***************************************************************** 09/27/01 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 9.228 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER CONTENTS 1 Greenpeace says Slovak nuclear plants not protected against 2 Ban on Shipping Nuclear Waste Is Lifted 3 NRC Proposes to Fine New Jersey Hospital $3,000 for Violations of 4 On the Edge: A Nation with Nukes 5 Letter opposing DOE construction of DU plant 6 Attacks raise safety concern about proposed Nevada nuclear dump 7 Bush voters should have known waste would come 8 Department of Energy looks into possible Yucca mountain terrorist 9 Waste Nuclear Fuel Storage Site To Be Constructed In Murmansk 10 Officials target nuclear risk 11 Nuclear plants placed on enhanced security due to terrorist 12 Daily Events Report 13 IAEA Daily Press Review 14 Emergency plans for nuclear attack 15 Emergency plans for nuclear attack updated 16 Slovakia, EBRD to form fund to close nuclear plant 17 Jacob's radio performance fails to reassure 18 Maine Yankee answers questions on blasting 19 ADAMS: Items of Interest - Thursday, September 27, 2001 20 Emergency plans for nuclear attack updated 21 Jacob's radio performance fails to reassure 22 Slovak populist party vows to challenge decision to close nuclear 23 Slovak cabinet okays pact to set up fund for nuclear plant 24 Finns consider possibility of terrorist attack on nuclear power NUCLEAR WEAPONS CONTENTS 1 Bellona presents new report in Murmansk 2 Russia reports progress in removing nuclear fuel from 3 Russian official denies US paper report of nuclear materials sold 4 Russian research ship to monitor radiation as Kursk raised 5 Nuclear bunker spaces on sale 6 Subcritical nuclear experiment carried out at test facility 7 Compensation would be expanded for those with disease 8 Pantex citizens board's fate up in air 9 USEC Announces Milestone: 5,000 Nuclear Warheads Destroyed 10 Milestone approaches for Hanford cleanup 11 St. Marys airport near Navy base closes indefinitely after 12 USEC reaches nuclear fuel milestone - 13 Sub Contractors Do High-Radiation Work **************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 Greenpeace says Slovak nuclear plants not protected against terror attacks BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Sep 27, 2001 [Announcer] In the light of the recent events in the USA [terrorist attacks on New York and Washington], the issue of whether security around the country's strategic installations is tight enough to protect them against possible terrorist attacks is being discussed in Slovakia. Interior Minister Ivan Simko is known to have recently said that Slovakia's nuclear safety was good. Greenpeace says, however, that nuclear plants in Slovakia are not adequately protected against terrorist attacks similar to those made on the USA [on 11 September]: [Reporter] ... The head of Greenpeace in Slovakia, Lubica Trubiniova, told us today that in her opinion, the V-1 plant in Jaslovske Bohunice - the country's oldest nuclear power plant - represented the most serious danger to Slovakia because its safety systems designed to protect the plant against impacts were even worse than those of the Mochovce and V-2 nuclear power plants... The EU considers the [V-1] nuclear power plant highly risky and demands that it be phased out. The Slovak government has already said in its resolution that the first and second reactors of the V-1 plant will be shut down in 2006 and 2008 [respectively]. Source: Radio Twist, Bratislava, in Slovak 1600 gmt 26 Sep 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to ***************************************************************** 2 Ban on Shipping Nuclear Waste Is Lifted September 27, 2001 By MICHAEL JANOFSKY DENVER, Sept. 26 — The Energy Department said today that the moratorium on the shipment of low-level nuclear waste, put in place on the day of the terrorist attacks, was lifted earlier this week, sending truckloads of material to disposal and storage sites around the country. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham had suspended the transport in an effort to ensure that terrorists would not attack the nuclear material. Typically, shipments move along highways to storage plants in Utah, New Mexico, Nevada and elsewhere. Joe Davis, a department spokesman, said Mr. Abraham lifted the suspension on Monday. But Mr. Davis declined to comment on whether any high-level nuclear material, like spent fuel rods, was also in transit again. He said the department did not comment on the transportation of classified material. When the shipments were suspended, tons of nuclear waste and other materials were left in place. That includes nine tons of plutonium metals and oxides at the former Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant outside Denver, which is now being cleaned and turned into a nature preserve. The material is slated to go to a disposal site on the Savannah River in South Carolina once the Energy Department and South Carolina officials agree on the terms of disposal. Other former weapons plants are also waiting to ship material to the Savannah River site. Mr. Davis said he did not know how many shipments had been cleared to travel this week. But one, he said, contains contaminated material from the Energy Department's facilities in Oak Ridge, Tenn., another cleanup site that has been producing about 1.5 million pounds of scrap every week for disposal. Much of it, Mr. Davis said, is transuranic waste — metal and materials that were contaminated by uranium during years of weapons production. That material, he said, is heading for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico. 2001 The New York Times Company | Privacy ***************************************************************** 3 NRC Proposes to Fine New Jersey Hospital $3,000 for Violations of NRC Requirements Press Release - Region I - 2001- 059 - UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION I 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa. 19406 No. I-01-059 September 26, 2001 CONTACT: Diane Screnci (610)337-5330/ e-mail: dps@nrc.gov Neil A. Sheehan (610)337-5331/e-mail: nas@nrc.gov The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has cited the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark for two apparent violations of NRC requirements related to the loss of radioactive material. The NRC staff has proposed a $3,000 civil penalty. An NRC inspection was conducted in May and June after the hospital notified the agency it had lost a treatment ribbon containing nine seeds of iridium-192. Six of the ribbons had been implanted in a patient on May 23. Sometime prior to their removal on May 25, one of the ribbons was lost. It has not been found. The NRC issued an inspection report on August 9, and offered the hospital the opportunity to address the apparent violations by either attending a pre-decisional enforcement conference or by responding in writing. The University of Medicine and Dentistry declined the conference, but did provide a written response. In it, the hospital staff said it believes the lost source may have inadvertently fallen into a toilet in the patient's room and been flushed into the sewer system. Neither the hospital's solid waste disposal system nor the landfill detected any radioactive material. The hospital also outlined the actions it had taken to prevent recurrence, which the NRC considered prompt and comprehensive. NRC has cited the hospital for two violations: failing to control radioactive material which resulted in the loss of the material; and failing to perform a survey for radioactive material of trash and other items removed from the patient's room. In a letter transmitting the Notice of Violation, NRC Region I Administrator Hubert J. Miller said, "The safety significance of these violations was minimized by the fact that the source, whether discarded in the toilet or the trash, is unlikely to come into close contact with any individual." Nonetheless, he said, these violations are of concern to the NRC because the failure to control the material resulted in its loss and "such sources can result in substantial unintended radiation dose to an individual if placed in close contact with the individual's skin." The hospital has 30 days to respond in writing to the Notice of Violation. ***************************************************************** 4 On the Edge: A Nation with Nukes TIMEasia.com: News -- 2001, VOL.158 NO.13 passionate worldwide dispute It was George W. Bush on the phone. His language was friendly but firm as he asked President Pervez Musharraf on Sept. 11 if Pakistan could help hunt down Osama bin Laden. The choices facing Musharraf were stark: if he refused, America would consider it the worst kind of betrayal, and Pakistan would suffer harsh consequences. If he agreed, there would be enormous trouble at home; many Pakistanis believe bin Laden is not a terrorist but a true warrior of the Islamic faith who must be shielded from the U.S. at all costs. Friends say that Musharraf, 58, a low-key soldier with a neatly clipped mustache and tolerant views, was aghast at the suicide attacks. He did not hesitate. "I'll face tremendous difficulties, but I'll support you," he told Bush. Musharraf's difficulties began even before any U.S. armed forces arrived. Fanned by the Taliban's rise in Afghanistan and a Muslim insurgency in Indian-held Kashmir, Islamic extremism has spread across Pakistan. Musharraf now risks making himself deeply unpopular, even loathed, by siding with the U.S. Protesters have already taken to the streets. Musharraf is not given to exaggeration, so Pakistanis were stunned when a visibly tense President, in a Sept. 19 televised speech, compared Pakistan's current predicament with the devastating 1971 civil war, in which Bangladesh fought free and the country was split in two. Unless Musharraf acts skillfully, hard-line religious forces could rise against his military junta—which came to power in an October 1999 coup. The core of Pakistan's predicament is economic. Years of neglect by corrupt politicians have dragged 30% of the population below the poverty line—nearly double the level of the past decade—and created an abiding dissatisfaction with democracy, perfect conditions to breed extremism. With a takeover by the fundamentalists, as one liberal Pakistani remarked, "We'll become another Afghanistan—but with electricity." And nukes. Already, some clerics, especially among the rifle-wielding Pashtun tribesmen of the northwest frontier, are calling for a holy war against America. They are of the same tribe as the Taliban across the border. Tribesmen believe that Musharraf is breaking their strict code of Pashtunwali, in which honor and revenge are paramount. In the village of Shakot, gunsmith Aziz Khan glanced up from a lathe as he bored holes to craft a homemade Kalashnikov rifle (price: $120) and warned, "In our culture, we give our baby son an unloaded pistol to play with in the cradle, so that he becomes acquainted with guns. Every man and boy will defend bin Laden and the Taliban against America. It would be dishonorable not to protect him." Among Musharraf's first tasks in coming weeks will be to ensure the support of Pakistan's 587,000-strong armed forces. Many lower-ranking officers, incensed at the corruption of their superiors over the years, have fallen under the sway of extremists who advocate a Taliban-style cleansing for Pakistan. "The nightmare of any officer is that he must order his men to fire on a bunch of mullahs leading a mob. Would they obey?" asked a brigadier. In an "intense and focused" four-hour meeting Sept. 14 with his regional corps commanders, Musharraf drew a grim picture of what would happen if he rebuffed the Americans: a possible U.S. air strike against Pakistan's nuclear-weapons installations, a declaration that Pakistan was a terrorist state because it backed the Kashmir militants, and a cutoff in international loans. Pakistan, although a longtime U.S. ally, was being squeezed by American economic and military sanctions issued in response to its nuclear arms program. Musharraf was evidently able to convince the generals. For now. On Saturday, the U.S. waived those sanctions. Musharraf understands the risks. He confided to a gathering of newspaper editors that the best he can do is choose the path of least destruction for Pakistan. In Pakistani-U.S.talks, neither side has raised any question of a payoff for Pakistan. "It would seem like we were putting a price on Osama's head," says a Pakistani official. In the short run, though, the U.S. plans to lift economic and military sanctions, and it may lean on the International Monetary Fund to release emergency funds and reschedule loans that Pakistan desperately needs. During his army career, Musharraf gained a reputation as a masterful tactician with lousy follow-through. His 1999 coup was a perfect example. It was bloodless and artfully executed, but his first months in power were marked by contradictions. As a tactician, Musharraf realizes that he has to crack down on religious extremists. The weeks ahead will reveal whether he may have left it too late. With reporting by Hannah Bloch and Sayed Talat Hussein TIME at mail@web.timeasia.com ***************************************************************** 5 Letter opposing DOE construction of DU plant September 19, 2001 Hon. Jesse Roberson Assistant Secretary Office of Environmental Management US Department of Energy Washington, DC 20585 Hon. Stephen Cary Office of Environment, Safety and Health US Department of Energy Washington, DC 20585 Dear Ms. Roberson and Mr. Cary: We are writing to strenuously object to the Department of Energy proposing, as an alternative, to construct only one depleted uranium hexaflouride conversion (DUF6) plant. We note the option of a single plant was included in the proposed scope of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that was published in the September 18, 2001 Federal Register (FR 48123). Congress made it crystal clear in Public Law 105-204 (July 1998) that the Department of Energy is to construct two facilities–one at the DOE’s Portsmouth, OH facility and one at the DOE’s Paducah, KY facility--to convert the government’s inventory of 700,000 tons of DUF6 that have accumulated over the past 50 years. The Department has prescribed a "two plant" requirement in the Requests for Proposals for a contract to convert and disposition DUF6. We understand the contract award is scheduled for October 2001. The notice in the Federal Register states that the terms of that design, build and operate contract will be conditioned upon the final EIS, which is scheduled for release in January 2003. The possibility of shifting from a two plant contract to a one plant contract will create considerable ambiguity for the successful bidder on this project. Communities and regulators in Ohio and Kentucky expect that there will be plants under construction no later than January 2004. We believe that expending time and money on studying a one plant alternative at either Portsmouth, OH or Paducah KY is wasteful. Even more peculiar, DOE is proposing to spend time and resources to study using existing conversion capability at commercial nuclear fuel fabrication facilities, such as the one in Washington state, when the DOE has received no expressions of interest in this approach. The issues that need to be addressed in the EIS are local siting alternatives, environmental impacts from operations, the preferred form and location for disposal of the converted materials, worker health and safety, and socioeconomics. We strongly urge the Department to remove from the scope of its EIS any consideration of alternatives that do not involve the siting of a conversion plant in both Portsmouth, Ohio and Paducah, Kentucky. To do otherwise would be plainly at odds with the Congressional intent, as expressed in PL 105-204. Please contact, if you have any questions. Sincerely, Ted Strickland Ed Whitfield Members of Congress cc: Carol Borgstrom, Office of Environment, Safety and Health, (EH-42) Kevin Shaw, Office of Environmental Management (EM-32) ***************************************************************** 6 Attacks raise safety concern about proposed Nevada nuclear dump Las Vegas SUN September 26, 2001 LAS VEGAS (AP) - The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 have prompted the Department of Energy to revisit the threat of a plane crash at a proposed nuclear waste repository in Nevada. "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. Ziegler told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that project scientists have not analyzed a scenario involving an aircraft crashing into an aboveground building where spent highly radioactive nuclear fuel rods would be repackaged for placement deep inside the mountain. He said, however, that once the nation's 77,000 tons of radioactive waste is entombed 1,000 feet beneath the mountain's surface, an airplane crash would have little or no effect. Meanwhile, the Nevada Test Site on Tuesday began accepting low-level nuclear waste for the first time since the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and in Pennsylvania. A shipment originating in Aberdeen, Md., arrived under tight security from Idaho, said Kevin Rohrer, a DOE spokesman. Another shipment is due to arrive on Thursday from Colorado, he said. A Yucca Mountain Preliminary Site Suitability Evaluation released in July called the chances of an airplane crash at the site so remote that analyzing the consequences wasn't necessary. A Nevada state consultant expressed concern Tuesday about the danger of commercial and military flights near the area in the western edge of the Nevada Test Site, about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Steve Frishman, a geologist and full-time consultant to the state's Nuclear Projects Agency, said the federal government cannot now dismiss a threat to Yucca Mountain as remote. "In light of current events, it points to a cavalier approach DOE has taken to screening out risks regardless of what the consequences are," Frishman said. One study that began three years ago tallied 19,450 military flights annually over the Test Site. A count begun in March 1999 found 1,450 flights a year in a 7-square-mile area over the proposed location of the Yucca Mountain waste-handling site. A commercial air corridor is 11 miles away. Most Nevada lawmakers and all four of the state's congressional delegates oppose the Energy Department's proposal to build a permanent repository for the nation's commercial, industrial and military nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain. Ziegler called the threat of using a commercial airliner as a weapon a new wrinkle, acknowledging that the air space over the Pentagon is restricted. The buffer zone for flight restrictions near Yucca Mountain is substantially larger, he said. "We need to evaluate what, if anything, additional needs to be done," the Energy Department spokesman said. All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 7 Bush voters should have known waste would come Reno Gazette-Journal Thursday September 27th, 2001 Why is there so much excitement about nuclear waste being stored in Nevada? During his candidacy, George Bush declared his intentions regarding nuclear waste. As a fellow Republican, Gov. Kenny Guinn supported his election. Nevada voters not only gave Bush our state’s electoral votes, they picketed for him when his win was challenged. Let’s be realistic. Nuclear waste cannot be stored in Florida because Jeb Bush lives there. Texas may be far more suitable for storage than Nevada but Bush senior lives there. Alaska is out of the running since it is being drilled for oil. That leaves the state of Nevada as the only option. Perhaps once the waste is “safely stored” at Yucca Mountain, Bush will make Nevada exempt from federal income tax as reward for its tolerance. After all, a vote for George Bush last November was a vote for nuclear waste. Isn’t it time for Nevadans to accept responsibility for their actions/votes. Jeanne Larson, Reno © Reno Gazette-Journal ***************************************************************** 8 Department of Energy looks into possible Yucca mountain terrorist attack ASSOCIATED PRESS Thursday September 27th, 2001 LAS VEGAS (AP) — The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 have prompted the Department of Energy to revisit the threat of a plane crash at a proposed nuclear waste repository in Nevada. “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. Ziegler told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that project scientists have not analyzed a scenario involving an aircraft crashing into an aboveground building where spent, but highly radioactive, nuclear fuel rods would be repackaged for placement deep inside the mountain. He said, however, that once the nation’s 77,000 tons of radioactive waste is entombed 1,000 feet beneath the mountain’s surface, an airplane crash would have little or no effect. Meanwhile, the Nevada Test Site on Tuesday began accepting low-level nuclear waste for the first time since the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon. A shipment originating in Aberdeen, Md., arrived under tight security from Idaho, said Kevin Rohrer, a DOE spokesman. Another shipment is due to arrive today from Colorado, he said. A Yucca Mountain Preliminary Site Suitability Evaluation released in July called the chances of an airplane crash at the site so remote that analyzing the consequences wasn’t necessary. A Nevada state consultant expressed concern Tuesday about the danger of commercial and military flights near the area in the western edge of the Nevada Test Site, about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Steve Frishman, a geologist and full-time consultant to the state’s Nuclear Projects Agency, said the federal government cannot now dismiss a threat to Yucca Mountain as remote. “In light of current events, it points to a cavalier approach DOE has taken to screening out risks regardless of what the consequences are,” Frishman said. One study that began three years ago tallied 19,450 military flights annually over the Test Site. A count begun in March 1999 found 1,450 flights a year in a 7-square-mile area over the proposed location of the Yucca Mountain waste-handling site. A commercial air corridor is 11 miles away. Most Nevada lawmakers and all four of the state’s congressional delegates oppose the Energy Department’s proposal to build a permanent repository for the nation’s commercial, industrial and military nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain. Ziegler called the threat of using a commercial airliner as a weapon a new wrinkle, acknowledging that the air space over the Pentagon is restricted. The buffer zone for flight restrictions near Yucca Mountain is substantially larger, he said. “We need to evaluate what, if anything, additional needs to be done,” the Energy Department spokesman said. © Reno Gazette-Journal ***************************************************************** 9 Waste Nuclear Fuel Storage Site To Be Constructed In Murmansk Pravda.RU Sep, 26 2001 The Atomflot factory has started construction of a storage site for containers with waste nuclear fuel from nuclear submarines' reactors. The construction of the first storage site in Russia is performed by orders of the Nuclid interbranch coordination centre. In compliance with the federal programme of nuclear submarines utilization, analogous sites will be constructed later in Arkhangelsk (a White Sea port) and in the Far East in the areas of atomic reactors active zones discharging. The largest storage site is to be constructed at Mayak factory in the Chelyabinsk region (Southern Urals) where waste nuclear fuel is processed. The Murmansk site will represent a concrete hangar designed for 19 containers. The construction is scheduled to last for 5.5 months. Total cost of the Murmansk project is $1,050 thousand, allocated under the AMEC (Arctic Military Environmental Cooperation) programme. The Russian federal budget will allocate on its part 5.6 million rubles to create a radiation monitoring system for the facility. RIA 'Novosti' ***************************************************************** 10 Officials target nuclear risk | The Sun News - Myrtle Beach, SC The Associated Press "> The Associated Press "> Thursday, September 27, 2001 The Associated Press COLUMBIA | Recent terrorist attacks reinforce the need to turn excess bomb-making material into a form that can no longer be used to create nuclear weapons, politicians and nuclear experts say. One such program that serves to neutralize weapons-grade plutonium is slated to take place at the Savannah River Site near Aiken. "This needs to be one of the nation's top priorities," said U.S. Rep. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. "If terrorists could get a hold of these materials, is there any doubt about what they would do with it?" Russia has significant stock piles of excess plutonium and lax security. An amount of material the size of a cola can is enough to make a nuclear bomb. Those fears factor into an already tangled discussion about the projects slated for SRS that would make the plutonium difficult to use in a weapon. Earlier this year, a program to encase plutonium in glass was placed on hold, and a plan to process the plutonium for use in commercial reactors is in jeopardy. Funding for the commercial reactor project has been cut, but lawmakers are working to restore it. Those programs are estimated to cost between $2 billion and $6 billion. The federal Department of Energy says it remains committed to the "dual track" of immobilization and processing projects in the wake of the terrorist attacks. The United States and Russia are slated 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,"' said U.S. Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C. But not everyone agrees about the type of program needed to process plutonium. Brian Costlier, 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. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says nuclear power plants are designed to withstand hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes. However, the commission says it has not analyzed what the impact would be if a large airplane crashed into a spent fuel storage cask. NRC does say that a crash into a nuclear plant or storage area would not trigger a nuclear explosion. Russian security surrounding plutonium is low, however. Former 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." 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 [nuclear fuel processing] 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." All content © 2001 The Sun News ***************************************************************** 11 Nuclear plants placed on enhanced security due to terrorist concern September 27, 2001 Nuclear plants placed on enhanced security due to terrorist concern OTTAWA (CP) -- Canada's nuclear power plants have stepped up security since the terrorist attacks in the U.S., and the nuclear industry is facing tough questions about the vulnerability of reactors.  A spokesman for the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, the federal agency that oversees nuclear safety, is playing down concerns, saying there is no identified terrorist threat against Canada.  But critics say the industry is in denial about the threat of airborne attack, which the reactors were never designed to withstand.  Canada's 22 reactors were placed on "enhanced security" within hours of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, said commission spokesman James Levesque.  He declined for security reasons to say what measures were taken.  "The information we're getting from the federal people who do intelligence is that there is at this time no identified threat against Canada," said Levesque.  Atomic Energy of Canada has imposed a secure air space of 3,000 feet and 3.5 nautical miles around its research campus at Chalk River, Ont., said spokeswoman Louise Duhamel.  Any aircraft must request permission to come within that space.  The Crown corporation is in contact with the RCMP and CSIS on a daily basis, said Duhamel. It has also halted all public tours and visits to the Chalk River facility.  A nuclear power researcher at the plant also had his security credentials rescinded last week, the Pembroke Observer reported.  "Somebody was let go on Friday of last week due to their security clearance being revoked, but we can't give out any details," an Atomic Energy of Canada spokeswoman told the newspaper Wednesday.  The man was detained by security staff and turned over to the CSIS a week ago, the Observer reported.  The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has conceded that its reactors are vulnerable to airline crashes, but Canadian officials are not making such admissions.  Pat Breton, a spokesman for Natural Resources Minister Ralph Goodale, would say only that security of the reactors is under review.  "On the issue of, 'Could it withstand an attack similar to the World Trade Center?', the president of the (Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission) has assured us that the measures in place are adequate but are under evaluation.  "Up until Sept. 11 that sort of thing wasn't contemplated, so that evaluation is ongoing."  Aside from nuclear reactors, security at major hydroelectric sites and oil fields has been tightened as well to prevent terrorist strikes which could disable the Canadian and U.S. economies, Goodale said.  The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has ordered "increased patrols, augmented security forces and capabilities, additional security posts and ... limited access of personnel and vehicles to sites."  Two U.S. watchdog groups, the Nuclear Control Institute and the Committee to Bridge the Gap, have called for armed troops and anti-aircraft weapons to be deployed around reactors.  The fear is that an airborne attack could rupture the containment buildings designed to isolate radioactive materials in the event of a spill.  "You'd have millions of people potentially exposed to radioactivity," said a source with experience in the Canadian nuclear industry, who spoke on condition of anonymity.  "If it's in the drinking water supply, you'd have a disaster of unimaginable magnitude."  The source said reactors should be defended by ground-to-air missiles capable of intercepting any aircraft entering their secure air space.  "It might have sounded crazy a few weeks ago but it's not crazy. An unidentified flying object that comes into a secure air space would be blown up."  The new security measures are bound to increase costs for nuclear operators, and will add to the debate about the economics of nuclear power.  A spokesman for the Office for Critical Infrastructure Protection, a federal agency concerned with emergency preparedness, declined to comment on whether nuclear reactors are adequately protected.  "The plants are privately run, they're run by provincial authorities and provincial corporations and the actual physical security is the responsibility of the operator," said Max London. 2001, Canoe Limited Partnership. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 12 Daily Events Report U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Operations Center Event Reports For 09/26/2001 09/27/2001 ** EVENT NUMBERS ** 38319 38320 General Information or Other Event Number: 38319 REP ORG: NV DIV OF RAD HEALTH NOTIFICATION DATE: 09/26/2001 LICENSEE: SUMMIT ENGINEERING CORPORATION NOTIFICATION TIME: 17:45[EDT] CITY: RENO REGION: 4 EVENT DATE: 09/25/2001 COUNTY: STATE: NV EVENT TIME: [PDT] LICENSE#: 00 11 0180 01 AGREEMENT: Y LAST UPDATE DATE: 09/26/2001 DOCKET: PERSON ORGANIZATION GREG PICK R4 PATRICIA HOLAHAN NMSS NRC NOTIFIED BY: STAN MARSHALL HQ OPS OFFICER: STEVE SANDIN EMERGENCY CLASS: 10 CFR SECTION: NAGR AGREEMENT STATE EVENT TEXT AGREEMENT STATE REPORT INVOLVING POTENTIAL DAMAGE TO A PORTABLE GAUGE DURING TRANSPORT "A portable gauge fell off the bed of the transporting pickup and was slightly damaged. The gauge was not carried in it's shipping container at the time of the incident. The guide rod (as opposed to the source rod) broke near the base of the gauge. The source was in the safe, shielded position at the time of the incident. The gauge has been surveyed and leak tested and has been shipped to an authorized repair facility. The gauge was a Humboldt 5001, s/n 400 containing 8 mCi of Cs 137 and 40 mCi of Am 241:Be. "Cause of the incident was lack of attention to detail. Event Report ID No. NV 01 005." Hospital Event Number: 38320 REP ORG: QUEENS MEDICAL CENTER NOTIFICATION DATE: 09/26/2001 LICENSEE: QUEENS MEDICAL CENTER NOTIFICATION TIME: 22:07[EDT] CITY: HONOLULU REGION: 4 EVENT DATE: 09/26/2001 COUNTY: HONOLULU STATE: HI EVENT TIME: 09:00[HST] LICENSE#: 53 16533 02 AGREEMENT: N LAST UPDATE DATE: 09/26/2001 DOCKET: PERSON ORGANIZATION GREG PICK R4 PATRICIA HOLAHAN NMSS NRC NOTIFIED BY: SCOTT DUBE HQ OPS OFFICER: STEVE SANDIN EMERGENCY CLASS: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR SECTION: LADM 35.33(a) MED MISADMINISTRATION EVENT TEXT MEDICAL MISADMINISTRATION INVOLVING DELIVERY OF TREATMENT TO THE WRONG SITE At approximately 0900HST on 9/26, a patient undergoing treatment for restenosis of a cardiac vessel received a 23 gray dose using a Sr 90 source via intravascular brachytherapy. The error occurred due to difficulty in resolving the correct vessel segment location using fluoroscopy imaging. The attending radiologist and cardiologist reviewed film concluding that the wrong segment had been treated. The prescribed dose was then delivered to the correct site. The patient has not been informed and there are no adverse effects anticipated. The licensee will meet with the vendor to discuss appropriate corrective actions in use of the equipment. ***************************************************************** 13 IAEA Daily Press Review IAEA Daily Press Review Date 2001-09-27 Number 185 1. Non-proliferation US decision to lift nuclear-related sanctions against India and Pakistan could have negative impact on non-proliferation. (OSH - 26/9) India; Pakistan; United States of America 2. IAEA IAEA General Conference looks at concerns over misuse of nuclear materials. IAEA Director General interviewed on nuclear terrorism. India won't request IAEA safety review since nuclear vendor states restrict supply of safety-related technology. Russia provides second payment to IAEA's international project on innovative nuclear reactors and fuel cycles; other contributions expected. (NW; OSH - 26/9) IAEA; India; WORLDWIDE 3. Terrorism UN agency responsible for defining air safety recommends international safety standards to be applied for domestic flights. WHO urges defenses against chemical, biological weapons. Hazardous cargo emerges as potential terrorist target, trucks to be checked. Main suspect in terrorist attacks is reportedly using Russian organized crime to acquire weapons. (BBC; DAW; NYT; OSH - 26/9) Russian Federation; UN; WHO 4. Nuclear power Rosenergoatom studies plans for building its own power transmission lines that could be used for electricity exports. High investments needed for energy exports from Russian NPP Volgodonsk to Turkey. Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine to form joint nuclear energy company. Slovakia, EBRD to form international fund for closure of oldest units at NPP Bohunice. Ukraine eyes EBRD funds to complete two nuclear reactors. (FT; R - 26, 27/9) Kazakhstan; Russian Federation; Slovakia; Turkey; Ukraine 5. Nuclear safety Czech, Canadian NPP security upgraded; France looks at options. Watchdog groups call on US government to protect NPPs with soldiers and missiles. Preparations for second review of Convention on Nuclear Safety begin in Vienna. (NW; R - 26, 27/9) Austria; Czech Republic; France; United States of America 6. Radiation, health New mobile phones to carry safety labels. (R - 27/9) Australia 7. Radwaste, fuel Russia reports progress in removing nuclear fuel from decommissioned submarines. (FT - 27/9) Russian Federation 8. Miscellaneous 'Kursk' raising preparations near completion. E-mails calling on people to vote on appropriate response to terrorist attacks bear destructive Windows virus. (BBC; FT - 25, 27/9) Russian Federation; WORLDWIDE ***************************************************************** 14 Emergency plans for nuclear attack ireland.com - The Irish Times - IRELAND Thursday, September 27, 2001 Junior minister has support of Ahern By Mark Hennessy and Joe Humphreys The Minister of State at the Department of Public Enterprise, Mr Joe Jacobs, who was sharply criticised yesterday following a radio interview, has the full confidence of the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, the Government spokesman has said. The poor performance of the Minister of State on the RTE Radio Marian Finucane show as he answered questions about the State's national emergency plan led to calls from the Opposition for his resignation. Asked if Mr Jacobs retained the full confidence of the Taoiseach, the Government spokesman said: "Absolutely. He is doing a great job. He has organised all of this work to review the national emergency plan. "The fact that he did not do a good interview - in the view of some people - should not be a reason for him to go." Privately, Government sources complain that Mr Jacobs had told the programme that he could only deal with questions about the State's emergency plans for a nuclear disaster, and not those about germ or biological warfare. The Minister of State was not available for interview following the programme. The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, appeared on RTE's Six One News to ease public fears about the Government's readiness to cope with a terrorist attack. Fine Gael TD Mr Charlie Flanagan said the Taoiseach should sack the Minister after his "disgraceful show of incompetence" during the interview with Marian Finucane. "Instead of conveying clear and concise information on what action the public needs to take in the event of a nuclear disaster, Mr Jacob ended up frightening more people than he reassured," said Mr Flanagan. Labour Party TD Mr Emmet Stagg said it was "blatantly obvious" Mr Jacob had no understanding of his portfolio. The Minister's performance was "worthy of a Bull Island sketch", he said. From Rathdrum, Co Wicklow, Mr Jacob has been a TD since 1987 and is a former chairman of the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party. It has been rumoured in Co Wicklow that he plans not to contest his seat at the next general election. Commenting on the Minister's performance, Mr Flanagan said it would have been laughable "if the job he has to do was not so serious. "People in this country are depending on the Government to show competence and leadership for their safety. "Minister Jacob has clearly lost the confidence of the Irish people and the Taoiseach must replace him with somebody who is up to the job." ***************************************************************** 15 Emergency plans for nuclear attack updated ireland.com - The Irish Times - IRELAND Thursday, September 27, 2001 By Alison O'Connor, Political Reporter THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY PLAN: The Government sought to reassure people last night concerning national emergency plans in the event of terrorist attack. In a statement, the Government said while there was no reason to believe that Ireland would be the subject of a chemical or biological attack, it was considered prudent in light of recent events to review and update emergency plans. A committee of ministers is to be established to deal with this specific threat. It was discussed at yesterday's Cabinet meeting. The "unique characteristics" of chemical and biological emergencies required additional response measures not included in existing plans, said the statement. The group co-ordinating these responses, established following the US attacks, will this morning meet key personnel involved in emergency planning "to assess how existing plans can be modified as part of the overall response to emergencies of this kind". Discussions between the Department of Health and the World Health Organisation are ongoing and the outcome of these would "help to inform deliberations". Detailed arrangements exist under the national emergency plan for nuclear accidents for monitoring dispersal of radioactive particles, it said, for early warning of the public of an emergency and for keeping the public informed of all stages of the emergency. That plan, designed to deal with the impact of a nuclear accident at a nuclear installation abroad, also provides for an emergency committee of ministers "to convene and oversee the response to the extended emergency". "All of these are procedures and structures which will be extended and adapted for chemical and biological threats and arrangements have now been put in place for a committee of ministers to also oversee the response to any chemical or biological threat. "The WHO has offered to assist countries if they experience attacks and believe that most if not all of infectious diseases, whether natural or deliberate, would quickly be detected through a global alert network. "Ireland would, of course, benefit from this and the Department of Health and Children is in liaison with the WHO about these issues," said the statement. The security aspects of the response is being managed by the National Security Committee which met on the day of the US attacks and twice since. It includes the secretaries general of the departments of Justice and Defence, the Garda Commissions and the Defence Forces Chief of Staff. The statement said there were extensive peace-time emergency plans which were co-ordinated at different levels. They cover a variety of situations including major accidents; major oil spillages; nuclear accident; marine search and rescue; exotic animal diseases and severe weather emergencies. "The range and variety of possible emergencies involving different expertises mean that the concept of a single emergency plan is not apt. Rather it is that the national emergency response comprises the full range of plans, each tailored to meet specific contingencies." The Government spokesman said the updated version of the national emergency plan for nuclear accidents was almost complete and would be published within weeks. The plan, by the Department of Public Enterprise, is an "inter-departmental and inter-agency framework for early warning of and rapid response to nuclear emergencies" and the subsequent response. The main aspects of the plan were made available last night. The spokesman said it had been planned to make it available in libraries and to those who requested it. However the situation was under review and it may be distributed to each household. He said that health boards had a supply of iodine tablets, to be taken in the event of a nuclear emergency. These are available on request, but a decision may also be taken to distribute them to households. ***************************************************************** 16 Slovakia, EBRD to form fund to close nuclear plant Planet Ark Environmental News: SLOVAKIA: September 27, 2001 BRATISLAVA - The Slovak government agreed yesterday to create an international, EBRD-managed fund to cover the shutdown of two reactors in the controversial nuclear power plant V1 at Jaslovske Bohunice planned for 2006 and 2008. In 1999, Slovakia agreed to close the V1 blocks of the late-1970s Soviet-designed plant before their original technical service life expires, under concerns over the plant's safety raised by the European Union and neighbouring Austria. The government plans to use the finances from the new fund to rebuild the plant's infrastructure for a different use in the energy sector and to cover social programmes and retraining for V1 employees, Economy Minister Lubomir Harach told reporters. "The EU will contribute 6.5 billion crowns ($136.6 million)... We will attempt to obtain more finances for the fund ourselves," Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda added. Harach added that the entire cost for the shutdown of the Bohunice V1 reactors has been estimated at 14.8 billion crowns. The government expects to sign a framework agreement on the creation and the use of the fund with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) by the end of the year. The plant in Jaslovske Bohunice is the oldest nuclear power plant in Slovakia, with its first block put into operation in 1978 and the second in 1980. The blocks, equipped with Soviet-type VVER 440 reactors, are to be taken off line in 2006 and 2008, respectively. The government's original shut-down plan called for the V1 plant to be preserved for 70-80 years before being demolished. The third and the fourth blocks of the Jaslovske Bohunice complex - part of the V2 plant - came on line in 1984 and 1985. The country also has two more nuclear reactors equipped with western technology in its more-modern Mochovce plant. REUTERS NEWS SERVICE ***************************************************************** 17 Jacob's radio performance fails to reassure ireland.com - The Irish Times - IRELAND Thursday, September 27, 2001 By Joe Humphreys The Government's national emergency plan for nuclear accidents ranked among the best in Europe, the Minister of State for energy, Mr Joe Jacob, said yesterday. Speaking prior to the Government's statement last night, he told listeners to RTÉ's Marian Finucane show he had spent the past two years upgrading and updating the plan, which he described as "state of the art". Listeners to the show, however, took a different view, with RTÉ reporting hundreds of calls from people complaining about Mr Jacob's performance. One caller said: "If this is the best the country can produce to devise any sort of early-warning plan then we are in serious trouble." Another said the interview confirmed the Government's response to an attack was to "stick your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye". Mr Jacob had described the nuclear threat as the most relevant to Ireland because of our close proximity to nuclear installations in Britain. The Republic was protected by an early-warning system of radiation monitors, which were manned on a 24-hour basis, he said. In addition, under international agreements, other countries were obliged to warn us of incidents as soon as they occurred. Mr Jacob said accidents in Sellafield had been concealed in the past but, he said, the Government had built up "very strong" links with Britain since and "I believe that (with) the rapport that exists at the moment ... that the bilateral arrangement for an early-warning situation would be honoured." Mr Jacob confirmed the emergency plan would be tested in a simulated exercise in the coming fortnight and within weeks of that, he said, a fact sheet would be sent to "every home in Ireland", detailing what should be done in the case of an emergency. Asked what advice would be given to the public, the Minister said "that information will be issued based on the technical expertise that will assess the situation when it happens, the scale of the incident, the potential of the incident deteriorating or whatever." Speculating about what would happen if a plane crashed into Sellafield, he said: "We're talking about a very, very major accident, something that a great power like the United States was not geared to cope with last week. We would tell people the situation and they would know from again this famous fact sheet that I am talking about. "We would say: 'Please remain indoors. Please stay with your doors and windows closed. Switch off your ventilation systems. We want to minimise your exposure to levels of radiation that are currently, God forbid, out of doors'." He said people would also be told to take iodine tablets and avoid eating contaminated food or water. Farmers would be advised to move cattle indoors where possible. Asked how people could get hold of iodine tablets after taking shelter, Mr Jacob replied: "The Department of Health will have stocks of these. That's one of the things that has to be tweaked and finalised in the coming weeks." Pressed further, he said "That will be in the fact sheet when it gets to your home." Asked whether he knew what was in the fact sheet, he replied: "I have it in my hand so I know exactly what's in the fact sheet." He said it was possible iodine distribution centres would be established. He was also considering sending a vial of iodine to each home with the sheet. Regarding the threat of biological or chemical warfare, Mr Jacob said he was not qualified to talk about this except to say it was considered "highly unlikely that as a small nuclear country Ireland would be targeted in such a way ... I beg your pardon, I've got nuclear on the brain now. A small neutral country." He added that in considering such threats "we mustn't be alarmistic. We must be reassuring." ***************************************************************** 18 Maine Yankee answers questions on blasting Sep 27, 2001 "Serving Maine and Lincoln County for Over a Century" Vol. 126-No. 39 Greg Foster Sirens in Wiscasset this week signal blasting at Maine Yankee which is part of the demolition work at the plant, officials assured the public. A globally renown demolition company, which has imploded famous hotels in Las Vegas and other huge structures worldwide, is the contractor for the job requiring from one to three blasts per day until completion Friday. Controlled Demolition, Inc. has placed seismographs and sound detection equipment in various locations on the periphery of the plant to measure the impact of the explosions. One of the most ticklish tasks is to avoid interference of the nearby Central Maine Power Co. switch yard, which sends electricity to customers throughout New England. "We want to have some assurance of safety," Project Superintendent James Partridge told area residents at an informational meeting about the project last Thursday. The building is on the non-nuclear side of the plant, but the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission required a radiological release survey for possible contamination before the blasting could start at 8 a.m. Tuesday with a test explosion. Heightened security at the plant due to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks has impacted CDI's plans. "We originally had planned to store the explosives on site," Partridge said. "That's all changed." The project head explained that explosives will be brought in each day of the project and the vibrations from the explosions would not pose any threat to the spent fuel currently stored in the spent fuel pool. The pool was designed to meet strict seismic criteria. It is located on the nuclear side of the plant. Use of a non-electric system of starting the explosions make the task safer and less expensive. "The non-electric systems have been around for 20 years," Partridge said. "They have come a long way in the last 10 years." Maine Yankee had originally scheduled the blasting for last Thursday and to inform the public about it the week before at a Community Advisor Panel meeting, which was cancelled. Due to the attacks on the United States, the company decided to postpone the work out of concern for the community. Partridge said each small explosion requires only a teacup full of low-level explosives. The explosives go into holes drilled into the concrete pedestal to create cracks. Then the rest of the work can be done with traditional machinery. At the request of Westport resident Gerald Bodmer, Mike Meisner, chief nuclear officer at the plant, agreed to keep him personally informed by e-mail or phone of the progress of the blasting, including the schedule and any changes in the planned times. "I don't want any surprises," Bodmer said. "I want to have a report in order to tell my neighbors and my wife." Partridge told Bodmer that the vibrations from the explosions may be felt slightly and that he may hear the sound, since he lives across the river from the site. The amount of vibration from any one explosion is not enough to crack glass about 60 feet away, Partridge said. One long burst from the sirens means blasting is about to begin. Following the long siren, there will be several short siren signals in a row indicating an immediate start to the blasting. Meisner said that Maine Yankee intends to inform the public each time it has to do any blasting as part of the ongoing work of decommissioning the plant, including some that will occur later this fall when CDI is ready to demolish the roof of the turbine building. The roof blasting will result in severing of the trusses and cause the roof to collapse to the level of the turbine deck, about 60 feet below. William Henries, plant director of engineering, went into considerable depth about the turbine building demolition. He reported that enough of the structure has been cleared to allow for demolition of the massive 40-foot high turbine pedestal and the high structural steel. Remains of the pedestal will be shipped to a licensed landfill in upstate New York. The shipments will require 100 railcars. CDI track record CDI is famous for its many implosions and demolitions of well-known structures in its 52-year history, including the tallest building ever imploded. In October of 1998, it made a world record when it felled the 439 foot J.L. Hudson Hudson Department Store in Detroit. It was also the tallest structural steel building ever imploded at 2.2 million square feet and the largest single building ever imploded. Other world records include the Omega Radio Tower, which was about 1200 feet high, the tallest manmade structure ever felled with explosives. In August of 1998, the company achieved a world record of the most buildings levelled in a single implosion sequence for a 17-building apartment complex in San Juan, Puerto Rico. CDI also was the company chosen to demolish the Sunshine Skyway Bridge at St. Petersburg, Fla., which consisted of two parallel bridges 5621 feet long, from 1991-1993. It was the longest bridge ever demolished in history. In February of 1999, the company demolished the St. Louis Arena and has imploded numerous Las Vegas hotels, such as Dunes, The Aladdin, and The Desert Inn. Other structures it has tackled are Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburg, the Naval Hospital in Philadelphia and the Dayton-Hudson Building in Dayton. In addition, the company has performed demolitions at nuclear and fossil facilities in the United States. Editor@LCNews.Maine.Com Lincoln County News PO Box 36, Damariscotta, ME 04543 Tel: 207.563.3171 http://lcnews.maine.com/2001-09-27/my_blasting.html rev 2001-09-27 ***************************************************************** 19 ADAMS: Items of Interest - Thursday, September 27, 2001 ADAMS - Items of Interest Recent Released Documents Added - Thursday, September 27, 2001 These documents and others may be retrieved at the NRC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Item ID: 012690093 Accession Number: ML012610487 Document Date: 8/17/01 Title: Enclosure 2, "Bechtel SAIC Co, LLC Root Cause Analysis Report for Yucca Mountain Project Technical Document Deficiencies." Author Affiliation: Bechtel SAIC Co LLC Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012690039 Accession Number: ML012320453 Document Date: 9/19/01 Title: G20010285/LTR 01-0339 - Ltr to Senator Joseph I. Lieberman re Constituent's Concerns Regarding Connecticut Yankee Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning and License Termination (Fred P. Edelstein) Author Affiliation: NRC/Chairman Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012690040 Accession Number: ML012330370 Document Date: 9/19/01 Title: G20010290/LTR-01-0345 - Ltr to Senator Christopher J. Dodd re Connecticut Yankee Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning Process Author Affiliation: NRC Chairman Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012690041 Accession Number: ML012330330 Document Date: 9/19/01 Title: G20010340/LTR-01-0402 - Connecticut Yankee Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning Process Author Affiliation: NRC Chairman Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012690168 Accession Number: ML012270436 Document Date: 8/7/01 Title: G20010340/LTR-01-0402 - Rep. Rob Simmons Ltr re Connecticut Yankee Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning Process Author Affiliation: US HR Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012690169 Accession Number: ML012320355 Document Date: 8/17/01 Title: G20010345/LTR-01-0413 - Ralph Beedle (NEI) Ltr re: Rulemaking to Incorporate in 10 CFR Part 26 Guidance on Fatigue of Workers at Nuclear Power Plants (SECY-01-0113) Author Affiliation: Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012690033 Accession Number: ML012330564 Document Date: 9/18/01 Title: G20010345/LTR-01-0413 - Ralph E. Beedle Ltr Re: Comments on SECY-01-0113, Rulemaking to Incorporate Guidance on Fatigue of Workers at Nuclear Power Plants in 10 CFRParty 26 Author Affiliation: NRC/Chairman Document/Report Number: CORR-01-0139 _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012690235 Accession Number: ML012690210 Document Date: 9/25/01 Title: Invites Dr. Li Shen to send representative to a 1-day fuel regulators meeting at US NRC headquarters in Rockville,MD on 10/25/2001. Author Affiliation: NRC/NRR/DSSA/SRXB Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012690078 Accession Number: ML012610048 Document Date: 8/29/01 Title: January - June 2001 Semi-Annual Radioactive Effluent Release Report. Author Affiliation: Niagara Mohawk Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012690232 Accession Number: ML012690053 Document Date: 9/17/01 Title: July 31 Summary PDGP Memorandum - Stakeholder Meeting to Discuss Case Study on the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant Seismic Upgrades. Author Affiliation: NRC/NMSS Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012690233 Accession Number: ML012690056 Document Date: 7/31/01 Title: July 31 Transcript - Interview of Public Meeting on Use of Risk Information in Regulating Nuclear Waste & Materials: Case Study on TMI-2. Pp 1-143. Author Affiliation: NRC Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012690231 Accession Number: ML012690047 Document Date: 9/17/01 Title: July 31, 2001 Summary TMI Memorandum - Stakeholder Meeting to Discuss Case Study on the DOE/INEEL TMI-2 Fuel Debris ISFSI Seismic Exemption. Author Affiliation: NRC/NMSS Document/Report Number: _________________________________________________________________ Item ID: 012690223 Accession Number: ML012640199 Document Date: Title: TMI-2 Transcript and Summaries of Stakeholder Meetings for TMI and PGDP re fuel debris independent spent fuel storage installation seismic exemption. Author Affiliation: Document/Report Number: ***************************************************************** 20 Emergency plans for nuclear attack updated ireland.com - The Irish Times - IRELAND Thursday, September 27, 2001 By Alison O'Connor, Political Reporter THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY PLAN: The Government sought to reassure people last night concerning national emergency plans in the event of terrorist attack. In a statement, the Government said while there was no reason to believe that Ireland would be the subject of a chemical or biological attack, it was considered prudent in light of recent events to review and update emergency plans. A committee of ministers is to be established to deal with this specific threat. It was discussed at yesterday's Cabinet meeting. The "unique characteristics" of chemical and biological emergencies required additional response measures not included in existing plans, said the statement. The group co-ordinating these responses, established following the US attacks, will this morning meet key personnel involved in emergency planning "to assess how existing plans can be modified as part of the overall response to emergencies of this kind". Discussions between the Department of Health and the World Health Organisation are ongoing and the outcome of these would "help to inform deliberations". Detailed arrangements exist under the national emergency plan for nuclear accidents for monitoring dispersal of radioactive particles, it said, for early warning of the public of an emergency and for keeping the public informed of all stages of the emergency. That plan, designed to deal with the impact of a nuclear accident at a nuclear installation abroad, also provides for an emergency committee of ministers "to convene and oversee the response to the extended emergency". "All of these are procedures and structures which will be extended and adapted for chemical and biological threats and arrangements have now been put in place for a committee of ministers to also oversee the response to any chemical or biological threat. "The WHO has offered to assist countries if they experience attacks and believe that most if not all of infectious diseases, whether natural or deliberate, would quickly be detected through a global alert network. "Ireland would, of course, benefit from this and the Department of Health and Children is in liaison with the WHO about these issues," said the statement. The security aspects of the response is being managed by the National Security Committee which met on the day of the US attacks and twice since. It includes the secretaries general of the departments of Justice and Defence, the Garda Commissions and the Defence Forces Chief of Staff. The statement said there were extensive peace-time emergency plans which were co-ordinated at different levels. They cover a variety of situations including major accidents; major oil spillages; nuclear accident; marine search and rescue; exotic animal diseases and severe weather emergencies. "The range and variety of possible emergencies involving different expertises mean that the concept of a single emergency plan is not apt. Rather it is that the national emergency response comprises the full range of plans, each tailored to meet specific contingencies." The Government spokesman said the updated version of the national emergency plan for nuclear accidents was almost complete and would be published within weeks. The plan, by the Department of Public Enterprise, is an "inter-departmental and inter-agency framework for early warning of and rapid response to nuclear emergencies" and the subsequent response. The main aspects of the plan were made available last night. The spokesman said it had been planned to make it available in libraries and to those who requested it. However the situation was under review and it may be distributed to each household. He said that health boards had a supply of iodine tablets, to be taken in the event of a nuclear emergency. These are available on request, but a decision may also be taken to distribute them to households. © 2001 ireland.com ***************************************************************** 21 Jacob's radio performance fails to reassure ireland.com - The Irish Times - IRELAND Minister of State, Mr Joe Jacob, who was criticised over his interview on RTE radio's Marian Finucane show yesterday Thursday, September 27, 2001 By Joe Humphreys The Government's national emergency plan for nuclear accidents ranked among the best in Europe, the Minister of State for energy, Mr Joe Jacob, said yesterday. Speaking prior to the Government's statement last night, he told listeners to RTÉ's Marian Finucane show he had spent the past two years upgrading and updating the plan, which he described as "state of the art". Listeners to the show, however, took a different view, with RTÉ reporting hundreds of calls from people complaining about Mr Jacob's performance. One caller said: "If this is the best the country can produce to devise any sort of early-warning plan then we are in serious trouble." Another said the interview confirmed the Government's response to an attack was to "stick your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye". Mr Jacob had described the nuclear threat as the most relevant to Ireland because of our close proximity to nuclear installations in Britain. The Republic was protected by an early-warning system of radiation monitors, which were manned on a 24-hour basis, he said. In addition, under international agreements, other countries were obliged to warn us of incidents as soon as they occurred. Mr Jacob said accidents in Sellafield had been concealed in the past but, he said, the Government had built up "very strong" links with Britain since and "I believe that (with) the rapport that exists at the moment ... that the bilateral arrangement for an early-warning situation would be honoured." Mr Jacob confirmed the emergency plan would be tested in a simulated exercise in the coming fortnight and within weeks of that, he said, a fact sheet would be sent to "every home in Ireland", detailing what should be done in the case of an emergency. Asked what advice would be given to the public, the Minister said "that information will be issued based on the technical expertise that will assess the situation when it happens, the scale of the incident, the potential of the incident deteriorating or whatever." Speculating about what would happen if a plane crashed into Sellafield, he said: "We're talking about a very, very major accident, something that a great power like the United States was not geared to cope with last week. We would tell people the situation and they would know from again this famous fact sheet that I am talking about. "We would say: 'Please remain indoors. Please stay with your doors and windows closed. Switch off your ventilation systems. We want to minimise your exposure to levels of radiation that are currently, God forbid, out of doors'." He said people would also be told to take iodine tablets and avoid eating contaminated food or water. Farmers would be advised to move cattle indoors where possible. Asked how people could get hold of iodine tablets after taking shelter, Mr Jacob replied: "The Department of Health will have stocks of these. That's one of the things that has to be tweaked and finalised in the coming weeks." Pressed further, he said "That will be in the fact sheet when it gets to your home." Asked whether he knew what was in the fact sheet, he replied: "I have it in my hand so I know exactly what's in the fact sheet." He said it was possible iodine distribution centres would be established. He was also considering sending a vial of iodine to each home with the sheet. Regarding the threat of biological or chemical warfare, Mr Jacob said he was not qualified to talk about this except to say it was considered "highly unlikely that as a small nuclear country Ireland would be targeted in such a way ... I beg your pardon, I've got nuclear on the brain now. A small neutral country." He added that in considering such threats "we mustn't be alarmistic. We must be reassuring." © 2001 ireland.com ***************************************************************** 22 Slovak populist party vows to challenge decision to close nuclear plant BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Sep 27, 2001 Bratislava, 27 September: Slovakia's Smer party will challenge all parliamentary parties to discuss the agreement signed with the EBRD [European Bank for Reconstruction and Development] on funding for the decommissioning of the Bohunice V-1 nuclear reactor. A framework agreement between the EBRD and Slovakia regarding funding for the closure, scheduled between 2006-2008, was approved by cabinet on Wednesday [26 September]. "Smer cannot agree with the wording of the agreement," said Robert Fico, chairman of the nonparliamentary Smer party and one of Slovakia's most popular politicians. "I think that only Justice Minister Jan Carnogursky read what was written in the agreement," Fico said, referring to the fact that approval of the agreement was initially held up by Carnogursky employing a right of veto. Fico described the submitter of the proposal, Economy Minister Lubomir Harach, to be a "liar who deceives the public". "The minister (Harach) said the agreement did not oblige Slovakia to liquidate the (two) blocks (of V-1 reactor). But Article 4 states that Slovakia will take all the required measures to implement the energy policy and meet its commitment to close the reactor between 2006-2008 and liquidate it," Fico said. He said if Smer joins the next government, it would cancel the government's resolution of 1999 to close the reactor earlier than necessary, and would seek further talks with the EBRD. The government passed the resolution within the framework of the European Union accession process. "We want to negotiate different conditions with the EU as V-1 has permit to operate until 2010," Fico added. In reaction to Fico's statement, an Economy Ministry spokesman told TASR news agency that the 1999 resolution clearly defines when V-1 would be shut down and liquidated. There are several alternatives to liquidation, and since the Economy Ministry has until 2004 to submit them to cabinet, they should be decided by the next government. At the session on Wednesday, the cabinet instructed Harach to sign the Framework Agreement as well as related agreements on compensation in November... Source: TASR web site, Bratislava, in English 1359 gmt 27 Sep 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to ***************************************************************** 23 Slovak cabinet okays pact to set up fund for nuclear plant shutdown BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Sep 27, 2001 Text of report in English by Slovak commercial news agency SITA web site Bratislava, 26 September: At its special meeting on Wednesday [26 September], the Coalition Council consented to a draft agreement to create an international fund with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for decommissioning the V-1 nuclear power station in Jaslovske Bohunice. Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda told the press that his cabinet will continue dealing with the issue on the same day. The cabinet interrupted its Wednesday session after Justice Minister Jan Carnogursky vetoed its discussion on the issue. Afterwards the Coalition Council met to discuss it. Dzurinda said that behind Carnogursky's move was probably a request of Slovenske elektrarne representatives who wanted to specify the financial impacts of the V-1 shutdown. The Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) did not instruct its cabinet minister how to vote on the agreement, Dzurinda said. Signing the agreement is a precondition for closing the energy chapter in Slovakia's pre-entry talks with the European Union. The agreement should be inked by the end of this year, after which the European Commission will put 150m euros (6.57bn korunas) into the fund through the EBRD. All formalities should be completed by the end of December so that power producer Slovenske elektrarne, which operates Slovakia's nuclear power stations, might receive the first 10m euros (438m korunas), originally allocated for 1999. The European Commission has allocated 150m euros as compensation for costs associated with decommissioning V-1's two units planned for 2006 and 2008. Funds will come from a PHARE [EU economic reconstruction aid for Eastern Europe] fund and Slovakia will sign a financial memorandum for 20m euros every two years. (One dollar equals 47.82 Slovak korunas.) Source: SITA news agency web site, Bratislava, in English 1901 gmt 26 Sep 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material ***************************************************************** 24 Finns consider possibility of terrorist attack on nuclear power plants BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Sep 27, 2001 Text of report by Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat web site on 19 September Monkare and Sasi would increase the amount of nuclear power produced in Finland The terrorist attacks against the United States have once again prompted a discussion on the safety of nuclear power. Many people are concerned what would happen if terrorists crashed a passenger aeroplane into a Finnish nuclear power plant. Would it not be sensible to give up nuclear power plants just because of the risk of terrorism? The attacks and possible retaliation also support the opposite view. In an interview with Aamulehti, supporters of nuclear power, Minister of Trade and Industry Sinikka Monkare (Social Democrat) and Foreign Trade Minister Kimmo Sasi (Conservative), are making it clear that now there is more reason than ever to build more nuclear power. With unrest spreading in the Arab world, there is reason to increase the share of domestic production of energy and decrease the dependence on oil. "Now we have to consider very carefully what kind of risks result from the world politics and how the termination of oil deliveries or sharp price increases will impact Finnish society," Monkare notes. She believes it is definitely in the interests of society to build more nuclear power, "when this kind of crises situations and threats arise". "Of course, we have to study how well nuclear power plants can withstand attacks", Monkare adds. What would happen if a passenger plane hijacked by terrorists crashed into the Loviisa power plant? "The building would not do well," answers Juhani Hyvarinen, a leading expert from the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety. "But fortunately the power plant reactor vessel is not right next to the containment. It is not possible to break it by crashing into the structure of the power plant," he adds. The containment structure is made of reinforced concrete and has a tight steel liner inside. A passenger plane would crush the containment walls, but the nuclear reactor at the bottom would not immediately explode or melt. Hyvarinen believes that it would shut down or would be shut down. "According to a current estimate, we cannot exclude the possibility that there would be some kind of leak in the reactor system. Radioactive water or steam could escape from the damaged pipeline or valves." The most dangerous situation would occur if, in the middle of the damage, the reactor could not be cooled down. The reactor would melt and release radioactivity which, like in Chernobyl, would spread into the surrounding area. According to Hyvarinen, the walls of all the Finnish nuclear power plants can withstand, "with reasonable certainty", the crash of a small aeroplane, but not of a passenger plane. One of the ways used to prevent crashes is that the flight paths go around nuclear power plants and there is a ban on flying near the power plants in Finland. Source: Helsingin Sanomat web site, Helsinki, in Finnish 19 Sep 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR WEAPONS ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 Bellona presents new report in Murmansk Bellona's new report focuses on solutions for retired submarines and radwaste on the Kola Peninsula, advocates against reprocessing; the Kursk eats up submarine decommissioning budget. The freezing air, just a couple degrees above zero, white caps on the hills - the first snow fell during the night – the city of Murmansk in the Russian Far North. In the centre of Murmansk one of the biggest halls in the city is rebuild to accommodate the state run press centre for the journalists who cover the Kursk lifting operation. The failure of the Russian authorities to manage the media one year ago right after the Kursk had sunk was a lesson learned. The lifting operation coverage is now the responsibility of the presidential public relations service. Bellona’s Nils Bohmer, Aleksandr Nikitin and Andrey Zolotkov arrived to Murmansk earlier this week. On September 27th at 10:00 a.m. Bellona was to hold a press conference on the new report - The Arctic Nuclear Challenge. The press conference had to be postponed. The day before the event Bellona learned that the presidential public relation service is making incredible efforts to divert journalists from Bellona’s presentation. First a TV-link with the head of the Kursk lifting operation, Mikhail Motsak, was announced to take place at the Kursk press centre exactly at the same time when Bellona was to hold the press conference. The TV-link was to be followed by a press conference with Murmansk environmental officials. Finally, Northern Fleet’s speedboat was to take journalist to the place of the Kursk accident later the same day. The TV-link failed. Bellona’s press conference went as planned first in the morning, than in the afternoon. The conference hall was full with journalists. The Arctic Nuclear Challenge The report is the third in the series of Bellona?s publications on radioactive waste management in Murmansk and Arkhangelsk counties. The second report ? The Russian Northern Fleet ? provoked a fierce reaction from the Russian Security Police, or FSB, which charged Aleksandr Nikitin, one of the co-authors, with high treason and disclosure of state secrets. Bellona won the case against the successor to the KBG. But it took long five years from 1995 and until 2000. In 2000 Bellona was back on track starting work on the new report. The intention of the new report is not only to describe the existence of the problem, but rather to provide analyses in search for solutions. Since 1996, after the Northern Fleet report was published, there was a great deal of attention to the retired nuclear powered submarines and other radwaste management issues in the region both on the national and international level. Today the responsibility for the management of naval radioactive waste has being gradually transformed to semi-civilian Ministry for Atomic Energy, Minatom. The aim was to relive the Navy of this burden and channel the funds and coordination of nuclear safety issues through one federal agency ? Minatom. Although the transfer has not been complete, there is a great deal of progress. The number of submarines being defuelled and decommissioned has increased over the past two years. The funding comes mainly from international sources, directly or indirectly. In the light of the recent terror attacks on the USA, Minatom has already voiced its concern that the funds from the United States may start drying up. Washington has been the main contributor to the submarine decommissioning programs. Order The Arctic Nuclear Challenge he report does not only contain the updated information on nuclear safety issues, it also presents solutions to secure spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste in the Murmansk and Arkhangelsk counties. Order it today » Regional storage vs reprocessing One of the key issues discussed in the new report is the necessity to build an interim storage for spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste on the Kola Peninsula. Today spent nuclear fuel from nuclear submarines and nuclear powered icebreakers is being shipped to Mayak plant in the southern Ural for reprocessing. Bellona is confident that such scheme will not solve the problem of spent fuel being accumulated in the region. 113 nuclear submarines have been taken out of service in the Northern Fleet. This resulted in the fact that there are 248 reactor cores stored currently onboard laid up nuclear submarines, in the storage tanks of poorly repaired nuclear service ships and in the run down storage facilities. To ship all the fuel to the Mayak plant with two nuclear transport trains available in Russia will take at least 25 years. The Mayak plant itself has neither the storage capacity nor the reprocessing capacity for such amounts of spent fuel. Bellona estimates that as high as 50% of spent nuclear fuel in the region cannot be reprocessing. This estimate includes damaged fuel, fuel with zirconium cladding and fuel from liquid metal cooled reactors. The environmental situation around the Mayak plant is appalling. The years of nuclear weaponry production and spent fuel reprocessing have given Mayak the fame of being the most radioactively contaminated place on earth. To Bellona’s opinion, the spent fuel management in the region can be effectively solved by construction of an interim buffer storage with the life span of at least 50 years. International co-operation stumbled Although there was a certain progress in international efforts to aid Russia removing her cold war radioactive traces, there are still issues pending solution. The nuclear liability, a kind of insurance, remains to be one of the key problems in multilateral relations. So far each country, which wanted to take part in the nuclear waste management programs in Russia had to sign an intergovernmental agreement. This required a lot of time and effort. A couple of years ago Norway started an initiative called Multilateral Nuclear Environmental Programs in Russia (MNEPR). The intention was to create a standard agreement that would resolve all the juridical issues, including the nuclear liability. Bellona believes that signing of MNEPR will remove the legal roadblocks. How to remove the relation roadblocks between Russia and Western partners and how to come to a common agreement as to what has to be done – is another big issue. Minatom is sticking to its corporative interests in all the projects. And the corporative interests of this ministry are very seldom environmentally friendly. It is clearly stated in the report that the present sources of minor presence of radioactivity in the Arctic seas is the result of nuclear testing, Chernobyl accident and operation of Sellafield reprocessing plant in the Great Britain, the main contaminator. The Northern Fleet, nuclear icebreakers fleet and Kola nuclear power plant are generating waste and the waste is very poorly managed, but risks are still potential. To stop the risks developing into the actual contamination, the right actions must be taken today. Kursk eats up submarine decommissioning budget Bellona has said before that even the worst-case scenario during the lifting of the Kursk submarine will not lead to an environmental disaster. The critical stage of the operation will be when the submarine is being set into the dry dock at Roslyakovo shipyard, five kilometres from Murmansk, and eventual unloading of 22 cruise missiles from the submarine. All data gathered so far points to the fact that the two reactors onboard the Kursk are shutdown and were not severely damaged by the explosions in submarine’s torpedo section. Their condition, however, will be clear only when the submarine is placed into the dry dock. The Kursk lifting operation cannot be considered as an environmental endeavour. The most likely reason to lift the Kursk at whatever costs is the promise of the Russian president last year to do so. But the price tag to fulfil the promise is now nearing $130 million. The whole budget for decommissioning of nuclear powered submarines provided by the Russian government amounted $40 million in 2000. This year it was expected an increase to $80 million. But Minatom officials have already said they fear the Kursk decommissioning would have to be funded from their budget and the cost to do the job may be as high as $60 million. From the environmental point of view Bellona believes that the retired nuclear powered submarines and run down nuclear storage sites in the Northern Fleet pose far greater risks than the Kursk at the bottom of the Barents Sea. Thus funding for those issues should have been prioritised. 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. ***************************************************************** 2 Russia reports progress in removing nuclear fuel from decommissioned submarines BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Sep 27, 2001 Text of report by Russian news agency ITAR-TASS St Petersubrg, 26 September, ITAR-TASS correspondent Nikolay Krupenchik: The Russian navy has decommissioned a total of 183 nuclear submarines at the end of their service life. Sixty per cent of the nuclear submarines destined for scrap are in Murmansk and Archangel Region. At the same time, "radioactive nuclear fuel has not been removed from 80 per cent of the submarines that retain but are gradually losing their buoyancy to corrosion". This warning was given by Nina Yanovskaya, director of the Russian Atomic Energy Ministry's inter-sectoral coordinating scientific and technical centre for nuclide production (ICC Nuclide) at today's St Petersburg conference, entitled "Radiation safety: ecology and nuclear power". The Russian Atomic Energy Ministry has adopted a strategy for speeding up the removal of nuclear fuel from reactors on submarines that are so delapidated they have only low buoyancy. In 1999, Nina Yanovskaya said, nuclear fuel was removed from eight reactors in the Russian north and Far East. Last year nuclear fuel was removed from 16 submarines and the programme for removing it from another two "went on into 2001". This work will have been done on 21 nuclear submarines by the end of this year. It is necessary to maintain this level in order to complete unloading the reactors of all the Russian navy's decommissioned nuclear submarines by 2007, the ICC director said in conclusion. Source: ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in Russian 1315 gmt 26 Sep 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to ***************************************************************** 3 Russian official denies US paper report of nuclear materials sold to Bin-Ladin BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Sep 27, 2001 Text of report by Russian Mayak radio on 27 September [Presenter] Citing anonymous sources in the US intelligence, the Washington Times newspaper has published an article claiming that the Usamah Bin-Ladin-led terrorist organization is buying components for manufacturing biological, chemical, bacteriological and even nuclear weapons through certain Russian mafia groups. The Russian Foreign Ministry sees this as an attempt to undermine relations between the two countries. This was announced in an interview with Mayak by a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Boris Malakhavov. [Malakhavov] A question arises: why is it that instead of discussing this through channels available to the two countries, including through the confidential channels, such a report was circulated by the newspaper. This is very strange, especially, as much more than ever before, the USA and Russia are now pooling efforts in the fight against a common threat emanating from international terrorism. We are under the impression that not everyone in the USA likes the positive tendency in relations between Russia and the USA and our close cooperation in all the areas, especially at the highest level. Attempts to create an image of Russia as of a country associated with the mafia in no way comply with reality. Attempts, in some way, to discredit Russian-US cooperation are not very attractive and have no future in view of the situation which developed in the world after the events of 11 September. Source: Radio Mayak, Moscow, in Russian 0900 gmt 27 Sep 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to ***************************************************************** 4 Russian research ship to monitor radiation as Kursk raised BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Sep 27, 2001 [Presenter] Latest reports from the scene of the operation to raise the nuclear submarine Kursk say that experts have come up against problems - a new method of clearing the areas cut through in compartments seven and eight has not met expectations and divers are now clearing the opening by hand using the remote-controlled cradle. This is hampering the timing of the operation. Details in a report from Aleksandr Minakov. [Correspondent] ...The oceanographic research vessel Semen Dezhnev is today setting out for the scene of the operation to conduct radiation monitoring in the final phase. It carries 10 Russian experts from the Kurchatov Institute, the Krylov Scientific Research Institute and the Tayfun Scientific Production Association. They will be using these deep-water spectrometers to monitor background radiation and also seabed and water samples. These have all been used before in work on the submarine Komsomolets. [Aleksey Kazennov, leader of the group of radiation monitoring experts] These make it possible to monitor radiation in the water immediately and at the scene during the lifting process, say. With a very high degree of sensitivity. [Correspondent] This remote gamma-spectrometer spent a whole year on board the sunken Komsomolets. It registered a minute increase in the radiation background in the nuclear reactor zone which then ceased. This spectrometer is now to operate on the Kursk. The experts will first of all be making an assessment of the condition of the nuclear reactors. Two Norwegian experts will be taking part in the radiation monitoring operation. They will be brought to the ship later. However, Russian scientists do not see any practical point in this. According to them, the Norwegians are only coming in for one reason. [Kazennov] To confirm our findings. I don't know why they don't believe us, or they do believe us - but not much. If the raising of the submarine and its transportation to Roslyakovo go well, these experts will work on the dismantling of the Kursk. However, at the moment nobody wants to talk about that phase. They don't want to put a jinx on things. Source: Russia TV, Moscow, in Russian 1600 gmt 24 Sep 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to ***************************************************************** 5 Nuclear bunker spaces on sale 27/09/2001 08:12 - (SA) London - A British farmer is selling places in a private nuclear bunker for 30 000 pounds each in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the United States. Mike Parrish (52) says he has had two "serious offers" and expects more as fears grow that the effects of the US-led coaliation against terrorism will spread to Britain, its closest European ally. The bunker, at Kelvedon Hatch, southeast England, was built during the Cold War to protect up to 250 government officials. It is 25 metres deep, has walls 10 feet thick and has an air filtration plant, dormitories, canteen and television studio. "I've already had two serious offers and I would expect more. I shall interview people to see if they are suitable before making any decisions," said Parrish. "I'm not scaremongering. I'm just being sensible." - AFP ***************************************************************** 6 Subcritical nuclear experiment carried out at test facility [Las Vegas Review-Journal] Thursday, September 27, 2001 Anti-nuclear activists criticize `poor timing' By KEITH ROGERS REVIEW-JOURNAL Government scientists successfully conducted the Oboe 8 subcritical nuclear experiment Wednesday at the Nevada Test Site, a National Nuclear Security Administration spokesman said. Derek Scammell said eight anti-nuclear activists showed up at the Mercury entrance to the test site, 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas, to protest the experiment, which was conducted at 1:47 p.m. Five protesters were cited for trespassing and released, he said. A statement from the Shundahai Network, an international anti-nuclear organization based in Southern Nevada, said the United States demonstrated "extremely poor timing" by conducting the experiment as President Bush declares war on terrorism. "The people of America will not stand for nuclear weapons testing designed to show that might is right," said the Shundahai Network's statement, quoting spokeswoman Susi Snyder. Scammell said the Oboe 8 experiment, conducted by scientists from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, detonated small amounts of nuclear material with high explosives. He said the experiment is one in a series aimed at ensuring the safety and reliability of nuclear weapons by determining how the stockpile ages. The experiments allow scientists to study how materials, such as plutonium, blow apart when detonated. The experiments, conducted in a below-ground complex 85 miles northwest of Las Vegas, are designed to stop short of erupting into nuclear chain reactions. Lawrence Livermore scientists conducted their most recent subcritical experiment, Oboe 6, on Dec. 14. The next in the series, Oboe 7, was scheduled for this year but was postponed for budgetary reasons. It probably will be conducted next year, Scammell said. Oboe 8 was the nation's 14th subcritical experiment since the program was launched July 2, 1997. Full-scale U.S. nuclear weapons tests were put on hold indefinitely in 1992. The National Nuclear Security Administration is a branch of the Department of Energy. ***************************************************************** 7 Compensation would be expanded for those with disease [Las Vegas Review-Journal] Thursday, September 27, 2001 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal Bill would aid silicosis victims By STEVE TETREAULT DONREY WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- The Senate is nearing passage of a bill expanding compensation for people who contracted lung disease after tunneling the Nevada Test Site for underground nuclear weapons tests. An amendment expected to be placed on a 2002 defense authorization bill would broaden eligibility for victims of silicosis, a progressive lung ailment that has been diagnosed in former test site workers who inhaled silica dust. "I don't want people to be almost dead from silicosis in order to be covered," said Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who authored the amendment. Dr. Lewis Pepper, an assistant public health professor at Boston University who oversees medical screening of former test site employees, said the change would benefit as many as 71 additional workers depending on other circumstances of their employment. Those workers did not qualify for payments of $150,000 plus medical care under a more restrictive bill enacted into law last year. A second element of the Reid amendment would expand the ability of certain dependents to claim benefits if they provided care to family members who died from illnesses contracted during their government employment. The defense bill is expected to pass the Senate early next week. The silicosis amendment then would be negotiated in a conference committee since the House version of the legislation is silent on the issue, congressional aides said. The amendment follows up on the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Program, a law enacted last year granting $150,000 and medical care compensation to thousands of government contract workers who labored in nuclear installations, were exposed to radiation and toxic substances, and subsequently contracted debilitating diseases. Reid, the Senate's majority whip, got Armed Services Committee leaders to accept his amendment into a package of noncontroversial items that will be added to the defense bill shortly before it is passed, aides said. As lawmakers were negotiating last year's benefit bill, a late change toughened an X-ray standard for silicosis that determines eligibility for benefits. The change was expected to limit benefits to about 50 former test site workers. "The current energy employees program was a long time in coming and is successfully helping many of Nevada's Cold War heroes receive the medical care and compensation they are due," Reid said in a statement. "We need to build on the current program so that all deserving victims and surviving family members are included." This story is located at: http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2001/Sep-27-Thu-2001/news/17095657.html ***************************************************************** 8 Pantex citizens board's fate up in air Amarillo Globe-News: Local News: Web posted Wednesday, September 26, 2001 By Jim McBride jmcbride@amarillonet.com Pantex Citizens Advisory Board members could not reach consensus Tuesday on whether to operate under a new environmental charter, but most supported moving forward under the revised charter. Energy Department headquarters told board members in a letter that the board cannot continue making recommendations on Pantex health, safety and operational matters. For years, the board made suggestions to DOE on matters ranging from plutonium storage to environmental cleanup. "The PPCAB needs to focus its resources on environmental concerns faced at Pantex rather than defense programs and operations," the letter said. Twelve board members voted Tuesday to operate under the revised Energy Department charter, but board member Rusty Donelson refused to vote on the change, blocking consensus. The decision moves to DOE Amarillo Area Office Manager Dan Glenn, who will consult with other DOE officials about whether the board will continue to exist. Board co-chairman Walt Kelley asked Donelson whether there was any way he could support the new charter and allow the board to achieve consensus. Donelson said he would support the change only if the DOE would allow board members to review past, present and future Pantex operations. "My commitment when I came on to this board ... and for as long as I will remain on this board will always be to the community," he said. "It will not be to the DOE." Board members Jeri Osborne and Sidney Blankenship said they wanted the board to continue monitoring Pantex cleanup. Osborne said it was not the board's fault that the DOE changed the charter. "Somewhere along the way, that original charter got lost," she said. "However we do it, we need to grab what we can." The board heard a consultant's recommendations on how it could continue under a new environmental focus. Jerry Johnson, a DOE official overseeing the board, said he will consult with Glenn on the board's future. "Plan to continue until you hear otherwise," he said. ***************************************************************** 9 USEC Announces Milestone: 5,000 Nuclear Warheads Destroyed Wednesday September 26, 10:23 am Eastern Time Press Release SOURCE: USEC Inc. Bomb Material Converted to Power Plant Fuel Through Megatons to Megawatts Program -USEC Commercial Sales Fund Program; More Than $2 Billion Paid to Russia- BETHESDA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 26, 2001-- USEC Inc. (NYSE:USU - news), the U.S. government's executive agent implementing the Megatons to Megawatts program, today announced the achievement of a milestone in nuclear nonproliferation. One hundred twenty-five metric tons of Russian nuclear warhead material--the equivalent of 5,000 nuclear warheads--have been successfully eliminated by conversion to nuclear fuel. USEC purchases the fuel from the Russian Federation for use in commercial nuclear power plants. The Megatons to Megawatts program is now in its seventh year of commercial implementation by USEC and Russia's executive agent, Tenex. The program is paid for entirely by USEC purchases, so far totaling more than $2 billion. No taxpayer funds are expended on this program. As the world's leading supplier of enriched uranium fuel, USEC markets both the Russian HEU-derived fuel and fuel it produces at its facility in Paducah, KY to its utility customers. When the Russian material is combined with enrichment production at USEC's Paducah facility, the resulting economics enhance USEC's competitive market position. ``This achievement marks a substantial reduction in the global threat of nuclear weapons proliferation and demonstrates the successful alignment of national security and commercial interests,'' said USEC President and CEO William H. Timbers. ``This seven-year commercial partnership between USEC and Tenex has been an unqualified success, and the program is ahead of the schedule envisioned when it was first undertaken.'' In the early 1990s, the U.S. government began discussions with Russia on the concept of converting Russian nuclear warheads into fuel for nuclear power plants. In 1993, the United States and Russia signed a 20-year, $12 billion agreement for the dilution of 500 metric tons of highly enriched uranium (HEU) from dismantled Russian nuclear warheads into low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel. The agreement specified that executive agents appointed by the U.S. and Russian governments carry out the agreement on commercial business terms. In 1994, USEC and Tenex signed the 20-year commercial implementing contract, now popularly known as Megatons to Megawatts--denoting conversion of nuclear warheads into electricity. To date, 125 metric tons of Russian nuclear warhead HEU, a quarter of the total 500 metric tons, have been converted into nuclear fuel--enough fuel to meet the electric power needs of the entire United States for six months. In a progress report on the Megatons to Megawatts program delivered today before the International Nuclear Materials Policy Forum in Washington, D.C., USEC Senior Vice President Philip Sewell said, ``USEC and Tenex have established a strong, productive and mutually beneficial commercial partnership. And that partnership has achieved an impressive track record consistent with the objectives and mutual interests of their respective governments. By the end of 2001, additional material equivalent to 700 nuclear warheads will be converted to fuel, increasing the total to 5,700. This is a monumental achievement in nuclear threat reduction and a success story by any measure. We are looking forward to continuing our successful implementation of this program.'' Recent acts of terrorism have raised global concern about potential nuclear warhead material safeguards and the importance of the Megatons to Megawatts program. A proposal is under consideration that would increase the amount of nuclear weapons material to be converted to fuel that USEC will purchase this year. ``We are awaiting government approval to execute these terms,'' Sewell said. His complete remarks appear in the News section of USEC's website, www.usec.com. + Nuclear Weapons Conversion: How It's Done- The conversion from warhead HEU to LEU fuel takes place at several Russian nuclear installations and begins with the removal of nuclear warheads from dismantled Russian strategic and tactical nuclear weapons. Component Removal: At the Siberian Chemical Enterprise (formerly Tomsk-7) in Seversk and the Mayak Production Association near Ozersk, the HEU metal components are removed from the warheads and machined into metal shavings. The shavings are heated and converted to an HEU oxide form and any contaminants are chemically removed. Fluorination: At the Siberian Chemical Enterprise and the Electrochemical Plant near Krasnoyarsk, the HEU oxide is converted to highly enriched uranium hexafluoride (UF6), a compound that becomes a gas when heated. Dilution: At the Siberian Chemical Enterprise, the Electrochemical Plant and the Urals Electrochemical Integrated Plant near Ekaterinburg, the highly enriched UF6 is introduced into a gaseous process stream. There, it mixes with other material and is diluted to less than 5 percent concentration, a level too low to be of any military value but ideal for producing electric power. Transfer to Cylinders: At the three dilution facilities, the now low-enriched UF6 fuel is transferred to 2.5-ton steel cylinders, then enclosed in shipping containers and taken to a collection point in St. Petersburg, Russia. USEC takes possession of the fuel containers in St. Petersburg, where it is shipped to USEC's facilities in the United States. Arrival in Portsmouth: At USEC's Portsmouth facility in Ohio, the LEU is tested to ensure that it meets appropriate commercial and customer specifications. If necessary, the enrichment level of the uranium fuel can be further adjusted to meet utility customers' needs. Shipment to Fabricators: Based on customer instructions, USEC ships the LEU to fabricators (Global Nuclear Fuel, Framatome or Westinghouse) for fabrication into fuel assemblies. The assemblies are then shipped to utility customers as a fuel source for their nuclear reactors. USEC Inc., a global energy company, is the world's leading supplier of enriched uranium fuel for commercial nuclear power plants. Contact: USEC Inc. Charles Yulish, 301/564-3391 or Elizabeth Stuckle, 301/564-3399 ***************************************************************** 10 Milestone approaches for Hanford cleanup Thursday, September 27, 2001 SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER NEWS SERVICES After 13 years and three false starts, preparations are finally under way for construction of a massive plant that will process radioactive waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. Today, Hanford will hold a ceremony celebrating initiation of the $4 billion project to turn into glass the radioactive waste now stored in leaky underground tanks. Bechtel National Inc. will begin clearing the site, trenching for pipes and laying cable in preparation for construction expected to begin next year. By 2007, workers will begin turning to glass the 53 million gallons of waste left from the creation of plutonium for atomic bombs. [Seattle Post-Intelligencer] 101 Elliott Ave. W. Seattle, WA 98119 (206) 448-8000 Send comments to newmedia@seattle-pi.com ***************************************************************** 11 St. Marys airport near Navy base closes indefinitely after attacks Savannah NOW: Local News - 09/27/01 The Associated Press ST. MARYS -- With the aviation industry still suffering from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, this coastal Georgia city's small airport may have to close for good. The St. Marys Airport, which rents hangars to 27 small planes, is located about a mile from the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base, home port to 10 Trident nuclear submarines. Federal officials say that is too close to ensure base security and have restricted flights near the base indefinitely, effectively shutting down the airport's two runways. "It's the Navy's intent to keep this airport permanently closed," said Jeff Stanford, who signed a 25-year lease with the city last year to run the airport. Stanford said Wednesday he has had to lay off his staff --a full-time assistant and four part-time workers. "I can't afford to dry up a month at a time until I'm permanently closed," he said. The privately owned single- and twin-engine planes at the airport have been grounded since the attacks on New York and Washington. Pilots will be allowed to take off Saturday and Sunday to move their planes, but only after they have been inspected by local police, Kings Bay officials said. "We have to do everything we can to possibly reduce a threat," said Cmdr. Terry Evans, a base spokesman. "Having an airport adjacent to the base is simply a risk we're not going to take. This eliminates one potential threat." The airport has to close because the Department of Defense has restricted all aircraft flying lower than 5,000 feet within five miles of the base, said Christopher White, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration in Atlanta. St. Marys is the only airport in the FAA's Southern region of eight states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands that remains closed, White said. While most of the pilots based at St. Marys fly for pleasure, the airport is also frequented by corporate planes owned by companies doing business with the area's large paper mill, hospitals and the military, Stanford said. Now those flights will have to be diverted to airports about 30 miles away in Brunswick or Jacksonville, Fla., he said. St. Marys Mayor Jerry Brandon is asking for help from the area's congressman, Rep. Jack Kingston, and Georgia Sens. Max Cleland and Zell Miller. In a letter to the three lawmakers, Brandon said it could take four years and $20 million to build a new airport. "Not only would it be cost prohibitive, but it is doubtful that moving the airport would actually increase base security," Brandon wrote. "Additionally, the financial impact on local businesses from shutting down their air operations for that length of time would be devastating for them." Stanford said revenues at the airport --where he rents hangar space, gives flight lessons, sells fuel and does maintenance and repairs --had increased 400 percent in the last year. Owners who do not move their planes will continue to pay $125 to $150 a month for hangar space or $30 to tie their planes down outside. Vic Carahan of Jacksonville said he will not be moving his two-seat Cessna 150 from the airport this weekend because he will be away at a funeral. He hopes the airport will eventually reopen. "I'm going to keep this here as long as I can," Carahan said. "I don't see how (flight restrictions) will help anything at all. ... It's just a devastating thing to shut this down." © 2001 Savannah Morning News. All rights reserved. PRIVACY ***************************************************************** 12 USEC reaches nuclear fuel milestone - The Paducah Sun Paducah, Kentucky Thursday, September 27, 2001 The firm has converted the equivalent of 5,000 Russian nuclear warheads and is 40 percent ahead of its 20-year schedule. By Joe Walker jwalker@paducahsun.com--270.575.8650 USEC Inc. has reached a milestone of converting the equivalent of 5,000 Russian warheads into nuclear fuel in the seventh year of a $12 billion, 20-year disarmament program that has greater significance in light of recent acts of terrorism. USEC Senior Vice President Phillip Sewell, speaking Wednesday at the eighth annual International Nuclear Policy Forum in Washington, D.C., said the terrorism has raised global concern about warhead safeguards and the importance of USEC's "megatons to megawatts" program. Sewell said the events of Sept. 11 "signal an elevated new level of concern and urgency about nuclear materials management and the potential acquisition and use of these weapons materials by terrorist organizations." There is "urgent need" for government approval to increase the amount of Russian material being converted to nuclear fuel, he said. The Bush administration is reviewing USEC's plan to remain sole agent of the uranium and get lower prices, a strategy opposed by the nation's nuclear power industry. Pending federal approval, USEC can't place orders for 2002 delivery and Russian officials say they will delay or decrease shipments, Sewell said. USEC, which has bought $2 billion worth of Russian enriched uranium to date, says it is preserving the life of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant by mixing the plant's higher-cost fuel with less-expensive Russian material. Sewell said the equivalent of 700 more Russian warheads will be converted to nuclear fuel by the end of the year. "This is a monumental achievement in nuclear threat reduction and a success story by any measure," he said at the forum. USEC is 40 percent ahead of the original 20-year schedule to convert the equivalent of about 20,000 Russian warheads. Sewell said the material converted so far would produce enough explosives to destroy every major city in the world or enough electricity to power a city the size of Boston for nearly 200 years. Sewell said 428 ballistic missiles, 483 long-range nuclear cruise missiles, 225 submarine-launched ballistic missiles and other atomic weapons have been dismantled and destroyed. He said 5,600 nuclear warheads on strategic delivery systems aimed at the United States have been deactivated. Since 1994, USEC has advanced payments to Russia many times, totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, to help convert the material or help Russia financially, Sewell said. Despite four interrupted deliveries, USEC used its production and inventory resources to meet customer sales. ***************************************************************** 13 Sub Contractors Do High-Radiation Work THE WHITEHAVEN NEWS Thursday, September 27, 2001 SUB contractors are being used by BNFL for some of the more dangerous high-radiation work in taking apart the inside of the famous WAGR "golfball" nuclear reactor core. But BNFL insists the use of contractors is because of "resource management" and all radiation doses have been well within the five milli sieverts-a-year safety limit. The media was invited on site to the Windscale Advanced Gas Reactor (WAGR) project on Tuesday. They heard that the £80 million project to decommission the reactor was on target and within its planned cost budget. Engineers have been carrying out the most "challenging phase" in dismantling the high radiation "hot box" on the top of the nuclear reactor core. The reactor was shut down in 1983. BNFL has taken on the main contract to dismantle the reactor and its 800 tonnes of highly radioactive graphite. BNFL project manager Mark Steele explained why sub-contractors were used on the manual entries to the high radiation area. "It is merely best resource management for one-off tasks. They are trained for specific tasks and we all have to ensure that ionising radiation legislation is complied with," he said. "We don't use sub-contractors because it is radiation work.'' ***************************************************************** 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: *****************************************************************