***************************************************************** 09/26/01 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 9.227 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER CONTENTS 1 NRC Approves Power Uprate for Beaver Valley Power Station in 2 Nuclear Plants' Security Increased 3 Las Vegas Science Center open for comments on Yucca Mountain 4 Security fears over American reactors 5 Nuclear waste cargo halted 6 At Volgodonskaya Plant IAEA Holds International Seminar On 7 Nuclear waste possible target 8 Activists urge more defenses for nuclear power plants 9 Nuclear Plants Called Vulnerable to Terrorist Attack 10 Nuclear waste shipment through area on hold in terror's wake 11 State's nuclear security tightened 12 Nevada lawmakers: Nuke transport trucks would be inviting targets 13 Security of Nuclear Power Plants Under Review 14 Nuclear plant security eyed 15 Security fears delay nuclear waste transfer 16 Daily Events Report 17 WNA NEWS BRIEFING 01.39 | 19 - 25 September 2001 18 Mission Statement for the Nuclear Free Great Basin Campaign 19 ADAMS: Items of Interest - Wednesday, September 26, 2001 20 Future of safety at McGuire debated 21 Steps taken to keep nuke plants safe 22 Brazil nuclear plant accident discovered by media - 23 DOE Opens Las Vegas Science Center To Serve As Extended Hearing 24 Technology:Plutonium meeting brings no resolution 25 German environmentalists demand shutdown of nuclear plants 26 NRC Staff Proposes $17,600 Fine Against Ohio Environmental 27 British Energy fails to generate profits 28 Emergency precautions 29 Nuclear power plants vulnerable, groups say NUCLEAR WEAPONS CONTENTS 1 US on highest level of alert 2 ORNL says reactor ready for another 30 years 3 OR shipments of low-level nuclear wastes resume 4 ISIS: First Casuality of War Must Not Be Pakistan 5 Senate Approves Miners Payments 6 War won't drain Hanford funding 7 Oak Ridge contractor resumes shipping low-level nuclear waste 8 No decision from DOE on FFTF this week 9 Shays Warns of Suitcase Nuke Terror Threat 10 Subcritical experiment set today at test site 11 The fallout 12 The Hawk Eye takes honors at convention 13 CROET unveils FY 2002 budget 09/26/01 14 Only the weather can hamper the Kursk lifting 15 Attacks magnify fears about excess plutonium 16 Mark Frei Chosen to Lead Department of Energy's Idaho Operations Office **************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 NRC Approves Power Uprate for Beaver Valley Power Station in Pennsylvania Press Release - 2001 - 114 - U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, DC 20555-001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov Web Site: http://www.nrc.gov/OPA No. 01-114 September 25, 2001 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved a request by FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company to increase the generating capacity of Beaver Valley Power Station Units 1 and 2 by 1.4 percent, or about 12 megawatts of electricity per unit. The power uprate at the station, located in Shippingport, Pennsylvania, will increase the generating capacity of each reactor to about 822 megawatts of electricity. The facility intends to implement the power increase this fall. The application for the increase in power was submitted to the NRC on January 18. The NRC's safety evaluation of the requested power uprate for the units focused on several areas, including nuclear steam supply systems, instrumentation and control systems, electrical systems, accident evaluations, radiological consequences, operations and technical specification changes. The NRC staff determined that the licensee could safely increase the power output of the two reactors with minor modifications to plant equipment and because of technical refinements that permit more precise measurements of reactor operating conditions. ***************************************************************** 2 Nuclear Plants' Security Increased Las Vegas SUN September 25, 2001 WASHINGTON (AP) - For decades, security at the nation's nuclear power reactors has focused on commando raids, internal sabotage or possibly a truck bomb. Since the World Trade Center attack, the plants have been put on unprecedented alert. Operators have hurried to tighten security at the 64 reactor sites. More guards have been posted, security patrols have been added and access to the most sensitive areas has been scaled back. At 26 military installations, combat aircraft are ready to intercept aircraft that might pose a threat. Federal officials have been reluctant to provide details, but it is assumed those aircraft would be available if a reactor was found to be a target. Nuclear power plants "are considered part of the homeland defense," Richard Meserve, chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said in an interview Tuesday. He declined to elaborate. Utilities and the NRC are in "very close coordination" with the FBI and military, another NRC official said. But federal regulators and industry executives acknowledged Tuesday that even all those safeguards may be inadequate to protect against the kind of suicide mission - accomplished with fuel-laden jetliners - that marked the recent attacks in New York and Washington. "It does change the equation," said Meserve. He added that an across-the-board review of necessary new security measures should "not focus solely on the aircraft threat." Nuclear critics contend nothing short of military occupation of the plants will provide adequate safety. "We don't have the luxury of time, given the threat that now has been identified," said Paul Leventhal, president of the Nuclear Control Institute, a Washington-based advocacy group involved in nuclear proliferation issues. Leventhal argued that National Guard troops should be dispatched to all 103 commercial power reactors in 31 states, followed by other military forces equipped with anti-aircraft weapons. "There is a security vacuum out there now, a very dangerous vacuum," he insisted. Joe Colvin, president of the Nuclear Energy Institute, the industry trade group, accused Leventhal of "unduly alarming the American people at this difficult time." He said Leventhal is characterizing the threat to nuclear plants "beyond the bounds of scientific reality." The nuclear industry is taking every step "to maximize safety at its facilities, both in operations and with regard to potential attack," Colvin said. Still, the horrific attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon have complicated the question of how security responsibilities should be divided between the industry and the federal government. "We have never had reason to examine the fact that someone would use a large commercial airliner and deal with the threat it might present if it came in at high speed," said Meserve, the NRC chief. He said the commission has directed a broad review of all security related activities and requirements. Industry officials argue that civilian security forces at nuclear plants were never expected - and are not obligated - to deal with an attack of the scope unleashed Sept. 11. These are viewed as acts of "an enemy of the state" and "something the federal government is responsible for," said Doug Walters, who deals with security issues at the Nuclear Energy Institute. In fact, the weapons that plant security forces may use are limited. And their training focuses on combating specific threats under the provisions of plant licenses. These so-called "design-basis" threats are limited to commando-like attacks by a small group of terrorists with automatic weapons and explosives, possibly assisted by insiders, or protection against truck bombs. Nuclear Energy Institute www.nei.org Nuclear Regulatory Commission www.nrc.gov Nuclear Control Institute www.nci.org All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 3 Las Vegas Science Center open for comments on Yucca Mountain Las Vegas SUN September 25, 2001 LAS VEGAS (AP) - Nevadans will have another chance to tell the Energy Department what they think of plans to build a nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham announced Tuesday that the department's Las Vegas Science Center will serve as an extended hearing facility to receive testimony about Yucca Mountain. The DOE earlier this month gathered public comment in Las Vegas on a scientific report that identified no major obstacles to making Yucca Mountain the national repository for 77,000 tons of highly radioactive waste. The hearing lasted 8 1/2 hours, and many residents complained they didn't get to speak. Public hearings also will be held Oct. 10 in Amargosa Valley and Oct. 12 in Pahrump. The Science Center will be open to receive comments beginning Wednesday. The center is closed Sundays and Mondays. A DOE official and a court reporter will be at the center to receive the comments. Citizens are encouraged to reserve time slots. Abraham is expected to recommend to President Bush by the end of the year whether the site 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas is suitable to begin accepting nuclear waste in 2010. All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 4 Security fears over American reactors Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Julian Borger in Washington Wednesday September 26, 2001 The 103 nuclear power stations across America are vulnerable to a suicide attack, possibly triggering the release of a radioactive cloud, US watchdog groups warned yesterday. The Nuclear Control Institute (NCI) in Washington and the Los Angeles-based group Committee to Bridge the Gap issued a joint appeal for National Guard troops and anti-aircraft defences to be stationed at and around nuclear reactors. "It is prudent to assume, especially after the horrific, highly coordinated attacks of September 11, that [Osama] bin Laden's soldiers have done their homework and are fully capable to attack nuclear plants for maximum effect," Paul Leventhal, the NCI president, said. "There is a security vacuum out there now, a very dangerous vacuum," Mr Leventhal added. Dr Edwin Lyman, the NCI's scientific director, said that a direct hit by a commercial passenger jet would have a "high likelihood" of penetrating a reactor. He said the possibility of "an unmitigated loss of coolant accident and significant release of radiation into the environment is a very real one". Richard Meserve, chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said yesterday that the threat of a suicide attack with a passenger plane was under review. Since the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, security has been stepped up at US nuclear installations. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2001 ***************************************************************** 5 Nuclear waste cargo halted [DesMoinesRegister.com] By WILLIAM PETROSKI Register Staff Writer 09/25/2001 Shipments of nuclear waste across the nation have been halted in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, state and federal officials said Monday. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham ordered a temporary suspension of all nuclear waste shipments, said Tom Welch, a spokesman for the Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. Abraham said in a statement that his agency had heightened its security in response to the attacks. "We will consider releasing the hold on transportation of nuclear materials, but until we make an announcement to that effect, the shipment of nuclear materials remains halted," he said. About 150 shipments of nuclear waste have passed through Iowa over the past decade en route to storage facilities in other states, said Tom Sever, hazardous materials coordinator for the Iowa Department of Transportation. Some of the convoys have moved through the Des Moines area on Interstate Highway 80, he said. Critics of nuclear power plants claim the government's action is further evidence against a proposal pending in Congress to develop a permanent nuclear waste storage facility at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Once the Yucca repository is opened, spent nuclear fuel would be shipped through Iowa on rail lines and interstate highways. "Every shipment is a potential terrorist target," said Kevin Kamps, a spokesman for the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, a watchdog group in Washington, D.C. He said such shipments passing through Iowa are potential "mobile Chernobyls" with many times the radiation released by the Hiroshima atomic bomb. Jim Johnson of Des Moines, an anti-nuclear activist, said he has repeatedly taken photos of nuclear waste trains as they have passed through Creston on the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railway line, even though specific travel times are not disclosed in advance. "My big problem is that there are people loose out there who can shoot holes in these things" with anti-tank weapons, Johnson said. U.S. Rep. Greg Ganske, a Des Moines Republican and a member of the U.S. House Energy Committee, said the criticism is unfair. The suggestion that every nuclear waste shipment is a potential terrorist target is no more true than the idea that every airline flight is a potential terrorist target, he said. "The question is, "Is the transport safe under normal circumstances?" The answer is yes," Ganske said. He said having a heavily guarded, centralized storage site in Nevada poses less of a threat than storing nuclear waste at many sites around the country. John Ruff, a spokesman for Alliant Energy, which operates a nuclear power plant near Cedar Rapids, said Alliant still favors establishing the Nevada storage facility. "But given the climate right now, we do support the government's decision" to temporarily halt nuclear waste shipments, Ruff said. Copyright © 2001, The Des Moines Register. Use of this site ***************************************************************** 6 At Volgodonskaya Plant IAEA Holds International Seminar On Nuclear Power Safety Pravda.RU Sep, 25 2001 At the Volgodonskaya nuclear power facility, the International Atomic Energy Agency holds the international seminar Self-Assessment of Operation Safety and Safety Engineering at Nuclear Power Plants. The seminar will be over on September 28, RIA Novosti was told on Tuesday at the press service of the Rosenergoatom concern. Nuclear power plants all over the world today are doing everything possible to make the concept of nuclear safety uniform for all nuclear workers, Robert Nickols (Britain) of the IAEA said in his utterances. Analysis of events at nuclear power stations shows that many incidents could have been avoided, if more attention were given to the human factor in matters of safety, he added. The seminar is attended by IAEA specialists from Bulgaria, Germany and as well from some Russian nuclear power facilities. RIA 'Novosti' ***************************************************************** 7 Nuclear waste possible target YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Terrorism risks get new look LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: NEWS: Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said Tuesday he will make a court reporter available at the Yucca Mountain Science Center to get input on the proposed nuclear waste repository. Starting today, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, except during a lunch break from 1 to 2 p.m., a court reporter will be available to record comments at the Science Center, 4101-B Meadows Lane in Las Vegas. Comments also can be made on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., again with a lunch break. Hearings have been scheduled for Oct. 10 in Amargosa Valley and in Pahrump. -- REVIEW-JOURNAL Wednesday, September 26, 2001 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Terrorism risks get new look By KEITH ROGERS REVIEW-JOURNAL This month's terrorist attacks involving hijacked passenger jets has prompted Department of Energy officials to consider the consequences of a plane crashing into an above-ground nuclear waste storage site at Yucca Mountain if a repository is built there. "We're considering what needs to be done," said Joe Ziegler, a Department of Energy nuclear engineer and senior technical adviser to the Yucca Mountain Project manager. He said project scientists have not done an analysis about a terrorist hijacking a plane and crashing it into the site's surface facility where spent nuclear fuel rods would be repackaged for permanent storage deep inside the mountain. Ziegler noted, however, that after the inventory of 77,000 tons of high-level radioactive waste has been entombed in a maze of tunnels, 1,000 feet beneath the mountain's surface "an airplane crash would have little or no effect." Regardless of such a threat to the thousands of tons of highly radioactive waste temporarily stored on the surface, some 20,000 military flights per year over the area is reason enough to warrant concern for a catastrophic accident, a state consultant said Tuesday. "In light of current events, it points to a cavalier approach DOE has taken to screening out risks regardless of what the consequences are," said Steve Frishman, a geologist who is a full-time consultant to the Nevada Nuclear Projects Agency. He said the state's position is "that the consequences of an airplane crash (at Yucca Mountain) need to be analyzed because it's a reality." Simply dismissing such an event because the chances of it happening are remote isn't acceptable, Frishman said. As with Yucca Mountain, commercial overflights are restricted in those places, he said. The mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, is the only site being studied to bury the nation's most lethal radioactive waste, most of it spent nuclear fuel pellets currently stored at commercial power reactor sites. "This is pretty new, using a commercial airliner as a weapon. Yucca Mountain is restricted air space, but the Pentagon is restricted air space," Ziegler said. He noted that the buffer zone for flight restrictions near Yucca Mountain "is substantially bigger. We need to evaluate what, if anything, additional needs to be done." Yucca Mountain Project scientists are gathering data on annual military flights in the vicinity of the mountain, including the type of aircraft that traverse the southwest part of the Nevada Test Site -- which is adjacent to the mountain -- to reach other parts of Nellis Air Force Range. One study that began three years ago found that flights over the entire Nevada Test Site average 19,450 per year. Similar counts that began in March 1999 for a 7-square-mile area centered on the proposed location of the Yucca Mountain waste-handling facility average 1,450 flights per year. In July, project officials completed a key document that shows the proposed repository would perform well within federal radiation safety standards for the site. Among conclusions of the "Yucca Mountain Preliminary Site Suitability Evaluation" was one that found the chances of an airplane crash at the site are so remote, analyzing the consequences of a radioactive release from such an event is not required. Project scientists discussed the issue of aircraft hazards at a technical meeting with Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff members in late July. The commission staff's position was that excluding aircraft crashes from the list of potential hazards "is premature." In a presentation at that meeting, Richard Morissette of Bechtel SAIC Co., the project's prime contractor, said the Department of Energy agrees with that position, but said "more extensive evaluation is planned" for a license application to operate the repository. A month before that meeting, commission staff member Banad Jagannath cited "considerable uncertainties" in the number of annual flights in restricted airspace near Yucca Mountain. In addition, he said, a commercial aviation corridor is 11 miles from the proposed repository site. Frishman said the Yucca Mountain comment process is flawed because the public and decision-makers are basing their comments on unfinished analyses of the hazards. He said some information, such as the possibility that a terrorist could sabotage a nuclear waste shipment being hauled to the site by trucks or trains, is based on studies completed in the mid-1980s, more than 15 years ago. webmaster@lvrj.com Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal, 1997 - ***************************************************************** 8 Activists urge more defenses for nuclear power plants Wednesday, September 26, 2001 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal Group's leader says Yucca Mountain would be target too By STEVE TETREAULT DONREY WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- Organizations pushing for tighter reins on nuclear energy called Tuesday for the government to install anti-aircraft missiles at nuclear power plants and to station National Guard units at their perimeters to discourage attacks by terrorists. "We say we're at war. We say we need homeland defense, but these are among our most vulnerable targets," said Daniel Hirsch, president of the Committee to Bridge the Gap, a California-based study group. Hirsch said after a news event that anti-aircraft weapons might serve a purpose guarding Yucca Mountain if a proposed nuclear waste repository becomes reality in Nevada, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Most vulnerable could be a proposed above-ground facility where radioactive waste containers would be transferred off trucks or trains and readied for a repository. "To the extent that nuclear plants are vulnerable and could benefit from protection from air attacks, the surface facility proposed for Yucca Mountain would be equally or greater at risk because of the quantity of long-lived radioactivity stored there," he said. Hirsch said the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks raised new questions about the safety of nuclear waste shipments. He cited reports that Nabil Almarabh, a former Boston cabdriver arrested in connection with the terrorist investigation, had obtained a Michigan license to haul hazardous and radioactive materials. Two others arrested in Detroit possessed licenses to drive commercial trucks, according to reports. "Having large numbers of train shipments and truck shipments poses a very, very major problem," Hirsch said. "How do you provide security to thousands of shipments on the open road?" Paul Leventhal, president of the Nuclear Control Institute, said nuclear power plant protections are outdated, based on assumptions that attackers would advance from the ground and use "relatively unsophisticated equipment." They need to be rethought quickly after the Sept. 11 hijackings of commercial airliners, he said. He said the Nuclear Regulatory Commission took a year after the 1993 truck bombing of the World Trade Center to upgrade its regulations. "We don't have a year now, we have right now," he said. "It is our belief the nation's 103 nuclear power plants are vulnerable to attacks from terrorists, and the NRC has failed to act decisively to avoid attacks," Leventhal said. Federal officials have said that safety precautions at nuclear plants would have been inadequate to withstand a direct hit from a renegade Boeing 767. The NRC is responding to new safety and security concerns, an agency spokesman said. "On Sept. 11, we advised all of our licensees to go to the highest level of alert, where they remain," NRC spokesman Victor Dricks said. Asked about recommendations involving the National Guard or the placement of anti-aircraft weapons at plants, Dricks said, "In light of what occurred on Sept. 11, we have begun a comprehensive review of our activities and regulations." Joe Colvin, president of the Nuclear Energy Institute, the industry trade group, accused Leventhal of "unduly alarming the American people at this difficult time." He said Leventhal is characterizing the threat to nuclear plants "beyond the bounds of scientific reality." Other nuclear officials said protections against "war level" terrorist attacks are out of their hands and in the hands of the government. "If the federal government assesses the threat and sees that nuclear power plants are at a high level, I would agree the National Guard should be sent out to protect those facilities," said Lynnette Hendricks, director of licensing at the Nuclear Energy Institute. "What we're asking for is a careful assessment of the situation. These are the most highly defended facilities you have to begin with." webmaster@lvrj.com Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal, 1997 - ***************************************************************** 9 Nuclear Plants Called Vulnerable to Terrorist Attack Environment News Service: By Cat Lazaroff WASHINGTON, DC, September 25, 2001 (ENS) - The nation's 103 nuclear power reactors are vulnerable to attack by terrorists, two watchdog groups warned today. The groups charge that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and other government entities have failed to impose the security measures needed to prevent a successful attack and avert a potential catastrophe. [calvert] Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant is located on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, just 45 miles southeast of Washington DC (All photos courtesy NRC) The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) admitted Friday that it "did not specifically contemplate attacks by aircraft such as Boeing 757s or 767s" - the types of planes used to destroy the 110 story World Trade Center towers and heavily damage the recently fortified Pentagon on September 11. While the containment buildings that shelter nuclear reactors are able to withstand severe events including hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes, "nuclear power plants were not designed to withstand such crashes," the agency said in a statement. "Detailed engineering analyses of a large airliner crash have not yet been performed." In a report released today, the Washington based Nuclear Control Institute (NCI) and the Los Angeles based Committee to Bridge the Gap released a recent exchange of letters with NRC chair Richard Meserve. The organizations cited "the extraordinary and unprecedented threat that now exists inside the United States in the wake of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon." They laid out specific proposals for denying terrorists the opportunity to destroy nuclear power plants, including use of National Guard troops to deter attacks from land and water, deployment of advanced anti-aircraft weapons to defeat suicidal attacks from the air, and a thorough re-vetting of all plant employees and contractors to protect against sabotage by insiders. In addition, the groups called on the NRC to upgrade its security regulations to protect against the larger numbers and the greater sophistication of attackers posed by the new terrorist threat. The groups said they have made many attempts over the past 17 years to convince the NRC and commercial nuclear plant operators to upgrade their defenses against assaults by terrorist organizations. [Meserve] NRC chair Richard Meserve In a brief response to the groups' specific proposals, Meserve stated only that the "Commission is evaluating current requirements and statutory authority relating to acts or threats of terrorism, including but not limited to those that you presented in your letter." "This is a familiar refrain, and we do not have the luxury of time to allow the NRC and other federal agencies to engage in a prolonged bureaucratic review process," said Paul Leventhal, president of NCI, at a press conference in Washington. "Iran threatened attacks against U.S. reactors as early as 1987, but recent trial testimony has revealed that [terrorist leader Osama] bin Laden's training camps are offering instruction in 'urban warfare' against 'enemies' installations' including power plants." "It is prudent to assume, especially after the horrific, highly coordinated attacks of September 11, that bin Laden's soldiers have done their homework and are fully capable to attack nuclear plants for maximum effect," Leventhal warned. Dr. Edwin Lyman, a physicist and NCI's scientific director, pointed out that a direct, high speed hit by a large commercial passenger jet "would in fact have a high likelihood a penetrating a containment building" that houses a power reactor. "Following such an assault," Lyman said, "the possibility of an unmitigated loss of coolant accident and significant release of radiation into the environment is a very real one." David Kyd of the International Atomic Energy Agency told CNN last week that a if a fully fueled large jetliner hit a nuclear reactor, "which is a very extreme scenario, then the containment could be breached and the cooling system of the reactor could be impaired to the point where radioactivity might well be set free." [fuel pool] Used nuclear fuel storage pools, like this one at Calvert Cliffs, could be vulnerable to a meltdown if their water was boiled away or otherwise drained during a terrorist attack Such a release, whether caused by an air strike, or by a ground or water assault, or by insider sabotage could result in tens of thousands of cancer deaths downwind of the plant. A number of these plants are located near large cities, Lyman noted. Daniel Hirsch, president of the Committee to Bridge the Gap, underscored the immediate danger by noting that nearly half of the plants tested in NRC supervised security exercises have failed to repel mock terrorist attacks. "These exercises involve small numbers of simulated attackers compared with the large cell of terrorists now understood to have waged the four sophisticated attacks of September 11," said Hirsch. "The NRC's mock terrorist exercises severely limit the tactics, weapons and explosives used by the adversary, yet in almost half the tests they reached and simulated destruction of safety systems that in real attacks could have caused severe core damage, meltdown and catastrophic radioactive releases." "Now in response to operator complaints, the NRC is actually preparing to shift responsibility for supervising these exercises to the operators themselves," Hirsch added. "Current events clearly show that nuclear power plant security is too important to be left to industry self assessment." Representative Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat who sent his own letter to Meserve, questioned the NRC's hands off approach, asking why the NRC issued only a recommendation that nuclear power plants go to their highest state of alert on September 11, rather than ordering them to do so. Markey also warned that allowing commercial nuclear power plants to self police their readiness to withstand terrorist attacks, "lowers standards, it lowers costs and it increases profitability of shareholders." [tmi] In 1993, an individual with a history of mental illness crashed a car through the front gates at the Three Mile Island plant near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, site of the nation's worst nuclear accident The watchdog organizations acknowledged today that they have long been troubled by the dilemma of speaking about the present vulnerability of nuclear power plants. "We have tried to work quietly for a decade and a half in a largely unsuccessful attempt to get the NRC to upgrade reactor security." said Leventhal. "Our principal success came in 1994 when the NRC agreed to require nuclear plant operators to erect barriers and establish setback distances to protect against truck bomb attacks. But this reform came only after the lesson of the bombing of the World Trade Center the year before, and the NRC has refused our appeals to upgrade protection to defend against the much larger bombs used by terrorists since." Hirsch said that the horrendous attacks of September 11 have now made NRC foot dragging intolerable. "The new threat should now be evident to all, and the country can afford to wait no longer," Hirsch said. "The vulnerabilities at these plants can and must be closed, now. The American people have a right to know the dangers and to demand the prompt corrective actions that we propose to protect nuclear power plants from terrorist attacks and the unthinkable consequences that could follow." ***************************************************************** 10 Nuclear waste shipment through area on hold in terror's wake By Sara Eaton The Journal Gazette A shipment of nuclear waste expected to travel through Fort Wayne on a cross-country trip was put on hold after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Several sensitive shipments, including nuclear waste, fuels and other hazardous materials, were halted as a precautionary measure immediately after the attacks, U.S. Department of Energy spokesman Joseph Davis said. "We didn't know what was going on that day," he said. "We could not gauge the extent of what was going on." The shipment is part of the West Valley Spent Nuclear Fuel Project based in New York state. Its destination is in Idaho. State and county officials have been working since early May to prepare for the shipment but were alerted last week that the shipment was on hold until further notice, said Ed LaRocque, Allen County Emergency Management director. The train, which will be escorted by security and tracked by federal officials from beginning to end, contains two large casks, or storage containers, filled with about 125 uranium-filled rods. Oct. 30 has been the deadline for the West Valley shipment to be completed because of storage container requirements, said John Chamberlain, spokesman for the project. The shipment will be delayed until after April 1, 2002, if the October deadline is not met, he said. The U.S. Department of Energy is reviewing each shipment before approving its departure, Chamberlain said. In May, city and county firefighters and other emergency workers attended special sessions to learn about nuclear waste and the West Valley Spent Fuel project. Whether more sessions will be necessary if the shipment is delayed until April will be determined at that time, said Joseph Bell, director of Radiation Programs for the Indiana State Department of Emergency Management. "We don't want the project to go that long," he said. "We do refreshers on that type of education anyway." For security reasons, Davis could not speak about shipping dates. It was not clear how many such shipments were temporarily placed on hold or whether any had yet been approved for travel. Throughout the summer months, the shipment was put off because of incomplete railroad contracts, Cham-berlain said. All of the contracts have since been completed but will have to be renegotiated if the shipment is delayed through the winter, he said. ***************************************************************** 11 State's nuclear security tightened Watchdog groups call for troops and anti-aircraft guns Wednesday, September 26, 2001 By LISA STIFFLER AND DAVID EGGERS SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTERS Security was tightened at Washington's only nuclear power reactor and at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation shortly after the attacks on the East Coast. Visitor access to the Columbia Generating Station near Richland is now limited and an open house scheduled for next month has been canceled. Beyond those security measures, spokesman Don McManman will not elaborate. "We are doing many things you can probably imagine and many things you probably can't imagine," he said yesterday. At Hanford, where about 4 tons of plutonium is stored, measures include more careful scrutiny of everyone entering the site. "We're trying to maintain as much normalcy as we can. At the same time, all employees are encouraged to be aware," Hanford spokesman Mike Talbot said. But "we really don't have anything leading us to believe that we are threatened." In Washington, D.C., nuclear watchdog groups said the nation's 103 nuclear power reactors should be protected by anti-aircraft weapons and National Guard troops to avert "catastrophic" consequences of any terrorist attack. The Nuclear Control Institute and Committee to Bridge the Gap, longtime opponents of nuclear weapons proliferation, urged that National Guard be assigned to protect the plants, making sure 30 or more troops are at each plant 24 hours a day. The groups also said each plant should be equipped with radar-directed anti-aircraft weapons to defend against attacks like those that destroyed the World Trade Center in New York and damaged the Pentagon in Washington on Sept. 11. Nuclear plants also should check their employees to find out if terrorists have penetrated the work force, the groups said. Edwin Lyman, a scientist with the Washington-based Nuclear Control Institute, told reporters that a large passenger jet such as a Boeing 767 would have a "high likelihood of penetrating" a nuclear power plant's concrete containment building and cause a release of radiation. Lyman said a jetliner's engines are big enough to break through a building made of steel and reinforced concrete up to 4 feet thick. And although reactor facilities are equipped to put out contained fires, he added, they are not ready for raging jet-fuel fires such as the ones that essentially toppled the twin towers. Daniel Hirsch, president of the Committee to Bridge the Gap, a watchdog group in Los Angeles, said the "vulnerabilities at these plants can and must be addressed now." Since Sept. 11, all U.S. nuclear power plants have been on high alert at the urging of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the federal agency that regulates the industry. NRC spokesman Victor Dricks, noting that the plants "are not designed against acts of war," said the NRC could not rule out the possibility of a radioactive release if a plant were struck by a fuel-laden jetliner. "Nevertheless, they are very hard, robust structures," he said. He said the commission is exploring many options to address new terrorist threats. A spokeswoman for the Nuclear Energy Institute, the nuclear power industry's trade association, criticized the watchdog groups. "We think it's a bit irresponsible to be scaring people when there really is no basis for it," said Melanie White, the spokeswoman. "No one knows" what would happen if a jetliner struck a nuclear reactor, she said. U.S. nuclear plants now are required to develop a defense plan against a terrorist strike, Dricks said. The NCR's "design basis threat" -- the standard threat against which the industry plans to protect -- is a small group of individuals armed with weapons trying to breach security and release radiation, he said. With the events of Sept. 11, Dricks did not rule out the possibility of a change in the design basis threat. "We certainly take seriously the possibility that nuclear plants could be targets of terrorist attacks," he said. [Seattle Post-Intelligencer] 101 Elliott Ave. W. Seattle, WA 98119 (206) 448-8000 ©1999-2001 Seattle Post-Intelligencer ***************************************************************** 12 Nevada lawmakers: Nuke transport trucks would be inviting targets Las Vegas SUN Today: September 26, 2001 at 10:08:54 PDT By Mary Manning and Benjamin Grove Trucks and trains hauling nuclear waste cross-country to the proposed Yucca Mountain waste burial site would be attractive bomb targets -- or vehicles -- for suicidal terrorists, Nevada lawmakers in Congress said. The Department of Energy has failed to assess terrorist threats to shipping the highly radioactive material to Yucca Mountain, they said. In the wake of terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, Nevada lawmakers this week are generating a new wave of criticism about the plan to ship waste to Yucca, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The plan should be shelved until the risk to transportation routes and the site itself is thoroughly examined, they said. Yucca Mountain is the proposed burial ground for the nation's high-level nuclear waste, a first-of-its-kind underground repository. The lawmakers, who have always opposed the Yucca plan, said the terrorism risk seems too great to construct the waste site, given lack of DOE study of terrorism risks and tragic proof this month that a sizeable group of terrorists can pull off large-scale, coordinated attacks. Lawmakers took note Tuesday when Attorney General John Ashcroft told a congressional panel that 20 people have been charged with fraudulently obtaining driver's licenses to haul hazardous waste, including some who may have links to terrorists. If Yucca were completed, up to 100,000 truck and train shipments over decades would haul waste cross-country to the Yucca site 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. "(Nuclear waste) simply cannot be transported safely," Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in an online chat with Nevada residents, "and the terrorists know this." "Terrorists know the type of devastation a nuclear waste train wreck can cause," Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., said. "Now it is time for the Department of Energy to inform the American public and prevent such a disaster." The DOE is finalizing studies of the site and is expected this year or next to recommend whether it is safe to entomb 77,000 tons of highly radioactive material there. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said, "Yucca Mountain at this time would only give certain terrorist organizations another target to examine." As Yucca manager, the DOE is responsible for analyzing potential terrorist threats to the site -- and to thousands of trucks and trains that for decades would ship waste to the mountain. After the terrorist attacks, the DOE decided to review security plans for all its facilities, DOE officials said. "We are in the process of reassessing our assumptions and analysis for these kinds of terrorist attacks," Gayle Fisher, spokeswoman for DOE's Yucca Mountain project, said. The attacks could change how the DOE plans to protect the desert mountain site, although it is not clear what kinds of changes would be made, said Abe Van Luik, DOE's senior policy adviser for the Yucca project. Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the DOE has not had discussions regarding terrorists attacks with either the NRC or the U.S. Department of Transportation, DOE's Van Luik said. But he stressed new security guidelines involving the storage and transportation of nuclear waste are expected. The DOE last considered the issue as part of the Yucca draft environmental impact statement, which was released in 1999. The DOE report recognized that waste shipping casks were vulnerable to high explosives. But the report did not address a worst-case scenario in which a missile or even an airplane smashes a waste container or rips a hole in one, releasing radiation. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., said, "Right now, let's just store the stuff on site in dry cask storage where it is. Why risk the transportation issue? We have to have a completely new paradigm shift in the way these shipments are looked at. The worst-case scenario just got worse." The Nuclear Regulatory Commission also has not addressed potential terrorist threats to Yucca or transportation routes, despite requests two years ago from the Nevada attorney general's office. The NRC will be responsible for analyzing the DOE's Yucca proposal. The NRC would license and regulate the dump site if it is constructed. In June 1999 Nevada Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa asked the NRC to consider terrorism risks at Yucca Mountain. Del Papa's office argued that the commission had not assessed terrorist threats to nuclear power plants since 1984. Nor had there been a thorough review of terrorist threats along waste transportation routes to Nevada, Deputy Attorney General Marta Adams said. The attorney general awaits NRC response. NRC Chairman Richard Meserve ordered staff to review security plans at all nuclear facilities licensed by the commission. All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 13 Security of Nuclear Power Plants Under Review By Peter Behr Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, September 26, 2001; Page A08 The security of the nation's 103 nuclear power plants is under an intense review after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks with hijacked jetliners, a threat that the industry and its regulators were not prepared for, company and government officials say. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Richard A. Meserve said yesterday that a top-to-bottom evaluation of nuclear plant security was underway at the agency. "There will have to be a much broader review involving the entire government," he added. "Nobody conceived of this kind of assault," said William M. Beecher, spokesman for the NRC, which oversees the nuclear power industry. The comments followed warnings from two watchdog groups about the potential vulnerability of U.S. plants and the threat to people if attackers breached reactor vessels and caused a meltdown that released large amounts of radioactivity. About 20 percent of the U.S. electricity supply comes from nuclear reactors, located in 31 states. Although the most common nuclear power plants enclose reactors in thick domes of reinforced concrete, those structures could be penetrated by a direct hit from a commercial airliner, said Edwin Lyman, scientific director of the District-based Nuclear Control Institute, one of the watchdog groups. "Any nuclear power plant is conceivably vulnerable," he said yesterday. Paul Leventhal, the institute's president, said the government should station National Guard troops and U.S. antiaircraft units at nuclear plants until the terrorist threat is controlled. In government-run tests, concrete structures used in reactor domes have withstood battering by heavy steel rods traveling at several hundred miles an hour and, in one instance, a deliberate crash by a military jet fighter, said Robert Henry, senior vice president of Fauske & Associates, a research group in Burr Ridge, Ill. But the impact of a fully loaded jetliner on containment domes had not been evaluated before the Sept. 11 attacks, he said. Nuclear plant operators said their security forces are on high alert. At the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant on California's central coast, for example, state highway patrol officers help guard the entrance, the plant's armed security force has been increased and more concrete vehicle barriers have been added, said a spokesman for the plant's owner, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. Public tours were canceled. The U.S. Coast Guard has ordered vessels to stay at least a mile away from the plant and is patroling the area, while plant guards monitor detection equipment to spot intruders. Leventhal and colleagues yesterday criticized the NRC's program for testing nuclear plant security against potential armed attack on the ground. The NRC stages simulated "force-on-force" raids by small assault teams against nuclear plant security forces. In the past year, intruders succeeded in penetrating reactor areas in six of 11 plants tested and could have destroyed enough systems to cause a release of radioactivity, Lyman said. Meserve said the tests reveal problems that then are remedied. "It would be a mistake to suggest these are soft targets," he said. Leventhal and colleagues called on the NRC to halt a pilot project in which reactor operators would take on more responsibility for testing their own security forces, subject to NRC review. The proposal, made by the nuclear industry, would permit more testing than the NRC budget now permits, the commission said. Meserve said that program also is under review. "All of this is going to have to be reevaluated," he said. © 2001 The Washington Post Company ***************************************************************** 14 Nuclear plant security eyed Chicago Tribune | NRC to study defenses against attack from air By Jeff Long Tribune environment reporter Published September 23, 2001 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will review security at the nation's nuclear plants and study whether they should be designed to withstand the sort of terrorist attack that destroyed the World Trade Center, Chairman Richard A. Meserve announced Friday. Officials say power plants and other nuclear facilities were not designed to withstand an attack such as the one that killed thousands on Sept. 11, and they cannot fully answer whether such an attack would lead to an escape of radiation. "The NRC did not specifically contemplate attacks by aircraft such as Boeing 757s or 767s, and nuclear power plants were not designed to withstand such crashes," the NRC said in a statement released Friday. "Detailed engineering analyses of a large airliner crash have not yet been performed." Illinois is home to more commercial nuclear reactors and the highly radioactive waste they've generated than any other state. U.S. and Canadian nuclear power plants and spent-fuel storage sites dot the drainage basin of the Great Lakes, the source of drinking water for millions of people and a natural resource of incalculable importance. The terrorist attacks have prompted an increase in security in plants in Illinois and around the country, as well as a broad review of security procedures and the fortifications at plants. Since 1991, the NRC has conducted drills in which mock terrorists attempt to get by a plant's security and simulate the destruction of crucial equipment. The plants often fail the test. The ex-Navy SEAL who runs the program, David Orrik, said in an interview that crucial equipment was "destroyed" during the drill at 42 percent of the nation's nuclear plants--including at least one in Illinois. Last year, the mock terrorists slipped into Quad Cities Station, near Moline on the Mississippi River, and managed to simulate damage to two critical systems that would have damaged the reactor core. Exelon Nuclear, which runs that plant and five others in Illinois, has since made changes to its procedures to address the problem found in the drill, Orrik said. Nuclear reactors aren't the only concern. An October 2000 NRC report, for example, noted that because spent fuel contains radioactive particles that remain deadly for so long, severe accidents at storage sites could result in a number of deaths "as large as for a severe reactor accident." The report estimates that more than 26,000 people could die from cancer in such an accident over many years. The report says that "aircraft damage can affect the structural integrity of the spent fuel pool," but it does not go into a detailed analysis of the sort the NRC now wants to conduct. z Nuclear power plants are designed to keep things in--to "contain" pressure and radiation in case of an accident. According to NRC spokesman Jan Strasma, the walls of the containment building, which houses the nuclear reactor, are typically made of concrete 2 to 5 feet thick, reinforced with tendons of steel. The walls are also lined with a quarter-inch of steel. The sides and ends of the reactor vessel itself range from 5.5 inches to 8.5 inches thick. Besides such physical barriers, nuclear plants have redundant safety systems, so if something goes wrong with one system, another is to back it up. For example, if a pump that circulates water to cool the nuclear fuel is damaged, a pump elsewhere takes over. It's because of those multiple systems that NRC and nuclear industry officials feel confident that even if a hijacked jetliner struck a plant, any radiation that would be released could be kept from escaping the plant. Less well-protected are some of the pools where spent fuel is stored. At the Zion nuclear power plant, for example, which is no longer operating, more than 1,100 tons of spent fuel are stored--waiting for a permanent disposal site that may not open for decades. At sites across the state, more than 6,700 tons of spent nuclear fuel will be in storage by the end of the year, according to Exelon and the NRC. At Zion and some other plants, the pool is not in the containment building. It's in the adjacent fuel-handling building, with walls 18 inches thick. The water in the pool helps keep cool the spent fuel, which remains hot for years after it is removed from the reactor. The water also shields radiation. Officials at the NRC and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency say they are unaware of any detailed studies that look at possible environmental consequences on the Great Lakes resulting from a terrorist attack on a nuclear facility in which large amounts of radiation are released. In interviews, experts said the danger would be if an attack on spent-fuel pools caused the water to drain from the pool, causing the spent fuel to overheat and melt. And a jetliner crash could also spur the kind of inferno that engulfed the World Trade Center, the experts said. In such a fire, radioactive particles of all sorts could be carried aloft and carried long distances, depending on weather conditions and such things as how long the fire burned. The immediate danger would come from breathing in such particles or coming into direct contact with them, causing radiation sickness--death within days. There are also long-term threats from extended exposure to these particles. "The material deposits itself on the ground and is essentially like an X-ray that you can't turn off," said Marvin Resnikoff, a physicist with Radioactive Waste Management Associates of New York. Harmful rays from the particles, in the long term, could cause cancer and birth defects. The particles could settle on the land and in Lake Michigan and other bodies of water--making them extremely difficult, if not impossible, to clean up. To some extent, the lake water would act as a shield against radiation for the particles that settle there--just as pools of water now help shield spent fuel. But just as other contaminants at the bottom of Lake Michigan accumulate in bottom-feeding fish, working their way up the food chain, a similar accumulation could happen with radioactive particles, according to Resnikoff. Copyright © 2001, Chicago Tribune ***************************************************************** 15 Security fears delay nuclear waste transfer September 26, 2001 BY DAVE MCKINNEY SUN-TIMES SPRINGFIELD BUREAU SPRINGFIELD--A train that was to carry nuclear waste through Illinois has been postponed indefinitely by the federal government because of the terrorist attacks, state officials said Tuesday. Until Sept. 11, state nuclear regulators had been preparing for a train shipment of spent radioactive fuel rods that was to have cut through central Illinois on its way from New York to a federal storage facility in Idaho. "With the uncertainty that existed in the few days right after the attack, I think we thought it would be better if they waited a little bit until it got sorted out,'' said Patti Thompson, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Nuclear Safety Department, which was going to monitor the train's passage through the state. The decision to keep the radioactive material at a nuclear facility south of Buffalo, N.Y., was made by U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham as part of a nationwide halt on nuclear shipments after attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. "We will consider releasing the hold on transportation of nuclear materials. But until we make an announcement to that effect, the shipment of nuclear materials remains halted,'' Abraham said in a statement issued following the attacks. The federal government had planned on the 2,300-mile cross-country trip since 1999 and deliberately steered it away from Chicago or the suburbs, opting instead for a less populated route Downstate. It was to have been the first rail shipment of nuclear waste in Illinois in a decade. Going no faster than 35 mph, the train was to have gone through Champaign, Decatur and Springfield, passing only two blocks away from the historic home of Abraham Lincoln in the state capital. David Kraft, director of the Nuclear Energy Information Service, said the federal move to ground the shipment is wise and underscores safety qualms raised long ago by his group and anti-nuclear activists. "It is smart given the current context, and it does highlight the concerns that we've been raising about nuclear waste transports and what we have to do and put in place before we start launching this whole industry on wheels,'' he said. Thompson said the state has not been notified when the shipment will come through Illinois. "It hasn't been canceled,'' she said. When the state does find out when the shipment will pass through Illinois, it will keep that information secret because of security concerns. State teams will escort the train through Illinois when it comes. Daily Southtown Pioneer Press Post-Tribune Star Newspapers Suburban Chicago Newspapers ***************************************************************** 16 Daily Events Report U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Operations Center 09/25/2001 09/26/2001 Event Reports For ** EVENT NUMBERS ** 38313 38314 38315 38316 Power Reactor Event Number: 38313 FACILITY: SALEM REGION: 1 NOTIFICATION DATE: 09/25/2001 UNIT: [1] [] [] STATE: NJ NOTIFICATION TIME: 03:39[EDT] RXTYPE: [1] W 4 LP,[2] W 4 LP EVENT DATE: 09/24/2001 EVENT TIME: 23:51[EDT] NRC NOTIFIED BY: JOSEPH PIERCE LAST UPDATE DATE: 09/25/2001 HQ OPS OFFICER: FANGIE JONES PERSON ORGANIZATION EMERGENCY CLASS: NON EMERGENCY JOHN KINNEMAN R1 10 CFR SECTION: ARPS 50.72(b)(2)(iv)(B) RPS ACTUATION CRITICA UNIT SCRAM CODERX CRITINIT PWR INIT RX MODE CURR PWR CURR RX MODE 1 M/R Y 100 Power Operation 0 Hot Standby EVENT TEXT MANUAL REACTOR TRIP DUE TO LOSS OF CIRCULATING WATER PUMPS The licensee reported that Salem Unit 1 manually tripped the reactor due to a loss of circulating water pumps, caused by a fault on the #2 station power transformer. The fault isolation caused loss of one of the required two off site power sources to both Salem units. Auxiliary feedwater started on low steam generator level after isolation of main feedwater due to the reactor trip. All system functioned as required. The unit is stable in Hot Standby and an investigation into the cause of the electrical disturbance is underway. Two of four reactor coolant pumps tripped when the unit was tripped, which is expected with the partial loss of off site power. Presently, the only major secondary equipment that is unavailable is associated with the loss of power to two of four non vital 4 Kv buses. There is one shutdown Technical Specification in effect and that is associated with having only one off site power source. The licensee notified the NRC Resident Inspector. General Information or Other Event Number: 38314 REP ORG: DEFENSE MICROELECTRONICS ACTIVITY NOTIFICATION DATE: 09/25/2001 LICENSEE: DEFENSE MICROELECTRONICS ACTIVITY NOTIFICATION TIME: 09:22[EDT] CITY: McCLELLAN REGION: 4 EVENT DATE: 09/25/2001 COUNTY: STATE: CA EVENT TIME: [PDT] LICENSE#: AGREEMENT: Y LAST UPDATE DATE: 09/25/2001 DOCKET: PERSON ORGANIZATION GREG PICK R4 NRC NOTIFIED BY: DAVID PENTROSE HQ OPS OFFICER: BOB STRANSKY EMERGENCY CLASS: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR SECTION: NINF INFORMATION ONLY EVENT TEXT INCORRECT ACTIVITY SOURCE PROVIDED BY VENDOR The licensee called to report that a sealed source installed in their irradiator facility does not have the source activity specified. The source is supposed to contain 200 Ci, but the licensee estimates the actual activity at approximately 100 Ci. The source was installed by GE Vallecito within the past several weeks. The licensee has contacted GE regarding the apparent discrepancy. General Information or Other Event Number: 38315 REP ORG: NEW MEXICO RAD CONTROL PROGRAM NOTIFICATION DATE: 09/25/2001 LICENSEE: BAKER HUGHES OIL FIELD OPERATIONS INCNOTIFICATION TIME: 10:25[EDT] CITY: HOBBS REGION: 4 EVENT DATE: 09/22/2001 COUNTY: STATE: NM EVENT TIME: 00:00[MDT] LICENSE#: WL241 AGREEMENT: Y LAST UPDATE DATE: 09/25/2001 DOCKET: PERSON ORGANIZATION GREG PICK R4 JOHN HICKEY NMSS NRC NOTIFIED BY: MILLER HQ OPS OFFICER: CHAUNCEY GOULD EMERGENCY CLASS: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR SECTION: NAGR AGREEMENT STATE EVENT TEXT BAKER HUGHES OIL FIELD OPERATIONS INC. REPORTED A STUCK WELL LOGGING SOURCE New Mexico state licensee Baker Hughes Oil Field Operations Inc. has a stuck source 2018 ft below the surface which they are currently fishing for retrieval. It contains 2 curies of Cesium 137, 18 curies Americium 241/Beryllium and 0.8 microcuries Cesium 137. The location is between Hobbs and Artesia, NM east of Loco Hills. Fuel Cycle Facility Event Number: 38316 FACILITY: PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT NOTIFICATION DATE: 09/25/2001 RXTYPE: URANIUM ENRICHMENT FACILITY NOTIFICATION TIME: 13:28[EDT] COMMENTS: 2 DEMOCRACY CENTER EVENT DATE: 09/25/2001 6903 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE EVENT TIME: 09:30[EDT] BETHESDA, MD 20817 (301)564 3200 LAST UPDATE DATE: 09/25/2001 CITY: PIKETON REGION: 3 COUNTY: PIKE STATE: OH PERSON ORGANIZATION LICENSE#: GDP 2 AGREEMENT: N MONTE PHILLIPS R3 DOCKET: 0707002 SUSAN FRANT NMSS NRC NOTIFIED BY: RITCHIE HQ OPS OFFICER: CHAUNCEY GOULD EMERGENCY CLASS: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR SECTION: NBNL RESPONSE BULLETIN EVENT TEXT 4 HOUR 91 01 BULLETIN RESPONSE At 0930 uranium bearing material was observed in the interior spaces of a block wall in the X 705 recovery area the openings leading to the interior spaces of the block wall is a violation of administrative control #3 of NCSA 0705_076.A03 because the exact geometry or volume of the potential collection area is unknown. This is a loss of one leg of double contingency as defined in NCSE 0705_076.E03. The presence of an unknown (at this time) amount of Uranium bearing material that was spilled (at some time in the facility's past) is a potential violation of passive design feature one of NCSA 0705_076.A03 which credits the physical integrity of X 705 system piping this would represent a loss of the second leg as defined in NCSE 0705_076.E03 Measurements are being conducted and are ongoing to determine amount of material, which may affect this report. SAFETY SIGNIFICANCE OF EVENTS: The safety significance of this event is potentially high (at this time) because the exact amount of Uranium bearing material that could have entered the opening in the block wall is unknown. Measurements to quantify the material are In progress. The apparent block wall construction (as evidenced by visual inspection of wall openings in the other areas of Recovery) indicates the potential for the presence of unfavorable geometry voids within and between the blocks compromising the exterior building wall. POTENTIAL CRITICALITY PATHWAYS INVOLVED (BRIEF SCENARIO[S] OF HOW CRITICALITY COULD OCCUR): If 1) a significant amount of uranium bearing material entered the void spaces of the block wall. 2) the material has collected in the multiple voids resulting in a single unfavorable geometry configuration. 3) the material has a high enrichment and uranium concentration, and 4) the material would become sufficiently moderated, then a potentially critical configuration could result. Note that no spills or leaks of uranium bearing material from present X 705 systems has occurred at this time. The material in question has apparently been there for some time. CONTROLLED PARAMETERS (MASS. MODERATION, GEOMETRY, CONCENTRATION, ETC.): Double contingency for inadvertent Containers relies upon the physical integrity of X 705 piping to prevent a spill of an unsafe amount of material. An unsafe amount is defined by the concentration and enrichment of the material. Double contingency also relies upon administrative controls limiting the presence of unfavorable geometry or unsafe volume containers that could collect a spill or leak. ESTIMATED AMOUNT. ENRICHMENT, FORM OF LICENSED MATERIAL (INCLUDE PROCESS LIMIT AND % WORST CASE OF CRITICAL MASS): Unknown at this time. Enrichment could be greater than 90% based upon historical operations. The form Is most likely uranyl nitrate or UO2F2. Measurements for determination of mass arid assay are currently in progress. NUCLEAR CRITICALITY SAFETY CONTROL(S) OR CONTROL SYSTEM(S) AND DESCRIPTION OF THE FAILURES OR DEFICIENCIES The openings leading to the interior spaces of the block wall is a violation of administrative control #3 of NCSA.705_076.A03 because the exact geometry or volume of the potential collection area is unknown. This is a loss of one leg of double contingency as defined in NCSE 0705_076.E03. The presence of an unknown (at this time) amount of uranium bearing material that has spilled (at some time in the facility's past) is a potential violation of passive design feature 1 of NCSA 0705_076.A03 which credits the physical integrity of X 705 system piping. This would represent a loss of the second leg of double contingency as defined in NCSE 0705_076,E03. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS TO RESTORE SAFETY SYSTEM AND WHEN EACH WAS IMPLEMENTED: Samples of the material have been taken and DNA measurements will be taken to determine amounts of material and assay. The NRC Resident Inspector was notified and the DOE Representative will be notified. ***************************************************************** 17 WNA NEWS BRIEFING 01.39 | 19 - 25 September 2001 A weekly summary of international news relevant to the nuclear energy industry. [NB01.39-1] The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has adopted a resolution emphasising the importance of physical protection of nuclear material in preventing its illicit use and the sabotage of nuclear facilities and nuclear materials. IAEA director general Mohamed ElBaradei, speaking at the agency's annual general conference in Vienna said that 'the tragic terrorist attacks on the US were a wake-up call to us all'. (IAEA, PR2001/21, 21 September; NucNet News, 284/01, 21 September) IAEA member states backed measures to reinforce the agency's three main 'pillars' of work - promotion of nuclear safety, nuclear technology and verification. Full coverage of the General Conference and its concluding session is provided on the IAEA's WorldAtom website (http://www.iaea.org/worldatom/). (IAEA, PR2001/21, 21 September; NucNet News, 286/01, 24 September; see also News Briefing 01.38-1) [NB01.39-2] The US has waived trade sanctions against India and Pakistan, introduced when the two countries conducted nuclear tests in 1998. President Bush said that the sanctions were 'not in the national security interests of the United States'. The move is being seen as a reward in particular for Pakistan, which has offered support for the USA's pursuit of Osama Bin Laden, the chief suspect in the 11 September suicide attacks on New York and Washington. (BBC News Online, 23 September; see also News Briefings 01.38-16 and 98.22-3) [NB01.39-3] Netherlands: A second attempt to force the early closure of the Borssele nuclear power plant has been blocked by a Dutch court. The court ruled that the existence of a binding agreement between the Dutch government and utility EPZ for an early shutdown of the 450 MWe pressurised water reactor (PWR) was 'not evident', despite claims to the contrary from the government. EPZ wants to operate Borssele at least for its full design lifetime of 40 years, due to end in 2013. (NucNet News, 283/01, 21 September; see also News Briefing 01.29-8) [NB01.39-4] Russia: Five new 1000 MWe nuclear power reactors will be built in Russia within the next five to seven years, according to Yuri Yakovlev, executive director of Rosenergoatom. That would increase nuclear generating capacity to 25 242 MWe and nuclear's share of total Russian power output from 15% to 20%. The first two units will reportedly be Rostov-2 and Kursk-5. Rosenergoatom is also considering building its own power transmission lines, mainly for export. (Nucleonics Week, 13 September, p4; see also News Briefing 01.37-8) [NB01.39-5] Russia: Construction of the South Urals nuclear power plant, which was suspended in the late 1980s, may resume in 2005, according to a report from Interfax. Chelyabinsk regional authorities are reportedly discussing with the federal government the imminent resumption of the construction. The project was originally planned to consist of three BN-800 fast breeder reactors. So far, concrete foundations for two of the reactors have been laid. (Ux Weekly, 24 September, p4; see also News Briefing 96.26-6) [NB01.39-6] US: It would cost US$4.2 billion to complete Energy Northwest's WNP-1 nuclear power reactor for commercial operation in 2008, according to preliminary estimates. Some US$1.8 billion has already been spent on the reactor's construction, which was suspended in 1982. Based on the figure to complete the reactor, WNP-1 would have to produce electricity at a little over 5 cents/kWh over a 40-year lifespan to cover the costs. (Ux Weekly, 17 September, p4; see also News Briefing 01.13-7) [NB01.39-7] US: Consumers Energy will replace all 45 control rod drive mechanism (CRDM) housings at its Palisades nuclear power plant. The project is expected to cost US$25-30 million and keep the plant off line until January 2002. Palisades has been shut down since 20 June, originally because of a small steam leak from an axial crack in one of the housings. The contractor, Westinghouse, is expected to complete installation of the new components in December. Consumers Energy said that replacing all the CRDM housings would 'avoid future plant outage time and associated replacement power costs'. (Nucleonics Week, 6 September, p1; see also News Briefing 01.27-10) [NB01.39-8] US: Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has rejected Frank Haney's initial proposal to provide US$1.6 billion in financing to restart its Browns Ferry-1 nuclear power reactor. However, Haney immediately presented a counteroffer that TVA will consider next year along with other proposals, after a board decision has been made on whether or not to restart the reactor. (Ux Weekly, 17 September, p4; see also News Briefing 01.33-11) [NB01.39-9] US: A statement in response to media and public concerns about the possibility of a terrorist attack on a civil nuclear facility has been issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The news release is available on the NRC website, at http://www.nrc.gov/OPA/gmo/nrarcv/01-112.html. (NucNet Background, 17/01, 22 September) [NB01.39-10] The Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR), under development in South Africa, has been uprated from 110 MWe to 120 MWe. (FreshFUEL, 24 September, p4; see also News Briefing 01.34-8) [NB01.39-11] Sweden: The Barseback-2 reactor will close by 2003, Swedish Prime Minister Goeran Persson confirmed. The Swedish parliament has stipulated that Barseback-2 can only be shut down once its electricity output has either been replaced by renewable energy or conserved. (Ux Weekly, 24 September, p3; see also News Briefing 01.17-13) [NB01.39-12] US: Wisconsin Public Service Corp (WPS) - a subsidiary of WPS Resources Corp - has acquired the 17.8% interest of Madison Gas & Electric (MG&E) in the Kewaunee nuclear power plant. The deal - agreed in 1998 - leaves WPS as the majority owner in the plant with 59%, with the remaining 41% owned by Alliant Utilities-WP&L. (Ux Weekly, 24 September, p2; see also News Briefing 98.40-13) [NB01.39-13] Lithuania must decide on the fate of Ignalina-2 before it can complete its membership negotiations with the European Union (EU), the country's Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas said. Lithuania has already pledged to close Ignalina-1 by 2004. The country wants the EU to state its conditions for closing the plant soon and hopes to complete negotiations by mid-2002. (Nuclear Market Review, 21 September, p2; Ux Weekly, 24 September, p4; see also News Briefing 01.27-12) [NB01.39-14] Slovakia: The European Commission will help pay for decommissioning costs at the Bohunice nuclear power plant by providing 150 million euros (US$137 million) from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The plant's two reactors are due to close in 2006 and 2008 as a condition of Slovakia's entry into the European Union (EU). (Nuclear Market Review, 21 September, p2; Ux Weekly, 24 September, p4; see also News Briefing 01.33-8) [NB01.39-15] Japan: A draft ordinance to hold a referendum on whether to invite a power company to build a nuclear power plant near the town of Miyama, Mie Prefecture, has been approved by the town assembly. The referendum could be held as early as late November in the town. The ordinance stipulates that a majority opinion in the referendum would be respected. (NucNet News, 287/01, 25 September; Ux Weekly, 24 September, p3; see also News Briefing 01.35-5) [NB01.39-16] US: The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to produce tritium at its Watts Bar nuclear power plant, for use by the Department of Energy (DOE). Tritium is an isotope of hydrogen needed to maintain nuclear fusion weapons. The licence amendment requested by TVA will, for the first time, permit tritium production by a commercial nuclear reactor to ensure future tritium stockpiling for military use. The application specifically requests that TVA be permitted to install tritium-producing burnable absorber rods at Watts Bar. (NucNet News, 285/01, 24 September; Ux Weekly, 24 September, p2; see also News Briefing 99.50-14) [NB01.39-17] Russia: A government commission has began negotiations with a number of countries - including Taiwan and Switzerland - over the delivery of spent nuclear fuel to Russia, according to Deputy Atomic Energy Minister Valeriy Lebedev. (Russia Journal Online, 24 September; see also News Briefing 01.29-3) [NB01.39-18] US: An audit report found that using existing or planned facilities at the Savannah River Site (SRS) to immobilise excess plutonium could result in significant cost savings for the Department of Energy (DOE). The finding could help to resurrect the immobilisation track of the US dual-track plutonium disposition strategy suspended earlier in 2001. The DOE Inspector General, Gregory Friedman, stated in a memo to Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham that the 'overall cost savings associated with the alternative approach could be in excess of US$650 million' and as much as US$1 billion. The alternative approach involves using SRS's existing FB Line Facility or planned Treatment and Storage Facility (TSF), instead of building and operating a separate plutonium immobilisation plant (PIP). (SpentFUEL, 24 September, p1; see also News Briefings 01.16-2 and 00.25-11) [NB01.39-19] Morocco and the USA have signed an agreement for peaceful nuclear cooperation, including cooperation in research. Moroccan Energy Minister Mustapha Mansouri said that the country 'plans to develop its own energy resources, including the use of nuclear plants to produce electricity at low costs'. Morocco has already reportedly signed an agreement with General Atomics over the construction of a 2 MWe reactor near Rabat. (Reuters, 20 September; see also News Briefing 98.48-14) Previous News Briefing NB01.38 ***************************************************************** 18 Mission Statement for the Nuclear Free Great Basin Campaign Nuclear Free Great Basin Campaign PO Box 1115, Salt Lake City, UT 84110 Telephone: (801) 359-2614 Email: reinard@shundahai.org a project of Shundahai Network Gathering, October 6th-7th 2001, Skull Valley Goshute Reservation, Utah. Shundahai Network is excited to announce that we have opened a Nuclear Free Great Basin Campaign office in Salt Lake City. We are looking for volunteers to help us in the office and to do outreach in Salt Lake City. Please call 801-359-2614 or email reinard@shundahai.orgfor more information Help Stop the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Dump! Your Actions Needed Immediately! Final Public Comment Period Ends on September 30th, 2001. For More Information and what you can do visit the Shundahai Network Yucca Mountainpage. Help keep nuclear waste out of the Great Basin! Utah Groups Join National Coalition To Chastise Bush Administration For Fast Tracking Nevada Nuclear Waste Dump Ask Governor Leavitt To Request Salt Lake Hearings Nuclear Utah Shundahai Network's Nuclear Free Great Basin Campaign (NFGBC) will work to help develop a strong alliance between native and non-native communities, activists and grassroots organizations within the Great Basin that are effected by or active in nuclear issues. NFGBC will network with other regional Nuclear Free campaignsaround the U.S. and world, sharing information and participating in coordinated strategic actions. NFGBC will create educational material and action alerts on nuclear issues regarding the nuclear weapons complex as well as high and low level nuclear waste. NFGBC will offer workshops, presentations and training's to help activists in community organizing and the use of nonviolent direct action to generate public awareness and apply political pressure on nuclear issues. NFGBC will strive to insure that Native American voices are heard in the movement to influence U.S. nuclear and environmental policies. This year, NFGBC will put much of our resources and efforts into working with grassroots organizations and activists in Utah who are struggling hard to stop the planned Private Fuel Storage nuclear waste dump, which the nuclear industry wants to open in 2003. Nuclear Free Great Basin Campaign 2001 - 2002 Projects + Nuclear Free Great Basin Gathering, October 6th-7th 2001, Skull Valley Goshute Reservation, Utah. Hosted by Ohngo Gaudedeh Devia. Join with hundreds of people concerned about nuclear contamination for a special weekend of camping, education, ceremony, celebration and action as we RESIST attempts by the nuclear industry to bring all of the nations high-level nuclear waste, containing the most toxic substances ever created, to our beautiful, fragile western deserts. + Nuclear Free Great Basin List Serve Sign up for discussion and action alerts. This forum will provide a clear communication method for grassroots activists and organizations working on nuclear issues around the Great Basin. It is intended to build upon the dialogue begun at the Nuclear Free Great Basin Gathering, held at the Nevada Test Site, October 6-9 2000. It will provide a forum to discuss ways we can work towards a unified regional Nuclear Free Great Basin Alliance and strengthen the Nuclear Free movements around the world. Discussions will include: The vision statement; Tactics; Targets; Strategies; what has worked.. what has not; and upcoming events in the Great Basin area. Specifically, this list will help us prepare for the upcoming Nuclear Free Great Basin Gathering + Peoples Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for a Geologic Repository for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high level nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Through this document we will chronicle the impact to the environment and people which will most directly be effected by the Yucca Mountain Project. The source communities, the transportation communities, and finally the destination community in Nevada. The PEIS will use actual statements from, scientists, politician and citizens who presented testimonies at the DEIS public hearings or submitted written comments to the D.O.E. These statements will be combined with information from fact sheets, letters and other written material from a wide spectrum of environmental, community and local governmental organizations to high light the many flaws in the D.O.E.'s EIS and in the YMP. + Nuclear Education and Action Tour (NEAT) winter/spring 2002. This will be a national tour focusing on outreach and education to mobolize college campuses along the proposed high-level nuclear waste transportation routes. We feel that this tour will help develop and inspire the next generation of activists on nulcear issues. The tour will take place in two parts. The first Western States tour will in February / March 2002 and the Eastern States Tour will be in April / May of 2002. + Peoples Guide to the Nevada Test Site for the 21st Century This guide will be simular in scope to the PEIS. It will look at past, present and future plans for NTS. We hope to have it completed by March 2002. Report on our Nuclear Abolition Now! Nagasaki Day Memorial Vigil, Thursday, August 9th, 2001 4 6 p.m.U.S. Federal Building 125 S State St, Salt Lake City, Utah The Great Basin bio-region stretches through five states and is home to strong indigenous people and cultures, high mountainous alpine lakes and forests, deep winding canyons and rivers, as well as many endangered and threatened plants and wildlife. Sadly, this land has already experienced the deadly effects of nuclear weapons testing as well as the disposal of radioactive and toxic wastes in leaking dumps threatening precious land, air and water. Besides the ongoing active nuclear waste dumps in Nevada, Utah and Idaho, and the nuclear weapons design, testing and production facilities at the Nevada Test Site and Idaho National Engineering Laboratories, the nuclear industry has targeted two sites on Native American land for high-level nuclear waste dumps. The Department of Energy wants to build a permanent underground nuclear dump at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Yucca Mountain is sacred to the Western Shoshone Nationand is in the heart of their country known as Newe Sogobia. This dump is scheduled to open in 2010 and could hold more then 77,000 tons of nuclear waste, deadly for over 25,000 years. Private Fuel Storage (PFS), a limited liability commercial consortium of nuclear utilities wants to site a "temporary" above ground nuclear dump for 40,000 metric tons of nuclear waste on the Skull Valley Goshute Reservation near Salt Lake City, Utah. PFS hopes to begin accepting nuclear shipments by 2003. Together these nuclear dumps would begin over 40,000 deadly shipments of radioactive waste through 43 states, 109 cities with populations of over 100,000 and thousands of small rural communities, as they make their way across the country to Utah and Nevada. This unprecedented shipment campaign would send us dangerous casks of nuclear waste, some of which will have more radioactive cesium then 200 Hiroshima bombs put together. The Strontium-90 in just one spent fuel assembly alone, (each cask could have more then 4 fuel assemblies) is enough to contaminate over 23 trillion gallons of water, twice the volume of Lake Mead. Read this important report from theState of Nevada on the dangers of shipping nuclear waste to theGreat Basin Accidents will occur. Even the Department of Energy predicts that between 70-350 accidents and over 1000 incidents involving will happen during the decades of shipments to the Great Basin. Current reports show that even the release of a small fraction of the contents of a nuclear waste cask during an accident could contaminate 42 square miles and if it occurs in a city (which is the greatest likelihood) require over $9.5 billion per square mile to clean up. Knowing this, the nuclear industry has lobbied to create laws exempting them from any liability once the nuclear waste has left the reactor. It will be the U.S. taxpayers who will be paying the huge cleanup costs. Over 1/3 of our nation's populations lives near these radioactive highway routes threatened by these accidents waiting to happen. For cities like Las Vegas and Salt Lake City the danger is even greater, as all of these shipments would pass close to schools, businesses and homes with hundreds of thousands exposed to the potential radioactive disaster waiting to happen. It is time to stand up for Environmental Justice and a sound nuclear waste policy. Indigenous People - from the thousands of native uranium miners to tribal communities suffering from radioactive contamination from nuclear weapons and energy testing and development - have borne the brunt of the entire nuclear chain. It is time to end the nuclear racism of our government and nuclear energy industry. It is time for a NUCLEAR FREE GREAT BASIN! Nuclear Free Great Basin Vision Statement, drafted at the 1st annual Nuclear Free Great Basin Gathering, held at the Nevada Test Site, October 2000 We envision a shift in world consciousness, towards a more symbiotic relationship with the Earth, resulting in a nuclear free environment. Through strong collaboration of indigenous and non-native people around the world, green energy, environmental justice and sustainable economic development, we will replace non-sustainable energy sources and all need for implements of war. After the land, plants, and cultures of the Great Basin bioregion are fully reclaimed and restored to the care of the indigenous peoples who live there, we believe the Great Basin can serve as a model nuclear free area for the rest of the world. Ongoing public education and support of the elders in sharing with youth the sacred interconnectedness of life will ensure that the Great Basin remains nuclear free for all generations to come. Prayer Ceremony while occupying the Nevada Test Site Nuclear Free Great Basin Campaign PO Box 1115, Salt Lake City, UT 84110 Telephone: (801) 359-2614 Email: reinard@shundahai.org a project of Shundahai Network ***************************************************************** 19 ADAMS: Items of Interest - Wednesday, September 26, 2001 State of Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects ADAMS - Items of Interest Recent Released Documents Added - Wednesday, September 26, 2001 These documents and others may be retrieved at the NRC PERR web site -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Item ID: 012680062 Accession Number: ML012630373 Document Date: 9/20/01 Title: Disposal of FUSRAP Waste at Envirocare. Author Affiliation: NRC/NMSS/OD Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012680100 Accession Number: ML012570392 Document Date: 8/9/01 Title: Issuance of Scoping Summary Report of Comments Received Related to the Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for a Proposed Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility. Author Affiliation: NRC/NMSS/DWM Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012680217 Accession Number: ML012600030 Document Date: 11/2/73 Title: Letter from R V Gilmer, UC to B Dubee, AEC re Detailed Safety Provisions for the Decontamination of Nuclear Fuels Building. Author Affiliation: Union Carbide Corp Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012680124 Accession Number: ML012600160 Document Date: 9/6/01 Title: Maine Yankee - 2.50, Defueled E-Plan Implementing Procedures. Author Affiliation: Maine Yankee Atomic Power Co Document/Report Number: 2-50-6, Rev 2, 2-50-7, Rev 5 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012680057 Accession Number: ML012630084 Document Date: 9/17/01 Title: McGuire 1 & 2 , Technical Specifications, Amendments 199 & 180 re Elimination of Post Accident Sampling Requirements. Author Affiliation: NRC/NRR/DLPM Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012680088 Accession Number: ML012600517 Document Date: 9/13/01 Title: Proposed Final Revision to Regulatory Guide 1.78, "Evaluating the Habitability of a Nuclear Power Plant Control Room During a Postulated Hazardous Chemical Release" Author Affiliation: NRC/ACRS Document/Report Number: R-1956 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012680090 Accession Number: ML012610259 Document Date: 9/13/01 Title: Proposed Final Revisions to Regulatory Guides 1.142, "Safety-related Concrete Structures for Nuclear Power Plants," and 1.143, "Design Guidance for Radioactive Waste Management Systems, Structures, and Components Installed in Light-Water-Cooled NPPs Author Affiliation: NRC/ACRS Document/Report Number: R-1958 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012680140 Accession Number: ML012600337 Document Date: 9/7/01 Title: Transmittal of 08/17/2001 Meeting Handouts with Nuclear Energy Institute to Discuss ITAAC Verification and Related Issues. The Meeting is a Continuation of a June 15, 2001, Meeting with NEI. Author Affiliation: NRC/NRR/NRLPO Document/Report Number: ***************************************************************** 20 Future of safety at McGuire debated [charlotte.com] Published Wednesday, September 26, 2001 Meeting on plant's environmental impact draws concerns on fuel By BRUCE HENDERSON Public meetings Tuesday on environmental effects of Lake Norman's nuclear neighbor, the McGuire power plant, prompted wide-ranging challenges of the plant's future safety. Duke Power wants to renew McGuire's operating license, keeping reactors that began producing power in 1981 and 1984 running into the early 2040s. Local government and business leaders called the plant a boon to the economy, with its 1,100 jobs and $9 million in annual property tax payments, and a fine corporate citizen. Critics are concerned about Duke's plans to use a new type of fuel, a blend of weapons plutonium. The mixed-oxide fuel could make a severe accident at the plant worse, they claim. It could also deteriorate reactor parts and be risky to transport, they say. "Tell me how it is you think this plutonium Duke Energy wants to use cannot be a target of terrorists?" said Rosemary Hubbard of Charlotte. "You're going to be transporting it from a sparsely populated area (the Savannah River Site near Aiken, S.C.) to a heavily populated city." While Duke makes clear it intends to use the new fuel beginning in 2007, saying it is safe, the company has not yet sought formal permission. Duke wants to keep mixed-oxide a separate issue from license renewal. Anti-nuclear groups insist they be considered together. Whether the new fuel becomes a licensing matter, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission says, depends on when Duke files an application to test the fuel - Duke says within a year - and what information it includes. Others Tuesday afternoon cited different reasons for caution on extending McGuire's license. "To me, it's about common sense," said Constance Kolpitcke of Cornelius. "I don't think we should renew any of the licenses for nuclear plants until we decide what to do with nuclear waste." Despite decades of debate, the government hasn't nailed down a permanent repository for spent nuclear fuel, which remains radioactive for thousands of years. While several speakers talked about terrorist threats to the plant, and the ability of the fast-growing community around it to quickly evacuate, NRC officials said those issues are dealt with outside the license renewal process. Several speakers defended the plant's safety and staff. "I've toured that facility. I've seen these people at their work," said Bill Russell, president of the Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce. "We have to have faith that the people are experienced, responsible and know what they're doing." Duke, which filed an environmental assessment with its renewal application, says McGuire's impact on water, plants and animals, air and people has been negligible. Catawba Riverkeeper Donna Lisenby says the plant's impact has been profound. McGuire, she said, discharges water that makes the Catawba River downstream as warm as 95 degrees. She said the plant's discharge permit exempts it from state limits on hot-water discharges, which can kill creatures at the bottom of the food chain. NRC staff says those discharges are a state matter. The NRC will do a report on environmental issues specifically relevant to McGuire. A draft of that report is due next May. Bruce Henderson: (704) 358-5051; bhenderson@charlotteobserver.com. The NRC will accept comments on environmental issues at McGuire until Oct. 21. Mail to Chief, Rules and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Mailstop T-6D59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001 or email McGuireEIS@nrc.gov. ***************************************************************** 21 Steps taken to keep nuke plants safe The Cincinnati Post By RYAN ALESSI, Scripps Howard News Service Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, nuclear power plants across the country have received threats and have been on heightened security. While the Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the added protection measures will stay indefinitely, watchdog groups don't believe the response is good enough. The Nuclear Control Institute in Washington and the Committee to Bridge the Gap in Los Angeles sent a letter to the commission Sept. 14 asking the government to dispatch 30 to 40 National Guard troops to each of the United States' 103 plants, along with antiaircraft weapons. Paul Leventhal, president of the institute, said a ''visible show of force'' would go a long way in deterring potential terrorist attacks. He also urged the industry to perform background checks on all nuclear facility employees to weed out any potential terrorists. Richard Meserve, commission chairman, said in response that the events of Sept. 11 ''show a need for review of physical security provisions for nuclear plants,'' but did not offer any new proposals. All plants have been on the highest state of alert since the attacks and the commission continues to evaluate its protection plans. Nuclear plants do not release details of protection measures, but are known to have increased the number of armed guards and closed the facilities to visitors. Leventhal, who called Meserve's answer an ''unsatisfactory, wait-and-see response,'' said, ''If these plants cannot be protected efficiently then they should be shut down.'' Deploying troops and military weapons to the facilities would take an act of Congress. While the Nuclear Energy Institute, the industry trade group, said it would support a congressional decision to send the National Guard, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission would not comment. The commission, said spokesman Victor Dricks, is still considering several protection measures. After initially claiming that reactors could withstand a crashing airplane, the commission reversed itself last week and says the facilities could be vulnerable to such an attack. ''It would be fair to say that we continue to take whatever steps necessary to protect the plants, which are among the hardest and most robust buildings in America,'' Dricks said. ''But no one ever anticipated that they could become the target of a jumbo jet. We never did those kind of engineering analysis.'' Using theoretic formulas, the Nuclear Control Institute calculated the amount of damage a commercial airliner might cause to a reactor and will present its projections and analysis to the regulatory commission and the industry. Edwin Lyman, a physicist and the Nuclear Control Institute's scientific director, said it's still unclear based on the study whether a structure could be engineered to withstand a fully fueled jet crashing at 520 miles per hour. ''There may be measures to decrease the risk, but I can't say that it would be completely eliminated,'' he said. The regulatory commission and trade group, however, say the plants are built with several safety systems to shut down the plants and protect radioactive material from outside - as well as inside - sabotage. The commission began its own engineering analysis after the Sept. 11 attack, which is still in progress. (Reach Ryan Alessi at alessir@shns.com or visit www.shns.com) Publication date: 09-25-01 Copyright2001 The Cincinnati Post, an E.W. Scrippsnewspaper. ***************************************************************** 22 Brazil nuclear plant accident discovered by media - 9/26/2001 - ENN.com Wednesday, September 26, 2001 By Andrei Khalip, Reuters RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Safety issues regarding Brazil's controversial nuclear power program came into the spotlight Tuesday after a local magazine reported a four-month-old accident at a beachside nuclear reactor. Government officials played down the gravity of May's internal leak of radioactive water at the Angra I plant, 80 miles west of Rio de Janeiro, saying there had been no need to inform the public. However, environmentalists and the media took the government to task for hiding facts about the accident. "Radiation spills in Angra, and the government conceals," said a front-page headline in Jornal do Brasil. O Globo daily said, "Information about Angra delayed by four months." Epoca weekly magazine broke the news earlier this week. For international environmental watchdog Greenpeace, the spill, which was apparently caused by a human error, and the "hiding of information" only confirmed its fears and concerns about the nuclear program. "The government is judging for the population what kind of information is important," said Marijane Lisboa, executive director at Greenpeace Brazil. "The accident yet again confirms that the nuclear program is extremely dangerous." Greenpeace has previously expressed concerns about what it calls "a dangerously high level of shutdowns" at Angra I. On May 28, thousands of gallons of slightly radioactive water that cooled the oldest of Brazil's two reactors leaked from the main system but was mainly contained by an emergency tank. The plant was shut down for a week. Officials said the accident, ranking 1 on a 7-point gravity scale, has never posed any danger to the workers or population around the two-reactor Angra complex, which is surrounded by lush tropical forest and a popular bay resort area. Claudio Avila, head of federal-power-holding Eletrobras whose Eletronuclear nuclear energy arm runs the Angra complex, said he knew nothing about the accident and complained about "a serious lack of communication" in the sector. Still, he said that such accidents are only announced immediately if there is a leak outside the plant. "In case of an internal problem, (the) population should be informed later." NEW OBSTACLES TO EXPANSION? Although the accident may not have been serious, it is likely to fuel a debate about whether to expand the Angra nuclear complex. Earlier this year, the government's National Energy Council failed to come to an agreement on whether to build a third reactor there due to objections from the Environment Ministry. The ministry asked for further analysis of the project, saying Brazilians needed "to form an opinion on the subject." Greenpeace said this event could signal a possible moratorium on new reactors. "We understand that a moratorium is being prepared and that it would paralyze all discussions on new reactors for at least two or three years," Lisboa said. The discussions coincide with an international debate on whether atomic power plants should be phased out and also with an acute energy crisis in South America's largest country. Advocates of Angra 3 say the complex is safe and clean and insist that a new reactor would reduce the country's dependence on water resources, which triggered this year's power crisis. Opponents argue the first reactor, built in the 1980s under the nuclear program drawn up by Brazil's military rulers, has a high level of shutdowns. Also, the reactors are too expensive, and there is little space to store nuclear waste. Copyright 2001, Reuters Copyright © 2001 Environmental News Network Inc. ***************************************************************** 23 DOE Opens Las Vegas Science Center To Serve As Extended Hearing Facility for Yucca Mountain Project For Immediate Release: Tuesday, September 25, 2001 News Media Contact: Joe Davis, 202/586-4940 - Additional Schedule Set To Receive Citizen Testimony - Washington - In addition to the rescheduled public hearings for Pahrump and Amargosa Valley, Nevada, and in addition to further public involvement opportunities previously announced and to be scheduled for later this fall, U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham announced today that DOE's Las Vegas Science Center will serve as an extended hearing facility to receive official testimony regarding the Yucca Mountain Project on a daily basis from Nevada citizens, beginning Wednesday, September 26. Opportunities to provide testimony at the facility will run through the end of the official comment period. "As I have made clear previously, I am committed to exploring new and creative ways to ensure opportunities for public input that extend well beyond both that which is required by law and that which had been planned prior to this Administration's taking office. Thus, in addition to the hearings that will take place this fall, I've directed the Department of Energy to provide this daily opportunity for meaningful public input," said Secretary Abraham. As with all official hearings regarding Yucca Mountain, a DOE official and a court reporter will be available to receive public testimony from any citizen wishing to provide official comment. Similarly, all testimony will be videotaped and made available for public review and all comments will be considered as part of the official public record. Written testimony may also be submitted as part of the official record. The following schedule is set for citizens to provide testimony: + Weekdays (starting Wednesday, September 26 to close of comment period) 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. (court reporter break from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.) + Saturdays; September 29 to close of comment period 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (court reporter break from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.) The Las Vegas Science Center is closed on Sundays and Mondays. The center is located at 4101-B Meadows Lane, Las Vegas, Nevada. TESTIMONY / SCHEDULING PROCEDURE: + Citizens are encouraged to reserve time slots to offer testimony by calling 1-800-967-3477. + Oral testimony will be limited to 10 minutes, in order to provide proper consideration to all individuals wishing to testify. + Citizens are encouraged to arrive no later than 15 minutes prior to their scheduled testimony time; citizens arriving after their timeslot has passed will be accommodated to the extent possible. + Walk-in testimony will be accepted as the schedule permits, with priority given to those citizens who have reserved time in advance. In addition, citizens can visit DOE Science Centers located in Pahrump, 1141 South Highway 160, and Beatty, 100 North E Avenue, to submit comment cards on the project, until the close of the comment period. Individuals who visit the Las Vegas Science Center to provide testimony will do so in the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) Reading Room. Public events and visits will proceed at the Science Center and will not interfere with the hearing sessions. Information regarding the Yucca Mountain Project can be obtained at www.ymp.gov. Citizens can also submit comments via email -DOE- ***************************************************************** 24 Technology:Plutonium meeting brings no resolution 09/26/01 Web posted Wednesday, September 26, 2001 By Brandon Haddock Staff Writer Federal and South Carolina officials have not resolved a dispute over plutonium shipments to Savannah River Site. The two sides held a teleconference Friday, but ''nothing concrete'' was agreed on, said Cortney Owings, spokeswoman for South Carolina Gov. Jim Hodges. ''It was an informative meeting,'' Ms. Owings said. ''There were some very frank discussions.'' Another teleconference will be held within two weeks, Ms. Owings said. Shipments of plutonium were scheduled to begin in mid-October, but the Energy Department backed off that schedule to give the two sides more time to reach an agreement. Mr. Hodges and other South Carolina elected officials want the Energy Department to agree to a strict timetable for treating the plutonium at SRS and shipping it back out of the site. Mr. Hodges has said he fears his state could become a permanent storage site for plutonium without such an agreement. Currently, the Energy Department is not shipping plutonium or other nuclear-weapons materials anywhere, said Joe Davis, a spokesman in Washington. Such shipments were halted because of security concerns after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, Mr. Davis said. Reach Brandon Haddock at (706) 823-3409 or bhaddock@augustachronicle.com. All contents ©1996 - 2001 The Augusta Chronicle. All rights ***************************************************************** 25 German environmentalists demand shutdown of nuclear plants BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Sep 26, 2001 Text of report by German news agency ddp on 26 September Hamburg/Berlin: In view of the threat posed by terrorists, the nuclear power plants have to be closed down immediately, the environmental organization BUND says. Since even Environment Minister Juergen Trittin (Greens) has admitted that now there is a different danger posed by attacks, a nuclear law is unacceptable that permits the continuing operation of the plants for at least another 20 years, BUND expert Renate Backhaus said in Berlin on Wednesday [26 September]. The discussion about the amendment to the Nuclear Law should be stopped. The planned Nuclear Law is based "on yesterday's state of security policy". The threat posed by potential attacks on nuclear facilities is underestimated by politics, Backhaus warned. It is necessary to reassess the potential danger. Opting out of nuclear energy is possible within a very short period, she pointed out. Source: ddp news agency, Berlin, in German 1132 gmt 26 Sep 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to ***************************************************************** 26 NRC Staff Proposes $17,600 Fine Against Ohio Environmental Services Company for Violating Regulations Region III -- 2001 - 045 -- UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION III 801 Warrenville Road, Lisle IL 60532 No. III-01-045 September 26, 2001 CONTACT: Jan Strasma (630)829-9663/e-mail: rjs2@nrc.gov Pam Alloway-Mueller (630)829-9662/e-mail: pla@nrc.gov The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has proposed a $17, 600 fine against RMI Environmental Services (now Earthline Technologies) of Ashtabula, Ohio, for apparently violating NRC requirements protecting employees from discrimination. The company from 1962 until 1988 fabricated uranium metal products for the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, and other commercial clients. The facility currently is being decontaminated and decommissioned. An NRC investigation found that an RMI radiation protection technician was placed on involuntary leave after he raised safety concerns about the handling of a radioactively contaminated pipe and other radiation protection issues. The staff cited RMI for discriminating against the employee who had raised safety concerns and proposed the $17,600 fine. The NRC staff issued a second violation pertaining to RMI's deliberate failure to control or limit access to licensed material, specifically from July 31-August 2, 1998, when sections of a contaminated pipe were improperly stored and labeled at RMI's Ashtabula, Ohio, site. That failure to properly control the contaminated pipe sections led to the improper removal of the pipes from the site. The pipe sections have since been returned to RMI's Ohio facility. The company took prompt and effective corrective actions, and, as a result, no fine was proposed for this violation. The NRC staff also issued a separate but related violation to an RMI radiation protection supervisor for violating the agency's rule prohibiting deliberate misconduct. The NRC stated the violation, which did not result in a fine, occurred when the supervisor deliberately failed to control the concrete pipe contaminated with uranium. The State of Ohio - having become an agreement state in 1999 - now has the regulatory authority over such licensees as RMI. However, since the violations involving RMI occurred prior to the State of Ohio obtaining agreement state status, the NRC retained regulatory authority over this case. The state participated in the RMI predecisional enforcement conference and was informed of the NRC's action in this matter. An agreement state is a state that has signed an agreement with the NRC, authorizing the state to regulate the use of radioactive materials within the state. Currently there are 32 agreement states. In notifying the company of the proposed fine, NRC Regional Administrator James E. Dyer noted that the amount of the fine was doubled because RMI did not take corrective actions pertaining to the discrimination violation. RMI Environmental Services has until October 24 to pay the fine or protest it. If the fine is protested and subsequently imposed by the NRC staff, the company may request a hearing. ***************************************************************** 27 British Energy fails to generate profits The Scotsman Online - BRITISH Energy managed to underline yesterday just what a tough time it is still facing after the most turbulent of years. A business update yesterday made clear that for the second year on the trot, the group’s UK-based nuclear electricity generation operations is not going to make a profit. With UK wholesale electricity prices having fallen more quickly than costs are taken out, the problem is fairly clear but difficult to solve. Wholesale prices under the new electricity trading arrangements have fallen 30 per cent in the last three years and while all group output for the current year is contracted, this has been at levels 10 per cent lower than last year. Although British Energy does have some flexible plant, its Eggborough coal-fired site, which enables it to cash in on the more lucrative short-term market, the vast majority of output is baseload, constant running, nuclear plant which cannot be flicked on and off. Of course, the highly geared nature of nuclear means British Energy’s bottom line would benefit if wholesale prices did rise, but there is no sign of that happening at present. After the ousting in June of chief executive Peter Hollins, the new man in direct charge of the UK nuclear arm, David Gilchrist, needs to focus on improving output after last year’s unexpected outages, or stoppages, among the eight UK plants. However, the forecast output in the year to next March of 68.1 terawatt hours is still below the target of 70tWh. Similarly, British Energy made clear it is not currently expecting any extra returns over and above those already forecast from the acquisition on a long lease of the Bruce nuclear plant in Ontario, meaning forecast profit contribution returns from North America remain at £150 million by 2002-03. The shares, floated at 190p in 1996, hit 700p in early 1999 before falling to 112p in May last year. Now at 292.5p, it has been benefiting from investor movement to defensive utility stocks in turbulent markets and possible hopes of a nuclear renaissance. But the latter is at least 10 years down the line and there seems little to push the shares further at present. British Energy may sneak into the black at the full year thanks to contributions from its US operations, but it seems likely to be some time before a new chief executive is found and there are probably too many uncertainties hanging over the business for the time being. ***************************************************************** 28 Emergency precautions Irish News and Analysis Irish Independent Wed September 26th 01 FEARS that terrorists might plant nuclear bombs in sewers, wage biological warfare, or poison water supplies, were once dismissed as fanciful. But nobody can scoff at them after the terrible events in the United States two weeks ago. On the contrary, the World Health Organisation has warned in particular of the danger of biological warfare, which could mean the deliberate spread of deadly diseases such as anthrax to devastate whole populations. Potential target countries are at varying levels of preparedness. How does Ireland rank? Anyone familiar with our lackadaisical administration will feel no surprise at finding us low on the list. Other countries have national emergency plans. These are necessary at any time. The risk of a natural or man-made disaster is ever-present. Now the risks are infinitely higher at this time of heightened tension. Ireland may not be an obvious target, but our presidency of the UN Security Council and our co-operation with the United States could make us a tempting one. At the UN, our diplomats will exercise all their skill and intelligence in the interests of moderation. But that will have no appeal to twisted terrorist minds. And there is a major target on our doorstep. Britain, in those twisted minds, ranks second only to the United States. We have often fretted about a possible accident at Sellafield. What if a nuclear disaster came about by design, not accident? Defeatists may say that we could do nothing about such a calamity, or about all the other dangers. That is foolish and wrong. Preparedness can reduce both the risks and the consequences, and at worst the emergency services can greatly alleviate the ill-effects. Yet we have, astonishingly, no national plan except in the nuclear area. It is up to the various government departments to draw up their own plans. The Taoiseach has ordered a "co-ordinating committee" to update the various departmental schemes. This is far from adequate. After enduring a generation of homegrown terrorism, we should have some awareness of the dangers. And when the terrorism is international, we should be ready to protect ourselves. ***************************************************************** 29 Nuclear power plants vulnerable, groups say Daily Herald: Suburban Chicago's Information Source Reuters Posted on September 26, 2001 WASHINGTON -- The 103 nuclear power reactors in the United States are vulnerable to acts of terrorism and the government should call out the National Guard to protect them, two watchdog groups said Tuesday. An industry spokesman dismissed the groups' statements as misleading and unduly alarmist. Nuclear power plants are located in 31 states and provide about 20 percent of the nation's electricity. Chicago-based Exelon Corp. is the largest operator of nuclear plants. The Nuclear Control Institute and the Committee to Bridge the Gap, groups that monitor the spread of nuclear weapons, said the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and other government agencies must impose stricter safety measures to protect the plants. They urged the government to use National Guard troops to protect from attacks by land or water. They also said regulators should be prepared to deploy anti-aircraft weapons to defeat suicidal attacks from the air, and thoroughly recheck the background of all plant employees and contractors to protect against sabotage. The groups noted that nearly half of the plants in routine NRC-supervised security tests have failed to repel mock attacks. "The new threat should now be evident to all, and the country can afford to wait no longer," said Daniel Hirsch, president of the Committee to Bridge the Gap. "The vulnerabilities at these plants can, and must be closed now." The NRC said U.S. nuclear plants have stepped up security. "We take the security threat very seriously," said NRC spokesman Victor Dricks. "In light of the terrorist attacks, it's only prudent that we look at our security regulations to make sure they're adequate to meet the challenge." The NRC has acknowledged that it is unsure if plants could withstand the crash of large, commercial airplanes. The plants were designed to withstand tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes. A group representing nuclear operators called the the watchdog groups' claims incorrect and "cause undue alarm" for the public. , the Nuclear Energy Institute, defended security measures. In the few cases where nuclear power plants were found to be vulnerable in NRC-supervised tests, all immediately adopted stricter safeguards, said Joe Colvin, president of the industry group. called the the watchdog groups' claims incorrect and "cause undue alarm" for the public. Copyright © Daily Herald, Paddock Publications, Inc.Top | Home | ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR WEAPONS ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 US on highest level of alert by James Langton in New York Security measures across America were being tightened today amid growing fears of a second wave of terrorist attacks. Possible targets now range from nuclear power stations, drinking water reservoirs and any industry using hazardous materials, with law-enforcement agencies and the armed forces now operating at an unprecedented level of alert. Combat fighters at 26 air bases are on standby to protect America's 103 nuclear power reactors, ready to intercept and open fire if necessary if there is any attempt to repeat the hijacking of a passenger jet. Power stations have been placed on the highest level of alert, with patrols by armed guards and access to secure areas restricted to essential staff. Richard Meserve, head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, admitted yesterday that the possibility of a suicide mission using fuel-laden commercial jets had never been considered until the attacks of 11 September. Reactor sites were now "considered part of the homeland defence", he said. The FBI is also urging water companies to step up security measures after fears of deliberate contamination using chemical or biological weapons. Boats have been banned from using reservoirs and water testing has been stepped up. Intelligence agencies believe terrorists might also try to cut off water to major cities by blowing up dams and pumping equipment. With the FBI now seeking nearly 400 people in connection with the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the underground network of Islamic fundamentalist terrorists and their supporters inside the United States is far bigger than previously realised. Three men were arrested in San Diego, California yesterday, under suspicion of providing forged identity cards for the hijackers. Their arrest brings the total held to 353. The Attorney General, John Ashcroft, said last night that he believed there was "a potential for additional terrorist incidents". He revealed that the FBI had discovered an attempt by several suicide hijackers to obtain hazardous material transport licences for lorriesin what seems to be further confirmation that plans were being laid to use biological or chemical weapons inside the US. Around 20 people have been charged after they made fraudulent attempts for licences to drive tankers. Mr Ashcroft warned that: "Terrorism is a clear and present danger to Americans today.'' He is also asking Congress for the right to detain or deport immigrants suspected of terrorist activities and increased powers to wire-tap telephone calls. The authorities also know that the terrorists, including Mohammed Atta, who piloted American Airlines Flight 11 into the World Trade Center, had shown interest in buying small cropspraying planes, which can disperse up to 800 gallons an hour. One even asked for a Department of Agriculture loan to buy a plane. A two-day ban on crop-spraying was lifted by the Federal Aviation Administration yesterday. The Washington Post also reported the testimony of a convicted terrorist collaborator in the trial of an Arab in July who was convicted for an attempt to bomb Los Angeles International Airport in 1999. The witness, Ahmed Ressam, claimed to have been trained in the use of chemical weapons at a camp in Afghanistan. He described an incident of a dog being placed in a box filled with cyanide and sulphuric acid. "We wanted to know the effect of the gas," Ressam said, adding it had taken the dog four minutes to die. Airline security is now the top priority in the US, with a growing dispute over the best way to prevent hijackings. The Airline Pilots Association formally requested the right to carry guns yesterday and has changed guidelines to warn crew members that they must be prepared to kill anyone breaking into a cockpit. Pilots are asking for guns with "frangible bullets'' which disintegrate on impact and fragment and cannot puncture the pressurised skin of a jet. A union spokesman, John Mazor, said: "The cockpit has to be defended at all costs." The union also wants cockpits to be equipped with stun guns and reinforced doors. The American FAA has said it would prefer to use armed sky marshals and may recruit members of the National Guard to fly on planes until more are trained. President Bush will announce more airline safety proposals tomorrow. © Associated Newspapers Ltd., 26 September 2001 ***************************************************************** 2 ORNL says reactor ready for another 30 years KnoxNews: Columnists By Frank Munger, News-Sentinel columnist Oak Ridge National Laboratory's High Flux Isotope Reactor may be restarted in late October or early November, according to the latest reports. Jim Roberto, an associate director of ORNL, said the exact startup will depend on results of a readiness review by the U.S. Department of Energy. "We're in the midst of that review process,'' he said this week. The Oak Ridge reactor, one of the most powerful research reactors in the world, has been shut down for the past year for a series of repairs, maintenance activities and structural improvements. UT-Battelle, the lab's managing contractor, has declared the reactor fit and ready to operate, but DOE will have the final word on that. The High Flux Isotope Reactor was constructed in the 1960s, and Roberto said he believes the nuclear facility, with continued attention to the infrastructure, should be able to operate at a high level for another 30 to 35 years. "The team has done a tremendous job, an enormous amount of work. I think the facility is in good shape,'' the lab official said. During the long outage, workers replaced the beryllium reflector - one of the reactor's most important components. The metal structure surrounds the reactor core and reflects the neutrons generated there, creating neutron concentration sufficient for experiments and production of isotopes for medicine and industry. The reactor also has a new cooling tower and beam tubes that transport neutrons to experimental sites, and the waste system was upgraded, partly in response to a tritium leak discovered in late 2000. Some additional improvements to the reactor's research capabilities are still underway - including the installation of a cold source that slows down the neutron movement for certain types of experiments. All told, about $40 million is being spent on the reactor, which reportedly has a replacement value exceeding $1 billion. Asked about security changes in the wake of recent terrorism, Roberto said not a lot has changed - at least not yet. "(The reactor) already had good security,'' he said. "The main change has been increased attention to vehicles and any packages going in or out.'' He said he couldn't predict what additional changes might be forthcoming. "We're still sorting through as a nation what our response will be,'' Roberto said. "What happens in the world is unpredictable and could affect lots of things. I don't expect there to be any particular problems.'' * PU PROTEST: In its recent newsletter, the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance indicated there would be an Oct. 13 action at ORNL to protest the lab's future role in producing and processing plutonium for power generators in space. But the group's coordinator, Ralph Hutchison, said those plans are still iffy. He said it's not clear if OREPA has the energy or resources to stage a mid-October protest. Hutchison reiterated that the Oak Ridge group is allied with the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space and will closely monitor the ORNL activities. * NO, NO and NO: Those were the responses from Bill Brumley, the top fed at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, when asked if the Oak Ridge installations had acquired (per rumors) anti-aircraft weaponry, tanks or a helicopter to boost security. Brumley, of course, is no blabbermouth. He would not discuss in any detail the nuclear plant's security arrangements or divulge what elements will be upgraded in the months ahead. To discuss security is to degrade it or so the maxim goes. But it won't be surprising if Y-12 purchases new security hardware in the wake of the terrorist acts of Sept. 11, just as the Beirut bombing and other attacks stirred a huge series of improvements in the early 1980s - including pop-up barriers intended to combat the threat of car bombings. Interestingly, some of the security tools were later discarded, including a fleet of armored vehicles known as "Peacekeepeers.'' The government apparently also got rid of an amphibious personnel carrier, which was supposed to transport guards or key officials during times of crisis. Nobody ever explained why the Oak Ridge folks needed an amphibious vehicle, although the joke at the time was that it might be an indicator of future plans to install a moat around the warhead production plant. Guess not. Senior Writer Frank Munger covers the Department of Energy for the News-Sentinel. He can be reached at 865-482-9213 or at twig1@knoxnews.infi.net. This column is also available on the Web at www.knoxnews.com/editorsview/munger/ Copyright 2001 The Knoxville News-Sentinel Co. ***************************************************************** 3 OR shipments of low-level nuclear wastes resume By Frank Munger, News-Sentinel senior writer OAK RIDGE - Federal contractors in Oak Ridge have resumed shipments of low-level nuclear waste, but other restrictions remain in place due to the heightened state of security, a U.S. Department of Energy spokesman said Tuesday. Steven Wyatt of DOE's Oak Ridge office said BNFL Inc., one of the cleanup contractors, initiated waste shipments to Utah and Nevada on Monday and Tuesday. Bechtel Jacobs Co., DOE's environmental manager, also was expected to send wastes to a Western site for disposal, now that the ban has been lifted, he said. But the transportation of special nuclear materials, such as highly enriched uranium used at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, remains on hold, Wyatt said. There no longer are any restrictions on the shipment of radioisotopes from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, he said. Previously, only the isotopes needed for medical treatments were being approved. In other actions, DOE decided to cancel plans for today's full-scale testing of the Oak Ridge emergency communications systems, including the sounding of sirens and other alarms. Wyatt said federal officials were concerned that the tests would frighten citizens already on edge due to recent terrorist events. "We decided it was not a very smart thing to do,'' he said. Frank Munger can be reached at 865-482-9213 or twig1@knoxnews.infi.net. Copyright 2001 The Knoxville News-Sentinel Co. ***************************************************************** 4 ISIS: First Casuality of War Must Not Be Pakistan U.S. Newswire 18 Sep 16:36 ISIS: First Casualty of the War on Terrorism Must Not Be Pakistan: Pakistan's Nuclear Weapons Must Not Fall Into Terrorists' Hands To: National Desk Contact: Corey Hinderstein of the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), 202-547-2696 Email: cgh@isis-online.org Web site: http://www.isis-online.org WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following was released today by the Institute for Science and International Security: The United States must carefully craft its approach to nuclear-armed Pakistan for help in extracting Osama bin Laden from Afghanistan. Many Pakistanis are sympathetic to the Taliban, and militant Pakistani clerics vocally oppose the government's cooperation with the United States. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf must be able to offer assistance to the United States such that his government is not threatened by domestic instability. Similarly, the United States must not exert too much pressure on Musharraf and must provide him with incentives, political support, and other tools to stay in power. Increased instability in Pakistan could make Pakistan's nuclear weapons and stocks of nuclear explosive material dangerously vulnerable to theft by militant groups. Pakistan's nuclear assets are substantial, but little is known about the security of these assets. As the end of 1999, according to estimates by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) Pakistan possessed sufficient nuclear explosive material (plutonium and weapon-grade highly enriched uranium (HEU)) for 30-50 nuclear explosives (bombs and/or warheads). ISIS presumes that Pakistan has increased this stock since the end of 1999, given its military competition with India. Whether or not all of Pakistan's nuclear explosive material has been converted to nuclear weapons is unknown, leaving the possibility that many kilograms of bulk material may be poorly protected. The key sites and facilities used to produce plutonium and HEU have been identified, but the storage locations of these materials and weapons are undoubtedly among the most important state secrets in Pakistan. Should the location of these materials become known, security forces at storage sites may be unable to thwart a determined attack by extremist groups allied with bin Laden or the Taliban, particularly if even a small number of guards are sympathetic to the Islamic fundamentalist cause. In the extreme case -- should extremists take over the Pakistani government -- control over Pakistan's nuclear explosive materials and weapons could be lost irretrievably. Crafting a policy that will ensure Pakistan's survival will not be easy. The U.S. track record in Pakistan in recent years has had limited success. Western sanctions following Pakistan's 1998 nuclear tests, and more recent overtures to Pakistan's arch-rival India, have alienated both its population and leadership from the United States. "Fighting the war on terrorism starts with ensuring the stability of a nuclear-armed Pakistan," said David Albright, the president of ISIS, "otherwise the terrorist threat will take on a new, frightening dimension." For additional information about Pakistan's nuclear weapons and missile material capabilities, see http://www.isis-online.org/mapproject/pakistan.html. For additional ISIS resources on the threat of nuclear terrorism, see http://www.isis-online.org/publications/terrorism/index.html Copyright 2001, U.S. Newswire ***************************************************************** 5 Senate Approves Miners Payments Las Vegas SUN September 25, 2001 WASHINGTON (AP) - Thousands of people sickened by radiation exposure during Cold War nuclear weapons development could be guaranteed compensation payments under a proposal adopted by the Senate on Tuesday. In the past, payments to former uranium miners and "downwinders" - people unknowingly exposed to radioactive fallout from above-ground atomic tests - had been delayed because the program had run out of money. Many died holding IOUs from the government. But the amendment to the Senate defense spending bill would set aside $655 million over 10 years to pay the claims, beginning with $172 million in the coming year. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., who sponsored the amendment, called the repeated funding shortfalls an "insult" and said the Senate action would "eliminate a serious, serious sore that's out there among a few thousand Americans." The House and President Bush also must approve the funding. The long-term funding was a key for supporters, who didn't want the program dependent on year-to-year appropriations. "I was doing handsprings," said Ed Brickey, co-chairman of the Western States RECA Reform Coalition. "It's not over, but with this part of it, you can't help but have a smile." The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act was passed in 1990 to make lump payments to downwinders and uranium miners who contracted diseases, mostly cancer and respiratory illnesses, because of their exposure to radiation between 1945 and 1971. The fallout drifted from Nevada into Utah and Arizona. The uranium was extracted in Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming. The program offers $100,000 checks for miners and $50,000 for downwinders. But for several years the program has been underfunded. Beginning in May 2000, the Justice Department, which administers the program, began issuing IOUs to qualifying claimants. Many died while awaiting payment. "This assures that we're not in the business of issuing more IOUs," said Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., a co-sponsor of the amendment. A one-time infusion of $84 million earlier this year will pay off the outstanding IOUs. But appropriations bills passed by the House and Senate only included $10.7 million for the program - the same amount dedicated last year, when the program ran out of money. In April, the Bush administration came out in support of guaranteeing the compensation payments. But in August, the White House changed its stance on the program, instead seeking just a one-year appropriation amid a dwindling budget surplus. The bill which includes the amendment still needs to be voted on by the Senate. The amendment was not included in the package of changes being considered for the House bill. Through Sept. 10, the Justice Department had made $322 million in payments to victims of radiation exposure. On the Net: Justice Department Radiation Exposure Compensation Program: http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/torts/const/reca/index.htm All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 6 War won't drain Hanford funding This story was published Wed, Sep 26, 2001 By John Stang Herald staff writer It does not appear that Congress intends to take nuclear cleanup money to finance the nation's war on terrorism. The $40 billion that Congress is drumming up in relief aid and to combat terrorist groups likely will come from the nation's budget surplus, say members of the state's congressional delegation. The United States has a $153 billion budget surplus for the fiscal year that ends Sunday, said U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash. The surplus will absorb immediate anti-terrorism costs without taking cash from the House's and Senate's separate water and energy appropriations bills, which include Hanford's cleanup money, according to an aide for U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. The Department of Energy's 2002 nuclear cleanup budget, including Hanford's, still is working its way through Congress. Hanford needs $1.832 billion next year to meet all its legal cleanup obligations, according to DOE. But the Bush administration, including Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, wants Congress to allocate $1.4 billion to Hanford in 2002, contending a "top-to-bottom" review of DOE's cleanup programs that's under way should be finished before extra money is sought. The House has passed a $1.814 billion Hanford budget for 2002. The Senate's version would provide $1.834 billion for cleanup at the site. The Bush administration has signaled that it opposes spending that much, although the Senate's support for full funding at Hanford appears veto-proof. The House and Senate have not yet reconciled the differences in their proposed budgets, although talks might lead to a compromise this week, aides to Hastings and Murray said. Hastings and others acknowledge that the House's and Senate's two water and energy appropriations bills likely will not be signed into law by Oct. 1. Both chambers are voting on continuing resolutions this week, which would keep federal money flowing to Hanford until Oct. 16. In a related matter, the House and Senate are expected to pass bills this week that include language extending the life of DOE's Office of River Protection by six more years to 2010. Hanford created the office in 1999 to focus on the site's 53 million gallons of highly radioactive wastes in 177 underground tanks -- which are considered Hanford's biggest problem. Copyright 2001 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved. This ***************************************************************** 7 Oak Ridge contractor resumes shipping low-level nuclear waste Las Vegas SUN Today: September 26, 2001 at 7:40:43 PDT OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (AP) - Shipment of low-level nuclear waste from Oak Ridge National Laboratory has resumed, but officials say other restrictions remain because of heightened security caused by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. U.S. Department of Energy spokesman Steven Wyatt said BNFL Inc., a cleanup contractor, initiated waste shipments to Utah and Nevada on Monday and Tuesday. Wyatt said Bechtel Jacobs Co., DOE's environmental manager, also was expected to send wastes to a Western site for disposal. However, he said the transportation of special nuclear materials, such as highly enriched uranium used at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, remains on hold. In other action, DOE decided to cancel Wednesday's full-scale testing of the Oak Ridge emergency communications systems, including the sounding of sirens and other alarms. Wyatt said federal officials were concerned the tests would frighten citizens already on edge because of the recent attacks. "We decided it was not a very smart thing to do," he said. On the Net: Department of Energy: http://www.doe.gov/ All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 8 No decision from DOE on FFTF this week This story was published Wed, Sep 26, 2001 By the Herald staff A Department of Energy decision on the fate of Hanford's Fast Flux Test Facility is not expected this week because of delays in federal work not related directly to national security issues. At the start of August, DOE announced it would spend 60 days reviewing a proposal for commercial operation of the reactor. Advanced Nuclear & Medical Systems of Richland has assembled a team of top nuclear service companies to privately operate the reactor to produce isotopes for medicine. An announcement of a decision on whether to proceed with that project or permanently shut down the Hanford reactor is not likely to come immediately with the end of the 60-day period, said a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash. However, an announcement is expected in the next few weeks. Copyright 2001 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved. This ***************************************************************** 9 Shays Warns of Suitcase Nuke Terror Threat NewsMax.com: Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2001 12:12 p.m. EDT The chairman of the House Subcommittee on National Security, Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., warned Monday that the U.S. is vulnerable to nuclear attack by terrorists who may have access to as many as 60 briefcase-sized tactical nuclear weapons now missing from the former Soviet Union. Shays, who has held 18 hearings on terrorism over the last two and a half years, delivered the frightening warning in an interview with WABC Radio's Sean Hannity. "We've known for years that the host countries have developed nuclear and biological agents and that they haven't been reluctant to share them with the terrorists. ... And frankly, the race we have right now is to make sure that [terrorists] don't get a nuclear device." Shays warned that the impact of Russia's missing tactical nukes is so potentially devastating they would make an excellent weapon for geopolitical blackmail. "I guess if you'd be willing to kill 50,000 people you'd probably be willing to use it. But they'd more likely want to blackmail us. More likely they'd say, 'There's a nuclear device somewhere in some city and if you don't do the following it's going to go off.'" In 1992, NewsMax.com contributor Stanislav Lunev first outlined the threat posed by Russia's suitcase nukes in his book Through the Eyes of the Enemy. Lunev is the highest-ranking Soviet intelligence agent ever to defect to the U.S. Shays said an adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin had initially admitted to his committee that "out of 140 of [their tactical nukes], the Russians could only account for about 80 of them." "Now the Russians are denying that and we don't really have a straight answer from our own government," he added. U.S. officials believe that some of the missing Russian nukes have been sold to the highest bidder, Shays told Hannity. "The problem we have with the Russians is they can't pay their employees. So some of this very sensitive, very expensive and very dangerous weaponry is being sold for ridiculously small amounts of money." The congressional security expert said that the impact of a tactical nuclear blast on a crowded urban area would be devastating. "They're like one-fifth of what was used in Hiroshima. ... It would be a disaster if it went off in any community. You wouldn't be able to go back for years. It would destroy a city. It would just be horrendous. It is our worst fear, obviously." But the tactical nukes are small enough to make detection nearly impossible. "They are literally the size of a large briefcase. They're not even the size of a big suitcase," he explained. Shays said that as bad as the attacks of Sept. 11 were, the worst may be yet to come - even without nuclear weapons. "We have every reason to believe that terrorists have access to chemical and biological agents. ... It's not a question of if there will be a biological or chemical attack - it's a question of when, where and of what magnitude." One particular threat that hasn't received much attention is smallpox, the congressman said. "There are only two countries that basically have the germ - the United States and Russia. But the question is, Russia has been somewhat like a sieve in terms of some of their state secrets and some of their weapons - they're getting into the wrong hands." The Connecticut Republican warned that the U.S. is woefully unprepared for a smallpox attack. "Smallpox would be devastating. ... We only have about 12 million doses of the vaccine." Shays said his committee ran a test to gauge the government's response to such an attack. Code named "Dark Winter," the germ was theoretically released in Oklahoma. "Frankly, we lost," he told Hannity. "We ran out of vaccine. ... We can't develop enough doses of smallpox. It would take five years." A biological attack is harder to respond to than a chemical attack, Shays said. "The challenge with a chemical is that it's instant and it's deadly, but at least it doesn't spread and you know about it right away. The problem with a biological agent is you don't know about it until about four days after the germ has been let out." ***************************************************************** 10 Subcritical experiment set today at test site LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: NEWS: Wednesday, September 26, 2001 REVIEW-JOURNAL Government scientists will detonate a subcritical nuclear weapons experiment today at the Nevada Test Site, according to officials at the National Nuclear Security Administration's North Las Vegas office. The experiment, dubbed Oboe 8, is another in a series by scientists from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California aimed at ensuring the safety and reliability of nuclear weapons by checking how the stockpile ages. It will be the nation's 14th such experiment since the subcritical program was launched July 2, 1997. The experiments are designed so scientists can study how nuclear materials blow apart when detonated with a small amount of high explosives. Officials for the National Nuclear Security Administration, a branch of the Department of Energy, say the experiments, conducted in a below-ground complex 85 miles northwest of Las Vegas, involve only small amounts of plutonium. They say they are designed to stop short of erupting into nuclear chain reactions. Lawrence Livermore scientists conducted their last subcritical experiment, Oboe 6, on Dec. 14, 2000. The next in the series, Oboe 7, was scheduled for this year but was postponed for budget reasons and will be conducted probably next year, administration spokesman Derek Scammell said. Full-scale U.S. nuclear weapons tests were put on hold indefinitely in 1992. webmaster@lvrj.com Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal, 1997 - ***************************************************************** 11 The fallout Guardian Unlimited | Archive Search Environment With Sellafield seen as a potential terrorist target, the new government report on how to manage Britain's nuclear waste becomes more urgent. Paul Brown on the implications for the industry Paul Brown Guardian Wednesday September 26, 2001 The stocks of plutonium and uranium in the UK, mostly kept under guard at Sellafield, are no longer the valued national asset we have always been led to believe. They will not keep the lights on for a century or two, but are a liability which will cost the taxpayer billions. These facts are buried deep in the long-awaited document Managing Radioactive Waste Safely, which the government slipped out the day after New York was hit by terrorists. The document had been held up more than a year while the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the old Department of Environment squabbled over whether to finally admit that plutonium, once regarded as the world's most valuable substance, was really a nuclear waste. The issue was fudged because ministers could not agree on this fateful step, but the facts in the document speak for themselves. Britain's 61.5 tonnes of plutonium is decaying and becoming more dangerous and will cost billions to process in a safe form for disposal. British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL), the government-owned company that runs the Sellafield complex in Cumbria and guards the stockpile, still claims that the plutonium and 60,000 tonnes of uranium is an energy resource that could be used for fuel in nuclear reactors. After 50 years, the fact that the DTI still encourages BNFL to propagate the pipe dream that plutonium is untapped energy is a reminder that the same industry claimed nuclear power would produce electricity too cheap to meter. No government has ever been willing to stand up to the nuclear industry and spell out the facts. But the new document is much more revealing. It says that there is so much plutonium and uranium in store that not enough reactors could be safely or economically adapted to burn it, even if it was the wish of the reactor owners to do so. It adds that 90% of the plutonium and uranium stockpile is useless, and that it would be folly to add to the problem by continuing to produce more. Despite this, BNFL continues to do exactly that. The problem for ministers is that, if they admit this is true, the whole economics of the nuclear industry and the way it operates will have to change. Admitting that plutonium and uranium are a liability makes BNFL bankrupt. It would also cause the closure of the prestige Thorp reprocessing works at Sellafield which employs 2,600 people. This conclusion is bad enough for the government in financial terms, but the politics are tricky too. The renewed interest by ministers in promoting more nuclear power does not sit well with these facts. It would confirm that Britain's energy policy is still anchored in the thinking of the mid-20th century, when we were intent on building more and more power stations without any thought for the future. In those days, it was justified by the need for an independent nuclear weapon. Now the justification is that nuclear power does not produce greenhouse gas emissions, and we need security of energy supply, which does not force us to depend on unreliable gas pipelines operated by foreigners. According to the document, 90% of the plutonium stored at Sellafield comes from the old Magnox reactors. Since the plutonium was no longer needed for new bombs, it was diverted to be used in a civil fast breeder reactor programme. These burn plutonium fuel and, in theory, produce oodles of electricity. But fast breeders have long been abandoned on cost and safety grounds. The only remaining use for the plutonium is to mix it with uranium and burn it in conventional reactors. But this is more costly than conventional uranium fuel derived from ore and has been rejected for use in Britain as uneconomic by both BNFL and British Energy (BE) - the privatised arm of the nuclear industry - for their own UK reactors. The only alternative is to export the British plutonium to other countries in the form of this mixed fuel, known as MOX. But even before the terrorist attack on New York, moving it around would be a hard trade to negotiate in an unsafe world. Just as disturbing, the document reveals that, even if there were a market, there are additional technical difficulties. The natural decay of plutonium into a more radioactive substance called americium-241 means that it would need cleaning up before it could be used. The document says that one-third of the stockpile is already unusable because of this. Another 10% is contaminated by chemicals and, additionally, would have to be cleaned up. Yet ministers hesitate to declare plutonium a waste, because it would cause a critical financial problem. The report says "it would have significant financial implications for the owners of the plutonium. The liability would fall on the taxpayer." Accurate costings are not available, the document says, but "are likely to be of the order of billions of pounds". And that is only for one-third of the plutonium. The cost implications of dealing with the rest of it and 60,000 tonnes of surplus uranium do not rate a mention. One of the problems the government admits to is that, in order to immobilise the plutonium to avoid it being used for nuclear bombs, it would have to be mixed with other dangerous wastes. Making the plutonium very difficult to handle would have a deterrent effect. This cocktail would then be placed in glass blocks for storage and eventual disposal. This glass-block process is currently used at Sellafield to deal with high-level wastes from reprocessing spent fuel, but is currently not working because of technical problems. This causes a backlog of waste from normal operations. It would have to be entirely revamped to take in the extra plutonium. Despite this avalanche of facts, the document reaches no conclusions, merely asking for public comment, which will be followed by consultation on a timetable which runs to 2007. Successive governments have sought to avoid making tough decisions about the nuclear industry, but the signs are that New Labour will not get away with it this time. While BNFL insists that plutonium and uranium are a potential asset, BE takes a different view. BE runs the eight newer, advanced gas cooled reactors and the single pressurised water reactor Sizewell B, and is struggling to make a profit in a competitive electricity market. The company was signed up to have its fuel reprocessed at Sellafield years before it was privatised. Now BE is paying for it, because reprocessing is far more expensive than the alternative of storing fuel. The company is squealing because it is no longer a subsidised public utility and could go bust. It comments to the review that if plutonium was declared a waste "it would be nonsensical for BE to continue with reprocessing and creation of further liability". The costs imposed by BNFL on BE are squeezing the company and its shareholders hard. BE is already lobbying ministers because of the financial problems this is causing. Meanwhile, at Sellafield, costs continue to rise as both reprocessing works and management of waste streams fail to meet production targets. The fact that BNFL's nuclear liabilities far exceed its assets cannot be hidden from the public forever. Soon these nuclear myths will be exploded. [UP] Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2001 ***************************************************************** 12 The Hawk Eye takes honors at convention The Hawk Eye Special: IAAP Monday, September 24, 2001 [Unknown dangers at IAAP] The Hawk Eye Reporters Mike Augspurger and Dennis Carroll have been honored for their coverage of health and environmental problems at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant in Middletown. "This is what journalism is all about," judges from New Mexico said of Augspurger and Carroll's work, which placed first in the category of continuing news coverage for medium-size newspapers in Iowa. The award was presented Saturday at the annual Iowa Associated Press Managing Editors convention in Davenport. Through an inspection of public documents and personal interviews, Augspurger and Carroll have pieced together dozens of stories regarding health problems that former ammunition workers have faced and environmental damage in and around the 19,000-acre plant. Augspurger is The Hawk Eye's business editor and Carroll covers state and county government for the paper. The Hawk Eye 800 S. Main St., Burlington Iowa 52601 319-754-8461 Front Desk ' ' '| ' ' '319-754-6824 FAX ' ' '| ' ' ' 1-800-397-1708 Outside Burlington ***************************************************************** 13 CROET unveils FY 2002 budget 09/26/01 Oak Ridger Online --> Story last updated at 11:48 a.m. on Wednesday, September 26, 2001 by Paul Parson Oak Ridger staff The Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee on Tuesday unveiled its $12 million budget for fiscal year 2002 which includes a breakdown of funding for the subsidiaries created under the organization's recent restructuring effort. The budget was presented to the CROET board of directors during its meeting Tuesday afternoon at the Oak Ridge Mall Club Room. Included in the budget for the Heritage Development Corp. is $232,000 allotted for facilities work, including money for cleanup activities, maintenance, and health and safety consulting. This corporation is responsible for reindustrialization activities at the Oak Ridge K-25 site. CROET is an economic development organization whose purpose is to assist the private sector in creating jobs and accelerating See CROET, Page 5A cleanup in the region by using the underutilized land, facilities, equipment, personnel and technologies available on the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Reservation. The federally funded CROET created the subsidiaries to insulate each corporation from legal and tax liabilities accumulated by the other corporations. Horizon Development Corp., which manages industrialization operations on CROET land, is expecting $214,500 in lease revenue from the Horizon Center in FY 2002. The Horizon Center, formerly known as Parcel ED-1, is a 954-acre business park in the Roane County portion of Oak Ridge. The Horizon Center's first tenant is Theragenics Corp., which makes a radioactive rice-sized implant called TheraSeed for the treatment of prostate cancer. Also, a total of $213,000 is budgeted for outreach activities by all of CROET's subsidiaries. This includes funding for work done by public relations companies. Also at its meeting, the CROET board OK'd the following six leases: * Heritage Railroad Corp. -- A shipping yard for loading of hazardous and non-hazardous materials. * Railway Technologist &Consulting -- Two acres in area K-1240-10A for a shipping facility for both hazardous and non-hazardous materials. * Infrared Technologies Inc. -- Approximately 10,000 square feet in Building K-1401 for the design and manufacture of infrared heating processes and equipment. * Housewerks Inc. -- Around 3,000 square feet in Building K-1035 for designing and manufacturing of household furniture. * Performance Development Corp. -- Approximately 8,000 square feet of office space and 18,000 square feet of bay area in Building K-1220. CROET documents did not indicate what work would be done by the company, but it has applied for a radiological materials license. * Energy Conversion Devices Inc. -- Approximately 17,600 square feet in Building K-1035 and three acres of land to be used in hydrogen fuel cell research and development. All Contents ©Copyright The Oak Ridger ***************************************************************** 14 Only the weather can hamper the Kursk lifting (Murmansk-Oslo:) Due to worsening weather conditions, all ships leave the area of the Kursk lifting operation. Recent official statements suggest that only the weather can hamper the raising of the submarine The divers continue to work on compartments 7 and 8. photo: Mammoet Viktor Khabarov, Igor Kudrik, 2001-09-25 19:01 The Giant-4 barge still has to drift 20 miles away from Rybachy Peninsula. It does not go to the salvage area, as the 7th and 8th compartments of the submarine are not completely ready for the so-called directing buckets (guides), where the lifting cables will be inserted. The diving support ship Mayo, is anchored at the wreck site just above Kursk. According to the head of the Northern Fleet press service, Vladimir Navrotsky, the wind speed in the salvage area is 12 m/s, increasing up to 15 m/s in the evening. Yesterday, five out of ten holes were cleaned out and equipped with guides, largely due to an upgrade of the hydraulic jack. Vladimir Navrotsky also said that the hydraulic jack has to be lifted due to the worsening weather conditions, but the divers want to continue the work anyway. Navrotsky added that if the weather allows work to continue until the evening, the Giant-4 vessel may arrive at the salvage area already tomorrow. The vessel needs about one day to anchor and position over Kursk. So, it is likely that the divers start attaching the cables to the Kursk hull on September 27th. The weather forecast is not promising for tomorrow, and all the ships will abandon the site. After September 27th the weather is expected to improve for three or four days, and then Kursk can be safely tugged to the dock, given no technical problems occur. The first compartment may not be cut off Last Friday, Russia’s top submarine designer, Igor Spassky, and the navy deputy commander, Igor Dygalo, acknowledged that it is not absolutely certain that the devastated torpedo section in the bow of Kursk has been completely separated from the rest of the hull. The final conclusion will be made when the lifting starts. If necessary, the equipment of Giant-4 will be used. Mammoet representatives however, are positive the first compartment is cut off completely. The company's spokeswoman said that even though this was not possible to visually confirm, the changes in the behaviour of the saw at the end of the cutting operation prove that the compartment is separated completely. Due to two concerns the first compartment has to be separated from the submarine prior to lifting: the seriously damaged torpedo section may fall off, distorting all the dynamic load calculations on the lifting cables and hoists installed onboard the Giant 4 barge. Secondly, it is feared that unexploded torpedoes are still present in this section of the submarine. So far no final document has been signed by Mammoet and the Russian side, confirming that the separation of the torpedo section was complete. A protocol was signed, however, stating that the complete separation of the section would be established during the lifting of the submarine. Whether the torpedo section will create problems big enough to miss the short periods of good weather, remains to be seen. Publisher: Bellona Foundation, President: Frederic Hauge Information: info@bellona.no, Technical contact: webmaster@bellona.no Telephone: +47 23 23 46 00 Telefax: +47 22 38 38 62 * P.O.Box 2141 Grunerlokka, 0505 Oslo, Norway Menu system java script courtesy of Peter Belesis at the Dynamic HTML lab. [ (c) BELLONA -- Reuse and reprint recommended provided ***************************************************************** 15 Attacks magnify fears about excess plutonium By MICHELLE R. DAVIS and SAMMY FRETWELL Staff Writers WASHINGTON -- Politicians and nuclear experts say the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks reinforce the need to turn excess bomb-making material into a form that can't be used to create nuclear weapons. The attacks on Washington and New York underscore, they say, the need for programs -- both here and abroad -- that neutralize weapons-grade plutonium, such as the projects slated for the Savannah River Site near Aiken. Concerns that terrorists could try to steal the material are rising, especially when it comes to Russia, which has significant stockpiles of excess plutonium and lax security. A Coke-can sized amount of the material is be enough to make a nuclear bomb. The recent attacks "have changed the whole debate," said U.S. Rep. Lindsey Graham, a Seneca Republican. "If terrorists could get ahold of these materials, is there any doubt about what they would do with it? This needs to be one of the nation's top priorities." Those fears factor into an already tangled discussion about the programs slated for SRS that would make the plutonium difficult to use in a weapon. Earlier this year, an immobilization program to put plutonium inside safer glass logs was put on hold. A plan to process the plutonium into mixed oxide, or MOX, fuel for use in commercial reactors is in jeopardy. Funding for the project was cut, but S.C. lawmakers are working to restore it. Those programs together are estimated to cost anywhere from $2 billion to $6 billion. "It's a question of whether or not there's going to be a lot of loose nuclear material lying around," said U.S. Rep. John Spratt, a York Democrat. "I think the lesson learned from (Sept. 11) is that, as horrendous as that was, it still was not as bad as the explosion of a small nuclear device on lower Manhattan. "Look at the cloud overhanging that site in New York now -- What if that were radioactive? You get a no-man's zone in Manhattan for years to come, and before you clear it all out, that dust sprinkles all over New Jersey and New York and Connecticut." South Carolina's program may depend on events unfolding in Russia. An agreement between the United States and Russia calls for both countries to begin neutralizing their weapons-grade plutonium during the next six years. The agreement calls for each country to process up to 50 metric tons of plutonium. But the Russians are having trouble paying for their end of the bargain, just as the Bush administration is hinting that the U.S. program might not be fully funded. Both countries had planned to turn the plutonium into fuel for power plants, as well as to immobilize some of it. Agreements call for the two countries to process the plutonium roughly on the same schedule. The U.S. Department of Energy said Tuesday it remains committed to the "dual track" of immobilization and MOX, and the terrorist attacks have not changed that. But DOE spokesman Joe Davis referred questions to the National Security Council, which has raised concerns over costs associated with the programs. Efforts to reach the NSC were unsuccessful Tuesday.. Both the United States and Russia are supposed to begin operation of plutonium disposition plants no later than Dec. 31, 2007. But the plan is dependent on the United States' committing $200 million to help pay for the Russian program. Other European countries also set to help pay for the program have pulled back. "I wouldn't be surprised to see somebody say, 'No we can't do this unless it's parallel to the Russian side,' " Spratt said. But not everyone agrees about the type of program needed to process the plutonium. Brian Costner, a former DOE senior policy adviser who ran the Columbia-based watchdog group Energy Research Foundation, said some programs provide greater safety from terrorism. Because of high security, there is less fear that a terrorist could steal U.S. plutonium. But after the Sept. 11 attacks, some worry that nuclear sites could look like gigantic bombs to terrorists who hijack airplanes. In that scenario, Costner said, immobilization would leave sites with a more stable form of plutonium. "That way, it's much less vulnerable to dispersion, even through an enormous explosion," Costner said. But the U.S. might not abandon programs like MOX, even though Costner and others say it requires more transport of plutonium to different sites and more time. Cash-strapped Russia has insisted it doesn't want to throw away valuable plutonium, said Tom Clements, a spokesman for the Nuclear Control Institute. "The MOX program would involve more transport and handling and more areas for attack and diversions," Clements said. "But the Russians don't want to immobilize the material, they want to make use of it." However, Russian security surrounding plutonium is low. Former Democratic U.S. Rep. Butler Derrick visited Russia as part of a group studying the security of plutonium. "Some of it was really laughable," he said. "They had stuff stored in what looked like an outhouse to me." The recent attacks highlight the need to keep the plutonium from falling into terrorists'hands. "This certainly reinforces the importance of maintaining control and ultimately of reducing quantities of stuff like plutonium that can make a mess," said Laura Holgate of the Nuclear Threat Initiative and a former DOE director in charge of nuclear materials like plutonium. "Simply having nuclear material on one of those planes could have a significant impact in terms of public health, and an incredible panic," she said. © Copyright 2001 The State-Record Company ***************************************************************** 16 Mark Frei Chosen to Lead Department of Energy's Idaho Operations Office energy.gov - Headquarters' Press Release RELEASE DATE: September 25, 2001 [Print Friendly Version] WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Energy (DOE) today announced that Mark W. Frei has been designated as the acting manager of the department's Idaho Operations Office. "Mr. Frei's background in nuclear engineering, spent nuclear fuel management, repository waste acceptance, the Idaho settlement agreement, waste management, and site cleanup and closure make him ideally suited to lead the department's Idaho Operations Office," said Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management Jessie Roberson. The Idaho Operations Office is one of eight DOE operations offices located around the country to oversee the operations of our nation's research, defense and environmental laboratories. The Idaho Operations Office oversees the operations of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, one of ten major DOE national laboratories. The current manager of the Idaho Operations Office, Beverly Cook, will report to headquarters as Acting Director for Site Operations in the DOE's Environmental Management program. Warren Bergholz, the current deputy manager at Idaho, will lead the office until Mr. Frei assumes his position on October 15. Mark Frei now serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Project Completion in the Environmental Management program, with cleanup responsibility of the Hanford, Idaho and Savannah River sites. He began his government career as an Atomic Energy Commission engineering intern at the Clinch River Breeder Reactor Plant Project. He then worked in positions of increasing responsibility in the DOE Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management for over a decade in: systems engineering, repository facility design and development and repository site characterization and licensing. He developed the repository waste acceptance process for DOE high-level waste and spent nuclear fuel still in use today. Since 1989, Mr. Frei has worked for the Environmental Management program. He was a key player in the enactment of the Waste Isolation Pilot Project land withdrawal legislation and subsequent opening of that facility for transuranic waste disposal; he managed the department's Spent Nuclear Fuel Program and led policy development of acceptance of U.S. origin foreign research reactor spent nuclear fuel. He was on the team that negotiated the Idaho Settlement Agreement in 1995. Mr. Frei also served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Waste Management for three years. Mr. Frei received a Bachelors of Science in Nuclear Engineering from the University of California in 1974 and a Masters of Science in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Washington in 1976. He and his wife Robin have two grown children, Lori and David. 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