***************************************************************** 10/26/01 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 9.252 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER CONTENTS 1 Irradiated fuel imports meet Russia's interests - expert 2 Bush calls on Congress to extend nuclear accord with Morocco 3 South Carolina Nuclear Operators Dispute Study on Plants' Vulnerability 4 Abraham Urges Energy Plan 5 YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Commission OKs changes 6 '82 Study Detailed Atom Plant Risk 7 PSC approves N-plant sale 8 Nuclear waste requires attention 9 Dail calls for pressure against Sellafield plant 10 King checks n-plant security n-plant security 11 South Carolina Nuclear Operators Dispute Study on Plants' 12 NRC Seeks Public Input on Environmental Statement For Proposed 13 Romania: Government adopts nuclear safety document 14 Slovak parliament endorses report on decommissioning of nuclear NUCLEAR WEAPONS CONTENTS 1 Bin Laden's nuclear threat 2 Russia: Siberian nuclear security discussed by Federal Security 3 Russia's nuclear ammunition depots well protected - official 4 Russian investigators enter reactor compartment of Kursk 5 Nuclear scientists interrogated over possible bin Laden link - 6 Pakistan Scoffs at Claim Bin Laden Got Its Nuclear Material 7 The need for rapid action against bin Laden is sharper still 8 Board says Oak Ridge safety still needs effort 9 Bin Laden nuclear threat dismissed 10 SDF, residents take part in radiation-leak drills 11 Pakistan Scoffs at Claim Bin Laden Got Its Nuclear Material 12 Nuclear scientists interrogated over possible bin Laden link - 13 Hanford Demonstrates Tank Leak Detection Technologies 14 Nelson Lund on Second Amendment on National Review Online 15 Russia: Terror Groups Scoped Nuke Site 16 The nuclear question ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 Irradiated fuel imports meet Russia's interests - expert MOSCOW, Oct 26, 2001 (Itar-Tass via COMTEX) -- Imports of irradiated nuclear fuel meet Russia's national interests, Russian nuclear expert Vladimir Rybachenkov says in an interview published by the magazine Yaderny Kontrol (Nuclear Control). He cites results of a recent research project done by the Atomic Energy Ministry that showed Russia's capability to import up to 20,000 tonnes of waste nuclear fuel in the next 10 to 20 years. Russia may earn as much as 20 billion U.S. dollars from those imports. The budgets of the regions where waste fuel utilization facilities are located may get a totTAS053 3 INF 0406 TASS 49582 E220 EN AFGHANISTAN-US-RAIDS  .US air force continuing raids on Afghanistan - summary. 26/10 Tass 141 By Anatoly Yurkin (c) 1996-2001 ITAR-TASS. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 2 Bush calls on Congress to extend nuclear accord with Morocco Zawya.com | WASHINGTON, Oct 25 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush on Thursday called on Congress to give a 20-year extension to a nuclear cooperation accord between the United States and Morocco. Bush is asking for extensions after the 20-year period to be renewable every five years unless either party in the civil accord, signed in 1980, wishes to terminate. Morocco has for the past few years been involved in a nuclear research program with the collaboration of the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). General Atomics, a US firm, has begun construction on the first Moroccan nuclear research reactor, powered with low-grade enriched uranium. The reactor, which will have a capacity of two megawatts, should be operational next year. A renewed accord would include new clauses on protection of nuclear material. phd/jlp/mac ***************************************************************** 3 South Carolina Nuclear Operators Dispute Study on Plants' Vulnerability Roddie Burris , The State, Columbia, S.C. Knight Ridder/Tribune ( October 26, 2001 ) Oct. 25--South Carolina's commercial nuclear reactors likely would survive a plane crash without a radiation release, say the plants' operators, disputing a 20-year-old study outlining U.S. reactors' susceptibility to such crashes. A copy of that study, which identifies in precise detail those vulnerabilities, has been available in the public reading room of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. National nuclear watchdog groups are asking why the 119-page report was still available for public inspection this month, long after the Sept. 11 hijackings and despite evidence dating to 1994 that terrorists wanted to strike nuclear power plants. In South Carolina, plant operators challenged the notion the plants are as vulnerable as the report says. "You still have a lot of assurances, including reinforced concrete and redundant safety systems that we put there in place to protect the public" in case a plant was damaged, said Brian Duncan, a spokesman for SCANA Corp. SCANA operates Jenkinsville's V.C. Summer plant in Fairfield County. The 1982 study, by the Energy Department's Argonne National Laboratory, detailed the likely damage that a jetliner at certain speeds could inflict on the thick concrete containment walls protecting reactors. The study didn't address weaknesses at specific plants. Though it addressed only accidental crashes, it included a chart that identified the speeds at which a jetliner would begin to transfer its force into the primary containment wall and interior structure of a nuclear reactor. And it estimated that if just 1 percent of a jetliner's fuel ignited after impact, it would create an explosion equivalent to 1,000 pounds of dynamite inside a reactor building already damaged by the impact. The more fuel, the worse the explosion. The ignition of fuel "could lead to a rather violent explosion environment and impose upon the primary containment relatively severe loads," the report said. The report added that U.S. nuclear regulators may have underestimated the potential damage from such explosions. The report doesn't estimate at what point lethal radiation might be released. But it notes, "the breaching of some of the plant's concrete barriers may often be tantamount to a release of radioactivity." Duke Power Co. spokesman Tom Shiel said reactors are built to withstand damage. Duke operates five nuclear reactors in Oconee and York counties. "Our reactors have a robust containment ability that certainly could be capable of withstanding tremendous pressure from the outside," Shiel said. The state's nuclear plants have been on a heightened state of security since Sept. 11. But plant spokespeople stressed Wednesday that top-level security has always been a priority. Nuclear reactors typically are below ground, covered by reinforced steel and concrete domes. The reactors themselves are usually 9-inch thick steel vessels. "The parts of a plant where there is radioactive material would be hard to hit," said Keith Poston, spokesman for Carolina Power &Light Co., which operates a reactor near Hartsville in Darlington County. Poston pointed out that plants also have highly trained, armed security guards, and feature shutdown and cooling systems with backup systems designed to prevent radiation leaks. Still, Gov. Jim Hodges met earlier this month with representatives from each commercial plant, along with state law enforcement and emergency preparedness officials, to find out more about the plants' security. Officials from the Savannah River Site, the Aiken County facility that stores much of the nation's nuclear weapons waste, also attended. Hodges "received security reports from each of them and offered help from the state, including the National Guard," said Hodges spokeswoman Cortney Owings. "He was told that adequate security was being provided." But Owings said a thorough emergency response plan would be drawn up once Hodges visits several sites around the state, beginning today. Hodges also will petition the Federal Aviation Administration to suspend flights over the nuclear plants. An NRC spokesman said Wednesday the agency has removed the document from its reading room and also was deleting from its public Web site similarly sensitive materials that could benefit terrorists. "We've begun our effort with our Web site, which we know is the vehicle through which one is most easily able to access information," said spokesman Victor Dricks. The Associated Press contributed to this report. (c) 2001, The State, Columbia, S.C. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune ***************************************************************** 4 Abraham Urges Energy Plan Las Vegas SUN October 25, 2001 HOUSTON (AP) - Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said Thursday that national security and a boost to the economy rest within President Bush's energy plan, something he urged the Senate to address. "It's important for us to take action in this area," Abraham said while visiting the nation's energy capital to address the Independent Petroleum Association of America. "The House has done its job. Now it's up to the Senate." But time is running short with only a few weeks left this session, he said. More than 80 of the 105 proposals in the plan have been passed through administrative action at the executive branch, he said. But "a significant number of the key components of that energy plan require Congress to move legislation," he added. So, top Bush officials have begun lobbying the Senate to act before time runs out, saying it would be "unfortunate" to remain idle. "We need energy legislation," Abraham said. "We need it to help us stimulate and strengthen the economy. And we need it of course, from the standpoint of providing the sort-of security and ... access in the long-term sense to affordable, plentiful supplies of energy that the country will need to continue." Abraham said energy security has been a focal point of Bush's plan since its introduction in May. He said allowing expanded exploration in Alaska would supply the United States with a 10-year supply of oil, decreasing the country's current reliance Middle East imports. "For America to enjoy economic security and national security, it was critical that we have energy security," he said. "Clearly, in the wake of the events of Sept. 11, the centrality of energy security has now I think become clear to everyone." However, Tom "Smitty" Smith of Public Citizen, an environmental group, said the energy plan before the Senate actually threatens national security as well as the public's health. "The energy bill that the energy secretary was talking about does nothing but prop up the old and dirty," Smith said. "It is based on building new power plants that are vulnerable to attacks or rely on nuclear power that has been proven to not only be dangerous, but is particularly susceptible to terrorist attacks." All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 5 YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Commission OKs changes [Las Vegas Review-Journal] Friday, October 26, 2001 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal Nuclear Regulatory Commission's recommendation moves site closer to receiving approval By STEVE TETREAULT DONREY WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has signed off on changes the Energy Department wants to make in site guidelines for Yucca Mountain, moving the Nevada site closer to a possible recommendation that it is suitable for nuclear waste storage. The commission's endorsement is a small but key step toward enabling Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham to decide whether Nevada could host a spent-fuel repository, government and industry officials said Thursday. The five-member NRC approved the Energy Department's proposed changes on Sept. 24, and announced it on Tuesday. An NRC spokeswoman said it appeared commissioners made the decision internally after digesting a July 11 staff paper on the topic. The NRC's concurrence was needed for the Energy Department to finalize its site guidelines. The proposed changes, which have been in the works for five years, are strongly opposed by Nevada leaders and environmentalists who charge they are inconsistent with a 1982 nuclear waste law and will make it easier for Yucca Mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, to be found suitable. Federal officials say the guidelines are based on sound science and will ensure a repository will be safe. The Energy Department is expected to finalize its revised guidelines within a month, after completion of a review by the White House Office of Management and Budget, officials said. After that, Abraham could issue a decision. A nuclear industry official said the NRC's endorsement of the Energy Department changes comes as no surprise but still is a significant step forward for the repository program. "The key thing is that this is the last regulatory hurdle the project needs to clear for site recommendation," said Rod McCullum, senior project manager for spent fuel management at the Nuclear Energy Institute. Attorneys for Nevada are reviewing the NRC action, said Bob Loux, head of the Nevada Nuclear Projects Office. Loux said state officials don't believe they were given a fair chance by the NRC to argue against the proposed changes. "We had no doubt the NRC would eventually concur but we thought the guidelines proposal was illegal," he said. NRC Commission Chairman Richard Meserve sent Loux a letter last week saying the commissioners believed they had enough information to proceed with a decision. Critics say that instead of using 1984 standards for a geologic repository that rely on a mountain's natural features to contain radiation generated by the nuclear material, the revised guidelines allow the Energy Department to also give weight to the ability of storage containers and other "engineered barriers" to do the job. "The DOE and NRC are collaborating to change the rules of the game and allow the ill-conceived Yucca Mountain Project to move forward," said Wenonah Hauter, a director of the Public Citizen government watchdog group. The Energy Department says it believes this "total system performance" will successfully meet standards the Environmental Protection Agency has set for radiation releases from a repository. McCullum of the Nuclear Energy Institute said the 1984 guidelines were general rules meant to be used when comparing potential repository sites around the country. Three years later, Congress narrowed its search to Nevada. "Things changed," McCullum said, adding that science conducted in the subsequent decade led analysts to believe that total system performance is a better "analytical tool" to measure a repository's effectiveness. "We are complying with the law," said Yucca Mountain Project spokesman Allen Benson. "The law expects us from time to time to update the siting guidelines as we learn more as we go along." This story is located at: http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2001/Oct-26-Fri-2001/news/17310221.html ***************************************************************** 6 '82 Study Detailed Atom Plant Risk IHT: Friday, October 26, 2001 WASHINGTON - A U.S. government study indicating that a direct, high-speed hit by a jetliner could penetrate a nuclear reactor's protective dome was available to the public for nearly 20 years until it was removed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, according to regulators. The study, completed in 1982, remained public even though there were warnings dating to 1995 that terrorists had included nuclear power plants among their potential targets. The ignition of a small amount of an airliner's fuel inside the containment dome "could lead to a rather violent explosion environment and impose upon the primary containment relatively severe loads," the study said. Copyright © 2001 the International Herald Tribune All Rights Reserved ***************************************************************** 7 PSC approves N-plant sale Buffalo News - SYRACUSE (AP) - The state Public Service Commission on Wednesday approved the sale of the two Nine Mile Point nuclear plants on Lake Ontario to Maryland-based Constellation Nuclear for $780 million. Constellation agreed to pay $221 million for Niagara Mohawk's 32-year-old, 609-megawatt Unit 1 reactor, which is licensed to run until 2009. The Baltimore-based company also will pay $559 million to Niagara Mohawk, Rochester Gas & Electric, New York State Electric & Gas, and Central Hudson Gas & Electric, for their 82 percent stake in the 13-year-old, 1,148-megawatt Unit 2 plant, which can operate until 2028. Copyright © 1999 - 2001 The Buffalo NewsTM ***************************************************************** 8 Nuclear waste requires attention djournal.com -- News opinion Thursday, October 25, 2001 Letter to the Editor We can do it. We can ignore the danger signs until utilities have no place to store spent fuel rods and every nuclear power plant is shut down. Or we can try to act with a sense of urgency and do something about preventing the loss of power plants that provide 20 percent of the electricity in the Gulf states and the nation. The loss of nuclear power is not hypothetical. In the wake of the terrorist ttacks, anti-nuclear groups have mounted a coordinated campaign to stop further work on a government repository for nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. They maintain the repository would be vulnerable to sabotage, but their real goal is to shut down nuclear power in the United States. Opponents of nuclear power say that it has few redeeming features. I can think of several. Nuclear power is environmentally safe, practical, and affordable. Though spent fuel rods are being stored safely and securely in water pools and concrete casks at nuclear plant sites across the country, keeping them in place indefinitely is not feasible. Nuclear plants were designed to produce electricity, not to become de facto repositories for nuclear waste. Whether or not every one of the 103 U.S. nuclear plants were shut down tomorrow, the government would still need to take possession of 43,000 metric tons of spent fuel being stored at nuclear plant sites. Another 10,000 metric tons of high-level radioactive waste from the weapons program also awaits shipment to the repository. Fourteen years have passed since Congress designated Yucca Mountain as the candidate site for the repository. Yucca Mountain is arid, geologically stable, and remote. Located on federal land near the Nellis Air Force Range and the heavily guarded Nevada Test Site, where atomic bomb tests once took place, Yucca Mountain is already a secured location. Understand this: the repository is located one-half mile beneath the desert floor. Teams of scientists have evaluated the site's geology, hydrology, and geochemistry in what is probably the most comprehensive and systematic assessment ever conducted of a piece of land anywhere on the planet. It is the perfect burial ground for nuclear waste. Anyone tempted to question the need for shipping the nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain should consider the danger of doing nothing. Not to mention the cost to utility ratepayers of maintaining spent fuel at nuclear plant sites. Since 1982, ratepayers in our region alone have paid $1.6 billion into a Federal Nuclear Waste Fund to establish the repository. And we also pay for continuing storage of spent fuel at the River Bend, Waterford, Arkansas One, and Grand Gulf nuclear plants. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and his team recently held public hearings in Nevada on the Yucca Mountain issue. The consensus among scientists was that the government should finally close the circle on nuclear waste. Real progress is possible if Abraham will recommend to President Bush that he approve Yucca Mountain as the repository site, so that a timetable for its opening can be established. An impasse over nuclear waste would be the worst possible outcome. There may never be a politically smart time to resolve the nuclear waste problem. But the right time is now. C.T. Carley Emeritus Professor of Engineering Mississippi State University Starkville Copyright © 2000, djournal.com. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 9 Dail calls for pressure against Sellafield plant ireland.com - The Irish Times - IRELAND October 25, 2001 By Marie O'Halloran Political pressure at national and international level along with people power was what would close Sellafield, the Dáil was told. "Let us send out the demand loud and clear to the British government to decommission its deadly nuclear industry now," said Mr Caoimghín Ó Caoláin (SF, Cavan-Monaghan). The Sinn Féin deputy was supporting the Government in a debate introduced by the Labour Party on the commissioning of the MOX plant at Sellafield. The Government's legal action should not be the only means of pressure. Britain's announcement about the go-ahead of the MOX plant "betrays how very little regard the UK government has for the protestations of the Irish Government and only adds insult to injury", said Mr Pat Rabbitte, (Lab, Dublin South West). If "we have been consistently lied to about safety standards it is probable that we are being lied to about security standards", he said. Mr Noel O'Flynn (FF, Cork North Central) insisted it was the Government's aim to prevent the opening of the MOX plant and to close Sellafield. "We will not cease in our fight against this nuclear monstrosity until it is won". Mr Willie Penrose (Lab, Westmeath) said an incident at Sellafield "has the capacity to devastate Irish agriculture and lay waste to thousands of working farms across the country". Mr Ruairí Quinn, the Labour leader, said his party's motion "sets out an action plan to carry the fight against Sellafield into the international arena". Labour called for further legal action at European Court level as well as convening an international conference of concerned countries and demanding the presence of permanent Irish inspectors at the plant The Government's amendment was a "recipe for inaction", Mr Quinn said. However, the Government defeated the Labour motion by 71 votes to 61. ***************************************************************** 10 King checks n-plant security n-plant security Lincoln County Weekly BY KRIS FERRAZZAOctober 25, 2001 Drops by for midnight visit WISCASSET - Security workers at the Maine Yankee nuclear power station were surprised when Gov. Angus King made an unexpected visit to the facility around midnight Oct. 18. The governor's car was stopped by a guard on duty at a checkpoint along the access road to Maine Yankee. The identification of King and his security detail was checked, as was the car, before the governor was allowed to visit the site, officials say. "He's the sort of guy who likes to see things for himself whenever he can," said King's spokesman, John Ripley, Oct. 23. "It was unplanned." The surprise visit followed a meeting the governor had late that afternoon with four area residents concerned about security at Bailey Point, including Ray Shadis of Friends of the Coast. The citizens had warned King that security is inadequate at Maine Yankee, and urged him to deploy the Maine National Guard to protect the site from potential terrorist threats. Maine Yankee spokesman Eric Howes said the governor visited the facility and then departed. Maine Yankee staff later met with King on Oct. 22 to discuss security issues, he said. Ripley said the governor is convinced the site is secure as it stands, but added the security in place at Maine Yankee and other locations in Maine is constantly being "reassessed" by state officials and others. He said the state has received "a fair amount of calls" from Maine residents concerned about the protection of high-level radioactive waste stored at Maine Yankee. "People are concerned, and the governor certainly is concerned," Ripley said, but added "the sentiment is that it is adequate now." Road blocks Vehicle barriers removed several years ago after Maine Yankee shut down were brought back into service last week, along with security checkpoints and armed guards. The additional security measures went into effect in response to suggestions from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Howes said Oct. 22. Maine Yankee personnel have been having weekly discussions with regulators at NRC as they evaluate the security issues at nuclear power stations nationwide in the wake of Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the nation. Howes said nuclear facilities were given "action items" to consider from NRC, and Maine Yankee chose to enact the additional security. The company also has been reacting to letters of concern about security of the high-level radioactive waste stored at the Wiscasset facility. Gov. King, U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), selectmen from neighboring Westport Island, and Raymond Shadis, spokesman for the environmental group Friends of the Coast, all have written letters voicing concern about the safety of the fuel from radiological sabotage. Howes said Maine Yankee representatives have offered to meet with Maine's Congressional delegation, and have consulted with top officials at the Maine National Guard, as well as the Maine State Police. The National Guard presently is evaluating Maine Yankee's security, at the company's invitation, he added. Two selectmen from Westport recently toured the site, and discussions are under way with the county's Emergency Management Agency officials about security as well. "We are not doing this in a vacuum," Howes said, stressing that evaluations are being done by numerous state and federal agencies to ensure the safety of the site. He added that despite the characterization by some that the security guards at the facility are "rent-a-cops," Howes said, "We have a well-trained armed security force here." The company also is in the process of posting the entire property to prevent trespassing, including hunters who have used the peninsula as a hunting ground for decades. Officials say the company's armed security force cannot be expected to determine the intent of someone who walks onto the property with a weapon. They apologized last week for the inconvenience to local hunters who may be disappointed. Howes added that anyone who does trespass on the property will face prosecution under the law, not to mention the hazard of being targeted by on-site security forces as a potential threat. New restrictions In recent days, several vehicle barriers have been put in place on the approach to the plant, and a guarded security checkpoint has been set up near the former environmental center, a location marked by a red barn at the start of the access road. A second access road to the facility, known locally as West Road, has been blocked and closed completely, Howes said. While governors in Massa-chusetts, New Jersey and New York have stationed National Guard troops at operating nuclear plants in their states, and Vermont's governor has asked for a "no fly zone" around Vermont Yankee, no such action has been taken at Maine's closed nuclear plant. In an Oct. 15 letter, Shadis called on Gov. King to station the Maine National Guard at Maine Yankee to limit land and water access to the site. Shadis also asked that King restore the "Emergency Planning Zone" that was dismantled when Maine Yankee closed, and to expand that evacuation zone beyond its former 10-mile-radius from the plant to cover an area 20 miles out. Finally, Shadis requested that the facility be protected from the air by imposing a limit on the weight and types of aircraft that can be flown within several miles of the plant. Shadis expressed urgency, writing, "In the meanwhile, a month has stalked past, marked by inaction; Maine protected by a half dozen private security guards in a bunker in a tin building filled with 900 tons of waste nuclear fuel." He asked the governor "to act now, act conservatively and boldly, abandoning the niceties of balancing the interests of a dead commercial enterprise against the interests of coastal people, and come down firmly on the side of public health, safety, and security," and concluded, "With all due respect, while we hesitate, the world is watching." U.S. Senator Snowe sent a letter to NRC earlier this month, asking officials to detail stepped-up security procedures for nuclear power plants - including those, like Maine Yankee, that are in the process of decommissioning. Snowe said she is concerned that the NRC's guidelines for decommissioned plants fail to take into account the unique concerns associated with each individual plant. "I would specifically like to know what is being done to protect the spent nuclear fuel on-site at the Maine Yankee nuclear facility, and how the NRC is working to assure the safety of the residents of Maine," Snowe said. ©Lincoln County Weekly 2001 ***************************************************************** 11 South Carolina Nuclear Operators Dispute Study on Plants' Vulnerability Roddie Burris , The State, Columbia, S.C. Knight Ridder/Tribune ( October 26, 2001 ) Oct. 25--South Carolina's commercial nuclear reactors likely would survive a plane crash without a radiation release, say the plants' operators, disputing a 20-year-old study outlining U.S. reactors' susceptibility to such crashes. A copy of that study, which identifies in precise detail those vulnerabilities, has been available in the public reading room of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. National nuclear watchdog groups are asking why the 119-page report was still available for public inspection this month, long after the Sept. 11 hijackings and despite evidence dating to 1994 that terrorists wanted to strike nuclear power plants. In South Carolina, plant operators challenged the notion the plants are as vulnerable as the report says. "You still have a lot of assurances, including reinforced concrete and redundant safety systems that we put there in place to protect the public" in case a plant was damaged, said Brian Duncan, a spokesman for SCANA Corp. SCANA operates Jenkinsville's V.C. Summer plant in Fairfield County. The 1982 study, by the Energy Department's Argonne National Laboratory, detailed the likely damage that a jetliner at certain speeds could inflict on the thick concrete containment walls protecting reactors. The study didn't address weaknesses at specific plants. Though it addressed only accidental crashes, it included a chart that identified the speeds at which a jetliner would begin to transfer its force into the primary containment wall and interior structure of a nuclear reactor. And it estimated that if just 1 percent of a jetliner's fuel ignited after impact, it would create an explosion equivalent to 1,000 pounds of dynamite inside a reactor building already damaged by the impact. The more fuel, the worse the explosion. The ignition of fuel "could lead to a rather violent explosion environment and impose upon the primary containment relatively severe loads," the report said. The report added that U.S. nuclear regulators may have underestimated the potential damage from such explosions. The report doesn't estimate at what point lethal radiation might be released. But it notes, "the breaching of some of the plant's concrete barriers may often be tantamount to a release of radioactivity." Duke Power Co. spokesman Tom Shiel said reactors are built to withstand damage. Duke operates five nuclear reactors in Oconee and York counties. "Our reactors have a robust containment ability that certainly could be capable of withstanding tremendous pressure from the outside," Shiel said. The state's nuclear plants have been on a heightened state of security since Sept. 11. But plant spokespeople stressed Wednesday that top-level security has always been a priority. Nuclear reactors typically are below ground, covered by reinforced steel and concrete domes. The reactors themselves are usually 9-inch thick steel vessels. "The parts of a plant where there is radioactive material would be hard to hit," said Keith Poston, spokesman for Carolina Power & Light Co., which operates a reactor near Hartsville in Darlington County. Poston pointed out that plants also have highly trained, armed security guards, and feature shutdown and cooling systems with backup systems designed to prevent radiation leaks. Still, Gov. Jim Hodges met earlier this month with representatives from each commercial plant, along with state law enforcement and emergency preparedness officials, to find out more about the plants' security. Officials from the Savannah River Site, the Aiken County facility that stores much of the nation's nuclear weapons waste, also attended. Hodges "received security reports from each of them and offered help from the state, including the National Guard," said Hodges spokeswoman Cortney Owings. "He was told that adequate security was being provided." But Owings said a thorough emergency response plan would be drawn up once Hodges visits several sites around the state, beginning today. Hodges also will petition the Federal Aviation Administration to suspend flights over the nuclear plants. An NRC spokesman said Wednesday the agency has removed the document from its reading room and also was deleting from its public Web site similarly sensitive materials that could benefit terrorists. "We've begun our effort with our Web site, which we know is the vehicle through which one is most easily able to access information," said spokesman Victor Dricks. The Associated Press contributed to this report. ----- To see more of The State, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.thestate.com (c) 2001, The State, Columbia, S.C. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. ***************************************************************** 12 NRC Seeks Public Input on Environmental Statement For Proposed Peach Bottom Nuclear Power Plant License Renewal Press Release - Region I - 2001-061 - UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION I 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa. 19406 No. I-01-061 October 26, 2001 CONTACT: Diane Screnci (610)337-5330/ e-mail: dps@nrc.gov Neil A. Sheehan (610)337-5331/e-mail: nas@nrc.gov Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will accept public comments on Wednesday, November 7, regarding an application submitted by Exelon Corporation to renew the operating licenses for its Peach Bottom nuclear power plant in York County, Pa. Members of the public are invited to attend and comment on which environmental issues the NRC should consider in its review of the application. There will be two sessions held on November 7 at the Peach Bottom Inn, 6085 Delta Road (Route 74), Delta, Pa. The first session will convene at 1:30 p.m. and continue until 4:30 p.m. The second session, which will be a repeat of the first session, will get under way at 7 p.m. and continue until 10 p.m. The NRC will host an open house beginning one hour before the start of each meeting to provide members of the public with an opportunity to talk informally with agency staff. Both sessions will begin with identical overviews. The NRC staff will provide a presentation on the license renewal and environmental review processes. Exelon will then discuss its application and possible environmental impacts from license renewal. Under NRC regulations, the original operating license for a nuclear power plant has a term of 40 years. The license may be renewed for up to an additional 20 years if NRC requirements are met. The current operating license for Peach Bottom Unit 2 is due to expire on August 8, 2013, while the current operating license for Peach Bottom Unit 3 is scheduled to terminate on July 2, 2014. (Peach Bottom Unit 1 has been permanently shut down since 1974.) Exelon submitted its license renewal application in early July. As part of its application, the company submitted an environmental report. Copies are available for review at the NRC Public Document Room, located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md., 1-800-397-4209, and at the following two libraries: + Harford County Public Library, Whiteford Branch, 2407 Whiteford Road, Whiteford, Md. 21160; and + Collinsville Community Library, 2632 Delta Road, Brogue, Pa. 17309. An existing NRC document, "Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants" (NUREG-1437), assesses the scope and impact of environmental effects that would be associated with license renewal at any nuclear power plant site. The document for which NRC will gather information at the November 7th meeting will be a supplement to that generic environmental statement that is specific to Peach Bottom. It will contain a recommendation regarding the environmental acceptability of the license renewal action. At the conclusion of the information-gathering process, the NRC staff will prepare a summary of the conclusions reached and significant issues identified. A copy will be sent to each person who participated. The summary will also be available at the agency's Public Document Room and at the previously mentioned libraries. The NRC staff will then prepare a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) supplement for public comment and will hold a public meeting to solicit comments. After consideration of comments on the draft, the NRC will prepare a final EIS supplement. Interested individuals may register to attend or present oral comments at the November 7th meetings by contacting Duke Wheeler at 1-800-368-5642, ext. 1444, or by e-mail at dxw@nrc.govno later than November 1. Members of the public may also register to speak at the meeting within 15 minutes of the start of each session. Individual oral comments may be limited by the time available, depending on the number of persons who register. In addition, members of the public may send written comments on the environmental scoping process for the supplement to the GEIS to: Chief, Rules and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, Mailstop T-6 D 59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington D.C., 20555-0001. Written comments should be postmarked by November 26. Comments can also be sent via e-mail to Peach_Bottom_EIS@nrc gov no later than November 26. ***************************************************************** 13 Romania: Government adopts nuclear safety document BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Oct 26, 2001 Text of report in English by Romanian news agency Rompres web site Bucharest, 26 October: The government okayed on Thursday [25 October] a document including the steps Romania will adopt in order to align itself to the European Union's standards regarding nuclear safety. The document presents the main Romanian trends in the field, in conformity with the community acquis, adopted this year. Through this document, Romania accepts all the recommendations of a Report of the European Union regarding nuclear safety, which it will implement until its accession to the EU. In order to increase the capacity of reaction in cases of nuclear emergency, a Nuclear Emergency Centre will be established with PHARE assistance, by the end of 2003. Romania sent the EU Council in May 2001 a position document regarding Chapter 14 on Energy. Source: Rompres web site, Bucharest, in English 1118 gmt 26 Oct 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to ***************************************************************** 14 Slovak parliament endorses report on decommissioning of nuclear plant BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Oct 25, 2001 Text of report in English by Slovak commercial news agency SITA web site Bratislava, 25 October: The parliament endorsed on Thursday [25 October] after two days of discussion the report of Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda on the process of preparation and approval of the agreement between Slovakia and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on financing the decommissioning of the two blocks of the V-1 nuclear power plant in Jaslovske Bohunice. Sixty-two of 102 deputies voted for the approval. Now there are no obstacles to the signing of the agreement with the EBRD. Economy Minister Lubomir Harach will sign the agreement with EBRD representatives on 16 November. The agreement is a basis for creating of funds with assistance of the European Union for the decommissioning of the V-1 nuclear power plant. The parliament turned down the proposal of Robert Fico, the leader of the party Smer, which would profoundly change the text of the agreement and recommend the cabinet to adjust the term of decommissioning so that it match the reactor's life expectancy according to the international safety regulations. The cabinet also dealt with the blocks of the V-2 nuclear power plant in Jaslovske Bohunice. These blocks will remain operating even after the decommissioning of the blocks of the V1 plant. Slovenske elektrarne (SE), state-owned power producer, will allocate for the modernization of the power plant 12.6bn korunas. Of this amount 10bn korunas will be destined to improve the control system. The SE will invest about 6bn korunas from its own resources and the rest will be drawn from loans without state guarantee. These funds will be invested in 10 to 11 years. Life expectancy of the V-2 nuclear power plant in Jaslovske Bohunice should be prolonged by 10 years, it is to 2034. [One dollar equals 48.89 korunas] Source: SITA news agency web site, Bratislava, in English 1056 gmt 25 Oct 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR WEAPONS ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 Bin Laden's nuclear threat The Times FRIDAY OCTOBER 26 2001 BY PHILIP WEBSTER AND ROLAND WATSON OSAMA BIN LADEN and his al-Qaeda network have acquired nuclear materials for possible use in their terrorism war against the West, intelligence sources have disclosed. The Western sources say that the suspected mastermind of the September 11 attacks on America does not have the capability to mount a nuclear attack but fear he would do so if he could. They believe that he obtained the materials illegally from Pakistan, which has a nuclear capability. The knowledge that bin Laden has components for a nuclear weapons device in his arsenal is believed to lie behind the regular warnings from President Bush and Tony Blair that he would commit worse atrocities than the suicide assaults on New York and Washington if he were able to. They may also explain the speed with which the decision was taken to go after bin Laden and his terrorist network, even if that meant toppling the Taleban regime in Afghanistan first. The disclosure comes as MPs prepare to learn today the details of British troops earmarked for deployment to Afghanistan. They will include a commando group of about 1,000 Royal Marines, currently on exercise in Oman, as well as a large contingent of special forces and specialist support units. The force will be based on ships that have also been participating in the huge tri-Service exercise. They are expected to include the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious, stripped of her Harrier jets so she can be used as a platform for helicopters, or HMS Ocean, a dedicated helicopter carrier, two anti-aircraft destroyers to protect the carrier, the assault ship HMS Fearless, and two Royal Fleet Auxiliary support vessels. Yesterday Mr Blair sought to reassure Muslim leaders that the military action in Afghanistan should be over as quickly as possible. He told the Islamic Response to Terrorism Conference in North London: “I hope you understand that what is important is that we make sure at the same time we take the action necessary now in order to hold to account those who committed the actions of September 11.” There has been clear evidence for several years that bin Laden’s agents have been trying to buy, steal or smuggle nuclear systems in order to attack the West. He has said that it was his “religious duty” to seek to acquire chemical, biological and nuclear weapons of mass destruction. An informed source has told The Times that bin Laden appeared to have amassed a “terrifying” range of weapons although he was insistent that he did not have the capacity to launch a nuclear attack. Intelligence sources, however, have voiced concerns about bin Laden obtaining radioactive material for a “dirty bomb”. Rather than being used in an atomic weapon, the material would be dispersed in a way that would seriously contaminate a small area. In an urban environment hundreds of people could die and thousands more be exposed to radiation poisoning. In 1993 a senior bin Laden operative, Jamal al-Fadi, met a Sudanese military commander in Khartoum to try to negotiate the sale of a cylinder of enriched South African uranium for a black market price of $1.5 million (£1.2 million). A separate al-Qaeda attempt to buy weapons-grade nuclear material through the Russian mafia was foiled in Prague when several kilograms of highly enriched uranium were seized, according to a German TV report last week. Earlier this week two former government nuclear scientists in Pakistan were detained amid fears about their links with the Taleban. Bashir uddin Mahmood was project director in Pakistan’s nuclear programme before its 1998 tests. Since retiring from the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission three years ago, he ran a group which carried out relief work in Afghanistan, and was known to be supportive of the Taleban. Chaudry Abdul Majid was a director of the commission in 1999. Intelligence officials have long been aware of the potential for contraband uranium to be turned into an atomic “suitcase bomb”. An easier outcome is a radiological weapon — a conventional weapon with a radioactive core — which has the ability to contaminate large areas. George Tenet, Director of the CIA, told the Senate Intelligence Committee last year that bin Laden was trying to obtain nuclear materials. However, some are convinced bin Laden already has a nuclear capability. According to a book about the terrorist leader, The Man Who Declared War on America, Chechen rebels facilitated the sale of nuclear suitcase bombs in the late 1990s from a range of former Soviet republics including Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Russia. Quoting Russian and Arab intelligence sources, the author, Yossef Bodansky, says that bin Laden’s go-betweens paid the Chechens $30 million in cash and gave them two tonnes of heroin with a Western street value of up to $700 million for a number of bombs. In 1998 bin Laden issued a statement entitled “The Nuclear Bomb of Islam”, which said: “It is the duty of Muslims to prepare as much force as possible to terrorise the enemies of God.” Copyright 2001 Times Newspapers Ltd. This service is provided ***************************************************************** 2 Russia: Siberian nuclear security discussed by Federal Security Service BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Oct 26, 2001 Text of report in English by Russian news agency ITAR-TASS Seversk (Tomsk Region), 26 October: Measures to ensure security of nuclear facilities located on the territory of the Siberian Federal District have been discussed at a meeting of Federal Security Service [FSB] departments. The meeting was attended by representatives of the FSB federal headquarters. military intelligence, FSB departments in charge of the Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, Tomsk and Krasnoyarsk regions. Participants have discussed various aspects of security of nuclear facilities, including prevention of intelligence activities of secret services of foreign states, the struggle against terrorism, prevention of emergencies at enterprises of the nuclear sector, ITAR-TASS was told by the public relations department of the Tomsk FSB service. It was pointed out that nuclear enterprises located on the territory of the Northern Federal District were still in the scope of attention of foreign intelligence services, who send their agents to these enterprises under cover of official foreign delegations. The FSB meeting has adopted a decision to reinforce defence of nuclear facilities against possible air strikes. Source: ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in English 1119 gmt 26 Oct 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to ***************************************************************** 3 Russia's nuclear ammunition depots well protected - official BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Oct 25, 2001 Text of report in English by Russian news agency ITAR-TASS Moscow, 25 October: A Russian Defence Ministry official stated on Thursday [25 October] that the country's nuclear ammunition depots are well protected, and can even hold a nuclear strike. "We do not fear direct attack, such as the one that took place in the United States on 11 September," head of the ministry's 12th Main Department Col-Gen Igor Valynkin told reporters. "As for terrorists operating on the ground, their attacks are possible," Valynkin said, emphasizing however that "additional security measures have been taken at the nuclear facilities". "We put more guard units on security staff, which are better equipped and trained," according to the general. Such units are capable of confronting terrorists groups, for example those that operate in Chechnya, Valynkin said. "We have coordinated plans with the Interior Ministry and the Federal Security Service to help us in case of terrorist attack. Tougher security measures and physical protection of the facilities makes the penetration by terrorists impossible," he said. According to the general, terrorists carried out reconnaissance of nuclear facilities, but no attempts have been made to penetrate into them. The Defence Ministry recently took measures to improve the technical protection of nuclear depots. The United States helped a lot, by providing modern technical assets, Valynkin said. The General noted that the military command attaches great significance to this issue. The Russian facilities are constantly checked for vulnerability. The condition of each facility is evaluated separately, he added. Source: ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in English 1513 gmt 25 Oct 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to ***************************************************************** 4 Russian investigators enter reactor compartment of Kursk BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Oct 26, 2001 Investigators from the Russian Prosecutor-General's Office entered the reactor compartment of the Kursk nuclear submarine on Friday, the Russian news agency Interfax was told by the commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, Fleet Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov. "We have again been convinced that everything is as it should be in the compartment - there is no water, and the background radiation is within the norm," Kuroyedov said. Source: Interfax news agency, Moscow, in Russian 1200 gmt 26 Oct 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to ***************************************************************** 5 Nuclear scientists interrogated over possible bin Laden link - CNN.com - October 26, 2001 Posted: 0633 GMT Evidence exists that bin Laden's al Qaeda network has been seeking nuclear material for years ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistani authorities have interrogated two leading nuclear scientists about possible contacts with the leader of Afghanistan's Taliban militia, government officials said. The revelation comes as reports emerge from The Times newspaper of Britain indicating that Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network have acquired nuclear materials for possible use against the West. Pakistan sources told CNN the two men were Chaud Abdul Majeed and Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood, both people of deep religious beliefs and acclaimed scientists in the region. Mahmood was one of the founders of Pakistan's nuclear program and was detained Tuesday by intelligence agents in the eastern city of Lahore. Majeed, a scientist who worked for years with Mahmood at the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, also was also being held, officials in the Interior Ministry said on condition of anonymity. The sources said the two have had dealings with the Taliban and have been guiding them on science-related matters, although the exact nature of their dealings is unclear. Both men once worked at the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, but had been in Afghanistan since the Taliban came into power in 1996, the sources said. It was not clear why they were back in Pakistan. Neither has been charged with any crime. A senior government official told Associated Press news agency on condition of anonymity that Mahmood is not suspected of being linked to terrorism suspect Osama bin Laden or his al Qaida network. Bin Laden nuclear threat Bin Laden, the chief terror suspect in the September 11 attacks on the United States, has acquired nuclear material illegally from Pakistan, according to a front page report from The Times newspaper that quoted unnamed "intelligence sources". Although the sources were insistent bin Laden did not have the capacity to launch a nuclear attack, they said it appeared he had acquired a vast array of weaponry for intended use against the West. The Times said bin Laden's possession of nuclear components motivated the regular warnings from U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair that bin Laden would attempt to perpetrate worse atrocities than the suicide attacks on New York and Washington. The paper said: "Bin Laden has said it was his 'religious duty' to seek to acquire the chemical, biological and nuclear weapons of mass destruction." Even without the capability of launching a nuclear attack, fears still persisted that bin Laden could orchestrate the activation of a 'dirty bomb', whereby radioactive material could be dispersed in an urban area, causing death and contamination in a highly populated area. Pakistan weapons 'secure' Foreign nations worry about political unrest in Pakistan because the country, like its neighbor and rival, India, is a nuclear power. Some say uncertainty in the government could threaten the security of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has drawn the wrath of Islamic militants for his decision to support the United States in its fight against terrorism and its airstrikes on Afghanistan. Some have advocated the overthrow of Musharraf. But the president insists the nation is behind him, and that Pakistan's nuclear weapons are in secure hands. ***************************************************************** 6 Pakistan Scoffs at Claim Bin Laden Got Its Nuclear Material (UK). (Oct 23, 2001) Friday October 26 7:41 AM ET ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan dismissed as absurd British media reports on Friday that Osama bin Laden (news - web sites), the suspected mastermind of the bloody September 11 attacks on the United States, had obtained nuclear material from Islamabad. The Times newspaper and Channel Four television quoted Western intelligence sources as saying the Saudi-born dissident had obtained the material illegally from Pakistan, a nuclear capable country. A Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman said the allegation was absurd. ``Our nuclear materials are in very safe hands, these are absurd allegations,'' spokesman Riaz Mohammad Khan told Reuters. The Times and Channel Four said that bin Laden and his al Qaeda network of Islamic extremists, which operates out of neighboring Afghanistan (news - web sites), did not have the technology to make a nuclear bomb. Citing an ``informed source,'' the Times said bin Laden appeared to have amassed a ``terrifying'' range of weapons, although the source said a nuclear attack was still beyond him. The Times said intelligence sources have voiced concerns about the possibility that bin Laden could use radioactive material for a ``dirty bomb.'' Rather than being used in an atomic weapon, the paper said, the material would be dispersed in such a way as to seriously contaminate a small area. In urban areas, hundreds of people could die, and thousands be exposed to radiation poisoning. Bin Laden could also be behind the spate of anthrax outbreaks terrifying the American public, although the FBI (news - web sites) has yet to produce any conclusive links. Both President Bush (news - web sites) and British Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites) have given regular warnings that bin Laden would wreak even greater destruction if he could. However, Blair's Downing Street office urged the public not to be unduly worried by the reports. ``We believe that bin Laden and his al Qaeda network would if they could develop a nuclear capability, but people should treat with extreme skepticism any reports that he has such a capability,'' a spokesman told Reuters. Independent experts said it was unlikely bin Laden could have developed a nuclear capability. ``The barriers to being able to gain nuclear or even radiological capability are very high,'' said John Gearson, senior lecturer in defense studies at King's College in London. ``The talk of nuclear, biological and chemical terrorism is a classic scenario of us terrorizing ourselves. The fear of these threats is greater than the fear of what we know they can do,'' Gearson added. Copyright © 2001 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 7 The need for rapid action against bin Laden is sharper still The Times FRIDAY OCTOBER 26 2001 Nuclear network The chilling information that Osama bin Laden has access to nuclear materiel cannot have been a surprise to the American and British governments. This is the leaden shoe, delivered by Western intelligence services, that has long been waiting to drop. For at least seven years, bin Laden is known to have been trying to obtain highly enriched uranium; that effort was confirmed by the Government in the White Paper published on October 4 that accused bin Laden and al-Qaeda of responsibility for the September atrocities. It now appears that he may have done so. The man himself has described as a “religious duty” the acquisition of weapons of mass destruction “to terrorise the enemies of God”, and he has hinted that he had succeeded. A number of captured bin Laden agents — including the personal assistant to Ayman Zawahiri, his Egyptian lieutenant and the probable mastermind behind last month’s terrorist attacks on America — have said the same. The more extravagant claims, such as an Arab-language news report in 1999 that he had paid $30 million and two tonnes of heroin to Chechen gangsters for 20 Russian nuclear warheads, can almost certainly be discounted. Others cannot. The FBI is investigating a Pakistani intelligence agent who tried to purchase plutonium and nuclear switches in New York in order, he said, to “kill all Americans”. Earlier this year Uzbek and Kazakh customs officers seized ten canisters of radioactive material allegedly bound for the Pakistani city of Quetta, a centre of Taleban militancy where bin Laden’s agents must be assumed, before September 11 and probably since, to move freely. Earlier this week a former project director in Pakistan’s nuclear research programme, known to be connected with the Taleban, was arrested; and Pakistan, not the former Soviet Union, is now believed in Whitehall to have been bin Laden’s source of supply. As Tony Blair has said from the start, this is a terrorist organisation which accepts no limits but those of capacity in its determination to destroy. The hunt now assumes still greater urgency than before. It is unlikely that bin Laden has a nuclear warhead or would, if he had, be able to deliver or even to detonate one. The theory of nuclear weapons is well known but engineering one is far harder. Fissile cores are not much use without the electronics needed to start the chain reaction that detonates them. Bin Laden’s agents may have infiltrated the Pakistani nuclear programme, but because fissile cores are believed to be kept apart from warheads, it is thought unlikely that he could have obtained both components. The West is probably not, therefore, confronted with the horrors of a full-scale nuclear attack. But that does not lift the spectre of nuclear terrorism. If al-Qaeda possesses enriched uranium, or even radioactive nuclear waste, it could use it to make what is known as a “dirty bomb”. Detonated with conventional explosives, this most primitive of “nuclear” weapons would be capable of contaminating a wide area. It might kill fewer people than the numbers who died in the World Trade Centre but in an urban environment thousands more would be exposed to radiation poisoning. There is still no published hard evidence; Downing Street is noncommittal. But there are only two ways to be certain whether bin Laden has such weapons. One is if he uses them; the other is if they are captured, in Afghanistan or abroad. What must be assumed is that if he has them he is prepared to use them; and the closer American or British forces get to him, the greater will be the risk of his issuing the order. Speed and surprise will be all the more essential. The threat was already great. It may be even greater than was previously known. Copyright 2001 Times Newspapers Ltd. This service is provided ***************************************************************** 8 Board says Oak Ridge safety still needs effort By Frank Munger, News-Sentinel senior writer OAK RIDGE - A federal safety board has expressed concern that long-identified safety deficiencies in Oak Ridge have not been corrected by the U.S. Department of Energy and Bechtel Jacobs, the agency's environmental contractor. In an Oct. 15 letter, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board said the ongoing problems indicate that the "integrated safety management'' program isn't functioning properly. The board recently conducted a review of old nuclear facilities managed by Bechtel Jacobs and "found that many of the deficient conditions cited in (previous reports) remain uncorrected,'' John Conway, chairman of the safety board, wrote to DOE Undersecretary Robert Gordon Card. Without safety controls and supporting analyses in place, it's impossible to say that the public, workers and the environment are protected from the hazards at these Oak Ridge facilities, Conway said. DOE and Bechtel Jacobs said they are cooperating fully in an independent assessment of the situation and will implement any recommendations. In a prepared statement, Bechtel Jacobs said its safety performance continues to be "significantly better'' than the average at DOE facilities nationwide. But the contractor also said it is committed to improvements. The Oak Ridge contractor said no imminent safety concerns were identified by three different teams that reviewed the program. "These teams spent weeks at our sites, reviewed documents, walked down facilities, observed the work practices (of Bechtel Jacobs) and our subcontractors in the field, took samples and performed radiological surveys," the company said. "While they pointed out a number of areas for improvements ... each of their reports concluded there were no imminent threats to workers, the public or the environment.'' Frank Munger can be reached at 865-482-9213 or twig1@knoxnews.infi.net. Copyright 2001 The Knoxville News-Sentinel Co. Click for ***************************************************************** 9 Bin Laden nuclear threat dismissed Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Friday October 26, 2001 Downing Street last night played down suggestions that Osama bin Laden could develop nuclear weapons after reports claimed he had acquired some of the necessary materials. A Downing Street spokesman said obtaining the materials did not mean he had the capacity to turn it into a bomb. "We have always known that Osama bin Laden and al Qaida have the motivation to acquire nuclear weapons," he said."But you should be sceptical about any suggestion that he could develop such a capacity." Channel 4 News said western intelligence sources told the programme that bin Laden had obtained nuclear weapons materials, although he did not necessarily have the capacity to deliver a nuclear weapon. Pakistan, which has a nuclear capacity, is thought to be the source, intelligence sources told the programme. Meanwhile, Pakistan authorities detained two leading nuclear scientists. Bashir uddin Mahmood, a pioneer member of Pakistan's nuclear programme, was the first nuclear scientist detained since Pakistan began efforts to obtain nuclear technology in the early 1970s. Mahmood was detained on Tuesday in the eastern city of Lahore. The other scientist is Abdul Majid, who worked with Mahmood at the Pakistan atomic energy commission. A senior government official who insisted on anonymity said Mahmood is not suspected of being linked to Osama bin Laden or the al-Qaida network. Officials said Mahmood, awarded Pakistan's prestigious Sitar-e-Imtiaz award in 1998, was being treated properly. While Bin Laden agents may not have acquired enough material to create a nuclear bomb, less material would be needed to create a "dirty" conventional bomb which would scatter nuclear material over a concentrated area. Bin Laden is on record as seeking nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. Asked in a 1999 interview if he was acquiring such weapons, he said: "If I seek to acquire these weapons, I am carrying out a duty." Press Association [UP] Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2001 ***************************************************************** 10 SDF, residents take part in radiation-leak drills Daily Yomiuri On-Line Yomiuri Shimbun Hundreds of Self-Defense Force personnel and local residents held an evacuation drill Thursday at the Global Nuclear Fuel Japan Co. in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. It was the first exercise held at the company since the law concerning special measures against nuclear disasters went into effect last year. Concern about safety at nuclear facilities has increased since the terrorist attacks on the United States last month. The exercises, which involved the evacuation of residents and tests for radioactive exposure, tested the response of the off-site center that would be used as a base if a nuclear accident occurred. Under one scenario, a uranium-processing site was on fire and firefighters wearing antiradiation suits measured the amount of radiation and rescued a volunteer playing the role of an injured man. Copyright 2001 The Yomiuri Shimbun ***************************************************************** 11 Pakistan Scoffs at Claim Bin Laden Got Its Nuclear Material Friday October 26 7:41 AM ET ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan dismissed as absurd British media reports on Friday that Osama bin Laden (news - web sites), the suspected mastermind of the bloody September 11 attacks on the United States, had obtained nuclear material from Islamabad. The Times newspaper and Channel Four television quoted Western intelligence sources as saying the Saudi-born dissident had obtained the material illegally from Pakistan, a nuclear capable country. A Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman said the allegation was absurd. ``Our nuclear materials are in very safe hands, these are absurd allegations,'' spokesman Riaz Mohammad Khan told Reuters. The Times and Channel Four said that bin Laden and his al Qaeda network of Islamic extremists, which operates out of neighboring Afghanistan (news - web sites), did not have the technology to make a nuclear bomb. Citing an ``informed source,'' the Times said bin Laden appeared to have amassed a ``terrifying'' range of weapons, although the source said a nuclear attack was still beyond him. The Times said intelligence sources have voiced concerns about the possibility that bin Laden could use radioactive material for a ``dirty bomb.'' Rather than being used in an atomic weapon, the paper said, the material would be dispersed in such a way as to seriously contaminate a small area. In urban areas, hundreds of people could die, and thousands be exposed to radiation poisoning. Bin Laden could also be behind the spate of anthrax outbreaks terrifying the American public, although the FBI (news - web sites) has yet to produce any conclusive links. Both President Bush (news - web sites) and British Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites) have given regular warnings that bin Laden would wreak even greater destruction if he could. However, Blair's Downing Street office urged the public not to be unduly worried by the reports. ``We believe that bin Laden and his al Qaeda network would if they could develop a nuclear capability, but people should treat with extreme skepticism any reports that he has such a capability,'' a spokesman told Reuters. Independent experts said it was unlikely bin Laden could have developed a nuclear capability. ``The barriers to being able to gain nuclear or even radiological capability are very high,'' said John Gearson, senior lecturer in defense studies at King's College in London. ``The talk of nuclear, biological and chemical terrorism is a classic scenario of us terrorizing ourselves. The fear of these threats is greater than the fear of what we know they can do,'' Gearson added. Copyright © 2001 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 12 Nuclear scientists interrogated over possible bin Laden link - CNN.com - October 26, 2001 Evidence exists that bin Laden's al Qaeda network has been seeking nuclear material for years ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistani authorities have interrogated two leading nuclear scientists about possible contacts with the leader of Afghanistan's Taliban militia, government officials said. The revelation comes as reports emerge from The Times newspaper of Britain indicating that Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network have acquired nuclear materials for possible use against the West. Pakistan sources told CNN the two men were Chaud Abdul Majeed and Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood, both people of deep religious beliefs and acclaimed scientists in the region. Mahmood was one of the founders of Pakistan's nuclear program and was detained Tuesday by intelligence agents in the eastern city of Lahore. Majeed, a scientist who worked for years with Mahmood at the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, also was also being held, officials in the Interior Ministry said on condition of anonymity. The sources said the two have had dealings with the Taliban and have been guiding them on science-related matters, although the exact nature of their dealings is unclear. Both men once worked at the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, but had been in Afghanistan since the Taliban came into power in 1996, the sources said. It was not clear why they were back in Pakistan. Neither has been charged with any crime. A senior government official told Associated Press news agency on condition of anonymity that Mahmood is not suspected of being linked to terrorism suspect Osama bin Laden or his al Qaida network. Bin Laden nuclear threat Bin Laden, the chief terror suspect in the September 11 attacks on the United States, has acquired nuclear material illegally from Pakistan, according to a front page report from The Times newspaper that quoted unnamed "intelligence sources". Although the sources were insistent bin Laden did not have the capacity to launch a nuclear attack, they said it appeared he had acquired a vast array of weaponry for intended use against the West. The Times said bin Laden's possession of nuclear components motivated the regular warnings from U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair that bin Laden would attempt to perpetrate worse atrocities than the suicide attacks on New York and Washington. The paper said: "Bin Laden has said it was his 'religious duty' to seek to acquire the chemical, biological and nuclear weapons of mass destruction." Even without the capability of launching a nuclear attack, fears still persisted that bin Laden could orchestrate the activation of a 'dirty bomb', whereby radioactive material could be dispersed in an urban area, causing death and contamination in a highly populated area. Pakistan weapons 'secure' Foreign nations worry about political unrest in Pakistan because the country, like its neighbor and rival, India, is a nuclear power. Some say uncertainty in the government could threaten the security of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has drawn the wrath of Islamic militants for his decision to support the United States in its fight against terrorism and its airstrikes on Afghanistan. Some have advocated the overthrow of Musharraf. But the president insists the nation is behind him, and that Pakistan's nuclear weapons are in secure hands. © 2001 Cable News Network LP, LLLP. ***************************************************************** 13 Hanford Demonstrates Tank Leak Detection Technologies EarthVision Environmental News RICHLAND, WA, October 25, 2001 - In an effort to find the most sensitive, reliable, and cost-effective method for detecting leaks from its radioactive waste storage tanks, Hanford Site officials have conducted technology demonstrations of six different leak detection methods at a mock tank. Hanford officials stress that such detection technologies are important to the safe removal of 53 million gallons of radioactive waste for eventual treatment. This waste has been accumulating in underground storage tanks for more than 50 years. In the past, 67 of the 149 single-shell tanks have leaked or are assumed to have leaked approximately one million gallons of highly radioactive and hazardous waste into the soil. To reduce the risk of future leaks, the liquid portion of waste in the older tanks is being pumped into newer, safer double-shell tanks. Now, the solid portion of the waste will be retrieved so it can be turned into glass in a planned treatment facility on the Hanford Site. When emptying the older tanks, some liquids will be needed to dissolve and transport the hardened waste through pipes to the new tanks. However, Hanford officials want to be sure that putting liquids into the older tanks will not lead to the now liquefied waste leaking into the environment. So the best detection technologies of those tested will be needed to monitor the soils below the entire 75-foot width of a tank, in addition to existing or planned in-tank detection methods. "We are reaching out to the best and the brightest people in this field to help us improve our ability to detect leaks around tanks," said Rick Raymond, vice president of projects for CH2M HILL Hanford Group, the tank farms contractor at the Hanford Site. "We're moving forward to reduce the risk by retrieving the remaining waste in Hanford's older tanks, and better methods of leak detection are important to our progress." The mock tank used for the demonstrations is open topped, two-thirds the width of the typical Hanford single-shell tank, and 20-feet tall, half buried in the ground. The setup includes a system of PVC pipes to distribute a non-radioactive, environmentally benign saline solution, similar in density, viscosity, ionic strength, and electrical conductivity to tank waste. According to Hanford, the six leak-detection technologies included: Electrical Methods (3 different technologies) Two methods charge the ground with electricity and use detectors to sense how the current moves through the soil, taking advantage of the fact that current passes through moisture more quickly. A third method operates much like a metal detector, using a coil of wire to create a magnetic field that interacts with the leak. Tracer Gas Method Also called Partitioning Interwell Tracer Tests, this method involves pumping air into a borehole and through the soil under the tank. Gas tracers that dissolve in waste are injected into the air stream, extracted at a borehole on the other side of the tank, and analyzed using gas chromatography. This method is a proven technology and has been used in the environmental remediation industry to detect and measure soil contamination. Borehole Seismic Method To make an image of a leak, this method uses sound reflecting off the target-in this case the high-density, simulated tank waste. The method also provides information on site geology, including soil types and soil-layering features. Radar Method This leak-detection method is similar to the borehole seismic method, except that radio waves are used to produce an image of the leak. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory led the demonstrations, with support from the University of Texas at Austin, Duke Engineering Services, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory, and HydroGEOPHYSICS, Inc. Officials note that reports evaluating the six leak detection methods will be available in the coming weeks. ***************************************************************** 14 Nelson Lund on Second Amendment on National Review Online WFB: The Missing Declaration Missed an Interrogatory? Nuke Fears The truth behind the hype. By Kathryn Jean Lopez, NRO Executive Editor October 25, 2001 8:30 a.m. Tom Randall is director of the John P. McGovern, MD Center for Environmental and Regulatory Affairs at the National Center for Public Policy Research's Chicago office. Kathryn Jean Lopez: We keep hearing that we're "lucky" that terrorists hit the World Trade Center and Pentagon and not, say the Indian Point nuclear-power plant outside of New York City; that the damage would have been on the scale of Chernobyl. Is that true? What would have likely happened if a passenger plane from Newark to California hit Indian Point? Tom Randall: We have reviewed the vulnerability of nuclear plants with experts around the country and found virtually no danger that terrorists could cause any kind of threat to a reactor. Experts have explained to us that even if a 757 airliner hit, as unlikely as that is in the case of a relatively low-lying building, it would probably not penetrate the containment vessel and even if it did, the reactor vessel would still be intact. Some members of the press have issued sketchy reports about an Argonne National Laboratory study detailing how a jetliner could blow up a nuclear reactor. These appear to be highly sensationalized and misleading reports. The allusion to Chernobyl is completely irrelevant. That incident involved a type of reactor that uses graphite to mediate the reaction and it was a graphite fire that released the radiation. Reactors of that type are not used to generate electricity in this country. Lopez: Currently, should Americans be at all worried if they are anywhere near a nuclear power plant? Randall: Absolutely not. Recent media scares are completely unfounded. There are tens of thousands of sites, which we need not name here, which are far more attractive targets for terrorists and would inflict much greater damage and loss of human life. These other targets would also be far easier to attack. Lopez: How many working nuclear power plants are there in the U.S.? Randall: I do not have that number but nuclear energy does produce approximately 20 percent of our electricity. Lopez: What is the government doing to protect them? Randall: That is classified but appears to be more than adequate since reactors really do not require much in the way of extraordinary protection. They are built in such a way as to withstand incredible forces and, in the case of failure of some part of the system; they shut themselves down safely — as was the case at Three Mile Island some years ago. Lopez: There was an "alert" at Three Mile Island last week. What was that about? Most people probably thought that was out of commission? Randall: TMI I is still in operation. TMI II was shut down. It is important to note that the TMI II incident resulted in a negligible release of radiation. Investigators found that, though operators of the plant made nearly every possible mistake in handling the incident, the plant safely shut itself down. Much was made of the inconsequential release of radiation at TMI. However, we never hear about the release of radiation from coal-fired generators which, over time, is far greater than that from nuclear plants. In fact, the radiation released by the granite statues in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol is above recommended limits but nothing is ever reported about it. Why? Because in all these cases, the radiation is harmless. Lopez: Has anything about our post-September 11th reaction regarding nuclear power plants surprised you? Concerned you? Randall: Yes on both counts. I am surprised at the gross misrepresentations, made in the media by alleged experts, of the vulnerability of nuclear reactors. My concern about this stems from our need to expand nuclear energy use if we are going to meet our future needs for electricity. Phony scares could cause public opinion to irrationally turn against nuclear power. I suspect the people who issue the scares about nuclear plants and oppose their construction are really opposed to electricity and our modern society as a whole. Lopez: Should this war on terrorism make us rethink nuclear energy? Or make us need it more? Randall: Greater reliance on nuclear energy would provide the U.S. with greatly increased security. It would enable us to divert other energy sources to different uses, reducing our dependence on Middle Eastern oil. For example, we could use natural gas to power vehicles, instead of using it to generate electricity. It is important to note that we now operate our natural-gas-production facilities at nearly full capacity. We also run our refineries at nearly full capacity. We are urged by environmentalists to reduce our use of coal. Therefore, expanded use of nuclear energy to generate electricity is essential. Most importantly, and contrary to what is reported by most in the media, nuclear energy is a safe, completely non-polluting, and virtually unlimited source of electricity. New reactors and reprocessing facilities under development not only produce far less waste material, the material cannot be used for weapons and need only be stored for a fraction of the time of waste produced by current plants. These new plants can even be run on plutonium from decommissioned warheads, greatly decreasing the chances of nuclear proliferation. ***************************************************************** 15 Russia: Terror Groups Scoped Nuke Site World - Associated Press - updated 1:04 AM ET Oct 29 Thursday October 25 11:06 AM ET MOSCOW (AP) - Terrorist groups tried twice this year to conduct reconnaissance at Russian nuclear arms storage sites but were thwarted from taking any action, a senior general said Thursday. Col. Gen. Igor Volynkin, head of the department that oversees nuclear security in the Russian military, said the first attempt to stake out at a military storage site was eight months ago and the second was about six months ago. Volynkin, in remarks shown on Russian ORT television, did not say where the incidents took place or name the terrorist groups. He said both times the efforts were ``nipped in the bud'' and insisted that no one entered the territory of the military facilities. He did not say whether anyone had been arrested or charged. He said that after the reconnaissance attempts, Russia increased security at its munitions sites, then after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States still more personnel and weaponry were brought to the facilities. He insisted the storage facilities could withstand an air attack such as the ones that hit New York and Washington, but warned that a ground attack on the nuclear sites was possible. Russia has seen several terror attacks in recent years, including apartment house bombings in 1999 that killed 300 people and were blamed on terrorists in breakaway Chechnya ( - ). Copyright © 2001 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 16 The nuclear question It will not improve anyone's weekend to learn that two of the most prominent scientists involved in the development of the Pakistani nuclear weapons programme turn out to hold extremist Islamic views, and that until their recent arrest, both were active supporters of the Taliban. The most difficult aspect of the attack on Manhattan for Westerners to accept was that men who were sufficiently sober and intelligent to learn to pilot airliners could perpetrate an unprecedented act of barbarism that involved their own suicide. Now we learn that highly educated men who were formerly in charge of a nuclear weapons programme are supporters of a primitive fundamentalist regime run by a seriously weird cleric and which, amongst other things, makes a virtue of oppressing women and nurturing international terrorists. Fears about what would happen if terrorists were to acquire small scale nuclear weapons have tended to concentrate on the possibility of criminals or disaffected former employees of the vast Soviet programme providing technology or know-how to extremist terrorist movements for personal gain. That is disturbing enough, yet the revelations about Pakistan raise the possibility of Muslim nuclear scientists arming terrorists because of their adherence to atavistic beliefs. Even worse some reports suggest that Osama bin Laden himself may have obtained access to highly enriched uranium. This is yet another example of how the world has become a more dangerous place since Cold War times. For all their brutality the erstwhile leaders of the Soviet Union were in charge of a bureaucratic regime which could be counted on to behave rationally, including on the nuclear front. There were near misses, for example in Cuba, but self-preservation was always a brake on their actions, since it was no aim of Soviet policy to self-destruct. In terrorism there are no front lines and no arms control negotiations or agreements, and no restraints. The sobering news from Pakistan also raises the issue of how Russia and the West would react if a state armed with nuclear weapons were ever to fall into the hands of a manifestly less than rational fundamentalist regime, which in some circumstances might be ready to contemplate its own suicide, for the satisfaction of wreaking nuclear carnage on the infidel? If ever there was a case for strengthening non-proliferation, this is it. Becoming British The most flattering reaction to the Home Secretary's new proposals for citizenship classes for immigrants must also be the commonest - why has this not been done before? Mr David Blunkett is shortly to announce that applicants for British citizenship will be required to take English language classes and lessons in British culture and democracy. The proposals will chiefly affect applicants for citizenship from India and Pakistan, one in three of whom is already married to a British citizen. Such a procedure is already well established in the US and is even more stringently applied in Switzerland, where a thorough knowledge of Swiss history and constitution is required of anyone hoping to become a citizen - and knowledge of at least one of the languages of Switzerland is taken as read. Sweden insists on all those admitted to the country, including refugees and asylum seekers, learning its language. Some ethnic lobby groups here have already described his proposals for compulsory English classes as linguistic colonialism - but it seems preposterous that anyone can become a British citizen without the most fundamental means of participating in society, let alone the job market. The classes in British democracy and culture, will it seems, include such delicate matters as forced marriage and female circumcision - perhaps we can all agree that we are against such practices. Beyond this point, however, it will be difficult to arrive at an agreed curriculum for would-be citizens, since it raises the fraught question of what constitutes British culture. Mr Blunkett should take a robust approach to the matter. The basic functioning of the British constitution should be part of these classes, so too should be a straightforward, chronological outline of British history and some knowledge of Christianity. If Mr Blunkett can manage to determine a curriculum for immigrants' induction classes which is not hijacked by liberal preoccupations about cultural imperialism he will do well. The reward is that immigrants who are properly prepared for the privilege of citizenship will have a better chance of playing a full part in the society they join. © Associated Newspapers Ltd., 26 October 2001 ***************************************************************** NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: *****************************************************************