***************************************************************** 10/25/01 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 9.251 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER CONTENTS 1 Malfunction leads to disconnection of Ukrainian nuclear reactor 2 BNFL mission to charm Japan 3 Armenian nuclear plant staff threaten strike over arrears 4 US NRC approves Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site 5 Precautionary Zone Set Around Florida Nuclear Plant 6 Fault haults nuclear reactor in western Ukraine 7 Nuclear power accidents prove costly for EnBW 8 BNFL Denies being on brink of bankruptcy 9 Attack on German rail used for nuke waste transport 10 Slovak premier slams populist demand to delay nuclear plant 11 FBI Tours Local Nuclear Plant 12 German nuke waste transport may face delays 13 Austria happy with Slovakia's decision to close its nuclear plant 14 Slovakia set to sign deal with EBRD on decommissioning of nuclear 15 Experts say nuclear safeguards necessary 16 Nuclear Waste: Have Your Say 17 Ukrainian foreign minister, EBRD discuss funds for new nuclear 18 Pangea links N-dump, terror 19 Foreign nukes still a major cause for concern 20 Many thyroid cancer cases linked to Chernobyl 21 No link found between infant deaths, cleanup site 22 U.S. agency hasn't delivered anti-radiation pills it promised 23 U.S. agency hasn't delivered anti-radiation pills it promised 24 Maine Yankee steps up security 25 Experts Say Measures Needed to Protect Nuclear Reactors 26 IAEA Daily Press Review Date 2001-10-25 Number 205 27 Nuclear power plant adds security 28 SMUD plans Calif power plant near abandoned nuke 29 Europe Tightens Security at Nuclear and Other Sensitive Sites 30 'Hands Off Sellafield,' Euro Parliament Told 31 LETTERS: Nevada Power rate hikes hurt the little guy 32 Security review ordered at German nuclear plants after safety 33 Group Demands Reactor Upgrades 34 We Want The Chance to Make it Work: MOX Boss 35 Time to address the damage that was done by institutional idiocy 36 Nuclear Plants' Vulnerability Raised Attack Concerns 37 Legislature: Senate panel approves change to allow secret 38 Nuclear-plant study disputed 39 Construction of Nuclear Power Plants PAEC gains success 40 WIPP Is Triggering Economic Growth 41 Nuclear Power & Terrorism NUCLEAR WEAPONS CONTENTS 1 DOE Suspends Rad Waste Shipments Over Terrorist Concerns 2 Nuke scientist shifted to safe house 3 No terrorists have tried to enter Russian nuclear weapons stores 4 Kursk checked for nuclear leaks 5 Marshall Islands angry at US bank's refusal to release funds for 6 Pakistan to face repercussions of US bombings: Soomro 7 Pakistan questions nuclear scientist over Taliban links 8 News: Pantex pulls documents from public 9 Eastern Europe countries battle legacy of the past 10 Bechtel Jacobs safety issues identified 11 Elite U.S. team works to keep nuclear bombs from terrorists 12 Uzbekistan on alert for terrorist strikes ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 Malfunction leads to disconnection of Ukrainian nuclear reactor BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Oct 25, 2001 Kiev, 25 October: The first unit of the Rivne nuclear power plant was disconnected from the power network on Thursday [25 October], sources in the Enerhoatom National Atomic Energy Concern have told Interfax. The VVER-440 unit was disconnected at 1010 because of a transformer (T-2) malfunction. The second unit of the Rivne nuclear power plant was disconnected from the power network at 1705 on 24 October during works on the turbogenerator (TG-3). The unit was connected to the power network at 0921 on 25 October, the company said... Radiation levels are normal everywhere. Source: Interfax news agency, Moscow, in English 1115 gmt 25 Oct Malfunction leads to disconnection of Ukrainian nuclear reactor BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Oct 25, 2001 Kiev, 25 October: The first unit of the Rivne nuclear power plant was disconnected from the power network on Thursday [25 October], sources in the Enerhoatom National Atomic Energy Concern have told Interfax. The VVER-440 unit was disconnected at 1010 because of a transformer (T-2) malfunction. The second unit of the Rivne nuclear power plant was disconnected from the power network at 1705 on 24 October during works on the turbogenerator (TG-3). The unit was connected to the power network at 0921 on 25 October, the company said... Radiation levels are normal everywhere. Source: Interfax news agency, Moscow, in English 1115 gmt 25 Oct 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to Copyright ***************************************************************** 2 BNFL mission to charm Japan The Daily Telegraph (UK Abstracts); Oct 25, 2001 British Energy Minister Brian Wilson, who arrives in Japan today, will be meeting with Japanese ministers and company representatives to convince them that UK nuclear company BNFL has been successfully overhauled following the data falsification scandal in which it was embroiled in 1999. Kansai Electric of Japan, a key client, barred BNFL from bidding for contracts after the Japanese government banned Mox fuel imports from the state-owned group indefinitely because quality control data on one shipment was allegedly falsified. BNFL badly needs the Japanese contracts for its partial privatisation, which has already been set back by about two years to 2003. Abstracted from: The Daily Telegraph Copyright 2000: Financial Times Information. All rights ***************************************************************** 3 Armenian nuclear plant staff threaten strike over arrears BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Oct 25, 2001 Text of report by Armenian news agency Noyan Tapan Yerevan, 25 October: Employees of the Armenian Nuclear Power Station have not received their salaries since May this year. In this connection, a number of them are talking about a possible strike, Noyan Tapan news agency has learnt from reliable sources. At the same time, they point out that these demands do not have an organizational character. According to a report from the public relations department of the Armenian Energy Ministry, planned preventive work is currently under way at the Armenian Nuclear Power Station. If there are no technical problems, the Armenian Nuclear Power Station will be restarted within the next 10 days. Source: Noyan Tapan news agency, Yerevan, in Russian 25 Oct 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. ***************************************************************** 4 US NRC approves Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site Planet Ark Environmental News: USA: October 24, 2001 WASHINGTON - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission this week signed off on a plan to build an underground dump in Nevada's Yucca Mountain to hold radioactive spent fuel from nuclear power plants. Yet another step in a long approval process, NRC approved a site suitability study submitted by the Department of Energy. The Bush administration must still submit that plan for congressional approval. The Energy Department in August gave a favorable safety assessment to the proposed project, which would face an uphill battle on Capitol Hill. It is heavily opposed by Democrat Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, the new Senate assistant majority leader. The site in the Nevada desert would store thousands of tons of radioactive materials from nuclear power plants for an estimated 10,000 years. REUTERS NEWS SERVICE ***************************************************************** 5 Precautionary Zone Set Around Florida Nuclear Plant Wednesday October 24 2:04 PM ET MIAMI (Reuters) - The Coast Guard has set up a precautionary secure zone in the waters around Turkey Point nuclear power plant south of Miami, a spokesman said on Wednesday. Coast Guard spokesman Ron LaBrec said boaters would be banned from the area in the event of an incident or threat involving the plant. The zone was set up as one of a series of security measures taken by the Coast Guard in Florida waters after the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington. Steps include protecting cruise ships entering and leaving ports such as Miami. The security zone around Turkey Point, which is about 25 miles south of Miami, would mean that in the event of an incident or threat, the Coast Guard could advise boaters and anglers the area was closed. The zone will remain effect until June, the National Park Service said. - | Copyright © 2001 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or ***************************************************************** 6 Fault haults nuclear reactor in western Ukraine BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Oct 25, 2001 Text of report by Ukrainian news agency UNIAN Kiev, 25 October: At 1010 [0710 gmt] today, the No 1 reactor at the Rivne nuclear power plant was halted by the automated emergency protection system after a fault in a 330-kV electrical transformer. According to information centre of the State Committee for Nuclear Regulation of Ukraine, the transformer was cut out by the automated protection system, activating a fire extinguishing system although there was no fire. The cutting out of the transformer disconnected the generating set from the external power network, shut down both turbogenerators of the generating set and caused a 9-per-cent drop in the reactor's capacity. The accident did not bring about any changes in the radiation level at the Rivne nuclear power plant and around it, and does not pose any threat to the plant's personnel or the environment, the centre said. Source: UNIAN news agency, Kiev, in Ukrainian 1212 gmt 25 Oct 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to Copyright ***************************************************************** 7 Nuclear power accidents prove costly for EnBW (AKW-Storfalle beeintrachtigen Hohenflug von EnBW) Die Welt - Germany; Oct 25, 2001 Energie Baden-Wurttemberg AG (EnBW), the German utility group, is at the centre of a controversy because it did not report accidents at its Philippsburg nuclear power plant to the nuclear power authorities. As a result, two senior managers have lost their jobs, managing director Gerhard Goll has had a lot of explaining to do and the political opposition in the state of Baden-Wurttemberg is calling for the resignation of environment minister Ulrich Muller. The German environment minister, Jurgen Trittin, will no longer rule out the closure of the nuclear power station, and the nuclear power authorities may withdraw EnBW's licence for the plant if the group does not become fully transparent. The financial damage which EnBW will face as a result of the accidents could be considerable. EnBW said it would not know the extent of the financial costs until it knew how long the block in question at the plant was being shut down for. It has been said the closure is costing EnBW DM2m per day. Abstracted from Die Welt All Material Subject to Copyright ***************************************************************** 8 BNFL Denies being on brink of bankruptcy THE WHITEHAVEN NEWS Thursday, October 25, 2001 Claims in the weekend business press that BNFL was "on the Brink of Bankruptcy" have been denied by the state-owned company. The Sunday Telegraph and Financial Times have both reported that BNFL is seeking to pass on £60 billion of nuclear "clean-up" liabilities to the taxpayer, to enable any future part privatisation of BNFL to proceed. The media reports said: "The government has been in discussions with the company for months over its finances.'' But on Monday Media Relations manager at Sellafield, Alan Hughes said: "BNFL made a statement in its last annual report that it has enough cash to operate for at least the next 10 years. This statement still stands. Very few companies are in the fortunate position of being able to say this. Given the relationship of liabilities to net worth, the continuing scrutiny of nuclear liabilities and all other aspects of the balance sheet will be a fundamental feature of the management of BNFL going forward.'' "The idea of an agency being created by government to handle the UK's public sector nuclear liabilities is nothing new, indeed it was mentioned in a review of the UK Atomic Energy Authority published over a year ago.'' ***************************************************************** 9 Attack on German rail used for nuke waste transport Planet Ark Environmental News: GERMANY: October 25, 2001 HITZACKER, Germany - Engineers were examining a German railway bridge yesterday to decide whether planned nuclear waste shipments could proceed after suspected anti-nuclear activists damaged the track. German police said they suspected militant anti-nuclear protesters were behind a fire started late on Tuesday in trailers under an iron bridge near the northern town of Hitzacker through which the nuclear waste transports pass. A spokesman for the regional government said there was no alternative route the reprocessed waste could take to the nearby storage site at Gorleben. Rail traffic over the bridge was stopped after the fire, officials said. A shipment of containers carrying German nuclear waste reprocessed in France was due to return in the coming weeks. The stretch of railway has frequently been the target of attacks by anti-nuclear activists, who earlier this year managed to briefly hold up the resumption of shipments of waste from reprocessing in France by chaining themselves to the tracks. The shipments were stopped for several years due to safety concerns but were resumed after a deal was reached to gradually phase out nuclear power in Germany over the next two decades. REUTERS NEWS SERVICE ***************************************************************** 10 Slovak premier slams populist demand to delay nuclear plant closure BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Oct 24, 2001 [Presenter] Today is the second day of the parliamentary debate on the agreement which is to become a basis for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development grant of 6.5bn korunas. This grant is to be a contribution towards the early decommissioning of two oldest reactors of Jaslovske Bohunice nuclear power station [known as V1]... The opposition today reiterated arguments that the safety of Bohunice was satisfactory and that the government's plan was therefore illogical. In this respect Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda criticized in particular the speech by Deputy Robert Fico [head of Smer, Direction, political party], who proposed to change in the text of the agreement the date of V1 reactor's decommissioning and to make it comply with the (?state) of the power station. The prime minister said that Fico either did not understand what this was about or wanted to intentionally rob Slovakia of money. According to Dzurinda, Fico's proposal was dangerous. Slovakia should not be deprived of money on the account of populism and short-term election effect, Mikulas Dzurinda said. Source: Radio Twist, Bratislava, in Slovak 1100 gmt 24 Oct 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to ***************************************************************** 11 FBI Tours Local Nuclear Plant Wednesday October 24 06:22 PM EDT Local and state leaders and FBI ( - ) personnel traveled to Bay City Wednesday to see just how safe area nuclear plants are. They took a tour of the South Texas Project Electric Generating Station on FM 521 in Matagorda County and found that the plant is spending nearly $30,000 a week on security. The money is being put toward extra guards, cameras, fences and specially trained personnel in case of an emergency. The $30,000 is in addition to the $12 million the plant has spent over the last eight years to protect their employees and Bay City residents. "We take our responsibility to protect the health and safety of the public here very seriously," said Bill Cottle, STP president and chief executive officer. "The safety of the public and the safety of our employees is our No. 1 priority here at STP." There are 1,200 people that work at STP and 3,300 people who live within a 10-mile radius of the plant, so many residents and employees are concerned in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Cottle said that they take great pains to make sure that safety measures are in place and to make sure that the public is not "adversely impacted." Cottle also said that STP is working with the Federal Aviation Adminstration, FBI and state and local agencies in case an emergency situation arises. Copyright © 2001 Yahoo! and . ***************************************************************** 12 German nuke waste transport may face delays Planet Ark Environmental News: UPDATE - GERMANY: October 25, 2001 HITZACKER, Germany - German authorities said yesterday a nuclear waste shipment to a storage site in the northern town of Gorleben planned for late November might have to be postponed because of an attack on railway tracks on its planned route. Deutsche Bahn AG said engineers who had examined a bridge near the town of Hitzacker had determined that parts of the rails were so badly damaged they would have to be replaced. German police said they suspected militant anti-nuclear protesters were behind a fire started late on Tuesday in trailers under an iron bridge near Hitzacker. The bridge is on the route of nuclear waste transports. A spokesman for the regional government said there was no alternative way the reprocessed waste could take to the nearby storage site at Gorleben. Rail traffic over the bridge was stopped after the fire, officials said. A shipment of containers carrying German nuclear waste reprocessed in France was due to return in late November. The stretch of railway has frequently been the target of attacks by anti-nuclear activists. Earlier this year they managed briefly to hold up resumed shipments of waste from reprocessing in France by chaining themselves to the tracks. The shipments were stopped for several years due to safety concerns but were resumed after a deal was reached gradually to phase out nuclear power in Germany over the next two decades. REUTERS NEWS SERVICE ***************************************************************** 13 Austria happy with Slovakia's decision to close its nuclear plant BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Oct 24, 2001 Vienna, 24 October: Slovak President Rudolf Schuster and his Austrian counterpart Thomas Klestil discussed issues related to nuclear energy use, EU enlargement and the security situation after the terrorist attacks against the USA in Vienna today. "I said I was satisfied that Slovakia had confirmed its decision to close (the nuclear power plant) Jaslovske Bohunice [southwestern Slovakia] in 2006 and 2008," Klestil said at a joint press conference. Klestil also spoke highly about Slovakia's successes in EU admission negotiations. "I congratulated President Schuster on huge progress which Slovakia has made in getting closer to the EU," he said. Klestil added that Slovakia's EU entry was important for Austria as well because it would move the "Schengen border" farther to the east. He said he refused the efforts of the Austrian far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) to hold a referendum on EU enlargement. Klestil also said he thought that the EU candidate countries had to be more involved in the antiterrorist coalition after the terrorist attacks against the USA. Schuster said that Slovakia aimed to enter the EU together with its neighbours. "Our strategic goal is entering the EU at about the same time with the other Visegrad Four countries so that we did not have to build any Schengen borders between one another," he said. Visegrad Four countries include the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary. Schuster also said he was in favour of the idea of creating a centre supported by the EU which would deal with the issues connected to border protection after EU enlargement... Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 1357 gmt 24 Oct 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to ***************************************************************** 14 Slovakia set to sign deal with EBRD on decommissioning of nuclear plant BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Oct 24, 2001 Text of report in English by Slovak commercial news agency SITA web site Bratislava, 24 October: Nothing prevents signing of the framework agreement between Slovakia and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on financing the decommissioning of the two blocks of the V-1 nuclear power plant in Jaslovske Bohunice. The economy minister said this after the Slovak parliament voted down a proposal to adopt resolutions filed by deputies Robert Fico and Ivan Gasparovic responding to the information on the agreement delivered by Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda. Nonpartisan deputy Fico proposed not to close down the nuclear power plant as long as it meets international safety standards. Gasparovic, deputy for the opposition Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), requested that parliament discusses the agreement prior to its signing and the cabinet releases the draft agreement for public discussion. [Economy Minister Lubomir] Harach warned that Fico's proposal is double-edged, because if safety criteria become more tough, the lifetime of V-1 might be even shorter than originally proposed. According to the minister, the lifetime of V-2 nuclear power plant in Jaslovske Bohunice should be prolonged thanks to investments into its modernization. Based on its agreement with the EBRD, the European Commission will contribute 150m euros, of which part will come from the PHARE [EU economic reconstruction aid for Eastern Europe] program. The money is earmarked for the first part of EU compensation for the earlier shutdown of V-1 nuclear power plant planned for 2006 and 2008. Money from the fund can be used after 2006 and towards technical expenditures and social programmes to retrain plant employees Source: SITA news agency web site, Bratislava, in English 1755 gmt 24 Oct 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material ***************************************************************** 15 Experts say nuclear safeguards necessary New Haven Register Randall Beach, Register StaffOctober 25, 2001 NEW HAVEN — A coalition of governments must form to demand nuclear safeguards in unstable nations such as Pakistan, said foreign policy experts Wednesday during a Yale symposium. Strobe Talbott, director of the new Yale Center for the Study of Globalization, said there could be a coup in Pakistan and terrorist associates of Osama bin Laden might then "go for the nukes." The "War Against Terrorism" symposium, sponsored by Talbott's center and the Yale Center for International and Area Studies, drew about 40 people to Linsly-Chittenden Hall. The experts noted that as American forces continue to bomb Afghanistan, support might erode within Pakistan for its president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who came to power in a coup of his own. "If there is a coup within a coup in Pakistan, they would then control Pakistan's nuclear weapons," warned George Perkovich of the W. Alton Jones Foundation. Noting the devastation caused by hijacked airplanes striking the World Trade Center and Pentagon Sept. 11, Perkovich said if even one nuclear weapon had been involved, the casualties would have been far worse. Perkovich urged that a "contact group" of governments be formed to make sure leaders of Pakistan and India reassure the world they are safely watching over their nuclear materials. Talbott said he is particularly alarmed by the "mindset" between India and Pakistan. "They seem to want to have their own version of mutually assured destruction," he said. Talbott said the rest of the world must insist on "restraint" and "responsible custodianship" of nuclear devices. In yet another warning, Zia Mian of Princeton University said as American planes continue to bomb Afghanistan, radical Islamic groups will grow stronger in Pakistan. "The fall-out from this may not be a nuclear weapons blast, but the 'radiation' could linger for years and years," Mian said. ©New Haven Register 2001 ***************************************************************** 16 Nuclear Waste: Have Your Say THE WHITEHAVEN NEWS Thursday, October 25, 2001 A chance to shape decisions on the government's future plans for the long-term storage of radioactive waste is to be offered to local people. It is four years since the Nirex plan for a deep rock facility at Gosforth was thrown out but the problem of what to do with the UK's 10,000 tonnes of nuclear waste, most of it stored at Sellafield and Drigg, has not gone away. The search for a suitable long-term storage location for intermediate-level waste is now firmly back on the agenda but the process is likely to take years. Copeland Council is to consult with the public before drawing up a response to the new consultation paper on the issue which has come from DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). It is an opportunity for people to have a central role in shaping decisions which have major implications for Copeland. Consultation closes on March 12 next year and the council and the government want to engage local people in the process. RWMAC, the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee, has advised the government that the previous practice of announcing a policy pathway and then trying to defend it is doomed to failure. It recommends that the public must be involved from the outset, not towards the end of policy implementation. Between now and early February the council will be collecting views on how communities in Copeland feel about the future management of radioactive waste. Background information will be given in Copeland Matters, a website will be set up, and its six Citizen Panels (in Millom, Sea-scale/Gosforth, Egremont, Cleator Moor, Whitehaven and Distington) will be consulted. The Local Agenda 21 Forum, parish councils and the Youth Council will also be asked to consider the issue. The cost of all this will be around £5,000. Coun Geoff Blackwell said Copeland's communities had the best knowledge of living and working with the nuclear industry and "we can't afford to let local people be marginalised in this. "We have 50 years' experience of this industry and that is significant.'' ***************************************************************** 17 Ukrainian foreign minister, EBRD discuss funds for new nuclear reactors BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Oct 24, 2001 Kiev, 24 October: During today's meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Anatoliy Zlenko, who is now on an official visit to the United Kingdom, the first vice president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development [EBRD], Noreen Doyle, welcomed the Ukrainian government's steps and measures to reform the economy. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry told UNIAN that it was noted during the meeting that the EBRD continues to be willing to fruitfully cooperate with the Ukrainian side. For his part, Zlenko said that Ukraine has fulfilled all the requirements to receive the loan package approved by the EBRD board of directors to complete the construction of two reactors at the Rivne and Khmelnytskyy nuclear power plants. In particular, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant has been completely shut down; a Ukrainian nuclear regulation agency has been set up; cooperation between Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund has been resumed under the Extended Facility Fund programme; and Ukraine's debt to the Paris Club of creditors has been restructured. "We are not asking for money but are proposing that the EBRD finance the projects, which are vital for Ukraine and profitable for the EBRD," Zlenko said. This has to do, among other things, with the completion of the construction of reactors at the Rivne and Khmelnytskyy nuclear power plants; the construction of a Eurasian oil transport corridor, in particular, its Odessa-Brody line; and the introduction of energy-saving technologies. "Ukraine now awaits appropriate actions by the EBRD," Zlenko said. Doyle assured Zlenko that as soon as the EBRD receives permission from credit and export agencies [as received], in particular, the USA, France and Spain, the EBRD will be ready to grant Ukraine 215m dollars in loans to complete the construction of reactors at the Rivne and Khmelnytskyy nuclear power plants. According to Doyle, this will be the EBRD's largest ever loan. [Passage omitted: Background information - covered in earlier reports] Source: UNIAN news agency, Kiev, in Ukrainian 1415 gmt 24 Oct 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to ***************************************************************** 18 Pangea links N-dump, terror The West Australian + October 25, 2001 By Rebecca Rose SYDNEY PANGEA Resources has used global insecurity to push its case for an international nuclear waste dump in Australia, claiming it is the best way to keep nuclear material away from terrorists. General manager Marcis Kurzeme told a nuclear industry conference in Sydney yesterday that Pangea's plan would help prevent dangerous products being misused by terrorists to make nuclear weapons. At the same conference, Industry, Science and Technology Minister Nick Minchin accused Labor and green groups of exploiting post-September 11 insecurity by describing the Lucas Heights"nuclear reactor in Sydney as a possible terrorist target. The fourth nuclear science and engineering in Australia conference opened amid a rowdy demonstration calling for the reactor to be shut. "We have oil refineries, chemical factories, major buildings and the Sydney Harbour Bridge," Senator Minchin said. "It's just silly to pick out the Lucas Heights reactor if we are serious about a debate on the threat of terrorism." He said security had been tightened at the reactor. In Washington and New York, reactors remained open. Senator Minchin said that while Australia wanted to handle its low to medium level radioactive waste responsibly, it had rejected British-owned Pangea's proposal for an outback depository for high-grade nuclear waste from other countries. WA has banned the importation and disposal of nuclear waste without Parliament's approval. In a paper in the conference handbook, Dr Kurzeme said Pangea was building an international coalition to improve its chances. "International repositories could . . . contribute to global security by providing an internationally safeguarded destination for fissile materials which might otherwise be misused by nations or terrorist groups to develop nuclear weapons," he said. Although media and public reaction in Australia was negative about the proposal, some "thoughtful reactions" from scientists had been encouraging. In Perth, Greens (WA) MLC Giz Watson condemned the Federal Government for supporting the nuclear industry. The coalition underestimated the public's dislike of nuclear power and uranium mining, she said. © 2000 West Australian ***************************************************************** 19 Foreign nukes still a major cause for concern KnoxNews: Sci/tech By ANDREW SCHNEIDER In May 1997 former Russian Security Council Secretary Aleksandr Lebed told U.S. congressmen visiting Moscow that his nation once had between 80 and 100 atomic demolition weapons - suitcase-size one-kiloton bombs, that had been ordered built in the 1970s by the KGB. He said they were missing. The Russian government disputed the existence of the tiny weapons. It then allowed that if they had been built, all were accounted for. In October 1997, Aleksey Yabokov, an adviser to then-Russian President Boris Yeltsin, told members of the U.S. House subcommittee on Military Research and Development that many of the portable weapons were missing. The controversy continues. "We believe we have a full accounting of all of Russia's strategic weapons, but when it comes to tactical weapons - the suitcase variety - we do not know, and I'm not sure they do, either," said Charles Curtis, former deputy energy secretary under Clinton and the president of the Nuclear Threat Initiative. Some U.S. officials still dispute that a weapon that small could be built by anyone, but until the mid-'70s select Marine and Army units carried what was called the "backpack bomb," which weighed less than 163 pounds. "It's ridiculous to say that technology doesn't exist to make small nuclear devices," said Bruce Blair, president of the Defense Information Center. "In the late '70s, scientists from the Energy Department's Lawrence Livermore Labs built a one-kiloton bomb that fit into a standard attache case." Pakistan, America's newest ally in our war against terrorism, has 30 to 80 atomic weapons of its own. "These bombs, with explosive yields ranging from 1 to 15 kilotons, are at a missile complex about 250 miles from Afghanistan," Blair said. "The ranks of the (Pakistani) government and military are riddled with sympathizers of the radical Islamic faction. This presents a real opportunity to spirit away an atomic bomb or two for bin Laden or other terrorists." Curtis shared the concern. "Our government has got to understand the threat the limited safeguards on these weapons really present," he said. (For news and information about St. Louis, visit http://postnet.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.) October 24, 2001 ***************************************************************** 20 Many thyroid cancer cases linked to Chernobyl Planet Ark Environmental News: PORTUGAL: October 24, 2001 LISBON - Chernobyl, the world's worst nuclear accident, is linked to nearly 2,000 thyroid cancer cases, the largest number of cancers associated with a known cause on a specific date, scientists said this week. Although it is 15 years since a cloud of radioactive dust spewed from the explosion of Chernobyl's number four reactor in 1986, new cases of cancer associated with the accident are still being reported. "Four years after the accident, an excess of thyroid cancers was noted among children who had been exposed to fallout from the disaster," said Professor Dillwyn Williams of the Strangeways Research Laboratory at England's Cambridge University. "That increase has continued and new cases are still being seen in those who were children at the time of the accident." Williams told the ECCO 11 cancer conference in Lisbon that children are particularly sensitive to the cancer after exposure to radiation - the only established cause of thyroid cancer. "Exposure to isotopes of iodine gives the thyroid over 1,000 times the average dose to the rest of the body. The particular sensitivity of children to thyroid cancer after radiation exposure can be linked to a combination of a higher thyroid dose and the biology of thyroid growth - which falls to a very low level in adult life," he said. The radioactive cloud that erupted from the explosion in Ukraine contained inert xenon gas and caesium but the largest components were radioactive isotopes of iodine, according to Williams. The thyroid is a gland at the base of the throat that absorbs iodine from the diet and produces hormones to keep the body running properly. Thyroid cancer is rare. Dr Elaine Ron of the U.S. National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, said the risk of developing thyroid cancer could be highest 15 to 19 years after exposure. If the theory is correct, many people who were children at the time of the explosion may still develop the illness. Other research presented at the five-day meeting showed that the accident may also be linked to lung cancer. Victor Chizhikov of the Cancer Research Centre in Moscow said 43 clean-up workers, both smokers and non-smokers, who had radioactive dust in their lungs after the accident had higher rates of lung cancer than a similar number of people who had not been exposed to the radioactive cloud. About 8,000 doctors, scientists and nurses are attending the five-day cancer conference that began on Sunday. REUTERS NEWS SERVICE ***************************************************************** 21 No link found between infant deaths, cleanup site News Tribune - 10/25/01 Thursday, October 25, 2001 WELDON SPRING, Mo. (AP) -- A state report on infant deaths in St. Charles County has found no connection to the Weldon Spring cleanup site. The long-awaited report was prepared by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Office of Epidemiology. It was triggered by concerned parents in Dardenne Prairie. Gil Copley, director of the St. Charles County Department of Community Health and Environment, said, "This has been looked at exhaustively. To continue to cause anxiety where there is no evidence of a problem is not right." But Dan McKeel, a doctor and associate professor of pathology and immunology at Washington University School of Medicine, criticized the state's report. "I find many disturbing aspects of the manner in which these studies were formulated, carried out and reported," said McKeel, who is also a member of the Social Concerns committee of a church in Dardenne Prairie. Questions arose in December when parents at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Dardenne Prairie formed a committee to look at seven infant deaths in six parish families in 12 months. The group's focus quickly turned to the federal waste cleanup site at nearby Weldon Spring. The U.S. Department of Energy has spent more than $900 million since 1996 cleaning up waste -- some of it radioactive -- from a former ordnance works and uranium processing plant. In March, county officials said, "To date, all data indicates that there is not an increased level of infant and fetal mortality in the area of concern." McKeel said the report, which included 10 months of data, showed infant death rates were two to three times higher than they had been in O'Fallon in 1998 and 1999. The full report was to follow in April. The final report is dated September. Copley said the county received it Oct. 15 from the state. The report said: --No geographic clustering of infant and fetal deaths in O'Fallon or St. Charles County was evident. --There were 22 different causes for 40 fetal and infant deaths in St. Charles County last year without one single risk factor that related them. Officials also studied four of the six families who lost children in Immaculate Conception parish and found it unlikely that a common source of exposure caused those deaths. One of the six families wasn't living in the area, the report said, and one family refused to participate in the investigation. On the Net: AP stories © Copyright 2001 Associated Press. All rights ***************************************************************** 22 U.S. agency hasn't delivered anti-radiation pills it promised The Plain Dealer 10/24/01 Susan Jaffe Plain Dealer Reporter Ten months after the federal government promised anti-radiation pills to the 200,000 people in Ohio who live near a nuclear power plant, there are still no pills. But since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, some people have begun buying the pills on their own. "How much longer do you want to wait and keep rolling the dice and hoping that nothing happens?" said Susan Hiatt, who lives in Mentor, about 12 miles from the Perry nuclear power plant in Lake County. Hiatt keeps several bottles of potassium iodide pills on hand in case of an accident at the plant. If taken soon after a radioactive release, the pills can protect the body's thyroid against radioactive iodine gas. And after the attacks, she's not the only one interested in the pills. "People are just scared of what might happen with nuclear plants after seeing what happened in New York," said Alex Coleman, a spokesman for the American Civil Defense Association. The nonprofit group in Florida has sold dozens of bottles of the pills to people in Ohio since the attacks, and is selling 400 to 500 bottles a month - compared with 15 per month normally, he said. Last December, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced it would spend about $400,000 to buy the pills for states that wanted them. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is responsible for protecting people around nuclear plants, is still working on a distribution plan along with the NRC. The plan is being held up while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration decides what dose is best for infants, adolescents and adults, and when to take it, said Patricia Milligan, an NRC emergency planning specialist. Ohio health officials are waiting to see the federal distribution plan before deciding whether to accept the NRC's pill offer. In North Carolina, local elected officials asked a nuclear plant owner there to hand out the pills, and a legislative committee in Massachusetts this week endorsed a bill to distribute the pills to 300,000 people near nuclear plants. But a spokesman for FirstEnergy Corp., which owns the Perry and Davis-Besse nuclear plants, has said the risk of an accident at the plants is small. Lake County's health commissioner, Joel Lucia, said the county has potassium iodide pills for police and other emergency responders, as well as for people in nursing homes and other institutions who can't be easily evacuated after a nuclear accident. He has received no requests for the pills since the Sept. 11 events, and sees no reason to distribute them soon. Contact Susan Jaffe at: sjaffe@plaind.com, 216-999-4822 ***************************************************************** 23 U.S. agency hasn't delivered anti-radiation pills it promised 10/24/01 Susan Jaffe Plain Dealer Reporter Ten months after the federal government promised anti-radiation pills to the 200,000 people in Ohio who live near a nuclear power plant, there are still no pills. But since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, some people have begun buying the pills on their own. "How much longer do you want to wait and keep rolling the dice and hoping that nothing happens?" said Susan Hiatt, who lives in Mentor, about 12 miles from the Perry nuclear power plant in Lake County. Hiatt keeps several bottles of potassium iodide pills on hand in case of an accident at the plant. If taken soon after a radioactive release, the pills can protect the body's thyroid against radioactive iodine gas. And after the attacks, she's not the only one interested in the pills. "People are just scared of what might happen with nuclear plants after seeing what happened in New York," said Alex Coleman, a spokesman for the American Civil Defense Association. The nonprofit group in Florida has sold dozens of bottles of the pills to people in Ohio since the attacks, and is selling 400 to 500 bottles a month - compared with 15 per month normally, he said. Last December, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced it would spend about $400,000 to buy the pills for states that wanted them. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is responsible for protecting people around nuclear plants, is still working on a distribution plan along with the NRC. The plan is being held up while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration decides what dose is best for infants, adolescents and adults, and when to take it, said Patricia Milligan, an NRC emergency planning specialist. Ohio health officials are waiting to see the federal distribution plan before deciding whether to accept the NRC's pill offer. In North Carolina, local elected officials asked a nuclear plant owner there to hand out the pills, and a legislative committee in Massachusetts this week endorsed a bill to distribute the pills to 300,000 people near nuclear plants. But a spokesman for FirstEnergy Corp., which owns the Perry and Davis-Besse nuclear plants, has said the risk of an accident at the plants is small. Lake County's health commissioner, Joel Lucia, said the county has potassium iodide pills for police and other emergency responders, as well as for people in nursing homes and other institutions who can't be easily evacuated after a nuclear accident. He has received no requests for the pills since the Sept. 11 events, and sees no reason to distribute them soon. Contact Susan Jaffe at: sjaffe@plaind.com, 216-999-4822 © 2001 cleveland.com. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 24 Maine Yankee steps up security Thursday, October 25, 2001 Associated Press Copyright © 2001 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. WISCASSET, Maine —Maine Yankee has beefed up security since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. But some say the now-closed nuclear power plant isn't doing enough to protect its highly radioactive spent-fuel pool. Concrete Jersey barriers and a booth manned around-the-clock now block the road, largely in response to Nuclear Regulatory Commission demands for more safeguards at all plants, said Maine Yankee spokesman Eric Howes. Paula Craighead, nuclear adviser to Gov. Angus King, said plant officials have done "what they need for today's conditions." She said that Maine Yankee staff has begun to post no-trespassing signs on the grounds, limiting access for hikers and hunters. Concrete barriers also line a second, less-traveled access road. A group of public officials, anti-nuclear activists and citizens say they want to see more security surrounding the plant's highly radioactive waste. "I don't think they're doing enough," said Stanley Lane, a selectman from Westport, which neighbors Wiscasset. His board this month wrote a letter to the NRC urging that safety measures at the plant be revised in light of the attacks. "I think of it as all window dressing." Maine Yankee has been taking necessary precautions to protect 1,432 spent fuel-rod assemblies ever since the attacks, Howes said. Howes maintained that changes at Maine Yankee resulted from several general advisories from the NRC and conference calls with other nuclear plant managers throughout the Northeast. Gov. King, who voiced concerns about safety at Maine Yankee in a letter to the NRC this month, has been satisfied with recent security improvements, said Craighead. But King and his advisers remain "in an ongoing mode of examination," she added. Craighead said the public should be assured that there are armed guards at Maine Yankee and that plant officials have addressed the plant's proximity to water and the Wiscasset airport. Critics of security at Maine Yankee have pushed for a no-fly zone over the plant and the presence of National Guardsmen. Neither idea has received much support from state or plant officials. Nationally, the NRC has asked plants to boost security patrols, restrict access to sensitive parts of the plant and limit the number of vehicles allowed on site, said agency spokesman Neil Sheehan. Sheehan said that NRC inspectors are visiting nuclear plants, including Maine Yankee, in the next several weeks to "make sure the plants are doing what they're supposed to do." Even though Maine Yankee was permanently in 1997, its spent-fuel pool "still warrants a high level of protection," Sheehan said. Copyright © Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. ***************************************************************** 25 Experts Say Measures Needed to Protect Nuclear Reactors U.S. Newswire 24 Oct 12:42 International Measures to Protect Nuclear Reactors Sorely Needed Experts Say; Authors Bunn, Steinhausler Available To: National and International desks Contacts: George Bunn, 650-725-2709; Fritz Steinhausler, 650-725-0936; or Daryl Kimball of Arms Control Association, 202-463-8270; WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 /U.S. Newswire/ -- In light of the Sept. 11 attacks, nuclear power plants and associated infrastructure present a significant terrorism vulnerability in the United States and abroad; directly attacking reactors with aircraft or truck bombs, sabotaging reactor control systems, or attacking nuclear material transports could all lead to a dangerous dispersal or theft of nuclear materials. According to a new article by Ambassador George Bunn and Fritz Steinhausler in the October 2001 issue of Arms Control Today, "Many countries provide some form of physical protection for their nuclear material, but because there is no international standard or requirement for physical protection of civilian nuclear material, countries' physical protections for nuclear facilities vary widely and are often inadequate." The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has recently endorsed efforts aimed at fortifying the physical protections of nuclear facilities, but efforts need to be pursued with greater urgency, according to Bunn and Steinhausler. There is one international treaty that provides for protection of civilian nuclear material, the 1980 Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, but it only applies to the protection from theft of nuclear material in international transit. The authors argue that "Adoption of new physical protection standards . is essential, and the sooner the better. Unfortunately, revising the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material will take several years." In the interim, they suggest, new principles and standards for improving physical protection of nuclear facilities worldwide, which have already been recommended by the IAEA, should be applied immediately by national governments. In addition, with adequate funding, "the IAEA can provide guidance, training, advisory services and technical assistance to help countries improve their protection practices," write Bunn and Steinhausler, who are with the Stanford University's Center for International Security and Cooperation. The authors are available for comments and analysis on this vital security issue. Their article, "Guarding Nuclear Reactors and Material From Terrorists and Thieves," can be accessed on-line at (http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2001_10/bunnoct01.asp). For comprehensive news coverage and expert analysis of nuclear non-proliferation and related issues, visit (http://www.armscontrol.org) ***************************************************************** 26 IAEA Daily Press Review Date 2001-10-25 Number 205 1. Non-proliferation Russia resumes elimination of silos in Altay Territory where intercontinental ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads used to be based; Russia also submits draft resolution to UN on preservation of and compliance with ABM Treaty. Kazakh Parliament's lower chamber ratifies CTBT. (BBC - 24/10) ABM; CTBT; Kazakhstan; Russian Federation 2. Terrorism As precaution against airborne suicide attacks, France positions surface-to-air missiles near major nuclear reprocessing plant and military base for nuclear submarines. Former head of Pakistan's nuclear research programme, who allegedly is also an outspoken supporter of Islamic radicals, arrested in Pakistan and placed in "protective custody", Government says. News report states there is clear evidence that Osama bin Laden's agents have been scouring world to buy or steal nuclear material. American hospitals reportedly not sufficiently equipped to deal with large numbers of victims following biological attack; More on controversy surrounding NRC's report on vulnerability of US NPPs: scientists ask US Government to post soldiers and missiles at 103 NPPs, after security investigation revealed alarming deficiencies. Likelihood of US acting unilaterally to remove Pakistani nuclear weapons to prevent them from falling into hands of extremist elements is considered by Pakistan to be extremely remote. (BBC; G; HIN; IHT; R; T - 24, 25/10) France; India; Pakistan; United States of America; WORLDWIDE 3. Nuclear power Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Member says nuclear is only viable option for country as fossil fuel reserves are scarce and hydro potential is limited. Belarus offers to invest in building another power unit at Smolensk NPP in Russia. More on Temelin NPP: petition referendum on plant will reportedly take place in Austria in January, 2002. Austria said to be satisfied with Slovakia's decision to close oldest Bohunice NPP units by 2008. (BBC; DAW - 25/10) Austria; Belarus; Pakistan; Russian Federation; Slovakia 4. Nuclear safety Germany's Environment Minister urges review of security at country's 19 NPPs after it emerged that safety rules at one plant were broken for years. (WSJ - 25/10) Germany 5. Radiation, health EC adopts its first nuclear safety report, drawing on Euratom's experience since January 2000 as member of the Nuclear Safety Convention. US researchers using pressurised, heated carbon dioxide and added metal binding chemical compound to clean radioactively contaminated soil. (HIN; R - 24/10) European Commission; India 6. Radwaste, fuel Arson attack reported on nuclear transport route in Lower-Saxony. UK Government apparently distances itself from possibility of long-term storage of nuclear waste above ground. (BBC; FT - 24, 25/10) Germany; United Kingdom ***************************************************************** 27 Nuclear power plant adds security HoustonChronicle.com Oct. 25, 2001, 10:40AM STP upgrades forces, fences and computers By STEVE OLAFSON Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle WADSWORTH -- Armored positions have been added to the South Texas Project nuclear power plant, where officials said Wednesday they are doing everything possible to deter terrorism. [STP] E. Joseph Deering / Chronicle Extra security has been put in place at the South Texas Project electric generating station since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Increased security to the electric generating station -- one of two nuclear power plants in Texas -- includes replacement of the security-access computer equipment, upgraded weaponry for its security force and more elaborate detection systems in its perimeter fencing, plant officials said. The most significant change, however, is increased cooperation with local, state and federal agencies, said Bill Cottle, president and chief executive officer of the plant. "This has significantly enhanced our capability to both evaluate potential threats to this facility and our capability to use that information and make sure we deploy our own security resources in the best possible manner," he said. The South Texas Project is considered a "hardened target," with walls 4 feet thick surrounding the containment buildings that surround its nuclear reactors. A Boeing 767 airliner could not breach the containment building, Cottle said. "We fully believe it will not penetrate one of our reactor buildings," he said. Even so, people living nearby have become skittish at times after hearing reports of the potential for terrorism at the country's nuclear power plants. [STP] E. Joseph Deering / Chronicle Karen Black checks in at the STP using the Handkey recognition system as part of the extra security at the plant, one of two nuclear power plants in Texas and one of the largest and most advanced of its kind in the world. Cottle cited a guest on a TV talk show who recently said that a plane that struck a nuclear power plant would create a disaster similar to Chernobyl, the nuclear power plant in the former Soviet Union that exploded in 1986. "It's simply not true," Cottle said. "Then they quote tens or hundreds of thousands of people killed from Chernobyl. That's not true, either. It's that kind of thing that unnecessarily alarms the public." Residents living within 10 miles of the nuclear plant, in Matagorda County near Bay City, were sent a letter three weeks ago that described safety measures at the plant. FBI spokesman Bob Dogium said no threats have been made against the facility. Rick Maier, security superintendent of the plant, said four armed response teams equipped with automatic weapons, explosives and "incapacitating agents" are ready to respond to any intrusion. "There is no civilian facility I know of that can say it has anything remotely close to the type of security system we have," Maier said. The nuclear plant employs about 1,225 workers and supplies enough electricity to provide power to about 1 million homes. ***************************************************************** 28 SMUD plans Calif power plant near abandoned nuke Planet Ark Environmental News: USA: October 25, 2001 LOS ANGELES - The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) said yesterday it plans to sharply reduce the amount of power it has to buy by building a gas-fired plant near the site of a long shut nuclear reactor. Colin Taylor, SMUD's director of power generation, said in an interview that the utility is "generation light" with peak demand of about 2,600 to 2,800 megawatts and only about 1,500 MW of generation. One megawatt is enough power for about 1,000 homes. The $350 million phase one of the Cosumnes power plant, which will provide about 500 MW of electricity, is planned to come on line by around the end of 2004. "We have some (long-term) contracts that are running out around 2005 and want this plant on line so it will replace this (power)," Taylor said. SMUD filed an application with the California Energy Commission last month to build a 1,000-MW plant on the site but a decision of whether to press ahead with the 500-MW phase two will not be made until 2003, Taylor said. Taylor noted the utility wanted more time to assess the impact of such factors as a slowing economy on load growth before determining whether to build the second phase. "I would say (phase two) is a fairly big question mark right now. I think we want to give it a couple of years to see what is going on," he said. Phase two is expected to cost around $300 million and would come on line either in 2007 or 2008. GROWTH STALLS Taylor said the project was partly prompted by strong load growth, which for several years ran at five to six percent. This year, he noted the utility "hasn't seen growth." California's total consumption of electricity has fallen this year, with the decline triggered by higher retail prices, a slowing economy, and appeals for voluntary conservation as the state struggled to avert rolling blackouts. SMUD itself announced its first rate increase in more than 10 years in May. In 1989, residents of Sacramento county voted in a local referendum to shut the 913-MW Rancho Seco nuclear power plant. SMUD was "fairly self-reliant" prior to the plant's closure but has relied heavily on other suppliers since then. The utility's existing generation portfolio also includes about 800-MW on hydro power. The heavy reliance can cause problems in dry years such as the current one, Taylor noted. "When we are short of water we end up on the spot market buying power," he said. Taylor noted that the utility had to pay as much as $1.00 per kilowatt hour (KWh) during the recent California power crisis and was only charging around eight cents per KWh. "It is prudent for us to generate more ourselves," he said. The Cosumnes plant would be built less than a mile from the decommissioned nuclear unit. Taylor said SMUD owned about 2,600 acres of land in the area and has contractual water rights. The site is also "right in the middle of a major transmission path," he noted. SMUD will, however, need to build a 26-mile extension to an existing gas pipeline to feed the project. REUTERS NEWS SERVICE ***************************************************************** 29 Europe Tightens Security at Nuclear and Other Sensitive Sites October 25, 2001 By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PARIS, Oct. 24 (AP) — France is positioning surface-to-air missiles at two sensitive military and nuclear- processing sites as a precaution against airborne suicide attacks, military officials said today. Antiaircraft missile-defense systems were being placed to protect Île Longue, a nuclear submarine base off Brittany, and La Hague, the site of Europe's largest plant to reprocess nuclear waste, a spokesman for the air force, Frédéric Solano, said today. Mr. Solano said the radar and missile systems "enable us to identify aircraft and, if necessary, to shoot them down." There have been no threats so far, and the missile systems — expected to be fully installed by Thursday — are purely a precaution, the Defense Ministry said. Radar systems that can scout airplanes flying at low altitudes were moved near the two sites on Friday. Twelve fighter planes stationed throughout France are capable of taking off in five minutes in case of an attack. Jolted into action by the attacks in the United States on Sept. 11, governments throughout Europe have tightened security outside nuclear power and radioactive-waste plants. Hungary has also placed surface- to-air rockets near its only nuclear power plant, 60 miles south of Budapest. France has been bolstering its defenses in the northwest since Sept. 11. Many of its air bases are in the south, which left the sensitive northwest area vulnerable. Officials have declined to say what France is doing, however, to protect its 20 nuclear power plants from terrorist attacks. France gets more than three-fourths of its power from nuclear energy. "The less we say, the more effective our system will be," Mr. Solano said. In some countries, officials have continued to discuss the best way to protect nuclear sites. Environment Minister Jürgen Trittin of Germany said last week that he would discuss with power companies how nuclear plants could be quickly switched off in case of a threat or an attack. But Mr. Trittin has dismissed calls from some opposition politicians for missiles to defend them. Germany has instead emphasized the need for tighter air security to prevent hijackings. In Britain, the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority said nuclear plants had been on a heightened state of alert since Sept. 11. The authority would not provide details. An official at the British Defense Ministry said fighter pilots were on alert and would be able to move to plants quickly when necessary. No surface-to-air missiles have been placed at nuclear plants, the official said. In Sweden, the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate said security checks of visitors to that nation's four nuclear plants were more rigorous since the attacks in the United States. The deputy director general, Christer Viktorsson, declined to comment on other measures, saying only that staff members were in a "great state of readiness" and that "drills will focus more on different types of sabotage." In Slovakia, officials altered the corridor for civilian flights to reduce the danger of attacks against on strategic targets like oil refineries, dams and its two nuclear plants. Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company | Privacy Information ***************************************************************** 30 'Hands Off Sellafield,' Euro Parliament Told THE WHITEHAVEN NEWS Thursday, October 25, 2001 THE European Parliament has been told to keep its hands off Sellafield!" Sir Robert Atkins (Con MEP, North West) made the statement in a debate in the European Parliament this week in response to Irish attempts to close down the West Cumbrian plant. He told the parliament: "Four Irish MEPs representing Fine Gael, Fianna Foyle, the Greens and the Socialists launched a wholly unmerited attack on the UK Government's long-overdue decision to implement the Mox plant at Sellafield." He said later: "They want the plant closed down on the new, spurious grounds that it is now a terrorist threat and I was not prepared to sit back and let them try to destroy the economic and employment prospects of my constituents." "I reiterated the stance that I took when I was Northern Ireland Minister for energy," continued the Tory MEP, "Namely that the safety and environmental record of BNFL is as good as any company in any other industry and that Ireland had nothing to fear." "They are just using the current terrorist threat as an excuse to make political capital in Ireland, at the expense of British jobs and expertise and they should understand that they are not going to win this one." n AN MP from the IRA's political wing has claimed there is a "real danger" of terrorist strikes against Sellafield. Caoimhghin O Caolain, Sinn Fein's only representative in the Irish Parliament, said the nuclear plant was a "potential Chernobyl" and posed a "serious and immediate" threat to safety. The warning came as the government considered whether to step up security in the light of French plans to guard nuclear energy sites with anti-aircraft guns and jets. Speaking at a CND conference, in London on Saturday, Mr O Caolain said: "The demand for the complete closure of Sellafield is now growing as people realise the threat to us by an attack on the plant, similar to that in the United States on September 11. That is the real danger." But Mr O Caolain said Sellafield has already turned the Irish sea into "the most nuclear-polluted stretch of water in the world". "I take this opportunity to call for a united effort by people on both sides to have Sellafield shut down," he said. Mr O Caolain spoke out as the Office of Civil Nuclear Security confirmed it was still reviewing current anti-terrorist measures following the announcement by French defence minister, Alain Richard, that guns and planes will be used to protect a range of vulnerable sites in his country, including dams and nuclear plants. n West Cumbria councillors were briefed on safety and security at Sellafield at the weekend in a bid to reassure them in the wake of the September 11 disaster. BNFL gave a talk to members of Copeland and Allerdale Borough Councils and other community leaders. Robin Simpson, leader of Copeland Borough Council, said: "After September 11, there was a lot of speculation about what would happen if a plane crashed into Sellafield. "We asked BNFL for a breakdown on what the security arrangements are." Extra measures put in place since September 11 include extra patrols and gate checks. A BNFL spokesman said "We do not genuinely believe that Sellafield is under threat of terrorist attacks. "But we wanted to brief key community figures face to face about some of the security measures we have put in place It's all part of being good neighbours. ***************************************************************** 31 LETTERS: Nevada Power rate hikes hurt the little guy [Las Vegas Review-Journal] Thursday, October 25, 2001 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal To the editor: A few days ago, we received a letter from Mark Ruelle, president of Nevada Power, outlining a series of significant increases in our power rates despite a recent, sharp decline in wholesale prices. The company's timing for sending this letter couldn't be better considering current events. Perhaps it's hoping we won't notice. Mr. Ruelle's letter states, "This is the beginning of straightforward and honest messages from Nevada Power" -- and then did his very best to pull the wool over our eyes. What they don't want you to know is that Nevadans will pay an extra $800 million for electricity because, earlier this year, Nevada Power and its Reno affiliate locked in electricity wholesales prices through 2003. This $800 million increase is in addition to the $1 billion rate boost to cover power company costs for this past summer. The company is asking us to pay almost $2 billion because they bet wrong last spring. As of Sept. 20, the power company's future contracts will exceed current market prices by $798.7 million. Despite this outcome, the president of Nevada Power defends the decision by stating, "Our strategy worked." Why wasn't this proposal completely thought out and all its ramifications thoroughly investigated? Where were those people, whom we rely on, to protect our interests? These huge price increases are going to substantially hurt the citizens of Nevada, many of whom are living on fixed incomes. Mr. Ruelle's signature on this letter from Nevada Power looks like a secret code. I can understand that. I wouldn't want my signature on this letter either. BOB SCHWARZ LAS VEGAS Yucca battle To the editor: Surprise, surprise, surprise. The state lost another lawsuit in its fight against Yucca Mountain ("Yucca lawsuit will be litigated in federal court," Oct. 16). The state has brought several lawsuits to the courts and has only one victory to its credit -- and if I remember correctly, that was a minor procedural victory. When will our state leaders wake up and approach this issue with some common sense? We are the only site being studied and all the science to date indicates the site will eventually be found suitable. Is it better to have the waste, which I believe will eventually be a resource to our state, in more than 70 locations in more than 30 states or in one central location in a desert that has been used for nuclear projects since the early 1950s? Let me speak to a couple other items. Clark County has been able to keep low-level waste shipments out of the Las Vegas Valley. Do you really think high-level waste will ever be routed through Las Vegas? I don't think so, and I know the burden will fall on our friends in rural Nevada. Terrorism? The casks are very strong and rugged and terrorists seem to go for targets that will get them some publicity. If Yucca Mountain is found suitable, the shipments will be solid in composition, not a liquid like some people would have you believe. Believe me, there is much more dangerous cargo going through our county and we don't give it a second thought. Bottom line? Fighting a scientific project in the courts with political science doesn't work. But then again, our state's approach toward Yucca Mountain only works for the politicians' careers and does little to protect our health and safety. BILL VASCONI LAS VEGAS This story is located at: http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2001/Oct-25-Thu-2001/opinion/17287018.html ***************************************************************** 32 Security review ordered at German nuclear plants after safety lapse - 10/25/2001 - ENN.com Thursday, October 25, 2001 By Stephen Graham, Associated Press BERLIN — Germany's environment minister on Wednesday urged a review of security at the country's 19 nuclear power stations after it emerged that safety rules at one plant were broken for years. Lawmakers seized on the revelations to demand the delay of a contested shipment of radioactive waste next month. The convoy's route to a north German dump was hit by an overnight arson attack. The debate comes amid concern in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington that nuclear installations could become terror targets. German officials acknowledge power stations here wouldn't withstand the impact of a hijacked plane laden with fuel. Confidence in atomic safety was shaken further Tuesday when Energie Baden-Wuerttemberg admitted that fluid in an emergency cooling system at its Philippsburg plant was knowingly kept below regulation levels for years. Ordering Germany's 16 states to review safety at the plants, Environment Minister Juergen Trittin said electricity firms must move fast to restore trust. The operator of the Philippsburg plant "has demonstrated irresponsible deficiencies in its security culture," he said. The reactor, taken offline Oct. 8, must stay out of operation until "full transparency" is established on the cause of the lapse and steps are taken to prevent a repeat, he said. Trittin, a member of Greens party, negotiated an agreement this year with the electricity companies to phase out nuclear power completely within about 20 years. But antinuclear activists want a quicker shutdown. Following the Sept. 11 attacks, Trittin has urged power companies to shut older, less robust, plants sooner and suggested the plants can be switched off quickly if authorities think they are threatened. But the government has rejected the idea of deploying missiles to bring down hijacked planes, saying the power stations are too close to major airports for the danger to be recognized in time. Officials also stress that they have no current grounds to fear an attack. The French military has stationed surface-to-air missiles at the La Hague plant, where Germany sends much of its nuclear waste for reprocessing. Environmentalists warn that the waste shipments, long the target of protests by Germany's militant antinuclear lobby, also are vulnerable. German police said Wednesday that they suspected an overnight arson attack on a railroad bridge was linked to an upcoming waste transport from La Hague to Germany's main storage dump. Tires and straw were rolled under the bridge on a trailer and set ablaze. The bridge, just a few kilometers from the Gorleben storage site, remained closed to train traffic Wednesday as authorities assessed the damage. Lawmakers from Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's party stepped up calls for the shipment to be delayed to relieve police already working overtime to guard against terrorism. The deputy leader of the Social Democrats' parliamentary group, Michael Mueller, said putting off the shipment would also help restore the image of the power industry after the security lapses at Phillipsburg and two other plants in recent months. The exact date of the transport hasn't been released for security reasons, but antinuclear activists have announced protests for the first week of November. In April, demonstrators blocked rails and roads to delay the last shipment to Gorleben, despite the efforts of thousands of police officers. Police reported several attempts to sabotage rails and overhead power cables ahead of that shipment. Copyright 2001, Associated Press ***************************************************************** 33 Group Demands Reactor Upgrades washingtonpost.com: By John Solomon Associated Press Writer Thursday, October 25, 2001; 3:18 AM WASHINGTON –– A group that has successfully sued on behalf of whistle-blowers to highlight nuclear safety problems is making an urgent appeal to Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge to fortify American reactors against terrorist attacks. The National Whistleblower Center filed a petition with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission demanding several security upgrades to "protect the public and environment from the catastrophic impact of a terrorist attack." "As the potential threat from international terrorism steadily increased over the years, the NRC took no action to address this growing threat," the center alleged in its action filed Wednesday. The group complained the government has known since the mid-1990s that terrorists wanted to strike a nuclear plant yet left in its public reading room a 1982 scientific report that detailed American reactors' vulnerabilities to a jetliner crash. The Associated Press disclosed the existence of the report Wednesday. It has been pulled from the reading room. "The simple truth is that the NRC has long since known that the design and construction of all of the nuclear power plants located within the United States does not come close to being able to withstand the impact of a large commercial jet," the suit said. In a separate letter to Ridge, the center's executive director Kris Kolesnik said the document was essentially a "terrorist's handbook for duplicating the Sept. 11 attacks on a nuclear power plant or a spent fuel pool." "It's unfathomable that this information could be so readily available to the public," Kolesnik said. NRC spokesman Victor Dricks dismissed the criticism, saying no one in government anticipated the suicide hijackings that occurred Sept. 11 and that the agency has ordered numerous improvements at America's 103 nuclear plants since then to guard against terrorism. "We have people working around the clock for the last six weeks to do everything possible to ensure these plants are as safe as possible. All reasonable steps have been taken to supplement the security of all 103 operating plants," he said. The center has successfully represented whistle-blowers who have won awards for retaliation after highlighting potential security shortfalls at nuclear power plants. One of the whistle-blowers, Randy Robarge, who was fired from a nuclear plant job and has tried to highlight possible security weaknesses surrounding spent fuel storage areas, joined in the petition. The filing seeks no money but demands changes in nuclear plant security nationwide. Among the security improvements demanded by the center: –Establishment of no-fly zones around every nuclear plant and every spent fuel storage facility. –Fortification of containment walls that protect nuclear reactors to ensure they could withstand consecutive crashes of two large jetliners. –A requirement that security guards who protect the spent fuel storage areas be armed with weapons, as guards who protect reactors are. –Enhancements to the screening process for temporary and permanent security clearances for workers with access to nuclear plants. The center said foreign nationals can get temporary security clearances with a single photo ID, a credit check, one developed character reference, a request for an FBI background check and a one-year check of employment references. "The background screening of any foreign national must extend beyond an FBI criminal review and must also include a review of the criminal record which might have been created in any country in which the person was born or resided," the center's petition said. On the Net: National Whistleblower Center: http://www.whistleblowers.org/ Nuclear Regulatory Commission: http://www.nrc.gov/ © 2001 The Associated Press ***************************************************************** 34 We Want The Chance to Make it Work: MOX Boss THE WHITEHAVEN NEWS Thursday, October 25, 2001 By Alan Irving The man brought in from the United States to head up Sellafield's Mox operations has called for West Cumbrian workers to be given a fair chance to make the plutonium recycling plant work and safeguard the site's future. Jack Allen, a no-punches-pulled American with over 30 years experience in the nuclear industry, said: "They have been put through a tremendous mental test, now they are ready for the challenge and they deserve to see the fruits of their labours." In an interview with The Whitehaven News, the 52-year-old from South Carolina also said he was determined to prevent any repetition of the Mox fuel data falsification scandal which led to the sacking of four Sellafield process workers and the BNFL's chief executive quitting his job, as well as putting the company's future business in jeopardy. "Five people screwed up in MDF and it brought up a lot of issues but it was not site wide. The people here are some of the most talented I have worked with and have worked long and hard to overcome these issues. "They have also gone through heck of a lot personally but I think it has made them stronger and more determined to do well. What they need now is to be given a fair chance to do what they've been trained to do and for this facility to produce what was expected. "Nobody should have had to go through what these folks have endured for so long - the waiting, the training, ready and not ready with five consultation periods. What they are looking for is the spark to make things happen. The local community has come out in droves to support us and we are all determined to justify that," he said. Mr Allen's brief is to deliver a world-class business from the £473 million Sellafield Mox plant. The plant now has the government's backing to operate but still needs Health and Safety Executive consent to introduce plutonium and may have to withstand a lengthy legal challenge from anti-nuclear groups. Speaking in the quality control laboratory, where lessons learned from the falsification scandal have been applied, he said: "Everything has been done that we know possible in the automation of the testing, techniques and the training of folks and all of the work we are doing to prevent something like the MDF incident but I will never say never. I aim to guarantee it, it is my job and I accept responsibility but because we are dealing with people and issues, I will never say never. I am very confident and in terms of what I have seen it is the best facility to prevent things like this happening." A key member of the laboratory staff, Steve Christian, from Cleator, said: "It won't happen up here - we will make sure it doesn't." Boredom and repetitive work were blamed in the investigation as one of the reasons for the falsifications short cut, but the 31-year-old team leader added: "You can't be bored doing this - there is such a variety of work and the amount coming through is increasing. The last two years have been a big learning curve and I am looking forward to the challenges. The people here are very good and I have a lot of faith in them." Meanwhile, Mr Allen has pledged straight talking with his 35-strong workforce. "This job will be anything but boring but I want to hear it the way things are. I don't just want to be told the good news and they have to discover the bad stuff. People need to hear from me the straight facts and I need to hear exactly the same from them. It is a little bit different to what they are accustomed to in the past. "I don't pull any punches and I don't speak in codes. We can only solve problems we know about. If we are hiding them, if they are hidden in the background we are not going to be successful. That's something people have had to gain an appreciation for in terms of my frankness - making sure we understand each other and workers are not afraid to bring out issues." ***************************************************************** 35 Time to address the damage that was done by institutional idiocy The Scotsman - United Kingdom; Oct 25, 2001 BY ROBERT MCNEIL AT DOUNREAY nuclear power station, a constant beeping fills the air. The staff have long since become deaf to it and say they would only hear it when it stopped. Thus, too, the voice of Colin Boyd, Lord Advocate of this parish council. Colin was addressing two reports into the tragic Chhokar case, in which a young Asian man was murdered and the prosecution service messed up the case. This is obviously a tricky issue, but Colin, steeped in the institutionalised tedium of the law, was just the man for the job. He could take the sting out of a Brazilian bumble bee by blanketing it in a monochrome mist. His face is as expressionless as a sedated Easter Island statue. He could walk through a car-wash with neither curl of lip nor arching of brow. Yesterday, however, with a mephistophelean Scott Barrie at his right shoulder and a blondely angelic Pauline McNeill on his left, his balanced presentation was shot through with apology. He said sorry several times to the Chhokar family, sitting in the VIP gallery, and admitted the prosecution service had made mistakes and that the cops had been too dim to think of racism as a possible factor in Surjit's murder. Thus far, thus predictable. We all know the law is an anus, and we did not need two separate reports to tell us so. However, the key-style issue of institutional racism was alluded to several times, and it was heartening that employees were now being sent on courses in how not to be a racist. Most of us managed by the simple expedient of deciding not to be racist but, hey, a lack of justice has to be seen to be done. Despite that, I suspect that the wider problem of institutional idiocy is as much to blame. As we enter the final phase of capitalism, every organisation from banks to police forces, even newspapers and sports bodies, seems terminally inflicted with an inability to act sensibly. Colin identified mangled communications as part of the problem. He was right. We live in an age where a plethora of gadgets has ensured excellent informal communications between rioters, drug dealers and the like, but nothing but static between decision-makers, top executives, and the people who actually do any work. It's a sad state of affairs, and of little comfort to the Chhokars. Even less comforting was the fact that someone leaked the reports to the Daily Nuttergraph which, surprisingly, has not yet pinned the blame for the murder on Gerry Adams. MSPs seemed more horrified by this leak - a form of communication, as it happens - than they did by any other aspect of the case. They called for a full inquiry, a privilege some would argue the Chhokars were never accorded. Indeed, it was beginning to appear that institutional idiocy was starting to afflict even the haven of good sense that is our parliamentary chamber. Thank goodness, then, for Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Con), who remains steeped in old-fashioned values and immune from the horrors of the over-communicative, yet strangely uncommunicating modern world. Even his poppy looked as if it had been knocked up to commemorate the Napoleonic Wars before being passed down through the generations to Gentleman Jim. He started the proceedings by insisting that Roseanna Cunningham (SNP) be allowed to speak first, on account of the fact that she was a bird. This could lead to several problems if the Conservatives ever come to power, and so it is unlikely to lead to several problems. Lord James admitted he had once been an "interim fiscal", belying our assumptions that he was orthodox Church of Scotland. In a later debate, he spoke passionately about seizing the ill-gotten gains of "drugs barons", who he seemed to imply were not proper aristocrats at all. either is Phil Gallie (Con), who wanted the dealers strung up by their assets. It's a form of justice, I suppose. Something denied the Chhokars. ***************************************************************** 36 Nuclear Plants' Vulnerability Raised Attack Concerns (washingtonpost.com) Nuclear Plants' Vulnerability Raised Attack Concerns 1982 Report on Danger of Jet Crashes Into Reactors Was Open to Public, Despite Terrorism Fears By Peter Behr Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, October 25, 2001; Page A04 A government study indicating that a direct, high-speed hit by a commercial jetliner could penetrate a nuclear reactor's protective dome was available to the public for nearly 20 years until it was removed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, regulators confirmed yesterday. The document remained public even though there have been warnings going back to 1995 that terrorists had included nuclear power plants among their potential targets, based on testimony in the investigation of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. A spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the agency would not discuss the contents of the report or its potential value to terrorists. The study, by the Energy Department's Argonne National Laboratory, was prepared to assess the risks of an accidental airliner crash at a power plant. It calculated the impact of objects as large as a commercial aircraft, traveling at various speeds, on the reinforced concrete containment dome protecting the reactor core of a common power-plant design. The study concluded that the dome would be penetrated at the highest flight speeds, according to the D.C.-based National Whistleblower Center, which provides legal representation for nuclear plant workers in whistle-blower lawsuits. The ignition of a small percentage of an aircraft's jet fuel inside the containment dome would have the force of a 1,000 pounds of explosives and "could lead to a rather violent explosion environment and impose upon the primary containment relatively severe loads," according to the report. "Based on the review of past [NRC] licensing experience, it appears that fire and explosion hazards have been treated with much less care than the direct aircraft impact and the resulting structural response," the study said. "Therefore, the claim that these fire/explosion effects do not represent a threat to nuclear power plant facilities has not been clearly demonstrated." The Whistleblower Center included excerpts of the report in a letter yesterday to Tom Ridge, head of the Office of Homeland Security. The center also filed a petition with the NRC yesterday calling for further security measures to protect against an attack on nuclear power plants and a widespread release of radiation that could result if the reactor containment dome and core were destroyed. At least one nuclear plant -- the Three Mile Island facility south of Harrisburg, Pa. -- was designed to withstand the impact of a Boeing 707, industry officials note. But none of the nation's 103 nuclear power plants was built to withstand the direct, full-speed impact by today's commercial jetliners, NRC officials say. Another advocacy organization, the Nuclear Control Institute, said its analysis shows that a reactor containment vessel could be penetrated by a jetliner's direct hit. Nuclear industry officials have emphasized the strength of the reactor containment domes and the difficulty in steering a high-speed jetliner into a dome in the most damaging way. "I think there's a high likelihood that that aircraft would not penetrate the containment," Ralph Beedle, senior vice president of the Nuclear Energy Institute, said in an Oct. 14 television interview. The 1982 study was mentioned in a Sept. 24 report by the publication Platts Inside NRC. The Whistleblower Center said it found the document in the NRC's Bethesda public reading room on Oct. 2. "We asked a volunteer to look around the public reading room and see what was there on airplane crashes. And there it was," said Michael Kohn, the organization's general counsel. NRC spokesman Victor Dricks said the NRC staff also found the study during a review of its public records following the Sept. 11 attacks and removed it on Oct. 11. He said he did not know whether it had ever been available over the NRC's public Internet documents service, but it is not on the agency's Web site now. The risk of a terrorist attack in a hijacked aircraft has not been part of the NRC's safety regulation, officials confirm. "We never considered that a credible threat prior to September 11," Dricks said. © 2001 The Washington Post Company ***************************************************************** 37 Legislature: Senate panel approves change to allow secret meetings, votes [Florida | Naples Daily News] Thursday, October 25, 2001 By BRENDAN FARRINGTON, Associated Press TALLAHASSEE — A Senate committee approved rules Wednesday that would allow secret committee meetings to discuss anti-terrorism security and approve related bills without revealing votes or changes to the legislation. The committee cited the possibility that testimony or research related to a bill could compromise security. Sen. Steven Geller gave the example of a Nuclear Regulatory Commission official talking about what parts of a nuclear power plant would be most sensitive to a terrorist attack. TALLAHASSEE — A Senate committee approved rules Wednesday that would allow secret committee meetings to discuss anti-terrorism security and approve related bills without revealing votes or changes to the legislation. The committee cited the possibility that testimony or research related to a bill could compromise security. Sen. Steven Geller gave the example of a Nuclear Regulatory Commission official talking about what parts of a nuclear power plant would be most sensitive to a terrorist attack. "You would not want that testimony to get out to the public," said Geller, D-Hallandale. Sen. Locke Burt, R-Ormond Beach, cast the only vote against the rule change to allow portions of meetings to be closed. The rule would also let meetings be closed to discuss security issues related to espionage or acts of sabotage. There was more debate about a rule change that would seal records from the secret meetings, including any committee vote on bills and amendments. "Once we vote, I don't see any reason why that vote's not public," said Sen. John Laurent, R-Bartow. "I've got a real problem with shielding how we've voted on a product that is leaving this committee." An amendment he proposed to make votes public failed. The rule change means a bill could reach the Senate floor with no public record of who voted for or against it in committee. The rule change would also allow the Senate president to make the votes and committee records public. The records would also become public after five years unless the Senate president decided they should stay sealed. The full Senate must approve the rule changes before they take affect. "We would be supportive of it," said Carole Strange, spokeswoman for Senate President John McKay. "The times that we're dealing with right now, there are provisions that need to be addressed to handle sensitive issues." The action astonished Barbara Petersen, the executive director of the open government watchdog group the First Amendment Foundation. "It really does stun me," she said. "It seems to be contradictory to everything you learned in fourth grade social studies about democracy." She said you could interpret the rules to mean that a bill could reach the Senate floor and be voted on without the public ever seeing the wording. "It's far broader than the discussion at the meeting this morning would lead you to believe," she said. Later Wednesday, the Senate Governmental Oversight and Productivity unanimously approved several bills that would restrict access to public records, all crafted in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. One (SB 68B) would allow the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to block access to otherwise public records for up to a week and an additional 14 days with a judge's permission. The types of records would include things like driver's license information and real estate documents. FDLE Commissioner Tim Moore said when his department was investigating the possibility that terrorists were trying to purchase crop dusters and asked the Department of Agriculture for a list of all crop dusters registered in the state. He gave that as an example of a record he would seek to temporarily block. Other bills would keep secret documents on the location of drugs stockpiled for use after a terrorist attack, police officers' cell phone and pager numbers, and law enforcement requests for public records as part of an investigation and the response they receive. Though he voted for the measures, Sen. Richard Mitchell, D-Jasper, cautioned that they may do more to block the public's access to records than stop terrorists from getting them. "A terrorist is going to find it anyway," he said. "Somebody who wants your secrets is going to find a way ... It's kind of like a lock on a barn door — the real effectiveness of it is to keep the honest people out." Copyright © 2001 Naples Daily News. All rights ***************************************************************** 38 Nuclear-plant study disputed Columbia, S.C. Thursday, October 25, 2001 FAQs | Operators say S.C. reactors could withstand jetliner crash without radiation release By RODDIE BURRIS Staff Writer South Carolina's commercial nuclear reactors likely would survive a plane crash without a radiation release, say the plants' operators, disputing a 20-year-old study outlining U.S. reactors' susceptibility to such crashes. A copy of that study, which identifies in precise detail those vulnerabilities, has been available in the public reading room of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. National nuclear watchdog groups are asking why the 119-page report was still available for public inspection this month, long after the Sept. 11 hijackings and despite evidence dating to 1994 that terrorists wanted to strike nuclear power plants. In South Carolina, plant operators challenged the notion the plants are as vulnerable as the report says. "You still have a lot of assurances, including reinforced concrete and redundant safety systems that we put there in place to protect the public" in case a plant was damaged, said Brian Duncan, a spokesman for SCANA Corp. SCANA operates Jenkinsville's V.C. Summer plant in Fairfield County. The 1982 study, by the Energy Department's Argonne National Laboratory, detailed the likely damage that a jetliner at certain speeds could inflict on the thick concrete containment walls protecting reactors. The study didn't address weaknesses at specific plants. Though it addressed only accidental crashes, it included a chart that identified the speeds at which a jetliner would begin to transfer its force into the primary containment wall and interior structure of a nuclear reactor. And it estimated that if just 1 percent of a jetliner's fuel ignited after impact, it would create an explosion equivalent to 1,000 pounds of dynamite inside a reactor building already damaged by the impact. The more fuel, the worse the explosion. The ignition of fuel "could lead to a rather violent explosion environment and impose upon the primary containment relatively severe loads," the report said. The report added that U.S. nuclear regulators may have underestimated the potential damage from such explosions. The report doesn't estimate at what point lethal radiation might be released. But it notes, "the breaching of some of the plant's concrete barriers may often be tantamount to a release of radioactivity." Duke Power Co. spokesman Tom Shiel said reactors are built to withstand damage. Duke operates five nuclear reactors in Oconee and York counties. "Our reactors have a robust containment ability that certainly could be capable of withstanding tremendous pressure from the outside," Shiel said. The state's nuclear plants have been on a heightened state of security since Sept. 11. But plant spokespeople stressed Wednesday that top-level security has always been a priority. Nuclear reactors typically are below ground, covered by reinforced steel and concrete domes. The reactors themselves are usually 9-inch thick steel vessels. "The parts of a plant where there is radioactive material would be hard to hit," said Keith Poston, spokesman for Carolina Power &Light Co., which operates a reactor near Hartsville in Darlington County. Poston pointed out that plants also have highly trained, armed security guards, and feature shutdown and cooling systems with backup systems designed to prevent radiation leaks. Still, Gov. Jim Hodges met earlier this month with representatives from each commercial plant, along with state law enforcement and emergency preparedness officials, to find out more about the plants' security. Officials from the Savannah River Site, the Aiken County facility that stores much of the nation's nuclear weapons waste, also attended. Hodges "received security reports from each of them and offered help from the state, including the National Guard," said Hodges spokeswoman Cortney Owings. "He was told that adequate security was being provided." But Owings said a thorough emergency response plan would be drawn up once Hodges visits several sites around the state, beginning today. Hodges also will petition the Federal Aviation Administration to suspend flights over the nuclear plants. An NRC spokesman said Wednesday the agency has removed the document from its reading room and also was deleting from its public Web site similarly sensitive materials that could benefit terrorists. "We've begun our effort with our Web site, which we know is the vehicle through which one is most easily able to access information," said spokesman Victor Dricks. The Associated Press contributed to this report. ? Copyright 2001 The State-Record Company ***************************************************************** 39 Construction of Nuclear Power Plants PAEC gains success The Frontier Post From Peshawar Pakistan Updated on 10/25/2001 11:18:16 AM F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) has gained considerable success in its efforts for indigenous construction of nuclear power plants. "With substantial experience of Pakistan's engineers, scientists, and technical staff in the design and construction of the nuclear power plants coupled with experience gained at KANUPP, PINSTECH, SES and NCNDT it is hoped that PAEC to acquire the essential expertise for indigenisation efforts." This was stated by Dr. Javed Arshad Mirza, Chairman, Dr. A.Q. Khan Research Laboratories while inaugurating the First National Conference on Non-Destructive Testing here Wednesday. The three-day moot has been organized by Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission's National Centre for Non-Destructive Testing. While recounting the achievements of the PAEC, Dr. Javed Arshad Mirza remarked, "The Pakistani nation takes pride in PAEC as a beacon for the country's scientific and technological endeavors. He recalled that the nuclear technology is multi-disciplinary in nature, with vast application in industry, agriculture, medicine and energy and the Commission has done a commendable job in promoting the culture of sharing the marvels of science and technology through healthy exchange of information. He urged the PAEC to concentrate on how to help contribute in raising standard of living of people and catch up with the developed world in this regard. To achieve this objective, he emphasized it is absolutely necessary to overcome the problem of energy deficiency. The Chairman, KRL said Pakistan can achieve meaningful progress and sustainable prosperity only through a concerted effort guided by the objective of self reliance. He pointed out that while stepping up efforts for industrialization, we must pay due attention to building quality in our products to remain competitive in the international market. He siad one of the reasons of our meager exports of engineering goods is that these products do not match with imported items in performance and reliability. He urged that we should emulate the examples of Japan and Korea which have become industrial giants by exercising strict quality control. Other countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Malaysia are now following in their footsteps. He said we should add greater value to our main exports like raw materials, textiles, surgical and sports goods. Dr. Javed Ashraf Mirza expressed the confidence that the National Centre for Non Destructive Testing, through training and arranging such conferences, will help industries in implementing better quality control. The Chairman, KRL, Dr. Javed observed that inauguration of the First National Conference on Non-Destructive Testing along with establishment of Nuclear Regulatory Authority are examples of the PAEC's awareness about nuclear safety. Earlier, in his address of welcome, the Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, Engr. Parvez Butt said that the Commission's indigenisation plans for nuclear power plants and nuclear industry are based on active cooperation with the industry both in the public and private sector. "The overriding theme is that of 'mutual help'," he added. Engr. Parvez Butt pointed out that the First National Seminar on Welding Technology early this year was an important milestone in the PAEC's plans to develop infrastructure for greater indigenisation of nuclear power plants in the country. Tracing the history of development of nuclear technology in the country, he said Pakistan entered the nuclear age in 1965 when its first nuclear reactor went critical at PINSTECH, followed by acquisition of the first nuclear power plant in 1971. The Chairman, PAEC pointed out that the technological infrastructure of the commission coupled with the know-how acquired during construction of 300-MW Nuclear power plant at Chashma as well as experience gained at KANUPP will contribute greatly in efforts to undertake construction of indigenous nuclear power plants. In his speech on the occasion, the General Manager, SES, Saeed Ahmad said the SES Directorate, set up in 1984, has contributed in all the projects of the Commission by providing mechanical equipment and services. He said that it is also providing manufacturing facilities and services to the Government establishments, private sector and special projects of national importance. He said that the NCNDT conducted more than 110 training courses covering all the techniques of NDT and trained more than 1400 participants from various establishments. The Director of the Centre Asghar Ali Khan highlighted the objectives of the Conference and activities of the NCNDT. He said the NDT technology has grown and matured up in step with other programmes of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission. © Copyright 2001 The Frontier Post ***************************************************************** 40 WIPP Is Triggering Economic Growth Volume 25, Issue 8 October 2001 Economic Profile: Carlsbad There may be furor elsewhere, but in Carlsbad the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is turning out to be a very good neighbor By Debbra O'Hara Tom Brown, project manager at the Carlsbad Department of Development, could be quoting a Boy Scout handbook when he warns that the city must "be prepared" to face its future. Our population is steady. We have a more diversified economy he says, "but you always know bad news is around the corner and we have to work hard so it doesn't impact us too much. We'd like to prepare for any setbacks." This lesson has been learned the hard way as Carlsbad has been subjected to repeated boom and bust oil and gas cycles. Now the potash industry is suffering, according to Carlsbad mayor Gary Perkowski. "But we think it will bounce back. There are high interest rates and a shortage of demand, but we think will rebound." Carlsbad's largest employer is potash producer Mississippi Chemical Corporation. In the diversification effort, Brown city is focusing new efforts on industry that will work with maquiladoras, companies out of the Midwest that can take advantage of Carlsbad's location near the border. Waste management- disposal of hazardous byproducts from both the United States and Mexico- is one such industry. The highly publicized Waste Isolation Plant Project (WIPP) began receiving nuclear waste shipments last year. The $25 million program employs 800 to 1000 people, but support businesses probably double WIPP's employment effect. "Its economic impact has been absolutely tremendous and probably has saved all of the economy of southeastern New Mexico," Brown says. But the WIPP facility is scheduled to close in 25 years. Again Brown pushes preparation, "We know what we have to do. We have advance warning; we won't be surprised. We have to find industries to come in to replace it. What we don't want to do is become complacent and wait until a few years before it closes." WIPP has brought a dynamic scientific presence to the community. Researchers from Sandia, Los Alamos, and Westinghouse laboratories and New Mexico State University work closely with Department of Energy officials on various projects. Brown says the city has strong expertise because of the scientists the WIPP program brought in for the Carlsbad Environment Monitoring Center. "We have technology and abilities that are unique throughout the whole world. They can be used on our border." The Department of Energy has established an initiative to alleviate problems with hazardous waste disposal on the United States/Mexico border. Until recently maquiladoras brought their hazardous waste to the United States for disposal, according to Perkowski. But as NAFTA expands, more of that waste will remain in Mexico. "If disposed of improperly, it could end up in the water supply in the U.S.," Perkowski says. "We are hopeful we can help them develop and use technology- from Sandia, Los Alamos, and here- to neutralize hazardous waste and keep it from becoming a major health problem." Preserving Carlsbad's healthful surroundings also requires recruiting clean industry. As other New Mexico communities have discovered, telecommunications centers provide opportunities for employment without detriment to the environment. In the last two years, Carlsbad has opened Valor and Connections call centers, which together employ about 500 workers. "The two centers have added to the Carlsbad economy. They've provided employment opportunities for unskilled labor, giving better-than-minimum wage jobs with benefits and teaching skills that are transferable to other industries," Brown says. Teaching technical skills is also a prominent goal of the Carlsbad school system. At both high school and college levels, educators are creating more training programs. "Our school system is very good and getting better every year," Brown says. "Our school board is working on developing teaching programs that will assist students in getting more technical jobs. The new CEO at NMSU-Carlsbad, Mel Vuk, is dedicated to ensuring it becomes a model, increasing technical training and engineering training so people in this region can stay in Carlsbad when they graduate." Perkowski says the city is proud of its teachers and programs. "We have the highest paid school district in the state of New Mexico. We are attracting good qualified teachers. We're the only district in the state that requires that our teachers have their masters in five years. We're getting the pay scale up to attract brighter teachers and people here." Another way the city is attracting people to the area is through its extensive tourism efforts. In April, the Chamber of Commerce hired executive director Robin Richard. Richard grew up in Carlsbad but spent 20 years in Lubbock where she owned and operated an ad agency and web design internet firm. She returned to Carlsbad to care for her aging mother and because she "felt it was time to give back." "We face lots of challenges. But we've seen some strides even in the short time I've been here," Richard says. One of her first steps was to launch a regional tourism campaign within 300 miles of Carlsbad and a "campaign within a campaign" into Mexico as far as Chihuahua. Though tourism is still down for the year, the city broke its lodgers tax record and the numbers have taken a turn in the right direction. "Things we're doing have been paying off in the last few months. It's the first time we've seen an upturn," Perkowski says. He believes that is a result of lower-than-projected gasoline prices and "tourism promotion: good old-fashioned hard work on the part of a lot of people." Tourism is an essential to the Carlsbad economy. As many as 600,000 people have traveled to the city in a year to visit Carlsbad Caverns, the Living Desert Museum, and other world-renowned destinations. And this year marks the tenth anniversary of Christmas on the Pecos, a riverfront holiday display. Boats conduct spectators down the Pecos River past elaborate and colorful light displays every evening but Christmas Eve from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day. (This year some displays will feature animated decorations as long as 30 feet.) In 2000, 14,000 people purchased tickets to the event. By the end of August 2001, close to 5,000 tickets had already been sold. Christmas on the Pecos won the 2000 national Top 100 Events to See in the Nation Award from the American Bus Tour Association. Subsequent media promotions may pitch Carlsbad as a retirement community, perhaps offering golf packages for visitors. To attract tourist dollars, the retail district has been sprucing up with its Main Street USA project. Gross receipts show a five percent gain over last year. 2001© Copyright New Mexico Business Journal All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 41 Nuclear Power & Terrorism by Matt Bivens Go to the website of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission ( www.nrc.gov), and you'll find an apology for how thin the information is there. On October 11 the website was closed; now bits and pieces are slowly re-emerging. Susan Gagner, an NRC press spokeswoman, says the site is being "scrubbed" of information that might be useful to terrorists. She said the NRC had been asked to take that action by "another government agency," but would not say which one. Another NRC spokesman told Reuters they were removing, for example, latitude and longitude coordinates of nuclear reactors, plant schematics and so on. Note that a full monthafter September 11, the NRC had to be toldto do this by someone else! Well, better late than never. As The Nation has reported, the terrorists who in 1993 bombed the World Trade Center trained beforehand at a remote site not thirty miles from Three Mile Island -- and afterward threatened to send 150 suicide bombers into America's nuclear plants. [See "Nuclear Safety," September 16]. Given that Al Qaeda terrorists active in America have been thinking about nuclear terrorism for eight years now, it seems likely that much of the NRC's now-secret information--assuming it was of interest and is not still obtainable on any AAA road map--was downloaded long ago. In any case, one needs minimal inspiration from the NRC website to brainstorm half-a-dozen ways a handful of motivated individuals could turn a nuclear power plant into an American Chernobyl. (Or forty-four Chernobyls. That's the sort of deadly radiation cloud New Scientist magazine predicts England and Ireland would see if a commercial jetliner plowed into the spent fuel pool of Britain's Sellafield plant. British Nuclear Fuels Ltd., Sellafield's parent company, called the report "irresponsible.") The 1986 fire at Chernobyl threw radiation across Ukraine, Belarus and much of Europe. The death-and-injury toll is a matter of debate; of 300 volunteer firefighters who immediately showed up to battle the six-day blaze, thirty-one were dead within the week. As the fire burned on, thousands more volunteers arrived, but estimates vary as to how many died how rapidly. The Ukrainian government this year estimated that more than 4,000 of those volunteer firefighters have since died a young death, and that more than 70,000 Ukrainians have been "disabled" by radiation sicknesses. The radiation has also created national sacrifice areas in Ukraine and Belarus, where hundreds of thousands deserted their homes in minutes, many of them never to return. Kiev has declared an area the size of the Netherlands unsuitable for agriculture; in neighboring Belarus, nearly a quarter of all farmland is contaminated, and the Health Ministry recorded a 161 percent increase in birth defects in babies born between 1986 and 1993. The World Health Organization says thousands of children have contracted or will contract thyroid cancer over the next decades, an ailment treatable with medication if caught early enough. US government action is being taken to defend some of America's 104 nuclear power plants from such a fate. National Guardsmen have been called out to patrol some reactors, and others along the Great Lakes are being watched by the Coast Guard. But the NRC remains tight-lipped and looks like a spectator--in public never moving from its initial September 11 "recommendation" that commercial nuclear plants adopt high-level security--while state governors, national security officials and Congressional critics drive the action. The NRC could demand or order instead of just recommending. But it has not done so--even when its recommendation looks to have been ignored. For example, it took well over a month after the World Trade Center fell--and weeks of complaints by citizens, media and politicians--before the Maine Yankee nuclear power plant could be bothered to post a guard and a gate at the road leading into its complex. Maine Yankee is being "decommissioned," but it's still home to an enormous pool of highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel. A spokesman for Maine Yankee, Eric House, said that despite the complaints that the place looked like a ghost town, security has been there all along--just "focused" on the metal warehouse over the spent fuel pool. Some locals say they've heard there are armed men inside that building, but House would not comment on that. So there's no way for the public to know whether those armed men have increased in number since September 11; or whether they could handle five or ten or twenty armed kamikaze terrorists; or what they could do to prevent, say, a truck bomb from trundling through the open gate, parking next to the pool house and then making most of Maine uninhabitable after it blows up. NRC officials counter that there has been no "specific or credible" threat to Maine Yankee, or to any other American nuclear plant. Apparently they were waiting for delivery of an Osama-gram with a big hissing fuse attached. And apparently they finally received something like that on Wednesday, when the NRC announced that a "credible" threat had been made "very specifically" against Three Mile Island. (So just as someone called them to tell them to clean up their website, someone--the CIA? the terrorists?--called them to suggest they look to Three Mile Island.) No details were offered, but some Pennsylvania airports were closed for several hours. By Thursday, the threat was "no longer credible." There is nothing new in this lackadaisical approach to nuclear plant security. Daniel Hirsch of the Committee to Bridge the Gap--the gap in question being that between the public and the jargon-filled world of nuclear power--has recounted how he and others spent a dismaying fifteen years trying to get the NRC to insist on forcing the power plants it licenses simply to set up barriers to potential truck bombs. In 1982, after a suicide bomber killed 241 US Marines stationed in Lebanon, the NRC began to hear Hirsch's pleas, and to re-examine its 1970s-era security regulations for nuclear facilities. Those rules required that reactors be prepared for the following worst-case scenario: three lightly armed attackers moving together on foot, assisted by a fourth attacker inside the plant's work force. No cars, no planes, no grenades, no truck bombs, no gases, no multiple teams. According to a paper Hirsch wrote in the mid-1980s, NRC safeguards staff saw post-Lebanon truck bombs as a serious danger, and in 1984 publicized their intent to put out new rules. The NRC contracted with the Sandia National Laboratories to study the truck-bomb threat--and Sandia concluded that it was worse than all had feared. A reasonable-sized charge set back beyond even the protected area for most plants could cause "unacceptable damage." (In other words, it could rip things apart sufficiently to cause reactor safety systems to fail, radiological releases, etc.--the sort of thing that a 1982 US Congressional Committee study had just concluded might bring thousands of fatalities, millions of poisonings and billions of dollars in damages.) Oddly, Hirsch writes, two weeks after they got that terrifying Sandia research back, the NRC postponed all action on a new truck-bomb-defense ruling--"pending the results of research." If it's more dangerous than ever, why postpone? Hirsch writes that the NRC was taken aback at the cost to the industry of real security and plunged into a paralyzing internal debate. "As long as the proposed NRC truck-bomb rule involved only a few extra concrete barricades on-site, the cost to the licensees [nuclear power plants] would have been minimal and the political cost to the NRC acceptable," he wrote. "When research revealed that the problem was considerably more serious than previously thought and the solution therefore more expensive, the regulatory agency apparently felt it could not afford to require action proportionate to the problem." Other government agencies were all putting in truck-bomb-defense policies (at taxpayer expense); the NRC contented itself with studying truck-bomb-defense policies rather than requiring them. In 1993, nine years later, after talk of new rules had begun, a deranged man drove his station wagon through the gates of Three Mile Island, crashing it into the turbine building and disappearing for four hours. Weeks later, terrorists tied to Al Qaeda bombed the World Trade Center, and afterward wrote to the New York Times that they would send 150 suicide bombers against US nuclear targets. Suddenly Hirsch and others who had written about security weaknesses at nuclear plants--among them Paul Leventhal of the Nuclear Control Institute and Bennett Ramberg, author of Nuclear Power Plants as Weapons for the Enemy: An Unrecognized Military Peril--found their truck-bomb fears shared by Congress. Under pressure, the NRC and the industry built new truck-bomb defenses. But other concerns of Leventhal, Ramberg and Hirsch--for example, the danger of terrorists infiltrating a nuclear plant's work force -- were less satisfactorily handled. All three participated in a post-September 11 press conference in Washington to advocate, among other things, US military troops and antiaircraft weaponry posted at every nuclear facility. They also called for plant operators to aggressively recheck employee backgrounds, and for a government moratorium on plans to ship spent nuclear fuel to a central depository tentatively planned for Yucca Mountain, Nevada--a plan critics deride as "mobile Chernobyl." Is that really what it takes to protect nuclear plants? If so, then some see in this a logical conclusion, and new currency for an old argument: that nuclear power is incompatible with democratic freedoms. If one has to scrub the websites, polygraph the employees, call out the guard and shoot down civilian aircraft that stray too close--does that sound like the USA, or the USSR? And if it sounds too Soviet, then isn't it more sensible to just shut the nuclear plants down? The Belgian government thinks so, and promises a bill by December 2002 to phase out its seven nuclear power reactors. Germany has already inked such a deal, and plans to replace the lost energy capacity with offshore windmill parks. It's easier than one might think. In America, despite all of the billions invested in it, nuclear power provides a mere fifth of the nation's electricity--far less than what five leading national laboratories say could be saved almost immediately with a national energy efficiency program, one that could unfold with most citizens never even noticing. Given this logic, it's not hard to see why the industry would be in a state of denial about security: The very discussion is a lethal Pandora's box. Perhaps this is why a full month after September 11 the gates to Maine Yankee lay open, the NRC website was still packed with design schemata, and it was up to governors, not slow-moving NRC officials, to call out the guard. A clear-eyed discussion of how to defend these plants just might conclude that they are indefensible. thenation.com ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR WEAPONS ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 DOE Suspends Rad Waste Shipments Over Terrorist Concerns Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2001 20:03:39 -0400 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2919.6700 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2919.6700 MOTHERSALERT HOME PAGE: http://www.mothersalert.org & http://www.mothersalert.org/moreinfo.html http://www.nci/org From: "michael mariotte" [http://www.nirs.org] Thursday, October 25, 2001 For Immediate Release US Dept. of Energy Suspends Atomic Waste Train Due to Terrorist Threat Contact: Kevin Kamps or Diane D'Arrigo, Nuclear Information & Resource Service, http://www.nirs.org ph. 202.328.0002 The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has agreed with the objections of numerous environmental and public interest groups, suspending a planned transcontinental train shipment of high-level atomic waste due to concern about possible terrorist attacks. The atomic waste train scheduled to carry 125 highly radioactive nuclear fuel assemblies from West Valley, New York through ten states to Idaho has now been postponed until at least April 1, 2002. It would have been one of the largest single shipments of commercial irradiated nuclear fuel in U.S. history, according to DOE spokesman John Chamberlain. "Actions speak louder than words, so although DOE will not admit it publicly, it's clear the West Valley shipment was suspended due to terrorism and security concerns," said Kevin Kamps of Nuclear Information & Resource Service (NIRS). "We're relieved DOE has recognized the extreme danger this proposed shipment would have created and chose instead to suspend the shipment. But the threat such shipments pose is not going to go away in a few months. Proposals for shipping tens of thousands of high-level radioactive waste containers by train and truck through 43 States past the homes of 50 million Americans to national dumpsites in Utah and Nevada must be re-examined in light of the potential for terrorist attacks." Last summer, NIRS hauled a full-size replica atomic waste transport container along the actual West Valley shipment route through NY, PA, OH, IN, IL, MO, KS, NE, WY, and ID, educating the public about the dangers of nuclear waste transportation. According to sources closely following the shipment's status, the twin 20 foot-long, dumbbell-shaped metallic atomic waste containers were scheduled to leave DOE's West Valley Demonstration Project near Buffalo as early as mid-September, but that was before Sept. 11. Due to concerns about additional potential terrorist attacks, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham suspended DOE nuclear waste and materials shipments the day after 9/11. But DOE began lifting that suspension just a couple weeks later, raising the possibility that the West Valley shipment might still roll by the end of October. Because metal gaskets on the two containers have not been certified for cold weather conditions, DOE had agreed to deliver the shipment to its Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory no later than Oct. 31 in order to avoid encountering extreme low temperatures. DOE reinstituted its suspension of nuclear waste shipments on Oct. 7, due to concerns of potential reprisal attacks in response to the beginning of U.S. military action in Afghanistan that day. Despite this, DOE's West Valley site director Alice Williams told the Buffalo News on Oct. 16 that the nuclear train might still roll by the end of the month despite on-going national terrorist threats. However, the very next day, orders were sent to Williams from DOE headquarters in Washington explicitly suspending the shipment until next spring, according to an Oct. 19 Buffalo News article. The two containers will now be off-loaded from the on-site railcars, where they sat outdoors since May, and will spend the winter inside the West Valley facility. "Energy Secretary Abraham's decision to halt this high-level nuclear waste shipment, not once, not twice, but three times clearly shows that the Energy Department itself acknowledges atomic waste trains like this one are potential terrorist targets," said Tim Rinne, State Coordinator of Nebraskans for Peace. "Attorney General John Ashcroft and the FBI have warned about additional terrorist attacks. Trucking firms and railroads have been put on highest alert against attacks upon hazardous and radiological shipments. Recently, airports around the Three Mile Island nuclear plant were shut down due to a terrorist threat. The DOE shipment ban should be extended indefinitely, and expanded to cover commercial high-level nuclear waste shipments as well," said Kay Drey of the Missouri Coalition for the Environment. Despite the current shipment ban, Energy Secretary Abraham appears ready to give his thumbs up to the national high-level atomic waste dumpsite targeted at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. DOE closed its public comment period on the Yucca proposal Oct. 19, and has announced Abraham will make his recommendation to President Bush by the end of the year or early next year. In recent days, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) publicly announced its "concurrence" with DOE's Yucca Mountain siting guidelines, and in recent weeks finalized its own Yucca licensing regulations. At the same time, the NRC is reviewing a nuclear power industry license application to "temporarily store" all currently-existing irradiated fuel at the Skull Valley Goshute Indian reservation in Utah, which would launch 200 high-level atomic waste trains per year throughout the country as early as 2004. "It is hypocritical for DOE to put the brakes on the West Valley shipment while rushing ahead to give its thumbs up to Yucca Mountain," said Dave Ritter, policy analyst at Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program. "Approval of the Yucca Mountain repository proposal would launch tens of thousands of high-level atomic waste trucks and trains onto our roads and rails. Inadequately addressing potential terrorist threats to such shipments is rash, irresponsible, and reckless." DOE studies show that 50 million Americans in 45 States live within a half mile of projected highway and train routes to Yucca Mountain. Critics also point to an Aug. 27, 1998 letter written by Abraham, who was then a U.S. Senator from Michigan, to then-Energy Secretary Richardson regarding plutonium shipments. In the letter, Abraham wrote "I am sure you will agree that the ramifications of an accident are too serious to consider anything less than the very best emergency response preparedness." A copy of the letter is available from NIRS. "Just as police and firefighters were on the front line of the 9/11 attacks, so would emergency responders be called upon to protect our communities in the event of an atomic waste transport accident or terrorist attack upon a shipment," said Chris Williams, executive director of Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana. "They need to be thoroughly trained and well equipped to deal with radiation emergencies, and not caught off-guard as our government agencies have been by the bio-terrorism attacks." Critics have also called upon NRC to address terrorist threats to atomic waste transport containers. Commercial high-level atomic waste shipments, such as those to Carolina Power and Light's Shearon Harris reactor storage pools in North Carolina, have not been suspended despite the DOE ban. In a Sept. 21 response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the NRC - responsible for regulating commercial and DOE high-level atomic waste transport containers and shipment safeguards -- admitted that "the capacity of shipping casks to withstand such a [large aircraft] crash has not been analyzed." In June 1999 the State of Nevada filed a "Petition for Rulemaking" to the NRC, charging that safeguards against terrorist attacks on high-level radioactive waste shipments were woefully inadequate or non-existent. Nine state governments and the Western Governors Association endorsed the petition. Despite officially agreeing to act on the petition in Sept. 1999, the NRC has yet to do so. A copy of the petition is available from NIRS. "Large scale movement of radioactive waste on the roads and rails would create tens of thousands of potential targets, in virtually any scenario a terrorist might choose, whether major metropolitan areas, suburbs, or the agricultural heartland, near schools, hospitals, or water supplies," said Corey Conn of Illinois-based Nuclear Energy Information Service. ***************************************************************** 2 Nuke scientist shifted to safe house The Frontier Post From Peshawar Pakistan Updated on 10/25/2001 11:18:16 AM ISLAMABAD (Online): Renowned nuclear scientist Dr Sultan Bashir ud Din Mahmood and his two friends who were taken into custody by intelligence agencies on Tuesday from Lahore have been shifted to a safe house of the federal capital.Reasons for the detention of country's top nuclear scientists have not been disclosed. However his wife told this agency Wednesday that Sultan informed her about his arrest on telephone and told he would be back soon. It is pertinent to note here that Dr Sultan resigned from Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission during Nawaz Sharif regime for his opposition to the signing of CTBT. Another person arrested along with him is reported to be another senior nuclear scientist Chaudhry Abdul Majeed. © Copyright 2001 The Frontier Post ***************************************************************** 3 No terrorists have tried to enter Russian nuclear weapons stores - general staff BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Oct 25, 2001 Text of report in English by Russian news agency Interfax Moscow, 25 October: There have been no attempts by terrorists to get inside nuclear munitions depots, the Russian Defence Ministry said Thursday. "There have been no attempts to get inside our sites. Terrorists have only tried to reconnoitre them," head of the 12th main department of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff Col-Gen Igor Volynkin has told the press. "We have taken a number of measures to upgrade the technical security of the sites," Volynkin said. "The United States has helped us a lot by supplying advanced technical security means for our C sites [depots of nuclear munitions - Interfax]," Volynkin said. The 12th department supervises nuclear security in the Russian Armed Forces. Source: Interfax news agency, Moscow, in English 1306 gmt 25 Oct 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to Copyright ***************************************************************** 4 Kursk checked for nuclear leaks Thursday, October 25, 2001 Is death sub safe to enter? By AP MOSCOW -- Russian investigators examined the deck of the nuclear submarine Kursk yesterday, while radiation specialists took air and water samples from the inside of the submarine to see if it would be safe to enter. Workers drilled holes around the submarine's sixth compartment, where its nuclear reactors are located, to test radioactivity there. Once the samples are analyzed, a decision will be made about working inside, navy spokesman Igor Dygalo said. The Kursk sank in the Barents Sea more than a year ago, killing all 118 men on board. The sub was raised in a risky operation that cost the Russian government about $100 million. Officials have said they hope the wreck will provide clues about the cause of the disaster. However, experts believe most of the clues are contained in the submarine's mangled first compartment, which was cut off and left behind when the Kursk was raised. Russia will try to raise it next year. Previous story: Man pleads guilty on kid sex charges CNEWS Headlines b>© 2001, Canoe Limited Partnership. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 5 Marshall Islands angry at US bank's refusal to release funds for test victims BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Oct 25, 2001 Text of report by Radio New Zealand International audio web site on 25 October The Marshall Islands finance minister, Michael Konelious, has expressed anger at the refusal by the Bank of New York to release 60m US dollars to beneficiaries of the Nuclear Claims Tribunal. The money was to be paid this week to 1,700 victims of the 67 US nuclear weapons tests carried out between 1946 and 1958. (?Gev Johnson) reports. [Johnson] The problem with this nuclear payment for the Marshall Islands is that it is the largest single payment that has ever been made directly to the Nuclear Claims Tribunal and so the Bank of New York is seeking US government approval and they are trying to get a letter or some kind of document from the US government saying there is no problem with it. Well, one of the difficulties in trying to get the US government to do that is the US government actually has no involvement with this nuclear fund. It is run by the Marshall Islands. Source: Radio New Zealand International audio web site, Wellington, in English 0432 gmt 25 Oct 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to Copyright ***************************************************************** 6 Pakistan to face repercussions of US bombings: Soomro -DAWN - National; 26 October, 2001 By Our Staff Reporter ISLAMABAD, Oct 25: Prolonged US bombardment on Afghanistan will inflame the situation in Pakistan and may lead to fragmentation of the country, former national assembly speaker Ilahi Bakhsh Soomro told Dawn here on Thursday. Mr Soomro, who is also the rector of Ghulam Ishaque Khan Institute of Technology, said people were demanding an immediate end to the bombings in Afghanistan. He said though President Gen Pervez Musharraf did the right thing earlier by siding with the international coalition, he should also keep in view the changing attitudes of the people about the continuing US strikes. Referring to the current international focus on Pakistan, he said: "Only two months ago we were being neglected, now every country wants our friendship." However, he expressed the apprehension that the Americans would again forget Pakistan the moment their interest in the region was over, in the same way as they did after the withdrawal of the Soviets from Afghanistan. He said the Afghans were stubborn and interpreted Shariat in the light of their own customs and traditions which did not strictly conform to Islam. "The tragic side of the situation is that an Afghan will do just as he likes, and no outsider can persuade him to act against his will", Mr Soomro said. About the situation in Jacobabad, he said, though the airport was barricaded and fenced with barbed wires, it was not very difficult to notice the American planes landing and taking off from the airport. "I have myself seen American C-130 aircraft, fitted with guns, the one used for strafing, taking off from the Jacobabad airport", he added. Mr Soomro said the C-130 that Pakistan had was a propeller aircraft while the one being used by the US had jet engines. About Nazims, he said, they were unable to control the situation like the deputy commissioners who had complete grip over the situation. © The DAWN Group of Newspapers, 2001 ***************************************************************** 7 Pakistan questions nuclear scientist over Taliban links Thursday October 25, 7:33 PM Pakistan authorities have detained a former top government nuclear scientist over links between his relief agency and Afghanistan's ruling Taliban regime, a military spokesman told AFP Thursday. Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood, who was a project director in Pakistan's nuclear program in the lead up to the nation's nuclear tests in 1998, was detained for questioning on Tuesday, spokesman Major General Rashid Qureshi said. Since retiring from the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission three years ago, Mahmood had run a group that did relief work in Afghanistan, Qureshi said. Mahmood's family said he was a strict Muslim who supported the Taliban. Qureshi said authorities were only investigating Mahmood for his links with the Taliban through his relief agency, and not over concerns he may have passed on any government nuclear secrets. "Mahmood had been visiting Afghanistan and we are simply investigating the contacts that exist between his relief agency and the Taliban," Qureshi said. "His detention has nothing to do with any nuclear aspect." Qureshi said the government had launched an investigation into the affairs of all non-governmental organisations and the probe against Mahmood was part of this policy. Interior Secretary Tasneem Noorani confirmed that an inquiry had been launched into Mahmood. "Mahmood's protective custody is basically to probe the affairs of his relief organisation," Noorani said. A close relative of Mahmood said the nuclear scientist was a staunch Muslim with pro-Taliban sentiments, but did not give any other details. The hardline Islamic Taliban regime is under heavy US military attack for its alliance with alleged terrorist Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network. The US accuses bin Laden and al-Qaeda of organising the September 11 terrorist strikes on New York and Washington that killed more than 5,000 people. Western government officials have warned bin Laden is capable of further terrorist strikes and many people fear he is behind the slew of anthrax cases in the United States although US authorities have so far not been able to prove any link. Pakistan became a nuclear power in May 1998 when it conducted a series of nuclear tests in response to tests by South Asian rival India. The United States led the world in imposing economic and military sanctions on both countries following the nuclear tests. But Washington withdrew the sanctions after Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf decided to back the US-led military action against Afghanistan, which started on October 7. Musharraf this week moved to ease concerns that Pakistan's nuclear assets could fall into the hands of Islamic hardliners. "Our nuclear and strategic assets are in very safe hands," Musharraf said in an interview on CNN. "There is an excellent command and control system in place that we have evolved and there is no question of them falling into the hands of any fundamentalist." Copyright © 2001 AFP. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 8 News: Pantex pulls documents from public Amarillo Globe-News: Local 10/25/01 Security Measure: Pantex employees remove material Wednesday from the Pantex Plant Citizens Advisory Board reading room in downtown Amarillo. Michael Schumacher/ By Jim McBride Pantex officials, citing security concerns, removed boxes of unclassified public documents Wednesday from the Pantex Plant Citizens Advisory Board's Amarillo office. Plant officials also have quietly cleaned out once-public documents and reports from Energy Department public reading rooms in Amarillo and Panhandle. Late Wednesday afternoon, DOE officials and BXWT Pantex employees in tan coveralls carted out document boxes to a white truck outside the downtown advisory board office. Jerry Johnson, a DOE Pantex official, said Wednesday that he faxed a letter to the Pantex advisory board's two co-chairmen, notifying them that all public Pantex documents will be reviewed. Reading Material Gone: Documents have been removed from the Department of Energy reading room at Amarillo College and two other local locations. Michael Lemmons / "Anything we can return to the reading rooms we will," he said as employees bagged up documents in the office. In his letter, Johnson said information on Pantex's Web site has been evaluated and released, but other documents must be reviewed. "Due to general security concerns, all Web information and internally printed material accessible to the public are being reviewed," the letter states. Advisory board co-chair Paula Breeding said many items taken Wednesday had been distributed to board members for years. "Are they going to be coming to board members' houses next? I think this is quite serious. They ought to be worrying about those (plutonium) pits and the safety of those things," Breeding said. "This is worse than the Cold War. I doubt those things will be returned, especially from the PPCAB office." Phillip Smith, a Carson County resident whose farm borders the nuclear warhead assembly plant, said he understands the government taking security measures, but he hopes steps that DOE has taken to inform the public won't be lost. "I was even unaware that was happening, but I can sure understand why, for the time being anyway," Smith said. "Whether it's a permanent closure, I think that would be bad." Smith said many documents in DOE's reading rooms have provided important public information about solvent and other groundwater contamination emanating off the Pantex site. "I don't know how many people are using those things. Probably not as many as should be," he said of DOE's reading room documents. "Our whole involvement in this deal ... is to make the public aware of what is happening or can happen to their water supply, and has happened." Several years ago, Pantex and other nuclear weapons sites created the reading rooms to provide public access to unclassified Energy Department reports and documents. Many of the reports are environmental documents, some of which must be made public under federal law. On Oct. 4, Richard W. Phillips, director of intelligence and cybersecurity, issued a memorandum to DOE's weapons plants and labs, ordering them to take immediate measures to safeguard information until it can be evaluated. "Examples of information of potential concern include maps, facility drawings, environmental impact statements, safety studies, mission priorities and their locations, and locations of high concentrations of personnel," the memo states. Documents from the DOE's Reading Rooms at Amarillo College and the Carson County Library in Panhandle were removed in the last week or so, library officials said. ***************************************************************** 9 Eastern Europe countries battle legacy of the past Planet Ark Environmental News: FEATURE - UK: October 24, 2001 LONDON - More than 10 years after the 1989 collapse of communism, the rusting remains of smelters and mines are a legacy eastern Europe is finding hard to get rid of. Dilapidated smelting and mining facilities continue to spew toxins into an already befouled environment in these countries, many of which are hoping to join the European Union. The EU is using the lure of enlargement to push candidate states to put clean-up high on their agenda. It estimates that the 10 ex-communist countries will have to spend the equivalent of some $100 billion to meet its pollution standards. Easier said than done, the governments of the EU hopefuls say they do not have the money. The worst case appears to be Serbia. Shattered by the long years of wars under the ousted Yugoslav dictator Slobodan Milosevic, the Balkan country seems unable to cope with the magnitude of its environmental problems. Srdja Popovic, who advises the Serbian prime minister on environmental issues, said the country's reformist leadership had inherited a "devastating environmental situation" with no institutions to tackle the issue, no funding and a minimum awareness of ecological problems. "What we have are outdated technologies and many environmental hot spots," Popovic told Reuters. Estimates put at $180 million the costs just to rebuild a waste treatment system at a copper mine and smelter in the town of Bor, in eastern Serbia. The waste flows directly into the Krivaljska reka river, a threat to the whole Danube river basin. "Nuclear or toxic waste is another unresolved issue. Waste management must be set up from the scrap," he said. Cash-strapped Romania, Serbia's neighbour, also has an appalling pollution record. The country's industrialisation drive in the early 1970s produced mammoth smelters. Most of them are now surrounded by mounds of toxic waste and a wasteland of rusting metal among ramshackle buildings. Years of poor maintenance, sloppy practices, disregard for the environment under the communists and under-investment make the rehabilitation of smelters the biggest clean-up challenge for Romania, which is not short of environmental headaches. Last year, the mining town of Baia Mare, near the border with Hungary, came under international scrutiny after the dam of a tailings pond at a local gold smelter collapsed and spilled lethal cyanide and heavy metals into the Danube, creating ecological havoc downstream to the Black Sea. Valuable minerals such as gold are found in quantities invisible to the naked eye, so mining companies extract them by sifting through vast quantities of rock. Most of the waste is piled in dumps, exposed to rain water and winds. The remaining ore must be milled and then bathed in a cyanide solution to disgorge flecks of the metals. The Baia Mare accident, which made headlines around the globe, prompted the EU to amend its regulatory framework for mining activities. It made clear it was not ready to compromise on the toxic waste issue. A senior EU official in Brussels told Reuters a detailed inventory of all abandoned and existing mines in the candidate countries would offer the Union a tool to check the EU aspirants' progress in dealing with their ecological hot spots. In Romania's capital Bucharest, Environment Ministry director Florea Gabrian said:"We have no fresh data on pollution. However, we will carry out an appropriate analysis." In the town of Zlatna in Romania's central province of Transylvania, a big state-run copper smelter continues to spew toxic clouds into the atmosphere because local authorities cannot afford to close the plant which provides jobs for thousands of people in the area. Bulgaria, another EU laggard, has made better strides in dealing with waste from smelters. Copper smelter Umicore Med (UM), formerly Union Miniere Pirdop Copper, completed a large part of a $25 million programme aimed at restoring polluted areas around the plant. Under Bulgaria's environmental protection law, the state is responsible for environmental damage caused by former state enterprises. Under the programme, UM removed 400,000 cubic metres (14.13 million cubic feet) of waste and rehabilitated seven million tonnes of slag and two million tonnes of tailings. Story by Adrian Dascalu REUTERS NEWS SERVICE ***************************************************************** 10 Bechtel Jacobs safety issues identified Oak Ridger Online --> Story last updated at 11:41 a.m. on Thursday, October 25, 2001 by Paul Parson Oak Ridger staff A federal watchdog agency says several safety-related deficiencies have yet to be remedied despite the fact that the Department of Energy pointed them out to Bechtel Jacobs Co. over a year ago. John T. Conway, chairman of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, outlined the problems with Bechtel Jacobs' Integrated Safety Management System in a recent letter to Robert Gordon Card, undersecretary of Energy, Science and Environment. Bechtel Jacobs is in charge of nuclear cleanup activities at facilities under the jurisdiction of DOE's Oak Ridge Operations office, including the Oak Ridge K-25 site. The company's Integrated Safety Management System is a process that incorporates safety into management and work practices at all levels, addressing all types of work and all types of hazards, to ensure safety for the workers, the public and the environment. "The safety implications of this situation demand an independent examination and prompt resolution," Conway wrote. The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board is an independent federal agency that Congress established in 1988 to provide safety oversight of the nuclear weapons complex operated by DOE. In February 2000, DOE's Oak Ridge Operations office conducted a review of Bechtel Jacobs' Integrated Safety Management System that identified around 50 "issues," including several pertaining to authorization basis documents. These documents include safety-related information that supports a decision to allow a process or facility to operate. Included are corporate operational and environmental requirements as found in regulations and specific permits, and, for specific activities, work packages or job safety analyses. DOE's review also found problems pertaining to "work-smart standards." These standards include all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations as well as other standards that are necessary and sufficient to provide adequate protection for workers, the public and the environment. In an October 2000 follow-up review, DOE determined that many of these issues had been cleared up, but the agency also identified 25 new problems. Shortly afterward, DOE declared the system implemented, subject to Bechtel Jacobs' completing additional corrective actions. However, as of Oct. 1, 2001, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board said many of the "deficient conditions" from DOE's review remained uncorrected. "Absent a comprehensive set of safety controls and supporting safety analyses, it is not credible to assert that the public, workers and the environment are protected from the hazards of these facilities," Conway wrote. Conway says the deficiencies exist because the Oak Ridge Operations office and Bechtel Jacobs have not complied with DOE safety directives. DOE has already recognized most of the issues raised by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, according to Steven Wyatt, a spokesman for the Energy Department. "ORO (DOE's Oak Ridge Operations office) does not disagree with these findings and has taken steps to correct problems in safety basis documentation in the Oak Ridge environmental management program," Wyatt said. "Also, ORO previously committed to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board to do an independent assessment of the safety basis process to ensure that ORO is providing the appropriate level of reviews and controls." Bechtel Jacobs officials said the company will cooperate fully in the independent assessment recommended by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board and will implement any recommendations that result from that assessment. "While Bechtel Jacobs' safety performance continues to be significantly better than the DOE average, both DOE and Bechtel Jacobs are committed to continued improvement in safety performance and in the Integrated Safety Management System program," according to a prepared statement issued to The Oak Ridger this morning by Bechtel Jacobs spokesman Dennis Hill. Hill pointed out that DOE's Oak Ridge Operations office has performed "rigorous, comprehensive and fair assessments" of Bechtel Jacobs' Integrated Safety Management System implementation. He added that both DOE and Bechtel Jacobs have confirmed its effectiveness. "No imminent safety concerns were identified in three extensive DOE independent reviews of DOE's and Bechtel Jacobs' Integrated Safety Management System programs," according to Hill. The assessments were conducted over the last two years by teams of 20-30 independent assessment specialists. "These teams spent weeks at our sites, reviewed documents, walked down facilities, observed the work practices of Bechtel Jacobs and our subcontractors in the field, took samples, and performed radiological surveys," according to Hill. "While they pointed out a number of areas for improvement (some of which we already self-identified), each of their reports concluded that there were no imminent threats to workers, the public, or the environment." All Contents ©Copyright The Oak Ridger ***************************************************************** 11 Elite U.S. team works to keep nuclear bombs from terrorists KnoxNews: Sci/tech By ANDREW SCHNEIDER Twenty-seven years ago, extortionists threatened to blow up Boston with a nuclear device unless $200,000 was paid. A pickup team of federal agents scrambled to the scene. Scientists with the Atomic Energy Commission flew into one airport. Their radiation detection equipment went to another. No one was sure what to look for or how to find it or exactly what to do if they did. As it turned out, the government's bewilderment really didn't matter. The extortionist never picked up the money that the FBI left at a prearranged spot, and the matter was declared a hoax. Fortunately for Boston, there was no bomb. Fortunately for the United States, emergency planners admitted that the response was chaotic and bumbling; and President Gerald Ford ordered the government to get its act together. Within a year, in 1975, the nation's Nuclear Emergency Search Team was created. While reports of anthrax and fears of bioterrorism have permeated America's psyche in the last few weeks, security experts have not forgotten their decades-old concern about terrorists obtaining and detonating a nuclear device. The job of protecting the nation from such a catastrophe falls to NEST. This carefully crafted group of more than 1,100 men and women works for the Department of Energy. They are nuclear physicists - some who designed U.S. atomic weapons - chemists, engineers, meteorologists, physicians, nurses, computer specialists and security experts. Most work at the nation's weapons plants, but when alerted to a NEST call-up, they can be delivered, fully equipped, to anyplace in the country within four hours, they say. The heart of the NEST operation is the security force. The small group of government employees and civilian contractors is highly trained, well armed and equipped with an evolving collection of sophisticated radiation detectors. If necessary, these science-commandos believe they can fight their way into a terrorist stronghold and secure a nuclear device. They have trained the Delta Force and other elite military and government units in how to search for radioactive material. In almost all cases, they do their work unobtrusively. Hard hats and jeans are worn on the docks, pinstriped suits and leather briefcases near the Capitol and on Wall Street and team colors at the stadium. Their toolboxes, briefcases and beer coolers often contain the most sophisticated tracking devices available. Today they have their own aircraft to get the team and equipment where they are needed. They have a fleet of nondescript vans and trucks to carry tons of gear to receive satellite information, lathes to machine their own equipment on the scene, cameras, scuba and climbing gear, tents, special foam and freezing chemicals and detection devices of all types and sizes. They train all the time and, as of last December, had responded to about 125 actual calls. All but 30 were classified as hoaxes or unsubstantiated. No one, not even former NEST members, would discuss any of the 30, other than to say that several dealt with extortion attempts by employees in various areas of the nuclear industry. There has long been concern that someone - a militia member, an irate student, a disgruntled government worker - might try to put together an atomic device. How-to guides for building nuclear devices can be found all over the Internet, in college collections of doctoral theses and in some survivalist or anarchist books or handouts. NEST investigators collect and evaluate all of these as well as spy novels and movie scripts dealing with the topic. "Fortunately, most of these home-brewed recipes are missing key ingredients or vital steps, so the only real threat they present would be to anyone crazy enough to try building a device," said a former NEST team leader. "Some of movies and novels come closer to the truth - frighteningly closer - but without the right (weapons grade nuclear) material, they remain interesting fiction." Uppermost on the "to do" list of those guarding against nuclear terrorism is the security of nuclear weapons and radioactive material. The fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s did nothing to ease the angst of those concerned about nuclear weapons and material getting into the wrong hands. Intelligence groups reported that between 4,000 and 6,000 former Soviet weapons scientists who were no longer being paid by the new Russian government were being heavily courted by Iraq, Iran, North Korea and terrorist groups. Of greater importance, there was little or no security for the thousands of nuclear devices spread out across Russia and its breakaway republics. President Clinton pressured the Russian leadership to allow the United States to help. Scores of NEST members and other American specialists went to Russia's secret nuclear cities to coach their former enemies on how to safeguard the weapons and material within. Were these highly unusual steps successful? No one really knows. Nor is it known how much, if any, R (For news and information about St. Louis, visit http://stltoday.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.) October 24, 2001 Copyright © 1999-2001 The Knoxville News-Sentinel Co. All ***************************************************************** 12 Uzbekistan on alert for terrorist strikes BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Oct 25, 2001 Tight security measures introduced in Uzbekistan to thwart any possible Taleban attack are proving an additional burden for the country's economy, while their efficiency has been called into question by a recent high-profile theft from a Tashkent museum, Russian Strana.Ru web site argues. The republic is hastily preparing to fend off any strikes on potential terrorist targets, such as dams and water supplies. The following is the text of a report by the Russian Strana.Ru web site on 22 October. Subheadings have been inserted editorially. After the Taleban declared war on Uzbekistan three weeks ago, unprecedented security measures were taken in Tashkent. This did not stop criminals from robbing the local museum of 8m dollars. And this was at a time when no vehicle could enter or leave Tashkent without inspection. Tight security measures Interior Ministry agencies had already been put on intensified work status back in 1999 after a series of explosions in Tashkent. But their work status was recently tightened even further: the ringroad around Tashkent was completely closed off. All persons coming into Tashkent, including inhabitants of Uzbekistan itself, are subject to mandatory registration. The entire police force has been put on alert, with leaves and days off cancelled. Details stand guard in populous places and at administrative buildings. There are also many military patrols in the streets. As the Uzbek press observes, the level of street crime has dropped even further, but the intensification of police work did not prevent wrongdoers from stealing the most valuable item in the Tashkent Art Museum, a painting by Surikov worth an estimated 8m dollars. The theft was called the crime of the century in Uzbekistan. Nothing like that had ever happened in the republic before. The policeman who was guarding the hall where the painting was kept shot himself. In the best traditions of the Soviet past, staff meetings are being held constantly in the republic's companies and organizations. During the meetings, staff are being told the meaning of Islam Karimov's 5 October statement in which the president substantiated the need for Uzbekistan to participate in the antiterrorist coalition. Every news programme on television shows features where inhabitants of the republic declare their ardent support for the president's position, which is not to participate directly in the war in Afghanistan and not to allow Uzbekistan's territory to be used for combat action, but only for humanitarian operations. The key word in all broadcasts is vigilance; everyone is called on to increase vigilance. Everyone needs to be vigilant: bank employees, doctors, peasants, city-dwellers. Potential terrorist targets Nonetheless, you can make all the ironic comments you want about how well-preserved the rudiments of the Soviet past in the republic are, but objectively it is Uzbekistan that may become the most convenient target for terrorist strikes. The republic has a common border with Afghanistan, and within Uzbekistan itself there are many followers of the "Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan", which is closely tied to Bin-Ladin. And there are also many sites where a minimal action against them could lead to disastrous results. First, there are the rivers. In Central Asia they pass through several states, through densely populated regions that have extremely underdeveloped water supply systems. It would be enough to poison one water artery and the victims could run into the millions. Understanding this, Uzbek specialists are striving to avoid such consequences. Asomutdin Komilov, deputy health minister of the republic, reported to journalists that a special system is being set up for monitoring and emergency help in case of contamination of bodies of water. Second, there are the nuclear dumps, which are even located in such densely populated regions as the Fergana Valley. Blowing them up could lead to radioactive contamination of the terrain. And third and possibly most dangerous are the hydroengineering structures: individual and clustered hydroelectric plants and pumping stations. There are 55 reservoirs in Uzbekistan with a total capacity of more than 60 cu.km. of water. All of this water is located at high elevations, more than 100 metres. Ten bags skilfully loaded with hexagen could, for example, destroy the dam at the Charvakskoye Reservoir, which is located just 80 km from Tashkent and holds back 2 cu.km. of water at an elevation of 170 metres. Considering all these circumstances, it is extremely important for the Uzbek authorities that the entire population of the republic be prepared for possible terrorist acts and assist the law-enforcement agencies in disarming terrorists. Economy suffering Paradoxical as it may seem, these measures that have been taken have markedly diminished the popularity of Islam Karimov. And it is not just a matter of the police making procedures more complicated for small and middle-sized business, in which the majority of the economically active population are engaged. In the last 2-3 years taxes on this particular sector of the economy have increased significantly (a lot of money is needed to increase the size of the police force and internal troops). For example, in Uzbekistan today taxes reach 60 per cent and if businesses do not evade them they cannot survive. The authorities are trying to limit the omnipotence of police officials and the tax police in relation to small and middle-sized entrepreneurs, but this is even harder to do in Uzbekistan than in Russia. In these conditions it is entirely possible that Karimov's enemies will become active, which would require even more money for a clampdown. The president of Uzbekistan still has to walk the fine line of confrontation between the external threat and internal enemies. Source: Strana.Ru web site, Moscow, in Russian 22 Oct 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to Copyright ***************************************************************** NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: *****************************************************************