain unchanged, i.e. a minimum of $530 million and a maximum of $750 million. holding company headquartered in Raleigh, N.C. Progress Energy is one of the top 10 generators of electricity in the United States with more than 19,000 megawatts of capacity and $7 billion in annual revenues. The company's diverse portfolio includes two major electric utility companies, CP&L and Florida Power, as well as NCNG, SRS, Progress Telecom and an important new organization, Energy Ventures, which has been created to manage wholesale energy marketing and trading, merchant generation, fuel properties, as well as barge and rail subsidiaries. These companies serve 2.8 million customers across the Southeast, providing electricity, natural gas, energy services and broadband capacity. For more information about Progress Energy, visit the company's SOURCE: Progress Energy, Inc. ***************************************************************** 5 Nuclear waste carried through Sydney Source: AAP|Published: Tuesday January 23, 5:47 PM Australia's largest consignment of nuclear waste is on its way to France. Authorities evaded hundreds of protesters to transport the cargo through suburban streets in Sydney's south early this morning. The shipment of 360 spent nuclear fuel rods was transported from the Lucas Heights reactor via a rear exit, after 300 local residents and green groups blocked the entrance to the plant. The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) today defended the export of the waste as a planned program to allay community fears about storing the spent fuel in Sydney. ANSTO chief Helen Garnett said in a statement the road-to-wharf route for the convoy through at least a dozen southern suburbs had not been published in advance in order to protect the public. The federal opposition, the Australian Democrats, green groups and local residents united to condemn the secrecy of the operation. "Veiling the shipment in secrecy and fudging the risks heightens legitimate community concerns about the safety and transparency of waste procedures," Democrats science and technology spokeswoman Natasha Stott Despoja said. Acting federal opposition environment spokesperson Carmen Lawrence said ANSTO and the Commonwealth Government were arrogant and disdainful when it came to community concerns. And New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff said Australia should give more notice when it ships nuclear waste, adding he would prefer them to process it in Australia. In Botany Bay, five Greenpeace activists swam into the path of the nuclear waste transport ship, Bouguenais, to prevent it from docking shortly after 8pm (AEDT) yesterday. At least one policeman sustained minor injuries during the protest. Six activists were arrested and charged with minor offences under the Maritime Services Act and are scheduled to appear in Waverley Local court on February 14. Jim Johnston from Sydney People Against A New Nuclear Reactor (SPANNR) said activists proved how lax security was by jumping over a fence at Port Botany and walking within 10 metres of the ship. Greenpeace activist Stephen Campbell said protesters stationed at Lucas Heights did not believe the convoy could be moved through the dirt road back exit because of safety concerns. However ANSTO said the transport of 40 years worth of research reactor spent fuel from the site for reprocessing by the French company COGEMA was safe. The latest shipment, the largest to have left Australia, was transported in five custom-built, heavily shielded transport casks. "The amount of radioactivity detectable on the outside of the heavily shielded transport casks is extremely small," the ANSTO statement said. "By remaining constantly in the vicinity of the cask 24 hours a day for a week a person would be exposed to only half the amount of radiation they receive from natural sources in a year." Greenpeace insisted the waste was highly radioactive and posed a grave health risk to the public. "If you take a lid off one of these canisters it would kill you - it's as simple as that," Mr Campbell said. The container ship carrying the nuclear fuel rods left Port Botany about 1am today. Copyright © 2000 The Age Company Ltd. Any unauthorised use, ***************************************************************** 6 Anti-nuclear protesters caught on the hop - smh.com.au - Page One Tuesday, January 23, 2001 BY JOSEPH KERR Police outsmarted protesters last night and sneaked five semi-trailer loads of nuclear fuel rods from the Lucas Heights reactor on to a ship at Port Botany. While activists on several Greenpeace boats tried to prevent the ship docking about 8.40pm, the main body of 200 protesters outside the nuclear reactor had no idea the convoy had left via the back door. Greenpeace campaigner Mr Rupert Posner said five protesters tried to stop the ship by jumping into its path about 8pm, but they were arrested. At least six police boats escorted the ship to its berth and played "cat and mouse" with four Greenpeace inflatable boats as the ship sailed to the dock, he said. Earlier, an alliance of campaigners led by Greenpeace and Greens MPs Mr Ian Cohen and Ms Lee Rhiannon spent the day chaining themselves to fences and blocking roads in an attempt to stop the export of the 360 spent radioactive fuel rods to France. For most of last night protesters blocked the road outside the reactor. Reports from the dock indicated the convoy of 30 vehicles started loading the rods on to the ship at 10.35pm. But the protesters still believed they were blocking the path at 10.45pm. Earlier they had dismissed as rumours speculation the convoy had used back roads to the docks. However, a spokeswoman for the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation said it was likely police had used a side entrance in New Illawarra Road to sneak the convoy past the protesters. A succession of speakers, '60s singalongs and personal anecdotes entertained the protesters during the fruitless wait for the convoy. Among several conspiracy theories discussed during the night, many speakers touched on the "secrecy" surrounding the shipments. ANSTO said the agency has a policy of not revealing the times of shipments. Mr Cohen congratulated the protesters for succeeding in blocking the main road out, forcing police to take the rods down a "highly inadequate road". "It says a lot that [they have] gone out the back door, which is a highly inadequate road given the dangerous nature of the materials, " he said. The nuclear rods will be reprocessed in France before returning to Australia before 2015. ***************************************************************** 7 Nuclear body defends waste move news.com.au - From AAP 23jan01 11:30 (AEDT) A CONTROVERSIAL transport of nuclear waste in Sydney last night has been defended by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation. Truck-loads of 360 spent nuclear fuel rods left the national nuclear research facility in Lucas Heights last night for transportation to France for reprocessing. The trucks left via a rear exit to avoid an estimated 300 protesters who had blocked the front entrance to the Lucas Heights reactor. Local residents and environmentalists have since accused ANSTO and the Federal Government of secretly pushing the waste out the back door without the consent of the community. The federal Opposition said the Government's plans for a new nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights would lock Australia into continuing production of nuclear waste and its transport through suburban Sydney. But ANSTO argued the program - to remove 40 years of research reactor spent fuel from the site for reprocessing overseas - was safe. "It's important to understand that the shipment is part of a planned process aimed at meeting the expressed desires of the local community for the reduction in spent fuel stored at the Lucas Heights site, " ANSTO chief Helen Garnett said. Last night's shipment was the second made under the terms of a contract signed by ANSTO and COGEMA, the French company which reprocesses the waste, in January, 1999. Environment Australia, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, the Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office and Australia's nuclear regulator, the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency, ARPANSA, each approved shipment arrangements, Ms Garnett said. The latest shipment is the largest to leave Australia and is being transported in five custom-built, heavily shielded transport casks. "The amount of radioactivity detectable on the outside of the heavily shielded transport casks is extremely small," ANSTO said. "By remaining constantly in the vicinity of the cask 24 hours a day for a week a person would be exposed to only half the amount of radiation they receive from natural sources in a year." Ms garnett said the road route used to transport the rods had not been published in advance to protect the public. ©News Limited ***************************************************************** 8 Reid fears new energy secretary already sold on Yucca waste dump RENO Tuesday, January 23, 2001 4:15 PM ASSOCIATED PRESS RENO, Nev. - Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., says he opposed Spencer Abraham's confirmation as energy secretary because he fears Abraham has already made up his mind to build a nuclear waste dump in Nevada. Reid, the assistant Democratic leader, was the lone senator to voice opposition to Abraham's confirmation over the weekend. Reid said the former Michigan senator is a ''decent and honorable man who served with distinction.'' He said his opposition is based on the ''troubling record (he) has established on nuclear waste. ''He voted repeatedly to ship nuclear waste to the state of Nevada despite the overwhelming evidence that such a move was being made without regard for sound science and public health and safety,'' Reid said. He said Abraham supported ''an industry backed-bill that would have expedited delivery of nuclear waste to Nevada'' on an interim basis and supported overriding President Clinton's veto of a bill which would have ''greatly weakened the EPA's role in establishing'' appropriate radiation standards at Nevada' Yucca Mountain. ''The decision on the designation of a permanent nuclear waste repository rests with the secretary of energy. This decision and other relating to Yucca Mountain must be made without bias,'' Reid said. Abraham's record as a senator and his testimony before Congress ''lead me to believe that he may not be capable of such impartiality on this very important issue,'' Reid said. Copyright, tahoe.com. Materials contained within this site may not ***************************************************************** 9 Power plant negotiations break down The Taipei Times Online: 2001-01-23 TUESDAY, JANUARY 23RD, 2001 ARGUMENTS: Opposition leaders have agreed to let the premier make a report on the nuclear plant at a special legislative session, but the ruling DPP does not want a quick vote to be taken on the issue BY LIN CHIEH-YU STAFF REPORTER, WITH AGENCIES The opposition alliance yesterday formally declared that at the legislature's upcoming special session on Jan. 30 to Jan. 31 it will ask the DPP government to resume construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant (®ÖĄ|). But the government and opposition parties failed to agree yesterday on whether the matter should be subject to a legislative vote. "If the DPP government still refuses to follow the Legislative Yuan's final decision after the special meeting, we will bar Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (±i«T¶Ż) from attending the Legislative Yuan at the beginning of the new session [on Feb. 20]," said KMT legislative caucus leader Cheng Yuan-chin (ľGĄĂŞ÷) yesterday. The legislative caucuses of the ruling DPP and the opposition alliance -- including the KMT, the People First Party (PFP) and the New Party -- met yesterday morning to negotiate the agenda for the special session on the controversial Fourth Nuclear Power Plant project. The negotiations, however, broke down over whether or not the issue should be put to a legislative vote. Disappointed over the failure to come up with an agreement, Legislative Yuan speaker Wang Jin-pyng (¤ýŞ÷Ą­), who is also a vice chairman of the opposition KMT, announced that an informal meeting of the ruling and opposition legislative caucuses will be held on Jan. 29 to decide the agenda for the special legislative session. "According to the ruling made by the Council of Grand Justices last week, the Executive Yuan should have obtained the approval of the Legislative Yuan before declaring a halt to the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant," said PFP legislative caucus spokesman Hwang Yih-jiau (¶Ŕ¸qĄć). "And therefore, if we [lawmakers] cannot vote to give a final decision on the controversial nuclear power plant issue at the special session meeting," Hwang said, "the Legislative Yuan should shut down." While the opposition alliance insists that lawmakers will vote on the controversial issue immediately after hearing the premier's report at the special session meeting, the DPP caucus has given the thumbs down to a quick vote. Chou Po-lun (©P§B­Ű), DPP legislative caucus leader, said that the proposed special session will only be for the purpose of hearing Chang's report on the legality of the Executive Yuan's decision to halt the power plant project. Chou insisted that conducting any debates or calling a vote during the special meeting would be "illegal." "The Legislative Yuan certainly has the right [under normal circumstances] to pass the Executive Yuan's proposal by voting," Chou said. "But the premier's report cannot be put to a vote," he added. Chou said that if the opposition parties wished to put any proposition to a vote, they should do so after the new formal session of the legislature commences on Feb. 20. Wang disagreed. "Of course, the special session can vote to decide the fate of the power plant," he said. "That is the reason why the special session was called--to hear Chang's report and to resolve the issue by voting," he added. Once lawmakers at the special session vote and make a resolution on the power plant issue, the Executive Yuan has no right to overturn their decision, Wang said. The Council of Grand Justices declared on Jan. 15 that the Executive Yuan made a procedural error when it announced a halt to the construction of the partially completed project on Oct. 27 without consulting the Legislative Yuan. The grand justices ruled that the premier should present a report to the Legislative Yuan on the Cabinet's abrupt decision to stop the power plant project. The opposition has since collected enough signatures to call a special session meeting for Jan. 30 to Jan. 31, after the Lunar New Year holidays, to hear Chang's report, and possibly vote on the issue immediately. This story has been viewed 556 times. Copyright c 1999, 2000, 2001 The Taipei Times. All rights ***************************************************************** 10 Planned transport of nuclear waste along the Norwegian coast The Norway Post - Doorway to Norway 23. Januar 2001 Japan's nuclear industry and the Russian government are planning to transport high grade nuclear waste by ship, from Europe to Japan, along the Norwegian coast, NRK reports. The Japanese nuclear industry wants to transport so-called HLW-waste from the cracking of plutonium in France and Great Britain, according to the Danish news agency Ritzau. The plan calls for the ships to take the Arctic lane, along the coast of Norway, past the Murmansk, along the coast of Siberia to Japan. A Russian nuclear driven ice-breaker will precede each freighter, according to Greenpeace. Greenpeace Norway demands that Norwegian authorities react strongly to these plans, which may be tested out by a first shipment already this year. Regular shipments are planned for 2002. (NRK) Rolleiv Solholm ***************************************************************** 11 USEC Allowed to Pursue Russia Uranium Deal Russia Today - fuel services for commercial power plants, was permitted to pursue a deal with Russia to import uranium for fuel, the Wall Street Journal reported in its online edition Monday. USEC was granted approval by the Clinton Administration so the company can tighten up its finances, the paper said. The deal still has to be approved by Russia and the new Bush administration, the paper said. USEC, a government corporation privatized in 1998, in May tentatively agreed to sell some Russian fuel in the U.S. in exchange for Russia selling USEC uranium derived from nuclear weapons at prices slightly below market, the paper said. USEC needed the permission because its existing contract with a Russian exporter stipulates it must buy uranium derived from nuclear weapons at a price above market prices, the paper said. "We are restoring profitability to our purchases," USEC spokesman Charles Yulishi said, the Journal reported. USEC shares closed off 3/16 at $5-½ in Friday trading on the New York Stock Exchange, below their 52-week high of $6-9/16 and above a yearly low of $3-7/16. (C)2001 Copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 12 Funds earmarked in Yucca fight January 23, 2001 BY JEFF GERMAN LAS VEGAS SUN AWARENESS GROUP A communitywide campaign against a high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain has established a phone line and e-mail access. Stephen Cloobeck, a casino executive, is leading efforts to create a nonprofit organization to raise millions of dollars to warn the nation about the dangers of shipping nuclear waste 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas if a Yucca Mountain repository opens. Cloobeck, president and CEO of Diamond Resorts International, said his group is concerned that a Yucca repository could lead to a drop in visitors. Gov. Kenny Guinn said today he hopes his pledge to set aside $5 million to fight nuclear waste storage in Nevada will rally the business community and local governments into matching those funds. The governor told the Sun he would like to set up a fund of $10 million or more for an unprecedented media blitz to drum up anti-dump support in other states. "I would hope that we could at least double the $5 million," Guinn said in a telephone interview from Carson City. "We all need to come together and get the word out about the dangers of transporting nuclear waste through other cities." Bob Loux, executive director of the Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects, said the governor's decision to use taxpayer money in the fight should encourage others in the private sector to make donations. "We know that $5 million isn't going to be adequate for a nationwide advertising campaign," Loux said. "We want to see if we can get some more contributions in there." Guinn stressed in his State of the State address Monday night that a united campaign was crucial to the fight. "Although much has been done individually throughout our state by citizens and communities, I believe we will succeed only by uniting our efforts," Guinn said. "We will expose the unprincipled tactics used by the (nuclear) industry in their attempt to force us to accept this deadly waste." A large part of the fund-raising task is likely to fall on the shoulders of Strip executive Stephen Cloobeck, who recently launched a grassroots effort to fight the industry's push to make nearby Yucca Mountain the site of the nation's high-level nuclear waste repository. Cloobeck's campaign took shape following a Dec. 1 Sun story that disclosed documents showing possible bias on the part of the Department of Energy and its chief Yucca Mountain contractor in the site selection process. The story also has resulted in an investigation by the DOE's inspector general, who has dispatched a team of agents to Las Vegas. Cloobeck, president and chief executive of Diamond Resorts International, said this morning he was confident he would be able to collect another $5 million for Guinn's anti-dump fund. "I think we're going to do a helluva job," he said. "People are getting ready to step up to the plate." County Commission Chairman Dario Herrera, who attended Guinn's address in Carson City, said he will work to obtain a financial commitment from county. "I don't think there's any scenario possible that the county will back down from the governor's challenge," Herrera said. "We believe we're up to the task, and I'll be talking to my staff and colleagues about it." Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, who also was on hand for the governor's speech, said the city's contribution to the fight will be using its resources to sue the DOE over the selection process, which has singled out Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of the city. "We're going to be providing legal work, and that's going to be the most significant contribution," Goodman said. The mayor said an agenda item discussing the suit is being placed on the City Council's Jan. 31 meeting. Guinn's desire to unleash the anti-dump advertising campaign comes, as the business community appears ready to play a serious role in the fight, which is expected to escalate soon when the DOE decides whether Yucca Mountain is safe to store the deadly waste. The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, after two decades of silence, plans to debate a resolution opposing Yucca Mountain at its Jan. 31 board meeting. And the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which also has never taken a position on the dump, has scheduled a similar discussion at its Feb. 13 board meeting. Former Gov. Bob Miller, meanwhile, applauded Guinn for pledging $5 million toward the public relations battle. "I thought it was a clever idea to educate states about our opposition to nuclear waste and the dangers that transporting nuclear waste poses," said Miller, who led the fight against the dump during his 10 years in office. "We need all the help we can get." But Miller, reappointed last week to a key DOE advisory panel, said he remained deeply concerned that Nevada's opposition won't be supported by the new Bush administration. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, a proponent of Yucca Mountain as a senator, has publicly indicated he wants to speed up the process of storing nuclear waste. State Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, shared Miller's concern. She praised Guinn for setting aside the $5 million, but said he didn't go far enough in voicing his opposition. The governor, Titus said, should have sent a message to President Bush that Nevada is against storing nuclear waste here on an interim basis, an option Congress is considering. "He should have called on the president not to agree to temporary storage," she said. "The governor needs to accept some reponsibility for us having Abraham in there. He (Guinn) was Bush's campaign chairman in the state. Has he no say over the president on this issue?" Titus and Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, plan to introduce a joint resolution at the Legislature next month, voicing opposition to a temporary storage site and condemning the DOE for its alleged bias in pursuing a permanent dump at Yucca Mountain. Guinn said he remains firmly convinced that Bush will not single out Nevada for temporary storage if science finds fault with it. During his address, Guinn said Nevada has acquired as strong ally in the fight against Yucca Mountain. He said Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, a fellow Republican, has pledged $1 million in his budget toward the battle to keep the nuclear waste from being shipped to the West. "We will leave no fight abandoned, and we will prevail," Guinn said. ALL CONTENTS COPYRIGHT 2001 LAS VEGAS SUN, INC. ***************************************************************** 13 EPA toughens Yucca rules January 22, 2001 Nevadans fear limits will be weakened by Bush administration BY MARY MANNING LAS VEGAS SUN On the final day of the Clinton administration, the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday released stringent radiation limits for a proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain. However, the final word will lie with the Bush administration, and Nevada officials say they fear the standards will be weakened once they reach the president's desk. The EPA's two-part rule would allow a Yucca repository, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, to release 15 millirems of total radiation each year for 10,000 years. Another 4 millirems annually could be released into the ground water. An average chest X-ray equals 10 millirems. Yucca Mountain is the only site being studied to store 77,000 tons of highly radioactive waste from nuclear power plants and defense activities. The EPA set a more stringent standard than one proposed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which would have to license the repository. The NRC's proposed standard would allow 25 millirems of radiation a year to escape the repository and would not set a separate standard for ground water. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission drafted its rule about the same time last year that the EPA first proposed its lower radiation limits. The current law requires the Environmental Protection Agency to set the standards for radiation releases at a high-level nuclear waste repository, but supporters of the repository in Congress have pushed for the NRC standard. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he is concerned that the Bush administration will reject the EPA's draft radiation standards. Unlike other proposals, the EPA recommended a separate standard for ground water to protect those living near the proposed dump site, Reid said. Nuclear industry supporters have said that the EPA's proposal would disqualify a Yucca Mountain repository because of the ground water limit. The new radiation limit would be in effect for 10,000 years, outgoing EPA Administrator Carol Browner wrote to Reid, who requested a copy of the agency's rule. The EPA proposal will not be made public until the Office of Management and Budget reviews it. Exposure to radiation under the EPA limit corresponds to a lifetime risk of three chances in 10,000 of developing a fatal cancer, she said. The EPA proposal is aimed at the most at-risk person, those farming at Lathrop Wells, about 32 miles from the Yucca Mountain site, and sets the same standard for radiation established in the the Safe Drinking Water Act--4 millirems, Brower's letter said. "We believe that the citizens and resources of Nevada deserve at least the same level of protection as any other part of the U.S., " Browner wrote. But Browner's letter was unclear whether measurements of air and water would be taken at the repository boundary or 20 miles farther away, said Bob Loux, executive director of the Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects. "It's good news and bad news," Loux said. State officials, including Reid, are hoping the EPA rule holds fast, but first hints from the Bush administration are not promising. Last week, when New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, the Bush nominee for EPA administrator, appeared before a Senate confirmation committee, she urged cooperation between the EPA and NRC in setting the repository radiation limit. Reid expressed his displeasure at her answer. He has opposed the NRC's version of the radiation rules. Only the EPA should set the radiation standards for Yucca Mountain, Reid said. "I would hope that President Bush carefully reviews the standards recommended by the EPA and that he puts the health and safety of Nevadans first in making any final determination," Reid said. "The EPA has now issued its draft rules setting health and safety standards for Yucca Mountain, and I am hopeful that the Bush administration will not attempt to soften these guidelines, which are designed to protect people and the environment from exposure to deadly radiation, " Reid, the Senate's assistant Democratic leader, said. ALL CONTENTS COPYRIGHT 2001 LAS VEGAS SUN, INC. ***************************************************************** 14 Waste Going to Unlicensed Site, Protesters Say Tuesday, January 23, 2001 | [*][I] PRINT THIS STORY [I] [I] FOR THE RECORD Waste sites--A story Tuesday misstated where hazardous or toxic waste may be disposed of in California. Some landfills, including the Kern County site set to receive soil contaminated by Rocketdyne, are licensed to receive hazardous waste. None, however, may accept radioactive waste. Also, Department of Health Services spokeswoman Lea Brooks' name was misspelled. SIMI VALLEY--A handful of protesters yelled and waved signs Monday as trucks loaded with hazardous waste drove past outside Boeing's Rocketdyne division's Santa Susana Field near Chatsworth. For the next three to five months, trucks will transport 14,000 tons of chemically contaminated dirt from the former Santa Susana sodium disposal facility to a dump in Kern County, said Rocketdyne spokesman Dan Beck. The action is part of an effort by Boeing to remove contaminants left by past owners at the site, Beck said. "We're delivering the hazardous soil to the appropriate facility and taking it out of this community," Beck said. Although the protesters were glad the material was being removed, they said they disapproved of where the dirt was being taken. Their signs expressed their sentiments: "Stop Rocketdyne's Illegal Dumping" and "Gov. Davis, We Are Fed Up." "They're taking it to an unlicensed facility," said Lorraine Scott of Encino. "They need to take it to a facility licensed in toxic waste." But Boeing and California Department of Health officials said the waste is not radioactive or toxic, as the protesters claim. "No landfill in California is licensed to take toxic waste," said Leah Brooks, spokeswoman for the state's Department of Health. "That waste is not radioactive, it is hazardous." Copyright 2001 Los Angeles Times ***************************************************************** 15 Santa Susana Waste Removal Begins Tuesday, January 23, 2001 FOR THE RECORD Waste sites--A story Tuesday misstated where hazardous or toxic waste may be disposed of in California. Some landfills, including the Kern County site set to receive soil contaminated by Rocketdyne, are licensed to receive hazardous waste. None, however, may accept radioactive waste. Also, Department of Health Services spokeswoman Lea Brooks' name was misspelled. [*][I] Trucks on Monday began moving 14,000 tons of hazardous waste from Boeing's Rocketdyne Santa Susana Field Laboratory near Chatsworth to a dump in Kern County, despite some protests. The work of removing soil that was chemically contaminated by past owners of the onetime Santa Susana sodium disposal facility will go on for three to five months, Rocketdyne spokesman Dan Beck said. "We're delivering the hazardous soil to the appropriate facility and taking it out of this community," Beck said. Ahandful of protesters outside the plant Monday said they were glad the dirt is being removed, but disapprove of where it is being taken. "They're taking it to an unlicensed facility," said Lorraine Scott of Encino. "They need to take it to a facility licensed in toxic waste." Boeing and California Department of Health officials said the waste is not radioactive or toxic, as the protesters claim. "No landfill in California is licensed to take toxic waste," said Leah Brooks, spokeswoman for the Department of Health. "That waste is not radioactive, it is hazardous." Copyright 2001 Los Angeles Times ***************************************************************** 16 Shipping tainted soil to landfill criticized Published Tuesday, January 23, 2001 By Leon Drouin Keith ASSOCIATED PRESS LOS ANGELES--Trucks filled with contaminated soil began rolling to a dump near Bakersfield on Monday, drawing cries of alarm from environmentalists and legislators who say the state is allowing radioactive waste to be sent to an unlicensed facility. "This has the same and probably more drawbacks than we were going to see in Ward Valley," said state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, referring to a now-dead plan to build a radioactive waste facility in the California desert. The shipment of 14,000 tons of soil from a Simi Valley-area nuclear laboratory will effectively make the Buttonwillow landfill "an unlicensed Ward Valley," said Daniel Hirsch, president of the Committee to Bridge the Gap, an environmental group. Matt Kagan, spokesman for U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said she has "serious concerns" about the soil, which is expected to be delivered to Buttonwillow over the next three to four months. Gov. Gray Davis was one of the leading opponents of a Ward Valley nuclear waste dump, but state officials said the comparison is one of apples and oranges. "The waste is not radioactive," said Ed Bailey, chief of the radiologic health branch of the California Department of Health Services. Bailey said the levels of strontium 90 and cesium 137 are "a very slight amount" above naturally occurring background levels, but the levels are so low that the soil is not considered radioactive under federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission guidelines. Those NRC standards involve levels of remaining radioactivity allowed at a site that is considered decontaminated. Such a site is acceptable for all uses if the added radioactivity is less than 25 millirems per year, roughly the equivalent of two chest X-rays. A lifetime of exposure at such a level would add a one-in-1,000 risk of getting a fatal cancer. Hirsch contended that those rules define levels below regulatory concern only for materials that stay on site--not those that wind up being shipped someplace else. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been at odds with the NRC over the rules, contending that they fail to adequately protect human health. The contaminated soil is less than 15 millirems above natural background levels, which typically run from 300 millirems to 400 millirems, Bailey said. The soil comes from a pit at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory where sodium was burned off equipment used in nuclear reactors. Rocketdyne International Corp. ran 10 nuclear reactors at the laboratory about 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles from the 1950s to the 1980s. There were several accidents over the years, including a partial fuel meltdown in 1959. Nuclear research at the lab was halted in 1989. Rocketdyne, which was acquired by Boeing Co. in 1996, still conducts rocket engine and fuel tests at the site. State health officials examined soil from the site in 1998 and determined it did not need to be sent to a facility licensed to handle radioactive waste. Because the soil was contaminated with PCBs, dioxin and mercury, it does need to go to a facility such as Buttonwillow that is licensed to handle hazardous waste. But as the soil was about to be transported over the summer, Boxer and Kuehl voiced concerns that led the state Department of Health Services and Department of Toxic Substances Control to re-examine the issue. The agencies reaffirmed their decision to allow the shipment in an undated letter Kuehl and Boxer received in late December. ContraCostaTimes.com ***************************************************************** 17 Unfinished nuke plant deserves second look Published Jan. 21, 2001 Energy costs soaring to previously inconceivable levels have prompted talk of a previously inconceivable possibility - finishing a partially built nuclear plant in Richland. Energy Northwest officials have opened what should be an intriguing - as well as thorough - discussion of whether it's time to revive a dormant asset that was abandoned in 1994 after what was then called the Washington Public Power Supply System ended its aggressive plan to build five nuclear plants and defaulted on $2.25 billion in bonds. Now known as Energy Northwest, WPPSS was founded by a consortium of Northwest power utilities in 1957 and now operates the one plant at Hanford that was built. The region should be glad to have it. With energy prices soaring to $500 a megawatt-hour, the 1,200-megawatt plant has produced, since July 1, energy worth about $750 million on the open market. That's how much Northwest utilities that buy the plant's power at much lower rates through the Bonneville Power Administration have saved. The West is in this fix because of a growing power demand and a stunning inattention to the development of new power-generating sources. But California's deregulation of its energy market and, as political leaders allege, private generators manipulation of the market, the situation is at crisis levels. Californians are enduring rolling blackouts, BPA has declared a power emergency so it can run more water through its dams at the possible expense of harming endangered salmon and Northwest governors are urging stingy power use. To meet its obligations, BPA has had to use large amounts of its reserves to buy power on the open market, endangering its ability to make its next debt payment to the U.S. Treasury. The fiasco makes one thing clear: The region's startling inattention to developing new power generating sources borders on neglect. Private companies and public agencies are scrambling to push projects off the drawing board and into construction. That's why the potential in Energy Northwest's unfinished plant, which could add 1,300 megawatts, is so intriguing. Energy Northwest officials say the plant, which is about two-thirds complete, would cost only about $3 billion to $4 billion to finish. That compares with the construction costs for a new plant of $5 billion to $9 billion. The agency has had discussions with potential partners in finishing the plant but nothing concrete has developed. Because BPA won't sign long-term power contracts, Energy Northwest can't get financing to take on the project alone. But the idea is gaining freight. Jim Watts, a policy analyst with the Paper Allied-Industrial, Chemical & Energy Workers International Union - or "PACE" - says labor's interest is piqued. Between 10,000 and 20,000 PACE members have been laid off because of short- term power curtailments, said Watts, who is also the union's retired president. At its February meeting, the Washington State Labor Council will consider a Watts-drafted position paper urging an investigation into whether the unfinished Energy Northwest plant should be finished. Since the WPPSS bond default, new Northwest nuclear power plants have not been seriously considered - even though nuclear power plants represent about one-fifth of the nation's electricity generation. Any discussion of finishing the plant also will have to include what to do with the waste that's generated - a politically sensitive issue in the nuclear-skittish Northwest. With the nation's long-term spent nuclear fuel storage solution in limbo, nuclear plant operators are having to store spent fuel on site and find longer-term solutions. Energy Northwest has proved it can handle that challenge well and operate a safe and efficient nuclear plant that has become a boon to the region. Given the current energy crisis and the threat it poses to the relatively low-cost power the Northwest has enjoyed, it's time to consider whether this partially completed nuclear reactor should be finished. ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR WEAPONS ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 Scarboro meeting to address lawsuits Oak Ridger Online --> Story last updated at 1:16 p.m. on Tuesday, January 23, 2001 The Scarboro Environmental Justice Council tonight will discuss two class-action lawsuits filed against a dozen contractors that operated the government's nuclear weapons and research complex in Oak Ridge. The lawsuits reportedly will rely heavily on the results of an eight- year, $14 million health study released last January suggesting that some Oak Ridge residents may have suffered thyroid cancer or brain damage because of toxic releases, particularly from the 1940s to early 1960s. Jackie Kittrell, a lawyer and president of Oak Ridge Communities Allied, will be at the meeting to address the lawsuits and answer questions. The Scarboro Environmental Justice Council meeting, which is open to the public, is scheduled for 6 p.m. in the Scarboro Community Center. [*][I] All Contents cCopyright The Oak Ridger ***************************************************************** 2 EPA to check site of WWII plant in Memphis Oak Ridger Online --> Story last updated at 1:35 p.m. on Tuesday, January 23, 2001 MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)--The Environmental Protection Agency will soon begin field studies to check for contamination at the World War II Cordova munitions plant. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and the EPA believe the 260-acre site still could present a threat. The federal preliminary assessment follows a state report completed more than a year ago that recommended further studies. Limited testing at the site has not turned up any evidence of pollution. But state officials concluded that production and disposal activities at the facility could have resulted in low-level contamination of soil, groundwater and surface water. "I'd approach it with caution," said Jordan English, Superfund division manager with the Department of Environment and Conservation's Memphis office. In particular, state and federal officials are concerned about the possible presence of chemicals common to World War II ordnance production. They include white phosphorous, TNT, ammonium nitrate and mercury compounds. The state report said there apparently was no containment of areas where waste was burned and blast caps were discarded. Chemicals could have penetrated a shallow aquifer and seeped into ditches and creeks, the report said. The National Fireworks plant began production in 1942, making 20mm and 40mm anti-aircraft shells, incendiary bombs and smoke pots for the Army and Navy. The plant closed in 1946. Today the site is Cordova Industrial Park. [*][I] All Contents.cCopyright The Oak Ridger ***************************************************************** 3 European firms dump uranium, agency says - By Bill Bartleman The Paducah Sun Tuesday, January 23, 2001 USEC may benefit if further investigation proves that the countries subsidize production of enriched uranium. USEC Inc. won a major battle Monday in its allegations that European companies are selling enriched uranium in the United States at prices less than the actual production cost. The U.S. International Trade Commission determined "there is a reasonable indication" that USEC is materially injured because the imports from France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom are subsidized by their governments. The preliminary findings indicate that the enriched uranium from those countries is being sold to U.S. power companies at less than fair value and at prices less than it can be produced by USEC, which is not subsidized. USEC Inc. is the nation's only producer and domestic supplier of enriched uranium that is used as fuel in nuclear power generating plants. It enriches uranium at plants in Paducah and Portsmouth, Ohio. The Portsmouth plant is scheduled to stop production this summer. The 4-0 approval by ITC clears the way for the U.S. Department of Commerce to continue its investigation to determine if allegations of illegal dumping of low-priced enriched uranium are true. If the allegations are true, Commerce officials will also issue a preliminary determination as to what punitive trade duty, or import tax, should be placed on the imports to compensate for the government subsidies. Commerce will issue its determination in two preliminary reports, one scheduled for March 2 and the other for May 16, according to Peg O'Laughlin, ITC spokeswoman in Washington. If Commerce agrees USEC is harmed by the imports, it will require the foreign companies to post bonds to cover potential trade duties while the investigation moves into its final phases, which could take an additional six to nine months. The ruling is good news for USEC Inc., which has been facing serious financial problems because of foreign competition and a glut of enriched uranium on the world market that has driven prices down. "Today's decision is an important step in validating USEC's claims that foreign competitors are dumping enriched uranium into the U.S. market and causing significant damage to the domestic enrichment industry," said William H. "Nick" Timbers, USEC's president and chief executive officer. "These unfair practices must be stopped for the good of the U.S. national and energy security, and the nuclear fuel cycle," he said. USEC filed its complaints with the federal agencies in December, alleging that Eurodif SA, which is controlled by the French government, and Urenco Ltd., a British-Dutch-German consortium, were illegally pricing enriched uranium below production costs and, in the case of Eurodif, below prices charged in its home market. Federal lawmakers from Kentucky last month sent a letter asking the Department of Commerce to investigate USEC's allegations. U.S. Sens. Mitch McConnell and Jim Bunning and U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield signed the letter. Spokesmen for the three said they either weren't aware of the ruling or were studying the ruling before reacting. In a joint filing with the commission, Urenco and Eurodif said USEC ‘‘apparently still lusts for the days when it had a monopoly.’’ The companies blamed USEC’s declining profits on its own low prices, its money-losing contract to sell uranium retrieved from former Soviet weapons, and its electricity-intensive, World War II-era technology. USEC dominates the world market, with 36 percent of current business, but the company said it bid on — and lost — millions of dollars worth of future business to Eurodif and Urenco. Since going public in 1998, USEC’s profits and stock prices have dropped. Later this year, it intends to stop production at its plant near Portsmouth to reduce costs. USEC shares closed at $6 on Monday, not far from its 52-week high of $6.875 but well off the $14.25 a share it fetched at privatization. The Associated Press contributed to this report. ***************************************************************** 4 BALKANS SYNDROME FALLOUT By PETER FEARON NYPOST.COM World News: Tuesday,January 23,2001 [I] FIRESTORM: Members of the French military are among the international forces afflicted by mystery illnesses that some believe are caused by U.S. depleted-uranium weapons. -AFP THE first crisis facing incoming Secretary of State Colin Powell and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld may be triggered by the mounting concern over our use of nuclear-tipped weapons. British, Italian, Belgian, French, Dutch, Czech, Spanish and Portuguese soldiers who served with NATO in Kosovo and Bosnia have been afflicted with "Balkans Syndrome" - a range of cancers, leukemia and mystery ailments said to be caused by the weapons. Twenty soldiers have died, and dozens more are gravely ill. "I have been reduced to nothing by this," says Kevin Rudland, 41, a former British soldier serving in Bosnia who has a mystery wasting disease that has turned him from a fit, active veteran to a near invalid. "I don't know what my future holds." A link between the mysterious illnesses and the American military's use of weapons containing depleted uranium has not been proved, but the issue has caused divisions within the NATO alliance. Italy, Germany and Norway have called for a ban on the weapons, and Australia and Canada have expressed concern about a possible danger to their troops. Several other NATO countries have begun screening their soldiers for Balkans Syndrome. No U.S. casualties have been reported with Balkans Syndrome, but tens of thousands of Gulf War vets have fallen victim to a similar range of diseases and symptoms known as Gulf War Syndrome. Joyce Riley, a nurse, Gulf War veteran and former Air Force captain who founded the American Gulf War Veterans Association says it's only a matter of time before American victims of Balkans Syndrome emerge. "About six months ago, I started getting phone calls from vets returning from the Balkans saying they had he same symptoms as the Gulf War vets - chronic fatigue, migraine headaches, depression," she said. She added that she has no doubt NATO soldiers in the Balkans had been poisoned by depleted-uranium weapons just as U.S. soldiers were poisoned in the Gulf. "The only science is being done by the Pentagon," she told The Post. "The Pentagon continues to insist that the Gulf War veterans aren't even sick, that they are only suffering from stress. But these are people who eat stress for breakfast." THE Pentagon regards the depleted-uranium weapons as an essential part of the U.S. arsenal and is determined to keep them from becoming the focus of global protests. The weapons are among the factors that make America's conventional forces superior to all others. "We have studied depleted uranium at considerable length over the years because of assertions that it might contribute to Gulf War illness," said Pentagon spokesman Kenneth Bacon. "But we have not been able to find any connection between exposure to depleted uranium on the one hand and the constellation of illnesses or symptoms on the other hand." A State Department source said the controversy over depleted uranium is powerful anti-American propaganda for Iraq and other enemies and potential enemies of the United States. "It's no accident that Iraq and Yugoslavia are among the countries calling for a ban on these weapons," the source said. In 1999, U.S. A-10 Warthog aircraft fired about 31,000 uranium-tipped rounds in about 100 missions in 20 separate locations in Kosovo. A further 11,000 shells were fired in Bosnia in 1995, and almost a million were fired in Iraq and Kuwait during the Gulf War in 1991. Depleted uranium is a form of low-level nuclear waste, a by-product of the manufacture of weapons-grade uranium. It is very dense and extremely heavy, and turns into a searing fireball on impact, making it a highly effective weapon against tanks and armored vehicles. The uranium-tipped shells cut through tank armor the way regular bullets go through cardboard. As both Iraqi and Serbian armored brigades have learned, it is almost impossible to survive an attack. Depleted uranium is also used as armor plate in U.S. tanks and is a highly effective defense against conventional bullets and shells. It is less radioactive than uranium in its natural state. But when it burns it becomes a very fine dust the consistency of flour. Doctors believe that if this dust is ingested or inhaled it can stay in the body and cause serious health problems. SCIENTISTS are divided about the health risks of depleted uranium. Although the level of radioactivity is low, once lodged in the body the effect becomes cumulative. "We are aware of the European concerns, and we are working closely with our allies," Bacon said. "But, having said that, we do not believe that our troops, who have been using depleted uranium rounds, we do not believe that it has led to adverse health consequences." The Pentagon has also denied an association between Gulf War Syndrome and the use of depleted uranium against Iraq. Like the Pentagon and NATO, the United Nations is eager to quash suspicion about depleted-uranium weapons. A U.N. investigation is under way, and a report is expected in the spring. Several NATO countries have sent their own team of experts to Kosovo battle zones to study levels of depleted uranium at the sites where groups of Serbian tanks were destroyed. Bernard Kouchner, Kosovo's chief U.N. administrator, has played down the risks of depleted uranium at existing sites where children sometimes play among the wreckage of burned-out tanks and armored vehicles. "Risk exists, but in my humble experience as a French health minister for 10 years, I think there is no serious risk." At the same time, Italian biological- and chemical-warfare specialists examining the sites wear protective clothing and breathing apparatus, indicating that they at least felt precautions were necessary. NYPOST.COM, NYPOSTONLINE.COM, and NEWYORKPOST.COM are trademarks ***************************************************************** 5 Uranium weapons fallout part of our making - smh.com.au - Features & Arts AUSTRALIA IS FAR FROM AN INNOCENT BYSTANDER TO THE DAMAGE BEING DONE BY WEAPONS THAT USE DEPLETED URANIUM, WRITES HELEN CALDICOTT. The evil legacy of the depleted uranium, or DU, weapons used by the allied forces in Iraq, Kuwait, Bosnia and Kosovo is causing a furore in Europe. Seven Italian soldiers who served in the Balkans have died of leukemia, while 30 are seriously ill, 12 with cancer. France, Portugal, Holland, Belgium and Spain also have soldiers who are developing malignancies. The British Government, facing an anguished and angry outcry from its military veterans, has finally and reluctantly agreed to study the issue. The Pentagon, however, steadfastly maintains that DU poses no threat to health. Why should Australians care? Because these DU munitions almost certainly contained uranium mined in Australia. DU is actually uranium 238. It is what is left after the fissionable element uranium 235 is extracted from the ore used as fuel for weapons and nuclear reactors. About 700,000 tonnes of this seemingly useless but hazardous radioactive material had accumulated over the past half century throughout the United States until the American military discovered that it was not so useless after all. Almost twice as dense as lead, it sliced through the armour of tanks like a hot knife through butter. Eureka: it was there and what's more it was free, so DU bullets and shells would be cheap to make as well. But uranium 238 has other properties. It is pyrophoric, bursting into flames when it hits a tank at great speed. The fire oxidises the uranium, converting it to tiny aerosolised particles that can be inhaled into the small air passages of the lung where the material often remains for many years. As far back as 1943, scientists in the Manhattan Project were postulating that uranium could be used on the battlefield as an air and terrain contaminant. Inhaling it would cause "bronchial irritation" and the acute radiation effects could induce ulcers and perforations of the gut followed by death. Because it is radioactive, uranium 238 can damage cells in the lung, bone, kidney, and lymph glands, causing cancer in those organs as well as cancer of the white blood cells, leukemia. It is also a heavy metal and causes a kidney disease called nephritis. It is not surprising that Gulf War veterans are excreting uranium 238 in their urine and semen. Children in Iraq - where over a million pounds of DU in spent shells and aerosolised powder was left by the allies - are reported to have a higher than normal incidence of malignancies and congenital malformations. Similar reports are emerging from Bosnian and Kosovo hospitals, while studies of children of American veterans seem to show a higher than normal incidence of congenital disease. Because uranium 238 has a half-life of 4.5 billion years, and plutonium, which is by orders of magnitude more carcinogenic than uranium, has a shorter half life of only 240,400 years, Iraq, Kuwait, Bosnia and Kosovo are now contaminated with carcinogenic radioactive elements forever. And because the latent period of carcinogenes - that is, the incubation time for cancer - is two to 10 years for leukemia and 15 to 60 years for solid cancer, it is almost certain that the reported malignancies in the NATO troops and peacekeepers who served in the Balkans, and in the American soldiers and their allies who served in the Gulf, as well as civilians who live in these countries, are just the tip of the iceberg. So what is the Australian connection? The Department of Energy in the US has just admitted that contaminated uranium reprocessed from military reactors had been mixed in with the "pure" DU. This contaminated uranium also contains traces of plutonium and uranium 236, and probably neptunium and americium - elements which are actually thousands of times more carcinogenic than the uranium 238. These DU munitions almost certainly contain Australian uranium because the thousands of tonnes of ore we ship routinely to the US is enriched at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion plant in Paducah, Kentucky, the same plant where the DU for weapons is sourced. Thus the evil legacy of DU is partly Australia's. When will we act to stop it? DR HELEN CALDICOTT IS A PEDIATRICIAN AND FOUNDER OF OUR COMMON FUTURE PARTY. ***************************************************************** 6 Nuke Sub Still in Gibraltar Despite Tireless Protest Environment News Service: MADRID, SPAIN, January 22, 2001 (ENS) - The biggest protest yet against a stricken nuclear submarine berthed in Gibraltar has not swayed the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence or Spanish authorities. More than 70,000 protesters took to the streets of Algeciras, Saturday. More than 70,000 people marched in the southern Spanish city of Algeciras on Saturday in protest at HMS Tireless, which has been docked in the deep water port at the base of the Rock of Gibraltar since last May. The vessel has a fault in its reactor cooler system, which has since been shut down. Some in Gibraltar are worried that repairs to the nuclear sub might release radiation that would contaminate the famous rock that forms the northern half of the gateway from the Atlantic Ocean into the Mediterranean Sea. Once a strategic military base during the Cold War, Gibraltar, a self governing UK dependency situated at the southern tip of Spain, is a convenient stop for UK submarines. Saturday's march, which some estimates put at over 100,000 people, is the clearest signal yet that HMS Tireless has outstayed its welcome. The head of Andalucia's regional government led the march, which was supported by all parties and unions except Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's Popular Party. Spanish prime minister Joes Maria Aznar. (Photo courtesy Government of Spain) According to a report published Sunday in Spain's El Pais newspaper, the Ministry of Defence has told Spain's government that it will remove HMS Tireless from Gibraltar by May 19 if repairs are not complete. On the same day, Ministry of Defence spokesperson Sarah Haywood denied the El Pais report, and told international press that the UK expects repairs to be completed by the end of March and that the vessel will leave "soon thereafter." Spanish Foreign Minister, Josep Pique, who meets his UK counterpart Robin Cook in London this week, stated that the Spanish Government expects repairs to be completed in Gibraltar. Towing Tireless back to the UK would mean negotiating 1,600 kilometers (994 miles) of often stormy seas. Much of the journey includes the Portuguese coastline. Portugal has publicly stated it does not approve of such a plan, which means that Tireless would have difficulty finding a berth in the event of problems during the voyage. Greenpeace activists boarded HMS Tireless last week. (Photo courtesy Greenpeace-Spain) In an interview with the UK's Times newspaper last month, Spanish Prime Minister, José María Aznar appeared to support the damaged vessel's removal from Gibraltar. "The most reasonable, logical and desirable thing would be for it to be taken to the United Kingdom," said Aznar at the time. Local environmental activist Juan Uceda told online news agency Iberia News today that Greenpeace style action against HMS Tireless would be stepped up. Last week, a group of Greenpeace activists boarded the sub in a protest against its presence. ***************************************************************** 7 American bombs were "cocktail of nuclear waste" Serbia Info News / WWW.SERBIA-INFO.COM/NEWS January 22, 2001 London, January 21 (Tanjug) - American Army and government in Washington confirmed that bombs thrown on Kosovo and Metohija were, in fact, "cocktail of nuclear waste", it has been warned today in London on the basis of just published book "Depleted uranium: invisible war". In book of three American authors it is proved that bombs did not have only depleted uranium but also waste from the processing of nuclear material which contains dangerous poisons, among which is also plutonium. The proofs, as the "Sunday Times" found out in the book, were found out in factories of that weapon in Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee. Although that weapon, it is reminded, had been used in Kosovo and Metohija, no one of soldiers from international forces were warned about "nuclear waste" nor were technically capable to protect themselves. It is interesting that it had been hidden from workers in factories where those bombs are manufactured, so they were also poisoned. The book of Martin Mesonier, Frederick Lori and Roger Trilling is, London newspaper reminds, one more "attack" on official policy of London and Washington, which persistently claim that bombs "do not represent health risk". Copyright c 1998, 1999, 2000 Ministry of Information ***************************************************************** 8 Kostunica: The USA are the most responsible for the aggression Serbia Info News / WWW.SERBIA-INFO.COM/NEWS KOSTUNICA: THE USA ARE THE MOST RESPONSIBLE FOR THE AGGRESSION January 22, 2001 THE USA ARE THE MOST RESPONSIBLE Rome, January 22 (Tanjug) - Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica accused, in the interview which is published today by Torino newspaper "Stampa", that the United States of America are the most responsible for bombing Yugoslavia, which he called crime announcing that he will inform chief prosecutor of the Hague Tribunal Carla Del Ponte on his position when she comes to Belgrade tomorrow. "We know exactly who is the author of the idea of aggression and who committed the largest number of attacks. It is the United States of America and there is no doubt that they are the most responsible", Kostunica said. Yugoslav President assessed that bombing violated not only Geneva conventions but also international law and basic moral norms. "Passenger trains, convoys of refugees, hospitals, refineries were bombed. All of that cannot be described except as a crime", Kostunica emphasized. As a confirmation of that position, he specially pointed out to bombing with depleted uranium projectiles, which caused large ecological damage in the entire region. "Shame and all lies about depleted uranium clearly swam to the surface and it is the first serious reason to meet with Mrs. Del Ponte. I will ask her what she, as a prosecutor of the Hague Tribunal, plans to do on the occasion of that crime, Yugoslav President said. Evaluating that "scale of responsibility exists" and that, it is "naturally in accordance with military and political influence in North Atlantic Pact", Kostunica underlined that "there are no doubt that the United States of America are the most responsible". Copyright c 1998, 1999, 2000 Ministry of Information ***************************************************************** 9 Europe disturbed over contamination Monday, January 22, 2001 SOME NATIONS BELIEVE THEY WERE NOT ADEQUATELY TOLD ABOUT DANGERS INVOLVING DEPLETED URANIUM SHELLS. BY DOUGLAS HAMILTON REUTERS BRUSSELS, Belgium - Europe's relationship with the Bush administration could begin with an angry row today over charges that the United States failed to warn allies of plutonium contamination in munitions. European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels to discuss a wave of public concern about the alleged health risks of depleted uranium shells can expect to hear complaints by Germany that Washington had kept its European allies in the dark. Portugal and Spain were also unprepared when the United States confirmed media reports and a Swiss laboratory finding that the "low risk" depleted uranium held minute traces of highly toxic plutonium and highly radioactive uranium 236. If other EU states that belong to NATO feel they were inadequately informed to deal with the public furor over the depleted uranium shells, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's dealings with the allies may have a frosty start. "It should be the duty of a friendly nation to inform their partner," German Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping told journalists on a weekend visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo to investigate use of the shells there. NATO felt it was getting public concern over the shells under control until the presence of plutonium was disclosed. Top medical officers from all 19 member nations' armies met in Brussels last week to compare data and announced a day later that there was no " Balkans syndrome" and no unseen health risk from the munitions. The Pentagon had twice sent U.S. Army medical experts to NATO headquarters to help reassure the European media. But while the experts said depleted uranium was even less radioactive than natural uranium, they never mentioned plutonium. On Thursday, Kenneth Bacon, Defense Department spokesman, said plutonium was detected in depleted uranium a year ago and a nuclear plant was shut for 90 days. "As you know, we discovered some stray elements . . . in depleted uranium," Bacon said. "They consisted of plutonium, neptunium and americium. Now these are very, very small amounts, and as soon as they were discovered as indicating possibly a flaw in the production process, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission suspended the operation at this plant, which is in Paducah, Kentucky." Despite a lack of evidence that depleted uranium has caused cancer among NATO peacekeepers serving in the Balkans, public concern had already prompted calls by some allies and by the European Parliament for a moratorium on use of the depleted uranium shells. Depleted uranium shells are prized for penetrating armored tanks. About 40,000 rounds were fired in Bosnia and Kosovo, all by U.S. ground attack aircraft. The United States, Britain and France have dismissed demands that they give up a military advantage on account of unfounded fears, and the Bush administration is not expected to waver. Scientists say that inhaling one-millionth of an ounce of plutonium can cause a fatal cancer. That scares many people and frightens governments, as reaction to the latest developments indicates. Scharping took scientists with him to the Balkans to make on-the-spot tests for plutonium. Spain ordered its medical experts to investigate. Switzerland said it would call for a total ban on depleted uranium shells at the United Nations this year. A World Health Organization team was set to scour blast sites in Kosovo for traces of plutonium, and NATO member Portugal said the alliance must quickly back up assertions that the plutonium levels posed no health threat. ***************************************************************** 10 The reaction to DU: an update - Jane's Defence News 23 January 2001 DARREN LAKE JDW Staff Reporter EU: On 17 January the European Parliament called for a moratorium on the use of depleted uranium (DU) munitions by EU and NATO members. NATO: Chairman of the NATO Chiefs of Military Medical Services Committee Maj Gen Roger van Hoof said on 16 January that his committee " cannot find any increase in blood cancers or deaths in soldiers . deployed to the Balkans". NATO says that there is no need for a moratorium on the use of DU as its members are not involved in any conflicts at present. A NATO working group has been established to act as an information clearing-house to include non-NATO contributors to Kosovo Force and Stabilisation Force operations. UN: Chief Prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia Carle Del Ponte says that she would be willing to consider charges on the use of DU, but that there would need to be "concrete scientific evidence" that there had been a violation of an "article or convention" . The UN Environmental Programme says that the DU rounds fired in Kosovo also contained traces of more radioactive enriched uranium. AUSTRALIA: The government said on 11 January that it would screen all armed forces personnel who had served in the Balkans. BELGIUM: The government will screen its veterans, but a group of military veterans said that they were planning a civil action against the MoD. Lawyers acting for a group of Belgian veterans said on 18 January that they had filed the first of three suits against the government seeking compensation. FRANCE: The government said that five of its Balkan veterans are being treated for leukaemia. It is also screening its veterans. France says that tests on cancer victims show no traces of DU. GERMANY: After initial denials of any possible risk the German MoD also last week gave into popular pressure for a screening programme. On 9 January it joined Italian calls for a moratorium on DU use while there is further investigation into the risks. However, Defence Minister Rudolf Scharping continued to emphasise that there was no established risk. GREECE: Screening its veterans, but has rejected strong domestic calls to withdraw its troops from the region. The armed forces confirmed that one Balkans veteran has died from leukaemia. It also said on 8 January that it would withdraw DU ammunition from its inventory IRELAND: Will be screening peacekeepers who have served in the Balkans. There are currently 100 Irish soldiers in Kosovo and 50 in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Around 700 have been on duty in the Balkans. ITALY: Instigated the current querying of DU munitions when it was discovered that seven of its soldiers that had served in the Balkans had developed leukaemia. This resulted in calls from within NATO for an investigation into DU risks and on 9-10 January Italy called for a moratorium on the use of DU while an investigation takes place. On 18 January Italian Defence Minister Sergio Mattarella told parliament that the number of cases of ill soldiers being investigated was 31, including eight who had died. NORWAY: On 5 January, the Norwegian armed forces said that it would send all personnel that had served in the Balkans a letter asking them to report any illnesses that could be related to DU exposure. On 8 January, the Norwegian government said that it would screen at least 20,000 soldiers. About 400 soldiers from the Telemark Battalion have refused to sign contracts to start service in the region in June until they receive clarification of the risk from DU. PORTUGAL: The country was among the first NATO members to begin screening its 10,000 military and civilian Balkan veterans after initial fears late last year. It has sent a scientific team to Kosovo to investigate. One Portuguese soldier has been diagnosed with cancer since returning from a tour in Kosovo. RUSSIA: Russian peacekeepers have been screened for health problems, but the government said that no problems associated with DU had been found. SPAIN: According to local press reports seven Spanish soldiers and one civilian have been diagnosed with cancer since returning from tours in the Balkans; two of them have since died. The Spanish authorities were also quick to act on fears at the beginning of the year and offer screening to Balkans veterans. On 16 January Defence Minister Frederico Trillo told parliament that DU was not to blame for cases of cancer in the military. 32, 000 Spanish soldiers have served in the region. SWEDEN: Government officials said on 8 January that all soldiers who had served in the Balkans would be informed of the possible health risks and asked to fill in a questionnaire about their health. About 10,000 Swedish peacekeepers have served in the Balkans since 1993. SWITZERLAND: The Swiss MoD said on 7 January that all 900 of its Balkan veterans would be screened after the local press reported that one veteran had died in 1998 from leukaemia. Swiss experts helping the UN Environment Programme investigation said that they have also found traces of highly radioactive plutonium in the debris of DU munitions fired in Kosovo. TURKEY: Screening its Balkan veterans, but the Turkish Armed Forces said that initial tests had showed no evidence of exposure to DU. UK: The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has maintained that there is no evidence to link DU exposure to the health problems being reported by some 1990-91 Gulf War and Balkan veterans. However, stories in the UK press on 11 January reported the existence of a leaked MoD document written four years ago that warned of increased risk of radiation exposure for soldiers working in vehicles that had been hit by DU rounds. The MoD played down the report, saying that it was a draft written by a "trainee" and contained scientific inaccuracies. On 15 January Secretary of State for Defence Geoffrey Hoon told parliament that the MoD had always acknowledged the low-level risk of DU, including the "risk to soldiers who go into the burned out shell of a tank immediately after it has been hit by a depleted uranium shell". On 8 January there were 2,265 UK service personnel in Bosnia and 3,351 in Kosovo. The government cited a Manchester University study that observed that only 64 of 53,000 armed forces personnel who served in the 1990-91 Gulf War have died from all causes, while 68 in a control group have died. UKRAINE: On 5 January the Ukrainian government said that it would screen its Balkans veterans. On 8 January President Leonid Kuchma called for a moratorium on the use of DU ammunition. USA: After studies conducted in 1999 and 2000 the US Department of Defense (DoD) maintains it has found no link between DU and health risks to military personnel. The DoD acknowledged that the Department of Energy had found that the US stockpile of DU munitions did contain trace amounts of transuranic elements, including plutonium, but that this only raised the "already negligible" radiation levels by less than 1%. BULGARIA, the CZECH REPUBLIC, HUNGARY and POLAND: Also screening peacekeepers who have served in Bosnia and Kosovo. ©2001 Jane's Information Group. All rights reserved ***************************************************************** 11 Hoon accused of being glib over uranium shells ISSUE 2069 Tuesday 23 JANUARY 2001 HOON ACCUSED OF BEING GLIB OVER URANIUM SHELLS BY MICHAEL SMITH, DEFENCE CORRESPONDENT, AND RICHARD ALLEYNE GEOFF HOON, the Defence Secretary, was accused of being glib by a uranium as "anti-science" paranoia. Mr Hoon said in an interview with The Telegraph that the debate over depleted uranium had gone to "the lowest common denominator of fear". There was "no evidence" of any link between the use of the DU ammunition and the illnesses suffered by Gulf War veterans. But Eric Wright, Professor of experimental haematology at Dundee University, said Mr Hoon and the Ministry of Defence were being "glib". There was no evidence because there had been no clinical research into possible connections. MoD scientists had been right to say there was no danger from the rounds before they were fired, he said. But the explosion when they hit their target created a dust containing particles of insoluble uranium dioxide - and that was a potential problem. Professor Wright said: "What happens is that when they [the particles] enter the body, they get gobbled up by scavenger cells and get lodged in the lymph nodes, and the situation you then have is that the uranium is emitting alpha particles." He added that a single alpha particle was not just capable of doing "enormous damage" to one cell, but to adjacent cells as well. Shaun Rusling, chairman of the Gulf War Veterans and Families Association, said Mr Hoon was not only "arrogant" in his dismissals, he was "gullible" for accepting what he was told by MoD civil servants. He added: "We have seen a series of ministers going into Parliament and saying things that have turned out not to be true." Mr Hoon said he would publish details of all advice to ministers on the issue since it was first raised. ˙be appointed Chief of Defence Staff. Iain Duncan Smith, shadow ˙defence secretary, said: "Labour wants to import a civilian-based ˙rights culture into the Armed Forces which will render them less ˙and less effective and could lead, eventually, to unnecessary ˙loss of lives in action." poisoning of Balkan veterans ***************************************************************** 12 Explosions Sank Russian Sub, LANL Scientists Say ABQjournal: ˙˙˙ January 22, 2001 BY JOHN FLECK Journal Staff Writer A pair of explosions, rather than a collision, sank the Russian nuclear submarine Kursk last August, according to research by a team of New Mexico and Arizona scientists. The scientists used seismic data to analyze the earthquake-like waves that shuddered through the Earth as the Kursk went down. The wave patterns left the fingerprint of two blasts, one of them massive, said Los Alamos National Laboratory seismologist Steven Taylor. The tragedy of the Kursk is recorded in squiggly ; a small first explosion, then, 135 seconds later, a devastating blast. The strength of the blasts is consistent with a misfiring torpedo disabling the sub, followed by a second massive blast when fire from the first explosion reached larger missiles being carried by the Kursk, according to research by Taylor and his colleagues being published today. The submarine sank Aug. 12 in the Barents Sea off the coast of Russia under mysterious circumstances. The Russian navy launched a frantic rescue effort, but all 118 crew members died. Copyright Albuquerque Journal ***************************************************************** 13 US experts: Double blast 'sank Kursk' BBC News | EUROPE | Wednesday, 30 August, 2000, 11:43 GMT 12:43 UK US EXPERTS: DOUBLE BLAST 'SANK KURSK' [I] The US had already monitored the Kursk last year BY DEFENCE CORRESPONDENT JONATHAN MARCUS US naval experts say the most likely cause of the Kursk disaster was an on-board explosion of a weapon which prompted an even larger blast that sank the nuclear submarine. The Pentagon has been trying to analyse what happened to the Russian vessel using data obtained from an intelligence gathering ship and two US nuclear submarines that were monitoring the Russian exercise. The US still insists that there was no collision and that it was the on-board explosion that sent the Kursk to the bottom. [I] Relatives of the dead want answers from the government US experts cannot be certain about the exact sequence of events that precipitated the Kursk tragedy, but they can make a pretty fair guess based on their own data, which appears to be backed up by that from a Norwegian intelligence gathering ship and seismic monitors that recorded the Kursk's sinking. Every submarine - indeed every surface vessel -has its own distictive sonar signature. The US Navy knows the Kursk quite well, having monitored it last summer in the Mediterranean when it was shadowing a US carrier battle- group. Pentagon experts believe that there is nothing to suggest that poor handling of the submarine contributed to its loss. The sonar and seismic data back up earlier western theories, indicating two on-board explosions; one of moderate size, followed about two minutes later by a devastating blast that sent the submarine to the bottom. VOLATILE FUEL The best US theory is that the first explosion involved fuel from a torpedo or a long-range anti-shipping missile carried by the Kursk. [I] The Pentagon says poor handling was not to blame This then created a fire which set off other warheads, provoking an explosion which ripped open the boat's twin-pressurised hulls. Nobody knows exactly what weapons the Kursk was carrying or whether the initial accident came when handling the weapons or during the preparations for a test-firing. Some Russian reports speak of the Kursk carrying a new type of torpedo - unpopular among submariners - because of its highly volatile fuel. Many existing Russian torpedoes are believed to be powered by hydrogen peroxide which can also be highly volatile especially in confined spaces. These are of course just theories - only the Russians themselves may be able to say exactly what happened - and that may require an extensive underwater survey of the wreck, and perhaps even its eventual salvage. ***************************************************************** 14 What caused the accident? BBC News | EUROPE | Wednesday, 30 August, 2000, 11:51 GMT 12:51 UK [I] No-one has yet established the truth about what caused the Kursk K-141 nuclear submarine to lose contact with the outside world and sink to the bottom of the Barents Sea with all hands on board. The extent of the damage discovered by rescuers has led experts to conclude that the submarine was hit by a large explosion or that it collided with the sea bed or another large vessel. Some theories suggest a collision triggered an explosion. Two explosions were heard at the time of the accident, by US and Norwegian authorities monitoring Russian exercises. The second explosion was reported to be equivalent to two tonnes of TNT and bigger than the first. The theories about the cause of these explosions abound, and so far none have been substantiated: ˙A torpedo in the Kursk's forward compartment - which was carrying ˙up to 30 warheads - exploded. "There may have been an explosion in one of the weapons systems aboard, for example a torpedo, which then triggered a bigger explosion two minutes later," said Norwegian armed forces spokesman Brigadier Kjell Grandhagen. Russia's official military newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda has reported that the Kursk's battery and propeller torpedo-launching technology had been replaced with a cheaper and potentially dangerous liquid fuel system, against the wishes of Navy officials. The liquid fuel is highly combustible. US naval experts also believe volatile fuel could be to blame. Using data obtained from an intelligence gathering ship and two US nuclear submarines that were monitoring the Kursk during exercises, they say the first explosion involved fuel from a torpedo or a long-range anti-shipping missile carried by the sub. They say this then created a fire which set off other warheads, provoking an explosion which ripped open the Kursk's twin-pressurised hulls. ˙The submarine collided with the seabed during a manoeuvre, causing ˙tanks of pressurised air inside the submarine to explode or otherwise ˙triggering a larger explosion. A retired commander of the Black ˙Sea Fleet, Admiral Eduard Baltin, has suggested that the accident ˙was a result of incompetence, bad planning and bad training. "The Kursk is designed for the ocean, not for shallow waters. Where it was manoeuvring and where it perished is completely wild - strong currents and strong winds. You can't carry out torpedo firing there, " he said. ˙The submarine collided with a US or British submarine, which triggered ˙a second explosion. Russia's navy chief Mikhail Motsak said three ˙non-Russian submarines were in the Barents Sea at the time of ˙the accident. "We think that it could have been a British submarine", ˙he said. The Russian daily Sevodnya said it had evidence that ˙the Kursk crashed into a US submersible, which then limped into ˙a Norwegian port. The Pentagon has admitted that two US submarines were in the same zone, but denied they were involved in a collision. "We have found absolutely no indication that there has been a collision in the area," Norwegian armed forces spokesman Brigadier Kjell Grandhagen has told the BBC. ˙The submarine hit a surface vessel, possibly a Russian ship ˙It hit a mine left over from World War II. CASUALTIES It is thought that whatever happened to the Kursk it happened quickly - so quickly that it could not even send out a distress call, or release an emergency beacon. [I] President Vladimir Putin took a trip on a submarine, the Karelia, earlier this year Doubts have arisen regarding the news disseminated by the Russian navy that seamen inside the vessel had been communicating with rescuers by tapping on the submarine wall. Russian defence analyst Pavel Felgenhauer says the sounds detected were never more than a faint knocking sound coming from somewhere inside the vessel. And a US intelligence analysis, details of which were apparently leaked to the US media, is said to indicate that no communication of any kind was heard from inside the submarine at any time after the disaster struck. ***************************************************************** 15 'Blast sank Kursk, not collision' BBC News | SCI/TECH | Monday, 22 January, 2001, 19:49 GMT [I] Russia's tragedy: Foreign involvement looks very unlikely BY ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT ALEX KIRBY US scientists say they have evidence which suggests the Russian submarine Kursk was sunk by two explosions, not by a collision. It's very hard to imagine a scenario that supposes a collision or some other mechanical failure[I] Prof Terry Wallace, University of Arizona They say forensic seismology explains the last moments of the Kursk, which sank in the Barents Sea with the loss of all on board. Some senior Russian Navy officers have insisted that the Kursk sank after colliding with a foreign submarine. But the scientists believe a torpedo accident probably caused the disaster. They are Dr Keith Koper and Professor Terry Wallace of the University of Arizona, and Dr Steven Taylor and Dr Hans Gartse of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. UNIQUE FEATURES Writing in Eos, the weekly newspaper of the American Geophysical Union, they say the explosions which sank the Kursk on 12 August last year triggered shock waves which were recorded by seismic stations in the Baltic and beyond. [I] One of the Kursk's sister vessels Analysing the seismograms, they say, inclines them to rule out the collision theory. Underwater explosions are highly efficient producers of seismic signals. The Kursk seismic data, the authors say, possess features unique to such explosions. Seismic stations recorded two explosions at the time the Kursk sank. The first was clearly recorded at only a few nearby stations. But the second, 135 seconds later and 250 times larger, was recorded up to 5,000 km (3,100 miles) away. It released energy equivalent to about five tonnes of TNT. MASSIVE EVENT The authors say an earthquake is a very unlikely cause. They consider whether the second explosion was one big event or several smaller ones, possibly including the Kursk's impact on the seabed. They say the most compelling seismic evidence that the second "event" was dominated by an explosion was the observation of a bubble pulse. This results from the oscillations of a bubble of hot gases unleashed by an explosion as it rises towards the surface of the sea. The authors say the spectral pattern produced by an underwater explosion and recorded by seismic stations provides strong evidence that the second explosion was one massive event, not several smaller ones. TORPEDO MALFUNCTION In 1999, Israeli scientists carried out a series of tests in the Dead Sea, and the authors say these have let them establish the approximate size of the main explosion on the Kursk. [I] Wreaths to remember the Kursk's crew They believe the first blast happened when the vessel was near the surface, as its periscope was still up once it had settled on the bottom. That explosion produced a seismic record consistent with 250 kilograms (550 pounds) of high explosive, equal to the warhead of a modern torpedo. The scientists believe a torpedo misfired or exploded prematurely, and that the Kursk absorbed a large part of the energy released. They say the main blast is consistent with the explosion of between four and eight SS-N-19 ship-to-ship missiles, which the Kursk carried, or of one cruise missile with a conventional high explosive warhead. FIRE ON BOARD They do not believe the signal came from the submarine hitting the seabed, as it would have sunk in much less time than the 135 seconds that elapsed between the two explosions. The researchers say the Kursk may have remained above the seabed for a time after the first blast, or the second blast may have happened once the vessel had struck the bottom, but only after fire had reached other warheads on board. Professor Wallace told BBC News Online: "I think we'll never know for sure what the initial explosion was. But you'd have to make out a pretty compelling case that the sound of any collision had been muffled. "It's very hard to imagine a scenario that supposes a collision or some other mechanical failure." ***************************************************************** 16 Reid lone dissenter at Abraham hearing January 22, 2001 BY JEFF GERMAN LAS VEGAS SUN Nevada Sen. Harry Reid was the lone dissenting voice over the weekend to the confirmation of Spencer Abraham as energy secretary. Reid told his colleagues on the Senate floor Saturday that he was opposing Abraham because of his "troubling record" on storing nuclear waste in Nevada, including Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Abraham was among seven of President Bush's cabinet choices who were confirmed on Saturday. "As a senator from Michigan, he voted repeatedly to ship nuclear waste to the state of Nevada despite the overwhelming evidence that such a move was being made without regard for sound science and public health and safety," Reid said on the Senate floor. "He voted to ship nuclear waste to Nevada notwithstanding the fact that there is no safe route for the transportation of high-level nuclear waste through states and cities and towns in America. He supported an industry-backed bill that would have expedited delivery of nuclear waste to Nevada on an interim basis. He even supported overriding President Clinton's veto of a bill, which would have greatly weakened the EPA's role in establishing the appropriate radiation standards at Yucca Mountain. "The decision on the designation of a permanent nuclear waste repository rests with the secretary of energy," Reid added. "This decision and others relating to Yucca Mountain must be made without bias. "Regrettably, Secretary-designee Abraham's record as a senator and his testimony before the Energy Committee as a nominee lead me to believe that he may not be capable of such impartiality on the very important issue." Reid last month asked the DOE's inspector general to investigate possible bias on the part of the DOE and its chief Yucca Mountain contractor, TRW Environmental Safety Systems Inc. A team of federal investigators has been dispatched to Las Vegas to probe whether laws were broken in the drafting of DOE documents that suggested Yucca Mountain is safe to store radioactive waste, even though lengthy studies haven't been completed. Reid said the documents, obtained by the Sun, appeared to show the DOE collaborating with TRW to win approval for the Nevada repository. The Sun reported Dec. 1 that it had obtained a 60-page draft of a DOE overview on Yucca Mountain declaring the site suitable for nuclear waste storage. The newspaper also obtained a two-page memo, allegedly written by TRW, that suggested the overview could be used to help the nuclear industry sell Yucca Mountain to Congress. The DOE had been preparing to make a recommendation on Yucca Mountain's suitability in June, but the decision has been delayed because of the inspector general's investigation. Yucca Mountain is the only site under study to store the nation's high-level nuclear waste. 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