***************************************************************** 07/24/01 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 9.180 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER CONTENTS 1 Reid Amendment protecting nation from dangers of transporting 2 Study digs deeper into uranium threat 3 NRC Names New Senior Resident Inspector at Quad Cities Nuclear 4 Amendment to study hazmat routes passes 5 Statement by Senator Harry Reid EPW Subcommittee on 6 Hazardous shipment study sought 7 A Nuke Train Gets Ready To Roll 8 NRC Names New Senior Resident Inspector at Quad Cities Nuclear 9 Nuclear formula 10 Broken water main eyed as cause of CSX derailment, fire; 11 NRC's Risk-informed, Performance-Based Regulatory Approach 12 ADAMS: Items of Interest - Tuesday, July 24, 2001 13 Nuclear waste's trip across state raising warnings 14 Goshute Letter: Tainted Critics 15 NRC to Meet with Proposed Mixed Oxide Fuel Facility Applicant to 16 Nirex admits culture of secrecy NUCLEAR WEAPONS CONTENTS 1 Bush, Putin Agree on Nukes Reductions 2 Officials Aim To Raise Part of Kursk 3 Chemical used in rocket fuel found in Colorado River 4 Divers Made A Test Cutting Of The Kursk Nuclear Submarine's Hull 5 Press Conference On Ecological Security Of Raising Kursk 6 Nuke Workers Get Compensation Help 7 CDC to outline scope of Fallon leukemia probe 8 Russian Navy Confirms Absolute Nuclear Safety for Lifting Kursk 9 Paris trio accused of nuclear smuggling 10 Letter: Resource Center open to help DOE workers file claims - 11 Energy Department Honors Small Business of the Year from Oakland, California 12 U.S. Leads Establishment of Generation IV International Forum for 13 Senate Puts Graham on Notice to Protect Public Health, Safety and Environment 14 Seaborg son to remember dad at Danville talk 15 WOTR: A guinea pig in Nevada speaks up, by Matt Jenkins 16 Hanford projects continue to fuel dramatic boom in home construction 17 New center will assist ailing weapons workers 18 Center opens for ill nuclear workers **************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 Reid Amendment protecting nation from dangers of transporting waste OK'd July 23, 2001 CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - An amendment designed to reduce risks from transporting hazardous materials on the nation's roads, railroads and waterways passed the Senate on Monday. "As events in Baltimore over the last few days have shown us transporting hazardous waste is always a potential accident waiting to happen," said U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who sponsored the amendment with Sens. Barbara Mikulski and Paul Sarbanes, both Maryland Democrats. Approval of Reid's amendment came after the derailment of a 60-car CSX freight train last Wednesday and a subsequent fire and acid spill that crippled a large section of Baltimore. "We need to know the risks of HazMat accidents before they happen," Reid said in a statement from Washington. The amendment to the fiscal year 2002 Transportation Appropriations Bill calls for an analysis of the risks associated with the transportation of hazardous materials; a survey of the nation's transportation system; an assessment of emergency response abilities; and agency evaluation of communication with the public about transpiration accidents. The amendment will require the secretary of transportation and the comptroller general to study risks to the public health and safety associated with the transportation of hazardous chemical and radioactive materials. All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 2 Study digs deeper into uranium threat By BENNY LEE SMITH Staff Writer If uranium can make its way into well water in Greenville County, could the same thing happen in Spartanburg County? There is no easy answer to that question, but geologists and environmentalists want to organize an effort to find out. S.C Department of Health and Environmental Control Spokesman Thom Berry said his agency is working along with the Environmental Protection Agency to see if the heavy metal exists in other areas of the state. "We need to address this problem from a region-wide basis covering not just South Carolina but the entire Southeast," Berry said. "We have been told that there may be pockets that exist all the way up from Alabama to Maine," he said. Berry also said time and federal funds will be needed to adequately conduct the research. Geologists from Furman, Clemson and the University of South Carolina are studying the problem. After they complete their work, the geologists will make suggestions on where to look for uranium deposits. "We don't necessarily believe that the elevated levels of uranium recently found in Simpsonville and Fountain Inn are a statewide problem," Berry said. "It's an isolated case." Uranium is a radioactive heavy metal commonly found in granite deposits beneath the surface of the earth. The metal is toxic and the kidneys are the most sensitive organ affected by exposure. Concerns over uranium surfaced about two weeks ago in Greenville County when urine tests showed that 94 people had elevated levels in their bodies. The problem has escalated with reports Monday from experts that the levels of radon found in Greenville test wells also are unusually high. Federal environmental officials said last week that concentrations of radon exceeded the recommended limit in all 17 wells tested in the Simpsonville area. It is the same place where elevated levels of uranium were detected in residents. When uranium decays in the earth it creates radon, which has been linked to an increased risk for cancer. Finding radon in this region is not a surprise, given the geology, said Tom Temples, a USC geologist. ''There's a trend of uranium-bearing rock that runs up and down the Appalachians,'' he said. Staff Writer Susan Orr and the Associated Press contributed to this article. Benny Lee Smith can be reached at 582-4511, Ext. 7216 or benny.smith@shj.com. ***************************************************************** 3 NRC Names New Senior Resident Inspector at Quad Cities Nuclear Power Plant Region III -- 2001 - 040 -- UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION III 801 Warrenville Road, Lisle IL 60532 No. III-01-040 July 24, 2001 CONTACT: Jan Strasma (630)829-9663/e-mail: rjs2@nrc.gov Pam Alloway-Mueller (630)829-9662/e-mail: pla@nrc.gov Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials in Lisle, Illinois, have announced the assignment of Karla Stoedter as the agency's Senior Resident Inspector at the Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station near Cordova, Illinois. The plant is operated by Exelon Generating Company. Stoedter replaces Chris Miller who has been the Senior Resident Inspector at the plant since 1994. Miller has accepted an operator licensing position in the agency's Lisle, Illinois, regional office. Stoedter, who began her duties at the Quad Cities plant July 16, joined the NRC as a reactor engineering intern in July 1991. She was a resident inspector at the Clinton Nuclear Power Station near Clinton, Illinois, from 1995 until 2000 when she became a reactor engineer in the regional office. A native of the Quad Cities area, Stoedter earned a bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign, and a master's degree in business administration from Eastern Illinois University. She and her husband, Gary, live in Port Byron, Illinois. Stoedter joins Resident Inspector John Adams at Quad Cities. They can be reached at the plant at (309) 654-2227. ***************************************************************** 4 Amendment to study hazmat routes passes [Las Vegas Review-Journal] Tuesday, July 24, 2001 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal DONREY WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- An amendment passed Monday by the U.S. Senate directs the government to study the safety of routes used to transport hazardous chemicals and nuclear waste around the nation. The legislation orders Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta to calculate the cost and time required to upgrade waterways, roadways and railroad lines "to ensure the safety of current, and any anticipated or proposed, hazardous chemical and radioactive material transport." It also calls for an assessment of federal, state and local emergency personnel.. The study also would examine the effectiveness of government communications to the public about shipments of hazardous materials. The amendment, sponsored by Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Maryland Democratic Sens. Paul Sarbanes and Barbara Mikulski, passed 96-0. This story is located at: http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2001/Jul-24-Tue-2001/news/16605702.html ***************************************************************** 5 Statement by Senator Harry Reid EPW Subcommittee on Transportation & Infrastructure Hearing on Infrastructure Needs July 23, 2001 Our physical infrastructure represents the backbone of our nation and our economy. But it often gets neglected because the costs of repairs and construction accrue in the short-run while the benefits are enjoyed in the long-run. Too often short-term cost considerations preclude long-term benefits to productivity, safety, clean water, and quality of life. Anyone living in a major metropolitan area can tell you that our highway and mass transit infrastructures are overwhelmed and unable to handle current demand. The resulting congestion impairs productivity, reduces air quality, and negatively impacts our quality of life. And this problem is only expected to get worse as vehicle miles traveled continue to increase. To improve the condition and performance of our highway and transit systems, the Department of Transportation estimates that we need to spend almost $50 billion more each year. And this does not include the billions of dollars in new investments necessary to improve our aviation system and develop high-speed rail corridors. Another key component of our nation's infrastructure is built and maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers. The Army Corps' flood control projects protect lives and property and their navigation projects keep our economy moving. Yet they have a backlog of $40 billion in fully authorized projects that are awaiting the first dollar of funding, not to mention a $38 billion backlog of projects currently under construction. The Environmental Protection Agency is charged with protecting and expanding our nation's drinking water supply and upgrading our wastewater treatment collection facilities. These critical functions are at risk due to infrastructure funding shortfalls. The EPA has estimated that nearly $300 billion dollars will be needed over the next 15 to 20 years to upgrade and expand our existing infrastructure to ensure the safety of our water supply. In March, the American Society of Civil Engineers released its 2001 Report Card for America's Infrastructure and gave our nation's infrastructure a D-plus. ASCE estimated that we need to invest $1.3 trillion over the next five years to address our infrastructure problems. More information on the infrastructure needs detailed in this study is included in written testimony provided by ASCE which, without objection, I will place in the record. Just this past week, we saw both the importance and the fragility of our infrastructure when a train carrying hazardous materials derailed in a Baltimore railroad tunnel. The impact of this crash in disrupting the lives of those who live and work in Baltimore should serve as a warning to us all about the dangers we face if we do not adequately confront our nation's infrastructure deficiencies. Clearly, our infrastructure investment needs are substantial, but I fear that our means of funding these needs is shrinking. The tax bill this Congress passed in May will cost trillions of dollars in revenues over the next 20 years if fully implemented. The surpluses are just about gone, but our infrastructure needs remain. As Chairman, I intend to serve as a guardian of our nation's infrastructure and look forward to working with my colleagues on this subcommittee and on the full committee to ensure that our infrastructure gets the attention it deserves. I welcome today's testimony from a distinguished panel of witnesses. We have four very successful mayors who are strong voices for our cities and have an important story to tell. Mayor Morial from New Orleans, Mayor Campbell from Atlanta, Mayor Goodman from Las Vegas, and Mayor Williams from the District of Columbia -- I welcome each of you and the hands-on experience you bring to this topic. In addition, Robert Portiss is here from Tulsa, Oklahoma to speak on port issues, and Peter Guerrero from the U.S. General Accounting Office will serve on our second panel to discuss a new GAO report on infrastructure investment. I thank you all for coming and look forward to your testimony. ***************************************************************** 6 Hazardous shipment study sought Today: July 24, 2001 at 10:24:20 PDT LAS VEGAS SUN WASHINGTON -- Seeking to draw attention to the dangers of shipping nuclear waste -- and to drum up opposition to a plan to bury it in Nevada -- Sen. Harry Reid is seeking a hazardous materials transportation study. Reid last week seized on a freight train accident in a Baltimore tunnel in which hazardous materials leaked from burning rail cars. Reid, D-Nev., said the accident was an example of why nuclear power plants should not ship their waste to Nevada. Under a federal proposal, the high-level waste would be hauled on trucks and trains through 43 states to Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, for permanent burial. Most Nevada officials oppose the plan. Reid introduced an amendment to a transportation spending bill expected to pass the Senate Wednesday. The legislation would direct the Department of Transportation to survey the nation's transportation system, assess the risks of shipping hazardous materials and analyze emergency response systems. "As events in Baltimore over the last few days have shown us, transporting hazardous waste is always a potential accident waiting to happen," Reid said in a written statement. "We need to know the risks of hazmat accidents before they happen." All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 7 A Nuke Train Gets Ready To Roll Demonstrators in Moberly, Mo., protest against a nuclear fuel shipment that is expected to pass through their town The administration wants more nuclear plants, so it’s eager to show that it’s perfectly safe to ship the used fuel. But nobody wants radioactive cargo chugging by their town By Adam Piore NEWSWEEK July 30 issue — The “No Nukes” buttons dated from the 1970s and the audience consisted of curious locals, including a 9-year-old boy and his puppy. But when Kevin Kamps brought the anti-nuke campaign to tiny Moberly, Mo., last week, he loudly sounded the alarm. Kamps, an organizer for the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, a Washington-based anti-nuke group, is on the road to whip up opposition to a controversial federal plan to transport a trainload of spent nuclear fuel from New York state to Idaho. WE’RE HERE to warn people that a shipment of highly radioactive waste will be moving through Moberly by train,” Kamps told his listeners. “This could be the first of tens of thousands of shipments.” The rally was small, but effective. Two TV crews and some reporters showed up and concern was duly spread. “If this spills in town, will they come clean it up?” asked one worried mother. With the Bush administration committed to reviving the nation’s nuclear industry, people in Moberly and all across the country will be getting a crash course in nuclear safety—a hot-button issue from the ’70s whose time is coming again. There’s plenty to be said in favor of nuclear energy: it’s often cheaper than oil, cleaner than coal and it’s arguably safer than it used to be. “If you want to do something about carbon dioxide emissions,” Vice President Dick Cheney said in March, “then you ought to build nuclear power plants.” Linking nukes to global warming was a shrewd bit of spin calculated to split the opposition, and it may work. Most nationals polls show a slow rise in public support for nuclear power as concern for global warming has grown. But if the Bush administration intends to push ahead with nukes it must solve an intractable problem—finding a safe way to store thousands of tons of highly radioactive spent fuel from the nation’s power reactors. There are 40,000 metric tons of depleted uranium fuel immersed in storage pools or encased in aboveground casks in 34 states, and the industry is adding substantially to that total every year. (There are 103 nuclear plants in operation, and they provide 20 percent of the nation’s electricity.) Since the mid-’80s the Feds have been preparing to stash all that waste in a tunnel under Yucca Mountain, Nev. The Yucca Mountain plan has been tied up with lawsuits and environmental-impact studies for years, and critics say important environmental questions still haven’t been answered. But the Energy Department, which is responsible for finding a solution to the nation’s nuclear-waste problem, says Secretary Spencer Abraham will make a final decision on the facility by the end of this year. Abraham is expected to say yes. If Congress approves, the moribund nuclear energy industry will be instantly revitalized. Because Yucca Mountain isn’t scheduled to open until 2010, the industry is trying to set up an interim storage site on a Goshute Indian reservation 45 miles south of Salt Lake City, Utah. That means the trains and trucks could start rolling as early as 2003. The antinuclear movement’s strategy is obvious: stoke opposition by playing on the fear of radioactive contamination that could result from a truck or train accident. Activists say nuke shipments are “mobile Chernobyls”—hyperbole, but still a good slogan. Ground zero for the looming confrontation is a dilapidated nuclear storage facility in West Valley, N.Y., 35 miles south of Buffalo. With mounting concern over safety issues and protests, the shipment is being planned like a military operation. The train will consist of seven cars, two of which will be flatcars laden with white, dumbbell-shaped containers that are fire-and crash-resistant. Known as casks, these containers will house the radioactive cargo—125 bundles of metal rods filled with uranium pellets. A DOE emergency team will ride in a passenger car at the rear, accompanied by an armed security guard. In Pennsylvania, state police will shadow the train. In New York, local police will check highway crossings and monitor the track ahead. DOE officials will follow the train’s progress by satellite. John Chamberlain, a spokesman for the West Valley facility, said law-enforcement officials will be tracking the train with security and emergency personnel “at the ready.” From New York, the train will run through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming en route to a vast DOE reservation in southeastern Idaho. Newsweek On Air Nuclear Energy: On Track? Hoping to keep protest groups at least somewhat off balance, DOE officials are keeping the train’s departure date secret. They have been planning the shipment for more than a year and Chamberlain confirmed to NEWSWEEK that the FBI has been asked to “screen” for protests by antinuclear groups. If a protest does occur, Chamberlain said, “the main thing is to ensure the safety of the shipment. If you find out there will be a protest 500 miles ahead, you park the train. If something happens right in front of you, obviously you’d have to stop.” Newsweek.MSNBC.com Activists all along the route are mobilizing to meet the train, and the potential for disruption is real. In July, Kamps and others ran a civil-disobedience seminar in Fort Wayne, Ind., that included training in how to form a human chain. Participants watched a slide show of an anti-nuke protest in Germany that led to successful attempts to block a train. Some German protesters carried off sections of rail and undermined the tracks by tunneling. Others chained themselves to the tracks, and some glued themselves to the tracks. “In Germany a group of six people held up a train for 18 hours,” Kamps said. The train’s starting point, known as the Western New York Nuclear Service Center, is a dilapidated monument to the failure of U.S. nuclear policy and an environmental mess. Built to reprocess spent fuel from commercial power reactors, the plant shut down in 1972 and never reopened. Nowadays, hazardous waste is stored in a huge warehouse and under tarpaulins in the surrounding fields. Until May the 125 reactor fuel assemblies were stored in a slowly deteriorating indoor pool lined with brown scum and filled with lethally radioactive water. “West Valley is a testament to what happens when you don’t plan from the outset,” says Richard Lester, a nuclear engineer at MIT. “People really didn’t think about nuclear waste.” They are now—and when the train finally pulls out of West Valley, the future direction of America’s energy policy will be onboard. © 2001 Newsweek, Inc. ***************************************************************** 8 NRC Names New Senior Resident Inspector at Quad Cities Nuclear Power Plant Region III -- 2001 - 040 -- UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION III 801 Warrenville Road, Lisle IL 60532 No. III-01-041 July 24, 2001 CONTACT: Jan Strasma (630)829-9663/e-mail: rjs2@nrc.gov Pam Alloway-Mueller (630)829-9662/e-mail: pla@nrc.gov The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has proposed a $3,000 fine against Midwest Testing, Inc., of Bridgeton, Missouri, for violating NRC requirements by failing to maintain control and constant surveillance of a portable moisture density gauge while it was in an unrestricted area. The gauge, which contains a radioactive source, was lost and has not been recovered. The gauge is used to measure soil conditions at road and building construction sites. On April 6, the company notified the NRC that a portable moisture density gauge had been left unattended, unlocked, and unsecured on a truck's tailgate for about 15 minutes. The gauge operator then drove from the job site without properly checking or securing the gauge in the truck bed. Shortly after leaving, the gauge operator noticed that the gauge was no longer in the back of the truck. In notifying the company of the proposed fine, NRC Regional Administrator James E. Dyer noted that Midwest Testing had taken corrective actions to prevent a reoccurrence of the situation, including additional training for employees. However, he said, a newly adopted enforcement policy provides that a fine be proposed to reflect the significance of the violation and emphasize the importance of maintaining control of licensed material. The specified fines included in the enforcement policy were developed to correspond to roughly three times the cost of proper disposal. Midwest Testing has 30 days to pay the fine or protest it. If the fine is protested and subsequently imposed by the NRC staff, the company may request a hearing. ***************************************************************** 9 Nuclear formula July 23, 2001 BY RON HUTCHESON GENOA, Italy -- President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed Sunday to seek dramatic cuts in their nuclear arsenals as they negotiate a broader agreement on Bush's plan for building a missile defense system. In a surprise breakthrough for Bush, Putin said he could accept a U.S. anti-missile shield as long as it is linked to deep cuts in offensive nuclear weapons. Bush has promoted the linkage as a key element in his plan to move beyond Cold War arms control agreements. "I believe that we'll come up with an accord," Bush told reporters at a joint news conference with Putin at the close of a summit of the world's seven richest nations plus Russia. "What we're talking about doing is changing the mind-set of the world. We're basically saying the Cold War is forever over." The two leaders did not set a specific reduction target, but Putin has suggested in the past that both countries could reduce their nuclear arsenals to about 1,500 weapons. The United States currently has about 7,000 strategic nuclear weapons, and Russia has about 6,500. "We share the position of the U.S. president on the need to have large cuts in offensive weapons," Putin said. "Together, we're going to move forward in this direction, substantially changing the situation in the world." The Russian leader also softened his previous threat to beef up Russia's nuclear arsenal if Bush abandons the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty over Russia's objections. "We might not ever need to look at that option," Putin said. Winning Putin's acceptance of a missile defense system is critica,l because it would reassure other world leaders that scrapping the ABM treaty would not lead to a new arms race. The landmark 1972 agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union prohibited anti-missile systems on the theory that they would upset the nuclear balance of power between the two. Now that the Soviet Union is dead, Bush contends that the treaty is a relic, but Putin has adamantly opposed scrapping it. Although Putin did not retreat from his position, he made it clear that linking missile defense to arms reduction would ease his concerns. "These two issues have to be discussed as a set," Putin said. "One and the other are very closely tied." U.S. officials emphasized that, despite Sunday's breakthrough, the two sides face difficult negotiations on a security arrangement to replace traditional arms control treaties. Condoleezza Rice, Bush's national security adviser, will travel to Russia later this week to establish a timetable for future talks between arms negotiators from both countries. "We expect to move quickly," Rice said. In Washington, leaders of both political parties greeted the Bush-Putin agreement with optimism. Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., said it was "very good news to me." Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., said, "I think this is really significant." Bush and Putin will meet again in October in Shanghai, China, and the Russian leader has agreed to visit Bush at his Texas ranch later this year. Putin said their agreement to link arms reductions to missile defense was unexpected, but both leaders had advocated scaling back their nuclear arsenals. Soon after taking office, Bush ordered the Pentagon to calculate an arms reduction target. Putin is at least equally eager to reduce Russia's arsenal to save the cost of maintaining it. "Both of us want to seize the moment and lead," Bush said. The former Texas oilman and the former Soviet spy met in a 16th century mansion that belonged to a wealthy Genoa ship owner. Bush threw his left arm over Putin's shoulder before going behind closed doors with his Russian counterpart. In an echo of their first meeting in Slovenia last month, the two leaders described their talks as refreshingly frank and direct. Putin said Bush's "mental reasoning is very deep, very profound." Bush said he was struck by "how easy it is to speak from my heart" to Putin. Putin also gave Bush some help on global warming. The two leaders met at the end of a three-day G8 summit that left Bush isolated from U.S. allies in his opposition to the Kyoto global warming treaty. Although Putin reiterated Russia's support for the treaty, he endorsed Bush's proposal to seek other ways to combat global warming. Bush contends that the treaty's strict emissions standards would hurt the U.S. economy and increase unemployment. "The Kyoto protocol is simply not sufficient to substantially improve the ecology in the world," said Putin, who has urged world leaders to convene an international summit on global warming in Russia in 2003. Bush promised the other G8 countries -- Russia, Japan, Germany, Italy, France, Canada and the United Kingdom -- that he would come up with an alternative strategy on global warming, but there was some confusion about his timetable. Some of the leaders interpreted Bush's comments to mean that he would have a plan by this fall, but Bush refused to set a deadline when pressed by reporters. Bush and Putin also agreed that world leaders should press ahead with future economic summits despite the threat of violent protests. The Genoa summit was marred by violent clashes between police and protesters that left one protester dead and scores injured. Bush said the agreements reached at the Genoa summit "will make the world a heck of a lot more prosperous and peaceful." © 2001 PioneerPlanet / St. Paul (Minnesota) Pioneer Press / TwinCities.com- All Rights Reserved copyright information ***************************************************************** 10 Broken water main eyed as cause of CSX derailment, fire; 'City's back in business' By Todd Richissin and Scott Calvert Sun Staff Originally published July 24, 2001 Five days after a train derailed and caught fire in a tunnel beneath Baltimore, city officials offered news last night bound to surprise and relieve commuters who had been stuck in traffic jams stretching from Baltimore's central business district to the highways feeding the city: Nearly all downtown roads will be open this morning. Howard Street, closed since the derailment and fire on Wednesday, was opened last night except for a two-block stretch. Rail traffic is expected to resume today on the line where the accident occurred. Bus service should improve greatly, officials said, and the full route for the MARC Camden line will be open this morning, though light rail will not be back to normal. The decision to open streets and send trains through the tunnel followed an inspection that began late yesterday afternoon. Engineers and officials, who had feared that parts of the tunnel might have been badly damaged, pronounced it in "excellent shape." Working into the night, construction crews were laying new track inside. "This city's back in business," Mayor Martin O'Malley declared as work crews began removing the dozens of orange pylons that have been cursed by motorists since Wednesday. Howard Street was closed because of fears it might have been weakened when a CSX train loaded with chemicals derailed and caught fire in the tunnel below. The National Transportation Safety Board, meanwhile, was focused on track and rail equipment and this question: Did a water main break cause the derailment that led to the fire or did the fire cause the main to break? "We're definitely looking at whether the water leak was the result of the derailment or a contributing factor," said Keith Holloway, an NTSB spokesman. Department of Public Works spokesman Kurt Kocher said the city is cooperating with the NTSB investigation. He said the agency is requesting documents and DPW is asking city lawyers to review the request. "No documents have been denied," Kocher said. Meanwhile, CSX officials said they could provide no explanation of why employees apparently did not notify fire officials about problems in the tunnel for more than an hour after they began. The investigation into what happened and why could take months. Of more pressing concern yesterday was restoring east-west traffic along Howard Street and 14 streets that cross or feed into it. After removing the last smoldering car from the tunnel shortly after daybreak yesterday, Department of Public Works inspectors entered the tunnel from the north end about 4:30 p.m. to determine whether it could withstand cars and trucks passing above, said Kocher. Inspectors could not get into the tunnel for nine hours after the last boxcar was removed because smoldering timbers had to be extinguished and carbon monoxide levels were dangerously high, officials said. Good news at last But another round of frustration connected to the accident finally gave way to good news that seemed to surprise even city officials when engineers presented their findings. The mayor said last night that the inspection found the expected minor damage to bricks in the tunnel but none of the feared structural problems. Officials said a "test train" of 40 to 50 cars would be sent through the tunnel this morning. If all goes well, regular rail traffic will resume today, at reduced speeds. Officials had closed Howard Street from north of Mount Royal Avenue south to Pratt Street after the 60-car freight train caught fire. Effects of the closure rippled through yesterday morning's rush hour as city and state employees who had taken advantage of liberal leave last week returned to work. Traffic on Interstate 395 into downtown was stacked up more than a mile on northbound Interstate 95. Drivers on Pratt Street were passed by people on foot. Street closures had forced Mass Transit Administration officials to reroute 23 buses. Most of them will be making their normal stops today, officials said, though a few disruptions are expected. MTA officials also warned that light-rail service will continue to rely on buses to transport riders between the Patapsco and North Avenue stops. The Camden Yards MARC train station will open this morning for the first time since the derailment. The first train to Washington's Union Station is scheduled to leave at 5:15 a.m. Yesterday morning, a broken water main finally stopped shooting water onto Howard Street. The pipe spewed 76 million gallons of waters during the 100 hours it was broken, officials estimated. Crews stopped the flow by replacing a broken valve, and work began yesterday to install a new main. That broken pipe is a focal point of the investigation by federal officials. In the days before the accident, CSX inspection crews reported water in the tunnel, though details of those inspection reports were unavailable yesterday and it remained unclear whether the amount of water was significant or could have caused problems. "I don't think it's extraordinary that there is some water in underground tunnels, but they're looking to see if water infiltration is the issue," said John Contestabile, safety officer for the Maryland Department of Transportation. Three possibilities Tests were to be conducted on the pipe, but investigators were not discounting other causes for the derailment. "I think what I can say is they are looking at three possibilities: track failure, equipment failure or whether the water main break may have had something to do with it," Contestabile, said. Investigators have begun reviewing records of track inspections back to 1996, as well as paperwork on the condition of the cars and signals, though officials said there is no indication that the signals malfunctioned. Workers powerwashed the tracks yesterday so investigators could begin to determine which sections of rail should be taken to their lab for metallurgical tests. They also examined railroad car wheels and axles for signs of equipment failure or improperly loaded containers. "No problems have been singled out at this point," said Holloway. Sifting the facts Investigators are still trying to reconstruct the initial emergency calls to the city Fire Department. Investigators said the crew's first call was to the CSX dispatch center in Jacksonville, Fla., at 3:07 p.m. Wednesday. What happened next is still being pieced together by the NTSB. "We're asking CSX, 'What happened to the information given to you and what did you do with it and what time was the Fire Department notified?'" said Holloway. He said investigators are reviewing time logs from the Fire Department as well as CSX records. CSX offered no further explanation yesterday for why city Fire Department records show railroad workers did not call firefighters until 4:12 Wednesday afternoon - about an hour after the train's crew scampered out of the tunnel to escape fumes. CSX spokesman Rob Gould referred all questions about the chronology to NTSB officials. "They prefer nobody talk about any facets of the incident," he said. On Thursday, NTSB member John Hammerschmidt, based on information obtained from CSX, said the train's crew members reported that firetrucks arrived at 3:35 p.m. near the tunnel's northern mouth. But Torres disputed that account yesterday. "That's simply not true," he said. According to Torres, the first call came about 4 p.m. from someone not with CSX who saw smoke at the tunnel's south portal. Then, at 4:12 CSX called to report a possible derailment, he said. Torres said that although the fire quickly grew after the first units arrived at the tunnel's north entrance around 4:17, he cannot say whether firefighters could have doused the fire with earlier notice. That, he said, would be determined by investigators. Senators seek rail study In addition to the NTSB investigation, Maryland Sens. Paul S. Sarbanes and Barbara A. Mikulski are proposing an amendment to the transportation spending bill now before the Senate. It would provide $750,000 to assess the condition of railway infrastructure in the Baltimore area. The amendment could come up for a vote as soon as today as the Senate labors to complete action this week on the $60 billion measure. Yesterday, the Senate voted 96-0 to approve a broader study on the risks associated with the transportation of hazardous and radioactive chemicals throughout the country, by highway and waterway as well as by rail. 'It has been horrific' For merchants on Howard Street, the studies are welcome, if a bit late. They said yesterday they were hoping for a quick reopening of the streets. "It has been horrific. That's the best I can say," said Alvin J. Levi, owner of Howard Street Jewelers and president of Market Center Merchants Association, which represents 700 mostly small businesses on the city's west side. Yesterday, six CSX claims representatives fanned out along Howard Street, asking shopkeepers if they had suffered lost business from the closing of Howard Street. "We want to try and not address claims issues in months; we want to address them now and try to ensure people are made whole immediately," said Gould, the CSX spokesman. "This is not anything related to blame. This is what we believe is the right thing to do as corporate citizens." Gould said he did not know how many businesses have filed claims, or how claims agents will calculate how many shirts a clothing store might have sold if Howard Street had not been closed. While efforts were made to placate business owners, a whole new group of people was being affected by the incident. Fifty of the steel cars, some still smoldering, were moved about a mile from the Howard Street Tunnel to the Mount Royal Siding, an area where trains can pass one another, CSX officials said. The remaining charred cars were taken from the southern end of the tunnel to a rail yard at Locust Point, near the Fort McHenry Tunnel. That location is used mostly as a transfer facility. By late afternoon, firefighters at the Mount Royal site stood in knee-deep mud, continuing to douse the fire in the last two cars. Piles of packaged Xerox computer paper that had been emptied from the cars were bulldozed in a pile to the side. Several blocks of Sisson Street, just above the rail siding in the Remington neighborhood, were closed. Smoke drifted above the neighborhood, and some residents complained of the stench. Fire officials expected the fire to be extinguished by nightfall. Sun staff writers Stacey Hirsh, Stephen Kiehl, Karen Hosler, Marcia Myers, Joe Nawrozki, David Nitkin, Michael Scarcella, Andrea K. Walker and Laurie Willis contributed to this article. Copyright © 2001, The Baltimore Sun The Baltimore Sun ***************************************************************** 11 NRC's Risk-informed, Performance-Based Regulatory Approach Distorts Safety Assessment Of A Potential Yucca Mountain High-Level Nuclear Waste Repository Inside EPA's Risk Policy Report By Steve Frishman April 16, 2001 Yucca Mountain, Nevada, about 80 miles northwest of Las Vegas, is being considered by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as the only site for disposal of the highly radioactive wastes from the nation's nuclear power reactors and from the federal nuclear weapons complex. As more than two decades of site studies near completion, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing new, site-specific regulations for licensing this deep geologic high-level nuclear waste repository. The repository, if approved, would consist of 50 to 100 miles of tunnels in volcanic rock in which 77,000 tons of long-lived highly radioactive waste would be entombed. Because of the longevity of the radiation hazard associated with these wastes, the risk analysis for the repository must include projections of radiation doses to humans extending an unprecedented 10,000 to as many as 1 million years into the future. NRC is proposing to apply its recently formulated, and not yet fully implemented, risk-informed, performance-based regulatory policy for nuclear reactor licenses to its consideration of a license for this first-of-a-kind high-level nuclear waste repository. The approach is inherently problematic when it is applied to low probability, high-consequence events. The NRC's policy of risk-informed, performance-based regulation is implemented in its proposed site specific Yucca Mountain high-level nuclear waste repository licensing rule (10 CFR Part 63). The rule, although not finally promulgated, is being applied by the DOE in its suitability and safety analyses of a potential Yucca Mountain repository, and is being used by the NRC staff in its review of the sufficiency of DOE's work for a license application. The proposed rule requires that calculation of the expected annual dose, due to repository releases, to an average individual in the critical group near the repository be carried out through the use of a total system performance assessment (TSPA). The TSPA is constructed as a probabilistic analysis, in keeping with the NRC's policy of risk-informed, performance-based regulation. The NRC has stated in a staff White Paper that risk-informed, performancebased regulation is "an approach in which risk insights, engineering analysis and judgement, and performance history are used, to (1) focus attention on the most important [to safety] activities, (2) establish objective criteria based upon risk insights for evaluating performance, (3) develop measurable or calculable parameters for monitoring system and licensee performance, and (4) focus on the results as the primary basis of regulatory decision making." (1) The White Paper also notes that this approach is appropriate for nuclear waste repository licensing regulation. NRC Commissioner Nils Diaz described risk-informed regulation in a broader sense: "Risk-informed regulation is a set of deterministic criteria, operating experience, defense-in-depth, engineering judgements and probabilistic risk assessments that qualitatively and quantitatively increases the knowledge base and is conducive to safety-focused decision making." (2) Risk, in both of the above statements, has the traditional meaning of the consequence of events and processes (in the repository case, the radiation dose), weighted by the probability that the event or process will occur. In its mathematical form: risk=consequence X probability. In practice, the TSPA is a set of calculations of projected annual dose to an average individual in the vicinity of the repository plotted against the number of years after repository closure. A large number of calculations is performed, based on the variability of parameters, eg., infiltration of precipitation due to the projected range of climate change scenarios, and a staiistical sampling of values within a range that bounds certain parameters, such as rock permeability, which among other things, affects the infiltration rate. Once a statistically defensible number of dose versus time curves are generated, curves for the mean, median, 95th and 5th percentiles, etc. can be calculated. The resulting statistical curves have been modified by probability, because of the probabilistic sampling of parameter values used in their generation. This is a reasonable approach if the range of parameter variability and distribution of values is strongly supported by physical data. In addition, it provides a quantitative basis for understanding the uncertainty associated with the result. However, the NRC's implementation of the risk-informed, performance-based regulatory approach has distorted the presentation of the TSPA result by selecting the mean, rather than the 90th or 95th percentile of a broad range of calculated results as the value to represent the "expected annual dose." DOE's TSPA indicates about five orders of magnitude of uncertainty in its annual dose projections during the period of time after waste container failure allows radionuclide releases to begin The majority of the uncertainty is associated with the projected waste container lifetime. Nonetheless, DOE's current TSPA relies on the projection that none of the approximately 12,000 waste containers in a Yucca Mountain repository would fail due to corrosion during the 10,000 year compliance period. Therefore, the only failure mode for the repository during the 10,000 year compliance period would be the occurrence of some low probability event with consequences that could significantly de grade the performance of the repository. The NRC's proposed repository lisensing rule sets a lower limit of probability, beyond which events are not requires to be quantitatively analyzed in the TSPA If an event has a probability of occurrence of less than one chance in ten thousand during the ten thousand year period of compliance (equal to a probability of 10-8/year); the event is screened out of the TSPA calculation. For example, rockfall in the repository, caused by seismic shaking, that would damage waste containers and significantly affect repository performance, has been screened out of the TSPA by DOE for this reason. DOE considers the only event that could result in releases during the 10,000 year compliance period would be volcanic disruption. But, in the analysis of this low probability event, when the risk-informed, performance-based approach is applied, the TSPA calculation is distorted to the extent that it is meaningless and misleading. The NRC staff has explained how the TSPA calculation is made "risk-informed" relative to potential volcanic disruption of a Yucca Mountain repository, which NRC views to have a probability of occurrence of one chance in ten million per year (10-7/year), during the 10,000 year compliance period. The NRC has stated, "Under the proposed 10 CFR Part 63 rule, the expected annual dose is used to determine compliance with proposed performance objectives. Expected annual dose is the dose weighted by probability of event occurrence (i.e. risk), with the maximum annual risk (ital. added) during the post-closure period used to determine compliance."(3) In order to "risk inform" the expected annual dose (consequence), it is multiplied by the probability of occurrence, i.e. 10-7. NRC's sample calculation of the consequence of volcanic disruption, under certain assumed conditions, indicates a peak probability modified "expected annual dose" (risk) of about 1 millirem (.001 rem) per year at the time of the volcanic disturbance. If the risk modifying factor, the 10-7 probability of occurrence, is removed, the expected annual maximum dose is 10,000 rems (104 rems). The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed an all pathways maximum individual dose (not risk) of 15 millirems (.015 rem) per year for a Yucca Mountain repository compliance limit, which is to be applied in NRC's consideration of a Yucca Mountain repository license application.(4) DOE has followed this calculation approach in analyzing the effects of volcanic disturbance of a Yucca Mountain repository. DOE believes the probability of occurrence to be smaller (1.6X 10-8/year) than the NRC's I0-7/year. But, taking into account some other calculational differences, DOE's result is similar, with an expected maximum annual dose from a volcanic event of about 1,000 to 10,000 rems per year, after the probability has been factored out.(5) Both NRC and DOE present the results of their performance Rockfall in the repository, caused by seismic shaking, that would damage waste containers and significantly affect repository performance, has been screened out by DOE. assessment relative to volcanic disruption as expected annual dose, when, in fact they are calculating the annual risk (dose times probability). In the case of low probability events, it is misleading to interchange dose and risk, because it is not the risk that is the first concern to the public - it is the magnitude of the consequence, should it occur. Public decisions regarding levels of acceptable risk must first be informed by a rigorous and credible analysis of the consequences. In the case of volcanic disruption of a Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, application of the risk-informed, performance-based approach, through manipulation of the meaning of dose and risk, results in the appearance that regulatory compliance is achieved, when, in fact, if the reference event were to take place, the compliance limit would be exceeded by orders of magnitude. Therefore, because of the very large doses involved, the difference between risk and dose values is literally the difference between life and death for the victims of the reference volcanic event. References (1) U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 1998. SECY-98 144, White Paper on Risk-Informed, Performance -Based Regulation. (2) Diaz, N. J., 1999. Benefits of Safety-Focused Regulation. Speech to the 1999 ANS Winter Meeting, Long Beach, CA. (3) U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, July 1999. Issue Resolution Status Report, Key Technical Issue: Igneous Activity, Revision 2. (4) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1999. Environmental Radiation Protection Standards for Yucca Mountain, Nevada; Proposed Rule, 40 CFR Part 197.64 FR 166, Aug. 27, 1999, pp.46976-47016. (5) Swift, P. and M. Sauer, 2001. Total System Performance Assessment - Site Recommendation Rev. 00 - Igneous Activity Analysis. Presentation to DOE/NRC Technical Exchange: Total System Performance Assessment - Site Recommendation Briefing, January 23, 2001. RISK POLICY REPORT - April 16, 2001 -- Volume 8, Number 4 Steve Frishman is Technical Policy Coordinator at the Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects ***************************************************************** 12 ADAMS: Items of Interest - Tuesday, July 24, 2001 State of Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects ADAMS - Items of Interest Recent Released Documents Added - Tuesday, July 24, 2001 These documents and others may be retrieved at the NRC PERR web site ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Item ID: 012040324 Accession Number: ML011990089 Date Added: 7/23/01 3:15:38 PM Title: 07/17/01 Meeting Slide Presented At The Westinghouse 3-D Rod Ejection Methodology Meeting. Author Affiliation: Westinghouse Electric Company Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040395 Accession Number: ML012040393 Date Added: 7/23/01 5:11:10 PM Title: 07/18/01 Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Hearing on S. 803, "E-Government Act of 2001" July 11, 2001. Author Affiliation: NRC/OCA Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040047 Accession Number: ML012010400 Date Added: 7/23/01 10:17:43 AM Title: 07/19/2001 Meeting Handouts - Meeting with Combustion Engineering Owners Group to Discuss Improvements to Topical Report Process. Author Affiliation: NRC/NRR/DLPM/LPD4-2 Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040150 Accession Number: ML012010422 Date Added: 7/23/01 11:26:51 AM Title: 08/02/01 - Mtg w/ Framatome ANP, to discuss future submittals of amendments and applications for transportation packages from Framatome. Author Affiliation: NRC/NMSS/SFPO Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040377 Accession Number: ML012010052 Date Added: 7/23/01 4:13:11 PM Title: 08/02/2001 Meeting With Nuclear Energy Institute and Operating Pressurized Water Reactor Licensee's to Discuss NRC Expectations Re PWR Licensee Responses to NRC's Bulletin on Circumferential Cracking of Reactor Pressure Vessel Head Penetration Nozzles. Author Affiliation: NRC/NRR/DLPM/LPD1 Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040226 Accession Number: ML012010208 Date Added: 7/23/01 12:12:38 PM Title: 08/06-10/2001 Meeting Notice: Forthcoming U.S. NRC and U.S. DOE Technical Exchange and Management Meeting on Total System Performance Assessment and Integration. Author Affiliation: NRC/NMSS/DWM Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040151 Accession Number: ML012010424 Date Added: 7/23/01 11:26:56 AM Title: 08/09/2001 Public Meeting Notice - Management Review Board Meeting for Ohio Radiation Control Program IMPEP Review. Author Affiliation: NRC/STP Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040359 Accession Number: ML012040249 Date Added: 7/23/01 4:11:46 PM Title: 09/13/01 Closed Mtg Davis Besse/Perry EA 01-082; 01-083; 01-091 Predecisional Enforcement Conference. Author Affiliation: NRC/RGN-III/DRS/PSB Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040048 Accession Number: ML011940320 Date Added: 7/23/01 10:17:53 AM Title: 2000 Annual Report. Author Affiliation: Allegheny Electric Cooperative Inc, Continental Cooperative Services, Soyland Power Cooperative, Inc Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040320 Accession Number: ML012040155 Date Added: 7/23/01 3:14:41 PM Title: 8/3/2001 Meeting with United States Enrichment Corporation/Nuclear Reg. Comm. to Discuss Future Advanced Enrichment Technology Plans and Possible 10 CFR Part 70 License Application for Construction & Operation of Centrifuge Testing and Training Facility. Author Affiliation: NRC/NMSS/FCSS Document/Report Number: ML012040155 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040354 Accession Number: ML011380164 Date Added: 7/23/01 4:11:26 PM Title: Letter forwarding Replacement Page for "Amendment of SNM-338, for Shipment of Scrap Containing Uranium Fully Enriched in the Isotope U-235," dated 08/17/65. Author Affiliation: Westinghouse Electric Corp Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040228 Accession Number: ML012010361 Date Added: 7/23/01 12:12:51 PM Title: M010719B - BRIEFING ON RESULTS OF AGENCY ACTION REVIEW MEETING - REACTORS Author Affiliation: NRC/OCM Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040361 Accession Number: ML012040380 Date Added: 7/23/01 4:11:54 PM Title: M010720A-Briefing on Results of Reactor Oversight Process Initial Implementation. Author Affiliation: NRC/OCM Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040372 Accession Number: ML012040383 Date Added: 7/23/01 4:12:44 PM Title: M010720B-Briefing on Risk-Informing Special Treatment Requirements. Author Affiliation: NRC/OCM Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040198 Accession Number: ML011990181 Date Added: 7/23/01 11:34:36 AM Title: NEA Compared to IAEA. Author Affiliation: NRC/OIP Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040225 Accession Number: ML011990179 Date Added: 7/23/01 12:12:33 PM Title: NEA Technical Committee Activities of Interest to NRC (Highlights for 2000). Author Affiliation: NRC/OIP Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040152 Accession Number: ML012040088 Date Added: 7/23/01 11:27:04 AM Title: Press Release-01-087: NRC Announces Availability of License Renewal Applications For Catawba, McGuire. Author Affiliation: NRC/OPA Document/Report Number: Press Release-01-087 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040325 Accession Number: ML012040111 Date Added: 7/23/01 3:16:04 PM Title: Press Release-01-088 NRC Approves Guidance Documents For License Renewal. Author Affiliation: NRC/OPA Document/Report Number: Press Release-01-088 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040323 Accession Number: ML012040166 Date Added: 7/23/01 3:15:19 PM Title: Press Release-01-089: NRC To Meet With Nuclear Fuel Services To Discuss Apparent Violation Of NRC Requirements. Author Affiliation: NRC/OPA Document/Report Number: Press Release-01-089 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040295 Accession Number: ML012040174 Date Added: 7/23/01 12:23:50 PM Title: Press Release-01-090: NRC To Meet With Proposed Mixed Oxide Fuel Facility Applicant To Discuss NRC Requests For Additional Information. Author Affiliation: NRC/OPA Document/Report Number: Press Release-01-090 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040371 Accession Number: ML012010113 Date Added: 7/23/01 4:12:40 PM Title: Press Release-II-01-014: NRC Staff Seeks Input On Draft Turkey Point Environmental Impact Statement; Meetings Scheduled For July 17. Author Affiliation: NRC/OPA:RGN-II/FO Document/Report Number: Press Release-II-01-014 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040321 Accession Number: ML012040180 Date Added: 7/23/01 3:14:47 PM Title: Press Release-II-01-032: NRC Plans Additonal Inspection At Oconee Nuclear Power Plant Due To Multiple Performance Deficiencies. Author Affiliation: NRC/OPA:RGN-II/FO Document/Report Number: Press Release-II-01-032 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040125 Accession Number: ML012010399 Date Added: 7/23/01 11:22:02 AM Title: Radionuclide Migration Experiments in Non-Welded Tuff under Saturated and Unsaturated Conditions. Author Affiliation: US Dept of Energy (DOE) Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040224 Accession Number: ML011970451 Date Added: 7/23/01 12:12:27 PM Title: Visit of Carol E. Kessler, OECD/NEA Deputy Director-General Designate July 16, 2001. Author Affiliation: NRC/OIP Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040353 Accession Number: ML011380158 Date Added: 7/23/01 4:11:19 PM Title: Westinghouse Electric Corp, License SNM-338, Application for Amendment for Shipment of Scrap Containing Uranium Fully Enriched in the Isotope U-235, Author Affiliation: Westinghouse Electric Corp Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040156 Accession Number: ML011380247 Date Added: 7/23/01 11:27:22 AM Title: Westinghouse Electric Corp, License SNM-338, Revised Application for Amend for Shipment of Nuclear Reactor Fuel Assemblies. Author Affiliation: Westinghouse Electric Corp Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040163 Accession Number: ML011380132 Date Added: 7/23/01 11:28:15 AM Title: Westinghouse Electric Corp, License SNM-338, Revised Application for Amendment for the Recovery of Uranium from Scrap Material. Author Affiliation: Westinghouse Electric Corp Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040309 Accession Number: ML011380599 Date Added: 7/23/01 12:25:39 PM Title: Westinghouse Electric Corporation Letter Dated May 21, 1968, Requests Amendment of License No. SNM-338 to Authorize the Delivery of Special Nuclear Material to a Carrier for Transport. Author Affiliation: US AEC Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012040164 Accession Number: ML011380143 Date Added: 7/23/01 11:28:22 AM Title: Westinghouse, License SNM-338, Revision to Application dated 11/24/65, for the Use of Scrap in a Uranium Recovery Facility. Author Affiliation: Westinghouse Electric Corp Document/Report Number: ***************************************************************** 13 Nuclear waste's trip across state raising warnings IndyStar.com: Article Train carrying 125 highly radioactive fuel rod assemblies expected through Indiana this summer, passing through Fort Wayne and West Lafayette. By David Rohn Indianapolis Star July 23, 2001 This summer, a freight train with only five rail cars -- two of them carrying dumbbell-shaped casks -- is expected to rumble through Indiana on its way from New York to Idaho. The casks will carry 125 used nuclear fuel rod assemblies, the first known shipment of high-level nuclear material to cross Indiana since highly radioactive waste from the Three Mile Island reactor passed through the state in 1986. But if Congress authorizes a nuclear waste repository in Nevada, scheduled to open in 10 years, it won't be the last. "We're looking at 8,000 shipments going through Indiana over the next 30 years when they start rolling all the nuclear waste from power plants all over the United States by rail and over the interstates on trucks," said Grant Smith, environmental coordinator for the Citizens Action Coalition. Though most people say this summer's shipment itself is unlikely to pose any significant safety risks, the specter of more shipments has energized many in northern Indiana. Smith's group has waged protests dubbed "Mobile Chernobyl" to focus attention on the more massive shipments to come. Critics say there are myriad dangers, ranging from terrorists with armor-piercing weapons to toll-booth operators who could face an increased risk of cancer because of repeated exposure to low-level radiation from the passing cargo. The worries aren't limited to Smith's group, however. "It concerns me," said Sharon Clark, who works at Daylight Donuts in Fort Wayne. "I don't understand why they have to travel through our state. "But then I don't know what they can do with it. They can't burn it and make it go up in smoke." Purdue University senior Shaun Moore is keeping this summer's shipment in perspective. "If the nuclear waste is going to its final destination and will be put in a more secure place, then it has to be moved." However, Moore said there always is the potential for danger, citing an accident last week in Baltimore involving a train leaking acid. "I definitely think nuclear power generation needs to be phased out so we're not continuously shipping this stuff forever," he said. No date for the train's passage through Indiana has been announced. But Rex Bowser, radiation specialist with the Indiana State Department of Health, will be ready. He plans to measure the level of radioactivity when the Norfolk &Southern train stops for a crew change in Indiana. John Chamberlain, a spokesman for West Valley (N.Y.) Nuclear Services, which is shipping the material, said Bowser shouldn't detect any more radiation than that generated by a chest X-ray. Chamberlain said there is no danger of explosion. Even if the casks were breached, they pose little risk to anyone who quickly gets 100 yards away, he said. Bowser doesn't anticipate any problems. "High-level radioactive material has been transported for 30 to 40 years in this country, and there has never been a major incident," he said. But there have been minor ones. According to U.S. Atomic Energy Commission reports, there have been 72 incidents involving spent nuclear fuel shipments since 1949. They range from the overturning of a truck carrying casks to pinhole leaks of radioactive coolant. None resulted in serious contamination or injuries directly attributable to radiation exposure. Bowser said he isn't aware of any accidents in Indiana, except for Cold War-era crashes of bombers carrying nuclear weapons. The safety record for shipping nuclear material does little to mollify Tim Stelle. He used to live along the tracks in Fort Wayne where this summer's shipment will pass. Stelle, an organizer for Citizens Action Coalition, said those advocating shipments of spent reactor fuel are engaging in "bizarre double-think" by claiming the fuel is too hazardous to be kept where it is, yet is safe enough to be shipped across the country. Robert Halstead, who works for Nevada's Agency for Nuclear Projects and has been analyzing possible routes for radioactive material for that state, acknowledged that Indiana could figure prominently in shipment routes. "Indiana is one of the few states affected very heavily by either rail or truck shipment scenarios," Halstead said. Contact David Rohn at 1-317-444-6204 or via e-mail at david.rohn@indystar.com Copyright 2001 The Indianapolis Star. ***************************************************************** 14 Goshute Letter: Tainted Critics Monday, July 23, 2001 I have read about elected officials and citizens of Utah trying to stop the Skull Valley Goshutes from accepting storage of high-level radioactive waste on a temporary basis. Well, it is a little late, for the time to act on this matter was 1982, when Congress passed the 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act. Most people didn't realize at the time, and probably still don't, that it was this act which legitimized complete sovereignty of reservation lands in the United States. Presumably, the purpose for this provision was so that the federal government could sidestep state regulations and laws when disposing of nuclear waste, just as they are trying to do now. Inadvertently, it also led to the proliferation of casinos on Indian land around the country, for they were now sovereign nations and not bound by state or federal laws with regard to such issues. Some 18 years later, the Skull Valley Goshutes apparently want to accept nuclear waste and the people of Utah are all bent out of shape about it. Were Utahns upset about any of the chemical and nerve weapons sites, incinerators, or military bombing ranges that essentially surround the Goshute reservation? Hardly, because they saw these as contributing to the economic base of Utah; but when Native Americans want to do it to their lands and make a decent living, Utahns are outraged. This is misguided, for it is a Goshute decision, not anyone else's, to make. It clearly demonstrates that white Utahns don't believe the Goshutes are capable of determining their own destiny. It is perfectly OK for white, Mormon Utahns to destroy land and foul our air and water with projects like the Deseret Chemical Depot, Dugway Proving Ground, the Legacy Highway, private low-level radioactive dumps, and, of course, the nation's single largest air polluter, MagCorp; but when native Americans try to do it well . . . that's just going too far! After all, we fine, upstanding Utahns can't allow the Goshutes to have a decent standard of living -- that's just for white folks! While I am certainly not pro-nuclear anything, I respect the rights of other sovereign nations, including the Skull Valley Goshutes, to do with their land as they see fit, especially when you put things in historical perspective. It is their decision and their decision alone. Utahns are better served by fighting to get rid of their own plethora of "dirty" sites, which they are responsible for and can do something about. ROBERT S. HILDEBRAND Salt Lake City © Copyright 2001, The Salt Lake Tribune All material found on ***************************************************************** 15 NRC to Meet with Proposed Mixed Oxide Fuel Facility Applicant to Discuss NRC Requests For Additional Information Press Release 2001 - 090 - U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, DC 20555-001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov Web Site: http://www.nrc.gov/OPA No. 01-091 July 23, 2001 NRC TO MEET WITH PUBLIC ON JULY 31 TO DISCUSS USE OF RISK INFORMATION IN REGULATING NUCLEAR WASTE AND MATERIALS The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a public meeting on July 31 in Rockville, Maryland, to discuss criteria it is developing for determining when risk information should be used in the regulation of nuclear waste and materials. The meeting will be held in the auditorium of the agency's Two White Flint North building, 11545 Rockville Pike, from 9:00 a.m. to noon, and from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. NRC officials will discuss two case studies in which the criteria under development were tested by applying them to the storage of the Three Mile Island Unit 2 spent fuel debris at a dry cask storage facility in Idaho, and to the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Kentucky. In particular, the case studies looked at how risk information was used to address earthquake concerns at these facilities. The case studies were part of an overall effort by the NRC's Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards to examine the feasibility of using risk information in its regulation of waste and materials. The July 31 meeting is the latest in a series of public meetings the NRC has held to discuss how risk information is being used to regulate nuclear materials and waste. Previous meetings were held in Rockville, Maryland, on February 9 to discuss regulation of gas chromatographs, static eliminators and fixed gauges, and on May 11 to discuss reactor decommissioning and radioactive materials transportation regulations, respectively. In addition, on June 13, NRC held a public meeting in Denver, Colorado, to discuss the use of risk information in regulating uranium milling. The NRC's case study approach, the draft screening criteria, and the case study areas under consideration are described in the "Plan for Using Risk Information in the Materials and Waste Arenas: Case Studies" published in the Federal Register on November 7, 2000. The document also is available at: http://www.nrc.gov/NMSS/IMNS/riskcasestudyplan.htmthe NRC web site. Additional information about the meeting is available from Marissa Bailey at (301) 415-7648 or by e-mail at: MGB@NRC.GOV. ***************************************************************** 16 Nirex admits culture of secrecy Guardian | Kevin Maguire Monday July 23, 2001 The Guardian Managers of the nuclear industry's waste disposal agency have admitted suppressing scientific information and misrepresenting research findings. A highly critical internal report concedes that a culture of secrecy operated within Nirex which bred public hostility. Incomplete data were released and the state-run body admits the case for a deep waste store at Sellafield "was not as good as implied by public statements made by Nirex." The agency decided to investigate itself after widespread public criticism and the unexpected refusal by the last Tory government to approve a new waste store. The findings triggered calls last night for Nirex to be made independent of the rest of the nuclear industry. The Labour MP for West Bromwich East, Tom Watson, got the report into the public domain after tabling a parliamentary question. Mr Watson said: "What the old school of Nirex management got up to was a scandal. They operated in a culture of secrecy that was unacceptable and openness is the only way forward. Nirex needs to be made independent of the rest of the nuclear industry as a matter of urgency." The agency, responsible for storing waste generated by Britain's nuclear reactors, had been accused of fiddling figures to show it was safer than it really was. The report concludes that that allegation, and another allegation that directors had been misled, were unfounded. But it substantiates claims from Friends of the Earth that pressure was put on the government's pollution inspectorate not to release information. Mark Johnston, Friends of the Earth's nuclear spokes-man, said: "They have had an appalling history. They will struggle to lift themselves above their zero credibility. The last 10 years of Nirex underlines the need for an independent radioactive waste agency." Nirex hopes to draw a line in the sand with the report and, by being more open, improve public confidence. Nirex's corporate communications head, David Wild, said yesterday: "As we look ahead to the future, the waste exists, there's a massive legacy. As a society we have to ask how to deal with it and transparency must be central to that" The report was overseen by Lynda Warren, professor of environmental law at the University of Wales, who was critical of the agency's excessive secrecy. "The main result was the creation of an 'us and them' culture in which Nirex was not trusted by those outside the organisation and individual members of staff were not trusted internally," she said. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2001 ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR WEAPONS ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 Bush, Putin Agree on Nukes Reductions July 22, 2001 GENOA, Italy- President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed Sunday to tie U.S. plans for building a missile defense shield to talks on reducing both nations' nuclear stockpiles. The leaders expressed a shared desire to discuss both offensive and defensive options as a package. "The two go hand in hand," Bush said at a news conference after their meeting on the sidelines of a global economic summit. He also said he wants a new accord to replace the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Bush described himself and his Russian counterpart as "young leaders who are interested in forging a more peaceful world." Putin, speaking through an interpreter, said the announcement on linking offensive and defense weapons was "unexpected," and cautioned that neither country is ready to discuss details. "We're not ready at this time to talk about threshold limits or the numbers themselves. But a joint striving exists," Putin said. Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, will travel to Moscow soon to begin developing a framework for discussions. Soon after he became president, Bush directed the Pentagon to consider further cuts in nuclear stockpiles, and has suggested he would be willing to go ahead with reductions with out without comparable cuts by Russia. The United States has about 7,000 strategic nuclear weapons. Under the START II agreement with Russia, that number will fall to between 3,000 and 3,500. In 1997, President Clinton and President Boris Yeltsin agreed in principle that a follow-on treaty should drop the numbers to 2,000 to 2,500. Putin has suggested 1,500 warheads each would be adequate. Putin said Bush shares with him a desire to "have large cuts in offensive arms, and together we are going to move forward in this direction." The Russian president has opposed U.S. plans for a missile shield, saying it violates the ABM pact, the Cold War-era treaty designed to curtail the arms race through a built-in vulnerability to nuclear attack. Putin has said that if the United State dumps the ABM, Russia will tear up all other arms control agreements. He also has suggested that Moscow could respond to U.S. moves by fitting multiple warheads to its single warhead missiles. Asked about that threat on Sunday, Putin said that if the new talks go well "we might not ever need to look at that option, but its one of our options." Bush expressed hope that the United States and Russia would reach agreement. "We have agreed to find common ground if possible," Bush said. "I believe we'll come up with an accord. We'll work hard toward one." In a joint statement, Bush and Putin said "major changes in the world" compelled them to link offensive and defensive measures. "We already have some strong and tangible points of agreement. We will shortly begin intensive consultations on the interrelated subjects of offensive and defensive systems," the statement said. The two leaders also discussed the Kyoto global warming pact, which Bush opposes. Bush declined to answer whether the United States will present its new plan for reducing global warming at a fall international conference. "We're in the process of developing a strategy as quickly as we possibly can and one we look forward to sharing with our friends and allies," Bush said. Bush and Putin met inside the 16th century Palazzo Doria Spinola following their participation in the annual summit of the world's leading industrialized nations. Bush and Putin headed into the meeting with sharp differences over missile defense. The United States wants to move ahead with plans to build a missile defense shield as soon as 2004, even though doing so would likely violate the ABM treaty. The move divided the United States' allies in Europe and infuriated Russia. Putin had said the United States did not adequately explained why the United States wants to scuttle the treaty. "If the ABM treaty doesn't suit the U.S., then for what reason? There's no concrete answer," Putin said Saturday. The leaders at the Group of Eight summit, in their final communique, made no mention of Bush's missile defense proposal. Sunday's meeting was the second session for Bush and Putin. Their first meeting came during an ice-breaking summit last month in Slovenia. Before the meeting, Putin expressed a desire to focus on economic ties, and the Bush administration also said it wants to emphasize investment and business cooperation with Russia rather than the large aid packages at the center of U.S.-Russian policy in the 1990s. Moscow fears a U.S. missile defense system would prompt an arms race it could not afford, as well as disrupt international stability. Putin has sought to rally European opposition to the U.S. plan. Beginning an expanded session that included aides, Bush and Putin bantered quietly about Bush's plans to leave Genoa for Rome and then Kosovo. The two leaders sat at a table set before a bank of six alternating Russian and American flags. Bush teased photographers who sprawled on the red carpet to get a better angle on their handshake. "President Putin asked me to get a picture of you all lying on the floor, and to have you autograph it for us," Bush said. Putin and Bush are set to meet again at Bush's Texas ranch this fall, and during a conference on the Asia-Pacific region in Shanghai, China. All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 2 Officials Aim To Raise Part of Kursk July 23, 2001 MOSCOW- The cause of the sinking of the nuclear submarine Kursk can be known only if a key part of the vessel is raised that for now is to remain at the bottom, a top official of the operation to lift the sub said Monday. The submarine's first compartment was severely damaged in the August 12, 2000, explosion that sank the submarine in the Barents Sea, killing all 118 people aboard. The recovery operation is to cut that compartment away from the rest of the submarine and leave it at the bottom when the rest of the hulk is brought up in September. Officials have said they would consider raising the compartment next year. "Only real fragments (from the first compartment) can show the cause of the submarine's sinking," Vyacheslav Zakharov, head of the Moscow office of the Dutch company Mammoet which is leading the operation, was quoted as saying by the news agency ITAR-Tass. Russian officials have said the disaster was triggered by a practice torpedo. But it is unclear whether the torpedo exploded because of an internal malfunction or whether it was triggered by a collision with another vessel. The collision theory has been frequently advanced by Russian officials, while most outside experts speculate it was a malfunctioning torpedo. Russian television stations showed a videotape Monday of the submarine's remains. It showed portions of the huge vessel's thick hull torn apart like shredded cardboard. Despite the heavy damage, Zakharov said there was no danger of explosion of the submarine's nuclear reactor. "It is known absolutely, precisely, that the reactor is shut down at the present time ... One may not say that it could enter an active regime," he was quoted as saying. All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 3 Chemical used in rocket fuel found in Colorado River July 23, 2001 PHOENIX (AP) - A chemical used to make rocket fuel and linked to thyroid problems in infants was found in small quantities in the Colorado River below Lake Mead. At Lake Mead, the chemical, called perchlorate, was measured in concentrations up to 24 parts per billion, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency documents publicized in a report by the Environmental Working Group. Downstream, concentrations were measured up to nine parts per billion. Much of the water that Arizonans drink and use in irrigation comes from the Colorado River. Four parts per billion is the maximum acceptable in drinking water, according to recent federal decisions regarding perchlorate cleanup sites. But because perchlorate is an unmonitored chemical, no regulation exists as to what level is safe. "We're just developing the science right now to be able to talk about standards," said Kevin Mayer, the EPA official responsible for tracking perchlorate contamination around the country. Perchlorate has long been regarded as a dangerous chemical. An Arizona Department of Health Services study last year found that infants who ate baby food reconstituted with tap water, in this case supplied by the Colorado River, had higher rates of thyroid dysfunction than those who used non-Colorado River water. "All the standards are for what an adult male can drink," said Bill Walker of the Environmental Working Group. "They didn't take into account that babies take in much more water in proportion to their body weight." Other Arizona sites named in the report were the Apache Nitrogen Products site in Benson, which led the list with a measurement of 670 parts per billion found in a monitoring well. A monitoring well at Phoenix-Goodyear Municipal Airport, a former military base turned public airport and Superfund cleanup site, is second on the list with measurements of 80 parts per billion. On the Net: Perchlorate report: http://www.ewg.org/pub/home/reports/rocketscience/ EPA: http://www.epa.gov/ All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 4 Divers Made A Test Cutting Of The Kursk Nuclear Submarine's Hull Pravda.RU Jul, 23 2001 The divers, who are working in the area of the Kursk submarine's wreck, have made a test cutting of the outer hull. As RIA Novosti was told on Monday by assistant Chief Commander of the Fleet Igor Dygalo, the operation for lifting the Kursk is going on according to the plan. During the past twenty-four hours, the group of deep-sea divers continued preparatory work on the outer hull of the submarine. They marked the centres of the technological holes on the third, fourth and fifth compartments of the submarine's portside. On Monday, in accordance with the results of the test cutting the last efforts will be made for adjusting the equipment placed at the depth of 108 metres. RIA 'Novosti' Copyright ©1999 by "Pravda.RU". When reproducing our materials ***************************************************************** 5 Press Conference On Ecological Security Of Raising Kursk Submarine To Be Held In Moscow Pravda.RU Jul, 24 2001 A press conference on the questions of ecological security of the operation to raise the Kursk nuclear submarine is to be held in Moscow on Tuesday. Vice-president of the Russian Scientific Centre Kurchatovsky Institute Nikolai Ponomaryov-Stepnoi and director-chief designer of the Afrikantov United Design Office of Engineering (OKBM) Alexander Kiryushin will take part in it. The Russian Scientific Centre Kurchatovsky Institute participates in the monitoring of the radioactive situation in the Barents Sea, in the place of the carrying out of the operation to raise the Kursk nuclear submarine, while the Afrikantov OKBM is the leading designer-developer of nuclear reactors for Russian nuclear submarines. The power plant of the Kursk submarine includes two OK-650 water-moderated reactors. They are placed in the sixth reactor compartment along the axis of the nuclear submarine in special air-tight enclosures which are designed to stand high pressure and considerable shock impact. The reactors were developed and made at the machine-building plant in Nizhni Novgorod (the Volga area). They are third-generation reactors which stand out for their enhanced reliability and safety. General designer of the Afrikantov OKBM Alexander Kiryushin earlier stated that the Kursk reactors are shut down and do not pose any threat to the environment and to people. Each reactor is fitted out with an effective protection system and security systems, including shut-down of the reactor if the submarine is de-energized or if temperature or pressure rise. RIA 'Novosti' Copyright ©1999 by "Pravda.RU". When reproducing our materials ***************************************************************** 6 Nuke Workers Get Compensation Help The Salt Lake Tribune -- July 24, 2001 BY KATHERINE VOGT THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WESTMINSTER, Colo. -- Sick workers from the former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant and their families have a new resource center where they can receive assistance and file compensation claims. The federal Energy and Labor departments opened the resource center Monday to help sick workers and their families file for compensation under federal and state law. It is one of 10 centers opening this month across the country. Betty Martinez, 68, of Thornton, Colo., was one of the first people to meet with a caseworker at the center Monday morning. Her husband, Joe Martinez, died from cancer at age 74 in 1999 after working 22 years as a welder at Rocky Flats. Betty Martinez said she is certain the cause of her husband's cancer was exposure to radiation several times while working at the plant mostly in the 1970s and 1980s. He died within five months of being diagnosed. The cancer had spread into so much of his body that doctors couldn't pinpoint its origin, she said. She hopes to be deemed eligible for compensation under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act, which takes effect July 31. The law provides $150,000 in lump-sum compensation to workers who are seriously ill because they were exposed to beryllium, silica or radiation while working for the Energy Department in the nuclear weapons industry. It also provides for related medical expenses and compensation for some surviving family members. The five caseworkers at the center will also assist in filing claims under state workers compensation law. Organizers of the resource center say Rocky Flats workers have one of the highest rates of chronic beryllium disease in the nation, which can cause cancer. The lightweight metal was used in manufacturing as well as for research and development at the plant 16 miles northwest of Denver. Ray Malito, manager of the new center, said many of the sick workers are skeptical about the government's willingness to help them. "Once the first checks come out it's going to ease people's minds," he said. Government officials have said that the first compensation checks could be mailed in August. Resource centers are also opening in Las Vegas; Richland, Wash.; Paducah, Ky.; Espanola, N.M.; Idaho Falls, Idaho; North Augusta, S.C.; Oak Ridge, Tenn.; Anchorage, Alaska; and Portsmouth, Ohio. Eligible workers can also receive assistance at Labor Department district offices in Seattle; Denver; Cleveland, Ohio; and Jacksonville, Fla. © Copyright 2001, The Salt Lake Tribune All material found on ***************************************************************** 7 CDC to outline scope of Fallon leukemia probe RGJ.com - By Frank X. Mullen Jr. Reno Gazette-Journal Monday July 23rd, 2001 Federal health investigators are scheduled Tuesday to announce human and environmental testing procedures in the probe of the Fallon leukemia cluster. Thomas Sinks, associate director for science at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Environmental Health, said the CDC should begin its field work in mid-August. The tests will involve blood screens of affected families and volunteer control families, as well as soil, air and dust testing. Investigators will be looking “for evidence to support or refute what could have contributed to this cluster,” Sinks said. Fourteen children with links to Fallon have been diagnosed with leukemia since 1997. The cluster includes 13 cases of acute lymphocytic leukemia, or ALL, and one case of acute myelogenous leukemia, or AML. One Fallon child, Adam Jernee, 10, died of ALL in May. State and federal experts admit the chances of finding the cause of the leukemia cluster are slim. Out of more than 700 state and federal cancer cluster investigations in the last three decades, no single source for a disease epidemic ever has been identified. But Fallon’s cluster isn’t typical because it involves so many children who were diagnosed in so short a time. In addition, ALL clusters are rare and this one was identified very quickly, state officials said. While a solution to the Fallon cluster might not be evident, experts said the investigation could offer researchers insight into why children get leukemia. MEETING, TO HELP: * Tuesday, 7 p.m., Fallon Community Center, 100 Campus Way, Fallon. * Donations to assist patients’ families with expenses relating to treatment may be made to the Mayor’s Youth Fund, 55 Williams Ave., Fallon, NV 89406. Attention: Fallon Families First/city clerk. For more information about contributions: 775-423-5104. * State leukemia hotline: 1-888-808-4623. © Reno Gazette-Journal ***************************************************************** 8 Russian Navy Confirms Absolute Nuclear Safety for Lifting Kursk July 23, 2001, updated at 09:23(GMT+8) Russian Navy Confirms Absolute Nuclear Safety for Lifting Kursk The nuclear reactors of the sunk Russian submarine Kursk are completely not operational, and no hypothetical mechanical force can reactivate them, Russian Navy Spokesman Igor Dygalo told the NTV channel on Sunday. "The cut-and-dried conclusion is that the mechanical impact that the Kursk underwent at the disaster time did not exceed the projected limits," said the spokesman as an international team of divers beginning cutting the fifth compartment of the ill-fated submarine. According to him, the vessel's emergency mechanisms have been proved effective enough to prevent any leak from the reactor when the submarine sank last August at the Barents Sea after a few explosions ripped through its hull. Even if a repeat thrust happened during the lifting operation, it would certainly not go beyond projected limits, Dygalo assured. "Every measure is taken to avoid such situations, everything is accounted for and thought through," he added According to latest Interfax reports, the diver team has begun cutting the fifth compartment of the Kursk, opening "technological windows" for the lifting operation scheduled in September. + Iran Protests "Unauthorized" Exploration of Caspian Oil + Iran Warns Against US Missile Program-Induced Arms Race + Sharon Vows to Keep "Restraint" Despite Criticism + Putin, Bush Agree on Broad Format for Strategic Arms Talks + Sri Lanka's Leftist Party Plans Anti-government Rallies + Climate Conference Submits Concession Proposal for Implementing Kyoto Protocol + Indonesian President Declares State of Emergency The nuclear reactors of the sunk Russian submarine Kursk are completely not operational, and no hypothetical mechanical force can reactivate them, Russian Navy Spokesman Igor Dygalo told the NTV channel on Sunday. Copyright by People's Daily Online, all rights reserved | ***************************************************************** 9 Paris trio accused of nuclear smuggling The Times TUESDAY JULY 24 2001 FROM CHARLES BREMNER IN PARIS THE French police and intelligence services are trying to trace the origin of a small quantity of highly enriched uranium that was seized from three men arrested in Paris on suspicion of selling material for nuclear weapons. Experts believe that the five grams of uranium-235, an isotope potentially suitable for building a bomb, may have come from Russia or Eastern Europe and could have been destined for sale to a “rogue” state or terrorist organisation. Police found the uranium last week in the possession of Serge Salfati, 31, a convicted French swindler. They also arrested Yves Ekwella and Raymond Lobe, both from Cameroon, who were alleged to have been working with him. M Lobe, in his 50s, is suspected of being behind the alleged scheme. Investigators believe that the group may have been using the tiny quantity of 85 per cent enriched uranium, which was contained in a glass flask inside a lead cylinder, as bait to attract a customer to a larger amount. The French Atomic Energy Commission is conducting tests to reveal the origin of the uranium. Suspicion has fallen on the former eastern bloc because of papers found in M Lobe’s Paris flat. These contained apparent certificates of analysis of nuclear products printed in the Cyrillic alphabet, versions of which are used by the Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian and Serbo-Croat languages. Air tickets to East European destinations were also found. Police raided M Lobe’s flat after arresting M Salfati and M Ekwella aboard a van near the Place de la Nation. They had been watching M Salfati’s movements for a month since his release from jail after serving a brief sentence for a swindle involving the sale of fraudulent shares. Police suspected that the pair were handling nuclear materials and confirmed this with a Geiger counter check on the van. The three men are being detained on charges of trafficking in nuclear materials. About 20kg of uranium is needed to build a nuclear bomb. According to the US Government, demand for enriched uranium, which is priced at millions of dollars per kg, may be coming from Iran, Iraq, Libya and North Korea. The Americans also say that the Osama bin Laden terrorist network is seeking weapons-grade materials. Russia is thought to be the biggest source of illicit nuclear material because of its large, poorly maintained nuclear facilities, disgruntled workers and climate of lawlessness. The French authorities are maintaining a news blackout on the investigation after the reports in Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper. The case is being directed by Françoise Travaillot, an investigating judge, and handled by the police financial crime squad and the DST, equivalent to Britain’s MI5. The discovery of uranium in the hands of a small-time Paris criminal will have set alarm bells ringing in intelligence circles and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) because most trafficking in illicit radioactive materials has involved waste from nuclear reactors. Enriched uranium-235, which is usually produced for military purposes, has been seized in only a handful of cases. Some 32 seizures of illegal radioactive material have taken place since January, according to the IAEA. Most were of non-military nuclear waste that was being handled by petty criminals. Copyright 2001 Times Newspapers Ltd. This service is provided ***************************************************************** 10 Letter: Resource Center open to help DOE workers file claims - Stewart Tolar The Paducah Sun Paducah, Kentucky Tuesday, July 24, 2001 EDITOR: My thanks to all of the news media for your coverage of the grand opening of the Energy Employees Compensation Resource Center. Also, thank you for your recent editorial concerning Labor Secretary Elaine Chao delivering on her promises to move quickly to help the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant workers, their families and survivors. The Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA) was passed in October 2000 and goes into effect on July 31, 2001. It provides $150,000 in lump-sum compensation, as well as related medical expenses, to workers who are seriously ill because of exposures while working for the Department of Energy. This includes contractors, subcontractors and other employees who worked at facilities and whose work involved radioactive material that was connected to the weapons production chain. The Paducah Compensation Resource Center has trained case workers who are available to assist individuals in filing their claims with the Department of Labor. We also have a list of covered facilities (other than the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant) where workers were exposed. In addition, our office will help file state workers' compensation claims for workers who have, or develop, occupational diseases not covered in the EEOICPA but are found to be caused by exposure to toxic substances at DOE facilities. Our office is located at the Barkley Center, 125 Memorial Drive, in Paducah. The office hours are 8:30 to 5, Monday through Friday. The telephone number is 270-534-0599. We provide a friendly atmosphere with case workers eager to assist claimants with the filing process. STEWART TOLAR Manager Paducah Compensation Resource Center ***************************************************************** 11 Energy Department Honors Small Business of the Year from Oakland, California energy.gov - Headquarters' Press Release RELEASE DATE: July 20, 2001 [Print Friendly Version] Departmental Small Business Mentors Recognized WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Astro Pak of Oakland, Calif., a small business contractor for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, has received the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Small Business of the Year award for 2001. The award was conferred at the Energy Department's second annual small business conference June 20-22, 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada, attended by over 1,000 participants. "Small business is one of the pillars of economic development in America, and I am proud to encourage the Energy Department's programs that allow small businesses to play a crucial role in making our government work," said Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham. Astro Pak developed and operated a facility to process laser components for the Energy Department's National Ignition Facility (NIF) in Livermore, California. Astro Pak worked diligently to successfully achieve cleanliness levels measuring five microns in size and established hydrocarbon residues 1/10 of a milligram on structures as large as 46 tons. By accomplishing this, Astro Pak surpassed the acceptance of traditional measurements and set the standard for future cleanliness levels. The Secretary's Small Business Awards presented to other program offices and major contractors which excelled in particular small business areas are: + Program Office of the Year: DOE Office of Environment, Safety and Health + Heads of Contracting Activities (HCA) of the Year Award: Joint Awardees: Western Area Power Administration Southwestern Power Administration + Management and Operating (M) Contractor of the Year: Bechtel BWXT, Idaho, LLC + Small Business Awards: + DOE Office of Environmental Management - Outstanding Women-Owned Business Achievement + DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy - Outstanding 8(a) Business Achievement + Golden Field Office - Outstanding 8(a) and Women-Owned Business Achievement + Oak Ridge Associated Universities - Outstanding Women-owned Business Achievement + Westinghouse TRU Solutions - Outstanding HUBZone (Historically Underutilized Business Zones) Business Achievement + West Valley Nuclear - Outstanding Small Disadvantaged Business Achievement + Western Area Power Administration - Outstanding HUBZone Business Achievement + Mentor-Protege Program Award: Westinghouse Savannah River Company, (Mentor); Contract Management, Inc. (Protege) + Special Emphasis Awards: + DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (outstanding performance by Headquarters, Golden Field Office and National Renewable Energy Laboratory) + DOE Office of Fossil Energy, Washington, D.C. (conducting a Women and Minority Natural Gas Program) + Argonne National Laboratory (outreach program) + Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (technology transfer with small businesses) + Sandia National Laboratories (special initiatives including Laboratory Partnerships with Small Business Tax Credit Act; Supplier Recognition Programs; Quarterly Newsletter for Suppliers) The Energy Department's small business conference highlighted successful approaches to small business marketing at DOE; an overview and new on-line application to the Mentor-Protege Program; DOE laboratories technology transfer; electronic commerce; performance-based contracting; proposal and grant evaluations; partnership and capital formation; small business support organizations who partner with DOE; effective marketing to DOE's prime contractors; exhibits by DOE's major prime contractors; and a Bid Board which provided a myriad of upcoming contract opportunities from DOE prime contractors. Media Contact: Lisa Cutler, 202/586-5806 Release No. R-01-120 ***************************************************************** 12 U.S. Leads Establishment of Generation IV International Forum for Nuclear Energy Cooperation energy.gov - Headquarters' Press Release RELEASE DATE: July 23, 2001 [Print Friendly Version] Aims to Develop the Next-Generation Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems by 2030 WASHINGTON, D.C -- U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham today announced the signing of a formal charter by the United States and governments of leading nuclear nations, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Japan, Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom, establishing the Generation IV International Forum (GIF), as an international collective dedicated to the development by 2030 of the next generation of nuclear reactor and fuel cycle technologies. The charter provides the framework to plan and conduct international cooperative research on advanced nuclear energy systems that are safe, reliable, economic, and proliferation resistant. The activities of the GIF support the recommendation in the Bush Administration's National Energy Policy to pursue research that will develop next generation nuclear reactor technologies. "Nuclear energy technologies are needed to meet today's and tomorrow's energy challenges and help provide a clean and affordable world energy source," said Secretary Abraham. "This agreement is the foundation for the U.S. and our international partners to develop innovative and revolutionary nuclear energy technologies that will be safer, more reliable, more economic, and more proliferation-resistant." The GIF member countries will work together on Generation IV technologies, sharing resources, expertise, and facilities -- an approach that will lead to efficiencies in designs and avoid duplication of efforts. The objectives of the Forum are to develop concepts for one or more Generation IV nuclear energy systems that can be licensed, constructed and operated in a manner that will provide an economic and reliable supply of energy. GIF charter members are developing a Generation IV technology roadmap, that when completed in fall 2002, will define the research necessary to develop and deploy the most promising technologies. This technology roadmap will serve as the organizing basis for all of GIF's future research activities. It is anticipated that GIF will collaborate with all elements of the international research community, including industry, academia, government and non-government organizations. The GIF was initiated in January 2000, when nine countries first met in Washington, D.C., and announced a joint statement of intent to begin investigation of Generation IV nuclear power systems as a long-term option. The second and third meetings of the Forum were held in Seoul, Korea and Paris, France, in August 2000 and March 2001, respectively. The next meeting of GIF will be held in Miami, Fla., in October 2001. Membership in GIF is open to other countries with the approval of the charter members. Media Contact: Hope Williams 202/586-5806, Joe Davis 202/586-4940 Release No. R-01-122 ***************************************************************** 13 Senate Puts Graham on Notice to Protect Public Health, Safety and Environment July 20, 2001 Statement of Public Citizen President Joan Claybrook While the outcome of yesterday’s Senate vote to confirm John Graham as the country’s next regulatory overseer is disappointing, the significant number of senators who voted against Graham -- 37 -- comes as a promising sign that more lawmakers are paying close attention to the Bush anti-safety agenda. While the president already has rolled back sensible health, safety and environmental regulations that protect countless Americans, Congress and the public are awakening to the fact that Bush’s anti-regulatory agenda gives corporations a blank check to delay, block and gut health and safety standards. However, the opposition on the Senate floor to Graham’s nomination is only the beginning of the fight against the Bush agenda. Yesterday’s vote puts Graham on notice that the voices of public health experts must be heard over those who expect to use the Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) as a back door for special interests. As OIRA administrator, Graham will be scrutinized closely, not only because of his ties to industry, but also because his past use of bean-counting methods in his industry-funded research illustrates his aversion to health, safety and environmental regulations. To this end, Public Citizen will launch "Graham Watch" to monitor his decisions and see how they help his former corporate benefactors. Public Citizen commends the leadership of Sens. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) and Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), whose efforts were crucial in the opposition of Graham’s appointment. They are true champions of consumers, workers and the environment. The position of OIRA administrator is critical in reviewing regulations that are often the last line of defense for the health and safety of Americans. Given the opposition of over one-third of the Senate to his appointment, John Graham would be wise to use his clout to protect ordinary Americans rather than serve as a tool of industry Public Citizen ***************************************************************** 14 Seaborg son to remember dad at Danville talk Published Monday, July 23, 2001 + The biologist discusses life with the man whose deeds ranged from discovering plutonium to preserving East Bay trails + WHAT: David Seaborg speaks on "Personal Views of the Nobel Prize" + WHERE: Blackhawk Museum, 3700 Blackhawk Plaza Circle, Danville + WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday + COST: Free + CALL: 925-736-2277 By Linda Davis TIMES STAFF WRITER BLACKHAWK -- Mention the name Seaborg and anyone with a scientific bent knows the man. Glenn T. Seaborg, who discovered plutonium and nine other elements, was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1951 for his work on the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb during World War II. The pre-eminent scientist, who spent his last years in Lafayette, was a pioneer in the development of nuclear weaponry. But he was also an ardent educator, civic leader and conservationist whose later efforts helped ratify the Limited Test Ban Treaty in 1961. Seaborg died Feb. 25, 1999, at age 86. During his life he was chancellor of the University of California; served 10 years on the Atomic Energy Commission, appointed by President John F. Kennedy; discovered radioactive isotopes to fight cancer; founded the Lawrence Hall of Science; and helped establish an East Bay Regional Parks trails network. He left behind six children, one of whom followed his father's scientific path, but on a different course. David Seaborg, 52, of Walnut Creek, is an evolutionary biologist who founded two environmental organizations and is an award-winning wildlife photographer and poet. He will speak Wednesday about life with his famous father. Seaborg's talk is one in a series accompanying Blackhawk Museum's Nobel laureates exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution. Sitting in his townhouse overflowing with books and terrariums containing an assortment of reptiles and amphibians, David Seaborg recalled one embarrassing moment as a boy. "President Kennedy phoned Dad to talk to him about his appointment to the Atomic Energy Commission. I was 11. I put the phone down on the table and went outside and completely forgot about the phone. "Dad came to me and said, 'You left the president of the United States waiting on the phone for half an hour.' Boy, I felt terrible," Seaborg said. His famous father was always very busy, he said, but his dad found time for long hikes in the East Bay hills and elsewhere, which fostered a love in the young Seaborg for all creatures, especially slithery ones. While Seaborg answered the phone, his 5-foot-long pet king snake wedged itself under the watchband of a visitor who was holding the snake. Fumbling fingers broke the watchband to free the snake, who continued flicking his little tongue at the stranger. David Seaborg said that as he grew up and pursued a career in zoology, with a master's from UC Berkeley, he disagreed with his father about nuclear weapons. But he understood his position. "Dad said he did not feel guilty (about the atomic bomb), because Hitler was also working on a bomb. Dad was worried (which world power) would win, and felt it was the right thing to do given the situation at the time." Later, the elder Seaborg helped forge the treaty that banned nuclear weapons testing in the atmosphere and supported curtailing the development of weapons of mass destruction. "I think this was his greatest gift to the human race," David Seaborg said. The son relishes memories of being allowed to do his homework in the study alongside his father, as long as David, who was a good student, stuck to business. "He loved his work," Seaborg said. "He had control of time. He was willing to work hard." David Seaborg smiled as he recalled his father's eating and TV-watching habits. "He could multitask, watching TV and working at the same time. "But his eating habits. He would eat anything, fast food anywhere, just to get it over with because he knew he had to eat to live, but it was a distraction." David Seaborg, unlike his father, combs farmers markets for fresh organic foods, eats very little meat and loves sampling new, exotic dishes. One of the most treasured times he spent with his father was attending the 90th anniversary of the Nobel Prize ceremonies 10 years ago in Stockholm. What pleased the elder Seaborg most in his life, said his son, was to have an element he discovered, seaborgium, named after him. David Seaborg will talk about the creative processes in some of the great thinkers of our time, including Albert Einstein, what led to his father's receiving the Nobel Prize and what it was like being raised by one of the most revered chemists in the world. Reach Linda Davis at 925-743-2218 or . ContraCostaTimes.com ***************************************************************** 15 WOTR: A guinea pig in Nevada speaks up, by Matt Jenkins A guinea pig in Nevada speaks up by Matt Jenkins Last May, after a dreary four months in Vermont, I drove home to Nevada. Rolling back into sagebrush country felt better than it ever had before; a last kiss of snow lingered in the purple ranges of the Great Basin, and the sun blazed high over the wide open spaces. I floored the accelerator and marveled at the size of creation. Unfortunately, Highway Patrol Officer James Steele was more impressed with my speed than the desert panorama. After I surrendered my driver's license and registration, Officer Steele started in with the usual line of questioning: "Do you have anything in the car I should know about?" He rattled off an impressive litany of drugs and lethal weapons. I pleaded innocent to all. But I was, for some reason, nervous -- and driving a car of foreign manufacture. Steele decided to turn up the heat. His eyes narrowed, and then he asked: "Are you carrying any nuclear weapons or anthrax?" Wait just a minute, I thought to myself. Me with bombs or anthrax? There has been, it seems, a certain low-grade paranoia about foreign elements or more realistic fears of Timothy McVeigh types blowing up parts of America. But here in the West, that suspicion points up an irony. Why is a state patrolman concerned about foreign saboteurs attacking the West when, thanks to our government, Westerners have already been subjected to more chemical, biological and nuclear assaults than anyone else in the country? I now wish that on that sunny day close to home in Nevada, I'd had the presence of mind to suggest something novel to Officer Steele. If he were truly looking for weapons of mass destruction, I could have asked, why didn't he just take a drive out to the Army's Dugway Proving Ground, or the Deseret Chemical Depot? According to Salt Lake City's Deseret News, the statistics run something like this: 141 atomic bomb tests in Utah, numerous "radiological arms" tests, and a series of intentional nuclear-reactor meltdowns at Dugway Proving Ground in 1959, in which the Air Force "used forced air to ensure the resulting radiation would be spread to the wind." Dugway also saw over a thousand open-air chemical-weapons tests including, in 1968, a release of more than a ton of VX nerve agent that killed 6,000 sheep. As for anthrax and its kin, the newspaper turned up evidence of "at least 328 series of open-air tests of germ weapons during the Cold War." Thankfully those days are largely over now. Open-air testing of chemical and biological weapons has been illegal since 1969; testing of nuclear weapons went underground in 1963, and finally ceased for good in 1992. But while the Army has started to destroy its chemical weapons by incinerating them at the Deseret Chemical Depot, the process hasn't exactly been a cakewalk. In April 2000, U.S. District Court Judge Tena Campbell answered legal challenges by saying "there was no evidence ... that chemical agent has ever been released from the (smoke) stack into the environment." Less than a month later, the Army accidentally released 18 milligrams of sarin gas, prompting a four-month shutdown of the facility. The release was small, but when you consider that it takes only a microscopic amount to kill, and that almost 9,000 tons of chemical weapons are still stored at the depot awaiting incineration, the possibilities are hardly cheerful. It is true that the Dugway Proving Ground is lightly populated. According to Col. Edward A. Fisher in the Deseret News, "The installation's land mass, remoteness, test facilities and highly professional work force (make) our customers recognize that Dugway is the ideal location for testing." Yet Col. Fisher seems to have forgotten that there are people who live in these "remote" reaches. I couldn't help but draw a parallel with the Atomic Energy Commission's 1950s assertion that the desert of southern Nevada was "a damn good place to dump used razor blades." Our move to destroy the nation's stockpile of chemical and biological weapons signals an important change in American thinking. But has the government's attitude toward the land and rural people in the West really changed in half a century? Before Officer Steele sent me on my way again that day in May, he gave me some fine driving advice -- slow down, he said -- which I've tried to follow ever since. Now, I'd like to reciprocate with a tip of my own: Don't ever forget that the most dangerous player in the West is the one we trusted to defend us all. Matt Jenkins is a contributor to Writers on the Range, a service of High Country News in Paonia, Colorado (www.hcn.org). He is a writer in western Colorado. Any comments or concerns please contact Editor Paul Larmer, (970) 527-4898 or e-mail plarmer@hcn.org ***************************************************************** 16 Hanford projects continue to fuel dramatic boom in home construction This story was published Sun, Jul 22, 2001 By Wendy Culverwell Herald staff writer On any given weekday, Bechtel National Inc. adds four to six people, many of them engineers, to its payroll. Since last fall, the company's work force in Richland has grown from essentially zero to 1,150, and the hiring frenzy won't stop any time soon as Bechtel gears up to build a vastly complex facility to transform Hanford's radioactive tank wastes into glass. By year's end, said spokesman John Britten, Bechtel will employ 1,500 to work on the $4 billion vitrification project. By 2004, jobs will peak at 4,300. All of which begs the question: Where is everyone going to live? With apartments nearly full, finding a place to live is proving to be a challenge for Bechtel's new, well-paid employees. "We're hearing that people are having difficulty," Britten acknowledged. The answer to the question is apparent to even the most casual observer -- new homes are being built at a record pace, a phenomenon fueled in part by the vitrification project. Low interest rates and high apartment occupancy rates are contributing. In the first half of 2001, Tri-City building departments issued 680 permits for new single-family homes, a mind-boggling increase of more than 28 percent over the same period a year earlier. That makes this a bright spot in an otherwise dreary picture for the state's home builders, who have watched demand sink almost everywhere else as the economy cools and jobs disappear. "Looking at data statewide, there are only two areas that are showing any vitality -- Seattle and the Tri-Cities," said Dean Schau, regional labor economist for the state Employment Security Department. Richland, home to Bechtel and Hanford, led the area in new home construction, as it did last quarter. In the first half of 2001, the city issued 205 permits for new homes, an increase of about 85 percent. The average home value was nearly $200,000, a modest 1 percent increase in home value from a year ago. Rick Simon, planning director for the city, said the crush of permit applications prompted him to seek extra money to hire temporary staff members to help out. The department aims to issue permits within 12 days of receiving the application. "There have been times this year during busy times when we have not met that," he said. The extra workers helped restore the timeline. Simon said virtually all new construction is taking place in south Richland, in new neighborhoods such as Birchfield Meadows, the Vineyard and Brookshire Estates. Moe Frix, director of the Richland Chamber of Commerce, attributes the building boom to the vitrification project, low mortgage interest rates and a pent-up desire among established homeowners to 'super size' their living quarters. "We're coming into our own," she said. Frix said the boom hit home for her when she tried to leave her dog at her regular kennel and couldn't -- the staff said it was full of dogs waiting for their owners' homes to be built. She found a dogsitter instead. Pasco boasted a hefty 38 percent increase in new home construction. The city issued 166 permits in the first six months of the year. As in Richland, construction is in one area of town, the Desert Plateau neighborhoods of Parkside Village and Island Estates. "Pasco's just such a great place where everyone wants to live," theorized Dave McDonald, a Pasco city planner. On a more serious note, he said the city put utilities and infrastructure in that area to handle the new residents. "The facilities are there to accommodate the growth," he said. The Pasco Chamber of Commerce isn't complaining either. "It is wonderful to see that kind of growth," said Teresa Lavender, director of the Pasco Chamber of Commerce. She agreed with the general assessment that the vitrification plant, low interest rates and a tight rental market are behind the boom. Fred Nogales, marketing manager for Aho Construction, said his company expects to build 200 homes in the Island Estates and Parkside Village neighborhoods this year. The Vancouver, Wash.-based company specializes in developing affordable neighborhoods aimed at first-time home buyers. Prices range from $87,000 to $130,000. Nogales said Bechtel employees are a big part of the new community. He said younger buyers are coming in, too. "I think a lot of these younger kids are a lot more savvy these days," he said. West Richland, the fastest-growing community in the Tri-Cities in the 1990s, saw its new home rate bump up by only 6.6 percent between the first six months of 2000 and the same period this year. As of June 30, the city had issued 64 permits for single-family homes. While the growth wasn't large, West Richland was notable for the soaring value of new construction. The average new home in West Richland is worth nearly $190,000, up from less than $150,000 just a year ago. Kennewick issued the same number of permits this year as last -- 155. Much of the development is in new neighborhoods, though Rick White, the planning director, said the city is seeing a notable amount of in-fill. That is, people are building homes on vacant lots in existing neighborhoods. Planners like in-fill because it makes more efficient use of existing utilities and streets. "Lots that have been looked over in favor of ones that are easier to develop -- they're being developed now," he said. Copyright 2001 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved. This ***************************************************************** 17 New center will assist ailing weapons workers Denver Post.com By Heather Mundt Special to The Denver Post Tuesday, July 24, 2001 - WESTMINSTER - Nuclear weapons workers seeking federal compensation for illnesses stemming from exposure to toxic materials can now get help at the Energy Workers Resource Center, one of 10 in the nation. The center, at 8758 Wolff Court, opened Monday. Five full-time case workers help employees file claims under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act. The legislation provides $150,000 lump-sum compensation and medical coverage for illnesses contracted from exposure to radiation, beryllium and silica. They can also provide information to workers exposed to toxic material not covered by this act. The center is jointly sponsored by the U.S. Departments of Labor and Energy. U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Loveland, joined the Monday morning ribbon-cutting ceremony. "Basically it's like a one-stop shop to get (employees) through the application process," said Patrick Etchart, Department of Energy spokesman. Since April, 119 Rocky Flats workers have been diagnosed with chronic beryllium disease, said Karen Lutz of the Department of Energy. Another 184 are "sensitized" to beryllium, and 10 percent will develop the disease, she said. Wally Gulden, 63, a 26-year Rocky Flats veteran, was the center's first applicant. In 1993 he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma but is skeptical about receiving compensation. "My gut feeling is that I don't think anybody will get anything," Gulden said. "My grandkids might; I'll be dead." Rocky Flats process specialist Gerri Quintana, 60, and her husband, Lloyd, 66, a 12-year Rocky Flats veteran and retiree, plan to return to the center today for a counseling session. "They didn't force me to do that job," Quintana said. "(The cancer) could've happened anywhere along the way, but if these people are willing to give us the opportunity we should look into it." All contents Copyright 2001 The Denver Post or other copyright ***************************************************************** 18 Center opens for ill nuclear workers Rocky Mountain News: Local Caseworkers to assist families, help them file for compensation By Berny Morson, News Staff Writer WESTMINSTER -- Wally Gulden was first in the door at a federal office that opened Monday to help workers claim compensation for illnesses developed at nuclear weapons plants, such as Rocky Flats. Gulden, 63, of Arvada has non-Hodgkins lymphoma. "I died for four seconds -- I shut down," he said of the time he stopped breathing during chemotherapy a few years ago. "Basically, a priest came in and gave me the last rites." Workers like Gulden -- or their heirs -- are eligible for a lump-sum payment of $150,000, plus medical benefits for their conditions under a program approved by Congress. The office at 8758 Wolff Court, Suite 201, that opened Monday will help workers apply for the benefit. No one knows how many people are likely to seek benefits under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, said Ray Malito, who heads the office. Applications are expected from people who left Rocky Flats years ago, long before they developed symptoms of diseases such as cancer. The Westminster office is one of nine located near weapons facilities around the nation. In addition to Rocky Flats workers, the office will serve people who mined or transported radioactive materials for the weapons program. Beverly Lutz, who will help people file claims, is also seeking compensation for chronic beryllium disease. She worked at Rocky Flats for 32 years, starting three days after her 18th birthday. "I can relate to these people, having the illness myself, even though my symptoms are not as severe as some of their's," Lutz said. Lutz was a secretary in Building 444, where workers fashioned weapons parts from beryllium, a highly toxic metal. She inhaled dust that spread throughout the building from the work area. "I have my (claim) forms all ready to go," Lutz said. "I plan to submit them from this office so we can see how long they take." Lutz said beryllium claims are likely to be processed quickly since there is little doubt that the disease is linked to work at Rocky Flats -- few other places use beryllium. Cancer claims will be harder to process. The Department of Energy, which oversees Rocky Flats, will have to reconstruct work histories to determine whether an employee was close enough to radioactive materials to justify the claim. Gulden doubts the government will process his claim before he dies. "My grandchildren or my great-grandchildren might see it," he said. "I'm going to put it in my will." July 24, 2001 2001 © The E.W. 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