***************************************************************** 11/28/01 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 9.280 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER CONTENTS 1 Stop Price-Anderson reauthorization 2 DON'T REAUTHORIZE PRICE-ANDERSON!! MAKE THE NUCLEAR 3 Japan: Assembly of town in Mie Prefecture to adopt petition 4 Environmentalists to appeal Sellafield ruling 5 Meeting of closed minds: The UK's public inquiry 6 Andra aims to create prospective nuclear waste inventory 7 Fission reaction in Czech nuclear plant restarted 8 Czech deputy premier urges end of nuclear plant talks with 9 EU confirms Czech-Austrian nuclear plant summit for 29 10 Czech cabinet interrupts discussion on nuclear plant 11 Russian Audit Chamber backs nuclear industry's drive to 12 House Votes to Renew Nuke Plant Liability Law 13 Why does nuclear power industry still need special liability protection? 14 House renews protection for nuclear power plants 15 House OKs Nuke Plant Liability Limit 16 Weak alloy may have caused leak 17 House votes for nuclear subsidy 18 Environmental groups, Irish Republic take action to stop nuclear reprocessing 19 Dominion: Nuclear glitch not so bad 20 Calpine wants power plant near Surry nuclear facility 21 IAEA Daily Press Review Date 2001-11-28 Number 227 22 Senate Leader Sees Energy Bill Vote Next Year 23 N-waste storage: Time to OK site and move on 24 WNA NEWS BRIEFING 01.48 | 21 - 27 November 2001 25 KNEF to launch PR campaign for nuclear energy 26 N-waste storage: Time to OK site and move on 27 Taxpayers for Common Sense: End The Price-Anderson Act 28 A security blanket at Seabrook Station NUCLEAR WEAPONS CONTENTS 1 N.Korea Urged to Address Nuke Worries 2 Two Pakistani nuclear scientists under spyglass again 3 How Secure Is Pakistan's Plutonium? 4 Fears over nuclear terror 5 US finds 40 nuke test labs 6 Moment of truth closing 7 US finds no evidence of nuclear, chemical, biological weapons 8 EPA shuffle decried: Shattuck watchdog fighting transfer 9 Two Pakistani nuclear scientists under spyglass again 10 Some experts worry that bin Laden may have the ultimate weapon 11 53 of 96 lawsuits settled 12 Presentation focuses on health clinic 13 On nuclear material, Bush, Congress clash 14 Terror laws at-a-glance 15 Ashcroft says 603 still detained; documents show federal concerns 16 Cameco secures Russian warhead uranium supply: Firms up previous **************************************************************** **************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 Stop Price-Anderson reauthorization Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 23:34:19 -0600 (CST) Reply-To: Jim Harris Here is a new Progressive Secretary Letter. [ ] Send - Send this letter to congress people for zip code ________ [ ] Send - Send this letter to congress people for the state of ____ Sign my letter _____ [ ] No - Don't send this letter Note: This letter supports a campaign of the Nuclear Energy Information Service and Public Citizen. It goes to Congress. http://www.geocities.com/priceanderson/ Further information: http://www.geocities.com/priceanderson/ From: Your Name and eMail Address To: Your Senators, Your Representatives Subject: Stop Price-Anderson reauthorization Dear _________________: I appeal to Congress not to reauthorize the Price-Anderson Act! Nuclear power plants are expensive. They are dangerous. They are inefficient. And they produce deadly nuclear wastes which we do not know how to dispose of. Now the House is considering H.R. 2983 and the Senate S. 1360, both seeking to perpetuate the errors created by the Price-Anderson Act when it was introduced in 1954. Price-Anderson protects the nuclear industry from being fully financially liable in case of catastrophic accidents. The industry says such accidents could NEVER happen. So why should the taxpayer stand ready to bail out the nuclear power industry for accidents it says cannot happen? I urge you to vote against reauthorizing Price-Anderson and make sure nuclear power either phases out or stands on its own financial feet. Sincerely, Your name Sincerely Jim Harris http://www.ProgressiveSecretary.Org. Make Your Voice Heard. Enroll in http://www.ProgressiveSecretary.Org. Progressives send far fewer letters than conservatives. This is an easy way to level this field. ( ~#\L=Price-Anderson1\P=22216\S=P) ***************************************************************** 2 [now] DON'T REAUTHORIZE PRICE-ANDERSON!! MAKE THE NUCLEAR Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2001 00:06:59 -0600 (CST) Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 12:44:05 -0800 From: "Russell D. Hoffman" Subject: DON'T REAUTHORIZE PRICE-ANDERSON!! MAKE THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY PUT ITS MONEY WHERE ITS MOUTH IS!!! NOVEMBER 26TH, 2001 CITIZENS, DON'T REAUTHORIZE PRICE-ANDERSON!! MAKE THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY PUT ITS MONEY WHERE ITS MOUTH IS!!! PLEASE CONTACT YOUR HOUSE REPRESENTATIVES TODAY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26TH, 2001 (TOMORROW MORNING IF YOU CAN'T CONTACT THEM TODAY) AND TELL THEM NOT TO AUTHORIZE PRICE-ANDERSON WHEN IT COMES UP FOR VOTE TOMORROW, NOV 27TH, 2001! THIS MAY BE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU DO THIS YEAR. IF WE STOP PRICE-ANDERSON, THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY WILL HAVE TO FIND LIABILITY COVERAGE ON THE OPEN MARKET. AND YOU CAN BE SURE THAT CAN'T BE DONE BECAUSE NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS ARE AN INSANE RISK. THEY WERE BEFORE 9-11 AND THEY STILL ARE. PRICE - ANDERSON MAY BE THE ONE QUICK KEY TO STOPPING THE WORLD'S NUCLEAR HORROR - DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ITS IMPORTANCE! SEE THE *********CRISES ALERT*********** BELOW FROM MICHAEL MARIOTTE 3 AT NIRS.... -- RUSSELL HOFFMAN, CONCERNED CITIZEN, CARLSBAD, CA ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------- ----- Original Message ----- From: "michael mariotte" To: Sent: Saturday, November 24, 2001 12:39 PM Subject: URGENT! Price-Anderson on House Floor Tuesday! Dear Friends: This Tuesday evening, November 27, the U.S. House is scheduled to vote on reauthorization of the Price-Anderson Act (HR 2983), the nuclear industry's unique scheme to avoid liability for its actions (HR 2983). The vote is slated to take place under suspension of the rules, a procedure normally used for noncontroversial legislation. No amendments are allowed, and there is only a limited debate. However, the bill must pass by a 2/3 margin--which means we only need 1/3 of the House to vote against it to defeat it! Your calls and faxes can make the difference! Please contact your House members Monday and Tuesday. Capitol Switchboard, 202-224-3121 or 225-3121. Urge them to OPPOSE Price-Anderson reauthorization--if for no other reason than that such controversial legislation should receive full and broad debate. REASONS TO OPPOSE PRICE ANDERSON (PA) 1) PA provides a 3.4 billion dollar annual insurance subsidy to the nuclear power industry, a develop, mature industry which should be able to hold its own in a supposed free-market economy. 2) Current reactors are covered by PA whether or not it is reauthorized. The only incentive for voting to extend PA coverage is for a NEW generation of INHERENTLY UNSAFE reactors such as the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) which are designed and can only function without a containment building. Because of public opposition to nuclear power, "new" reactors will most likely be built on existing reactor sites. Even Vice-President Cheney admits that without Price-Anderson there would likely be no new nuclear reactors in the US because of liability concerns. 4) Terrorist attacks on nuclear power facilities are a glaring concern in light of September 11, 2001 and a reactor without containment is an unnecessarily tempting target-no matter how well-guarded. 5) Price-Anderson would cap nuclear liability at 9.5 Billion while the US Government estimates a reactor accident can cost from 24 Billion to 590 Billion dollars. WHAT YOU CAN DO! *Please call/e-mail/fax your Representatives and demand THAT THEY VOTE NO ON 2983; the reauthorization of Price-Anderson. It is the height of arrogance--and folly--for the nuclear industry and its backers to push a major nuclear bill at this time without even debate, when National Guard troops are being sent to new reactor sites daily and when every atomic reactor is a potential and horrifying target. Please fax/email or call your representative's DC office Please also fax/email your local offices as well. Do not bother mailing letters at this point, since the mail delivery situation to Congress is still unclear. *After you've contacted your member, please contact your friends and colleagues and urge them to do the same. The key is to organize, organize, organize. If your representatives are not hearing from you, they will certainly vote for the industry. *Contact your local media and let them know this is going on. A sample letter to the editor (and sample letter to congress members for fax/e-mail) is posted on NIRS' website (www.nirs.org). House and Senate fax and e-mail information plus a comment section can be found at http://capwiz.com/ombwatch/dbq/officials/ Thanks! Michael Mariotte & Cindy Folkers Nuclear Information and Resource Service ========================================================= ************************************************* ** THE ANIMATED 4 SOFTWARE COMPANY ** Russell D. Hoffman, Owner and Chief Programmer ** P.O. Box 1936 ** Carlsbad CA 92018-1936 ** (800) 551-2726 ** (760) 720-7261 ** Fax: (760) 720-7394 ** Visit the world's most eclectic web site: ** http://www.animatedsoftware.com ************************************************* 5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Search /RENEGADE/ for articles that mention nukes - http://fornits.com/renegade/peaars.cgi?NUCLEAR /RENEGADE/ Search - GO TO: http://fornits.com/renegade/peaars.cgi? and just type in your topic. For differing results you may uncheck "article" and search on just "subject," etc. /RENEGADE/ also has "time-frame" in the search, so you can tailor your results that way, too. ----- Peace! *STRIDER* Sector Air Raid Warden at /RENEGADE/ http://fornits.com/renegade/ DEDICATED TO SPIRIT, TRUTH, PEACE, JUSTICE, AND FREEDOM e-list info: http://fornits.com/renegade/peaars.cgi?fetch=3763 chat: http://jupiter.beseen.com/chat/rooms/i/1055/ usenet: news:misc.activism.progressive e-mail: mailto:strider@fornits.com strider@fornits.com WHEN SPIDERS UNITE, THEY CAN TIE DOWN A LION -- Ethiopian Proverb ***************************************************************** 6 Japan: Assembly of town in Mie Prefecture to adopt petition against nuclear plant BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 28, 2001 Text of report in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo Miyama, 28 November: A special panel of the Miyama town assembly in Mie Prefecture decided Wednesday [28 November] that the assembly will adopt a petition against the construction of a nuclear power plant next month following the outcome of a plebiscite in which residents overwhelmingly voted against it. A majority of panel members agreed that the petition put forward by those opposed to the plan will be adopted at the assembly's plenary session in mid-December in the wake of the Nov. 18 legally non-binding vote. The special panel was established to examine petitions presented in February by groups both in favour and against having Chubu Electric Power Co. build a plant in the town. In the plebiscite, 5,215 or 67 per cent out of 7,754 voters cast their ballots against the proposal and 2,512 or 32 per cent voted in support of the initiative, with 27 invalid votes. The total of those opposed to the plan made up about 60 per cent of 8,748 eligible voters. After the plebiscite, Miyama Mayor Tatsuo Shiotani told a news conference there will be no campaign to invite a power company to build a nuclear power plant in the western Japan town, saying, "Debate in the town on nuclear power has come to an end." The vote was the first in Japan to be held with no pending nuclear plant construction plans at stake. It was held based on the conclusion of the panel, following six months of deliberation on the two petitions, that it is necessary to seek the residents' opinions about the project. Members of the town's chamber of commerce and others had submitted a petition to lobby for the construction of the plant in an attempt to boost the local economy. The petition carried the signatures of some 5,600 - about 64 per cent - of Miyama's residents. The town, which faces depopulation problems, is expected to draw up plans to boost the economy without relying on a nuclear power plant. Source: Kyodo News Service, Tokyo, in English 0334 gmt 28 Nov 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter ***************************************************************** 7 Environmentalists to appeal Sellafield ruling Us Retaliation, war, terrorism, President Bush 07:05 Wednesday November 28th 2001 Environmental groups Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace will return to the courts in London later today to appeal against a High Court ruling allowing the operation of a mixed oxide (MOX) fuel facility at the Sellafield nuclear plant. The two groups will argue their case before three judges in the Court of Appeal. Their case against Sellafield centres on the economic viability of the new MOX facility. They have argued that the British Government has failed to prove its economic benefits, something they are obliged to do before opening a plant that could harm the environment and people's health. In the High Court case taken by Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace, the judge ruled that the British Government had made no error in law by granting permission for the MOX plant to operate. He said the Government was correct to write off the £470m it cost to construct the plant when carrying out an assessment of the economic benefits. This has angered the environmental groups, who claim that these capital costs far outweigh any potential profit the MOX facility could make. An Irish MEP, Nuala Ahern, has said the British Government's decision to write off its £470m investment essentially amounts to state aid, which is banned under EU competition law. © Copyright Unison ***************************************************************** 8 Meeting of closed minds: The UK's public inquiry system has a habit of reaching the wrong conclusions INSIDE TRACK: Financial Times; Nov 28, 2001 By JOHN KAY The inquiry into Heathrow's Terminal 5 was the longest and costliest ever. The previous records were held by an inquiry that reported almost 15 years ago. That inquiry was held not in the Heathrow Ramada Hotel but in the more civilised surroundings of Snape Maltings. Its subject was the construction of a nuclear power station at Sizewell in Suffolk. The inquiry into Sizewell B reached the wrong conclusion. Building Sizewell did not make economic sense and would not have done so even if wholesale electricity prices had been twice their current level. Of course, we have the benefit of hindsight. We know that fuel prices have not risen much, that the coal industry has become much smaller and more productive, that electricity generation is more efficient than it was, that gas is the cheapest source of electricity and that concerns about the safety of nuclear plants have increased. But none of these is a contingency that could not have been envisaged in 1987, when the decision was made to go ahead. The truth emerged three years later in the countdown to electricity privatisation. Ministers, their advisers and the directors of electricity companies were reminded that they were personally liable for what was said to prospective investors. At that point, 30 years of obfuscation about the costs of nuclear electricity came to an end. Nuclear stations were withdrawn from the planned flotation and plans to build more were shelved. So why did the inquiry at Snape fail even to come close to unravelling the truth? No criticism should be levelled at the inquiry team. Its chairman was Sir Frank Layfield, who died last year. Layfield's experience of conducting such inquiries was unparalleled. But his role was to adjudicate, not to investigate. His job was to hear and assess the evidence put before him. And although that evidence ran to thousands of pages, none of it was of much value. The submissions of the Central Electricity Generating Board were detailed and lengthy. They were based on a simulation model of the entire electricity generating system in England and Wales. They included a range of scenarios for the evolution of the world economy over 50 years. But the output of such a model can be no better than the assumptions that go into it - assumptions on fuel prices, on efficiency in power generation and on what it would really cost to build Sizewell B. And in these key areas the projections made were wholly unrealistic. But the CEGB model framed the terms of the inquiry, as it was intended to do. One CEGB witness talked of "closed expertise" - matters on which only the CEGB was competent to pronounce - as distinct from "open expertise" - subjects within the ken of ordinary mortals. This is representative of the patronising tone that characterised the CEGB approach. It is a tone that is hard to bear even from those who are right. That tone was developed by John Baker, the board's leading witness, later to be chief executive of National Power. He described the objectors as "the protest industry with no local roots taking its caravan to major inquiries". He was not far wrong in this. Some objectors were local people who were concerned about the impact of a nuclear reactor on their lives and their health and they deserved a careful hearing. But most objections came from the professional protesters who oppose every large project. The lead was taken by Friends of the Earth, the Council for the Preservation of Rural England and the Town and Country Planning Association. These groups had nothing useful to contribute to an analysis of the business case for Sizewell B. The gap between the two sides in knowledge and expertise was glaring. The inspector and his economic assessor, clearly concerned by this problem, hired a company of consultants to help. Yet the reports suggest that the protesters found this intervention more threatening than helpful. They did not wish to focus or crystallise their argument and preferred to rely on generalised objections to the modern world. Their opposition was independent of any facts or analysis. Layfield was left to arbitrate between the technically competent but flawed and one-sided presentations of the CEGB and the incoherent demands of the protesters. So the inquiry moved to its inevitable conclusion. It approved the CEGB's plans, with minor gestures to the opponents. If the object was to enable protest groups to imagine they had had their say, the Sizewell inquiry may have served a purpose. As a means of assessing the costs and benefits of the project, it was a comprehensive waste of time and money. And yet such an assessment was needed, since Sizewell should not have gone ahead. If public inquiries into such issues are to be held, they should be investigative inquiries, in which the inquiry team has the power and resources to explore the issues for themselves. The conflicting pleadings of expensive barristers in 340 days of public hearings were as relevant to establishing the truth about Sizewell as the jousting of medieval knights. What really went wrong with Britain's nuclear power programme was the arrogance and secretiveness that goes with "closed expertise". The abolition of the CEGB has helped greatly in creating "open expertise" in electricity. But what we need most of all is a more open policy-making process that will dispel for ever the suggestion that any agency has a monopoly of relevant knowledge. This column appears fortnightly. www.johnkay.com Copyright: The Financial Times Limited 1995-1998 ***************************************************************** 9 Andra aims to create prospective nuclear waste inventory (Dechets radioactifs : vers un inventaire prospectif) Les Echos - France; Nov 28, 2001 Andra, the French radioactive waste agency, is preparing to create an inventory of radioactive waste, a kind of analytical and forward-looking audit, due to be published in 2004. Every year Andra publishes a kind of directory showing the presence of nuclear waste, of sites used by industrial groups, the military and the medical profession. The directory also includes the location of radium used for industrial and medical research at the start of the century. Over 1,100 sites have been registered in total. In order to have a better ideal of storage needs, the aim is to gather data on how the waste is stored, how it needs to be treated bearing in mind the expected life-span of the power stations, and the presence of spent fuel in storage pools. Abstracted from Les Echos ***************************************************************** 10 Fission reaction in Czech nuclear plant restarted BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 28, 2001 Text of report by Czech radio on 28 November [Announcer] After a four-week break, the fission reaction in the reactor of the first block at the Temelin nuclear power plant [southern Bohemia] was started this morning [28 November]. Already yesterday the staff of the block gradually pulled out the control rods and prepared the reactor for the start. Plant spokesman Milan Nebesar has more details: [Nebesar] Subsequently, the operators stabilized the reactor output on a very small output, that is below 0.001 per cent of its nominal output, and launched a series of physical tests in the active zone. This work is scheduled to take some two days. After that the staff will start increasing the output, will connect the turbogenerator, and will continue testing the equipment on the output of up to 75 per cent. We expect this phase to be completed within a fortnight. Source: Czech Radio 1 - Radiozurnal, Prague, in Czech 0900 gmt 28 Nov 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material ***************************************************************** 11 Czech deputy premier urges end of nuclear plant talks with Austria BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 28, 2001 Czech Deputy Prime Minister Pavel Rychetsky has said that it is in Czech interest to wind up the process of talks with Austria on the disputed Temelin nuclear power station. Rychetsky stressed the need to pre-empt Austrian far-right party's effort to organize a national referendum on Temelin, adding that such a move would make it impossible for the Austrian government to conduct further talks on the subject. Crucial talks between the EU, the Czech Republic and Austria will be held in Brussels on 29 November. The following is excerpt from report by Czech radio on 28 November: [Presenter] The ministers of [Prime Minister] Zeman's cabinet held an extraordinary meeting this morning to discuss a compromise version of the document which could put an end to the so-called Melk process, in other words the process of evaluating the safety of our nuclear power station in Temelin and its impact on the environment. The whole problem should be concluded at a summit in Brussels tomorrow due to be attended by Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman, Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel and EU Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen. We shall now discuss with Deputy Prime Minister Pavel Rychetsky how far we still have to go before we reach an agreement on Temelin. Good day to you. [Rychetsky] Good day. [Presenter] The cabinet met at an extraordinary meeting this morning. You suspended the meeting later, because the document was very complex and because the ministers received it only in the morning. They asked for time to study it and so, the meeting will be resumed tonight. Deputy Prime Minister, why are things being rushed so much? [Rychetsky]... All of us know that the Melk process has a very political dimension, which has been brought to a head by Haider's party demand that a referendum against Temelin be held in Austria. In my view it is in the interest of all sides - and I am very pleased to see that Commissioner Verheugen adopted a very clear-cut stance on this issue - to conclude the protocol before efforts to take this problems to the streets bring fruits in Austria. [Presenter] Up till now you have been negotiating some sort of compromise. Nobody knows what compromise you have in mind, however. Can you outline it in brief... ? [Rychetsky]... The essence of the compromise is that the Austrian side should concede that Temelin is our safest power station at the present time. On the other hand, the Czech side should agree to undertake that in future - if there are common European parameters - it will improve this power station in keeping with these parameters. There are also many purely technical problems related to the outcome of the tests. As you know, their outcome was positive for the nuclear power station. On the other hand, one cannot deny that there are still some additional findings of the Austrian side and that there is a certain dispute as to whether these findings should be realized while the power station's is in operation or before its operation is restarted... [Presenter] Will the document be approved by the government meeting tonight in its present form, so that it could be used by the Brussels summit tomorrow... ? [Rychetsky] The fact is that one of the questions is whether the prime minister should be authorized to make further changes to the document, should such a need arise in Brussels or whether this should not be the case. And this is quite a considerable problem... I have to say that that the government did not make any decision on this issue and that it is not united on it. [Presenter] Do you expect - and in view of what you said - do you think that the Melk process could be concluded tomorrow? [Rychetsky] I firmly believe that it will concluded. It is, indeed, in the interest of the Czech Republic, because at issue is the conclusion of the energy chapter. What is of importance, however, is to bring these talks to an end before a possible attempt to hold a referendum gets under way [in Austria]. This would in effect make it impossible for Austrian political and state representatives to conduct any further talks... Source: Czech Radio1 - Radiozurnal, Prague, in Czech 1000 gmt 28 Nov 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material ***************************************************************** 12 EU confirms Czech-Austrian nuclear plant summit for 29 November BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 28, 2001 Text of report in English by Czech news agency CTK Brussels, 28 November: The European Commission officially announced today that the Czech and Austrian prime ministers, Milos Zeman and Woflgang Schuessel, and EU Commissioner Guenter Verheugen would meet on Thursday [29 November] to complete the Melk process on the nuclear power plant in Temelin, south Bohemia. The "Melk process" was agreed on by Zeman and Schuessel in Melk, Austria, last December. It provides for Temelin's safety and environment impact assessment. Austria is strongly opposed to putting Temelin, situated some 60 km from the Austrian border, into commercial operation. The Austrian government as well as Austrian, Czech and German environmentalists say the plant, which started to be launched in October 2000, is not safe because it combines Soviet design with western fuel and safety technology. Jonathan Faull, the commission's spokesman, said that Verheugen, Zeman and Schuessel would give a press conference after their meeting. He said that the meeting would be concerned with Temelin and that it was expected to end in the afternoon. According to diplomats, the meeting would start at 1000 hours [0900 gmt] in Palais Charlemagne, Verheugen' seat. Though it has not been said when it will end, it is supposed that it could be at 1600 hours [1500 gmt]. Each delegation will have about 10 members, the European Commission will probably be represented by five high-ranking officials. Czech State Secretary Pavel Telicka, who had another round of accession negotiations with the "15" in Brussels today, said that the goal of the meeting was to clearly complete the Melk process. "We consider completion of the Melk process, which however does not mean that the tools on which we agreed within the process would no longer be applied. It is the first step," he told CTK. Telicka said the purpose of the 11-month negotiations had been to find a shape for a protocol which would give clear replies to the fundamental questions of the Temelin issue. "It was clear that such a summit would only take place when there is a high chance of reaching a concrete result," he Telicka said he expected tomorrow's negotiations to open the door to closing the "energy" chapter in the Czech Republic's EU accession negotiations. "We expect it (the meeting) to result in the start up of concrete procedural steps which will lead to the inclusion of the energy chapter in the next round of negotiations at ministerial level on 12 December." Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 1308 gmt 28 Nov 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter ***************************************************************** 13 Czech cabinet interrupts discussion on nuclear plant BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 28, 2001 Prague, 28 November: The government has interrupted discussing a compromise variant of a document on the nuclear power plant in Temelin, southern Bohemia, which would be acceptable for both the Czech and Austrian sides, and will meet again at 8:00 p.m. [1900 gmt] today, Transport Minister Jaromir Schling announced. He said the document was too complicated and Finance Minister Jiri Rusnok added that the government members only got it this morning. Deputy Prime Minister Pavel Rychetsky said before the government met at an extraordinary meeting this morning that after the document was cleared nothing should any more prevent the closure of the energy chapter in the Czech Republic's EU accession negotiations and Temelin would be put into operation. The Czech and Austrian prime minister, Milos Zeman and Wolfgang Schuessel, are to discuss Temelin in Brussels in the presence of EU Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen tomorrow. The meeting is to complete the "Melk process" which was agreed on by Zeman and Schuessel in Melk, Austria, last December. It provides for Temelin's safety and environment impact assessment... The Czech Republic and Austria have so far failed to reach agreement on completion of the Melk process. Austria demands that the agreement be legally binding while the Czech Republic prefers a political agreement, but allows for its inclusion in the energy chapter. The content of the compromise document which, if approved by both governments would successfully wind up the negotiations on Temelin's safety, is not officially known. Dana Drabova, chairwoman of the National Authority for Nuclear Safety (SUJB), has said she hopes dialogue between Austria and the Czech Republic will not end with the completion of the Melk process. "On the contrary, I hope that Melk is returning the dialogue to a normal level," she told CTK. "Temelin must be safe and it is safe," Trade and Industry Minister Miroslav Gregr has said. According to Gregr, the Czech government agrees that Temelin is one of the safest power plants in Europe. Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 0922 gmt 28 Nov 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter ***************************************************************** 14 Russian Audit Chamber backs nuclear industry's drive to recover debt BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 27, 2001 Russia's financial watchdog, the Audit Chamber, has urged the grid monopoly, Unified Energy System of Russia, to put pressure on its subsidiary electricity companies to settle the debts they owe Russian nuclear power stations for the supply of electricity. The following is the text of a report, entitled "Audit Chamber intercedes for nuclear power producers", by the Russian newspaper Kommersant on 22 November Kommersant has in its possession a letter written by Audit Chamber auditor Mikhail Beskhmelnitsyn and addressed to the chairman of the board of the Unified Energy System of Russia joint-stock company [UES], Anatoliy Chubays, giving the results of the regular audit of the status of the nuclear power industry. As it turns out, last year the indebtedness of the electricity companies for electricity supplied by nuclear power plants comprised R10.4bn, as compared with R13bn this year. UES recognizes the problem and promises that the electricity companies will soon provide the nuclear power producers with a plan for restructuring the debts. The Audit Chamber found that, last year, the electricity companies released products in the sum of R26.4m [as published]. Moreover, taking into consideration the indebtedness of past years, they received R25.8m [as published] as payment from consumers. The letter notes that the level of monetary payment received by the electricity companies is 70 per cent more than the accounts due to the nuclear power plants. Furthermore, from January to the end of August 2001, the underproduction of electricity by the nuclear power plants in connection with the reduced dispatch schedule comprised 3.7bn kW/m-hrs [meter hours]. Of this, for the Kola nuclear power station it was 1.9bn kW/m-hr, for the Balakovo nuclear power station - 959m kW/m-hr, for the Leningrad nuclear power station - 396m kW/m-hr, for the Kursk nuclear power station -181m kW/m-hr, for the Smolensk nuclear power station - 174m kW/m-hr and the for the Bilibino nuclear power station - 62m kW/m-hr. The letter notes that "UES is making use of its dominant position on the market in services for electricity exports". Last year, the value of export deliveries by UES comprised 212.3m dollars. Since the relative share of nuclear power stations in deliveries to FOREM [federal wholesale electricity market] last year comprised 41.2 per cent, the relative share of the nuclear power producers in export accounting should comprise 87.5m dollars. "However, UES has performed the computation only on agent agreements concluded with Rosenergoatom [nuclear power company] for a sum of 60.5m dollars (28.5 per cent of the value of all electrical energy supplied by UES for export)," the document states. In summary, Mr Beskhmelnitsyn proposed to Anatoliy Chubays "to increase the relative share of the monetary component in accounting with the nuclear power stations and ensure equal access to the grids for all producers and consumers". UES admits its guilt. Mr Chubays has repeatedly stated that the problem of settling accounts between the electricity companies and nuclear power plants is still one of the most acute. Yesterday, UES confirmed that it has not yet managed to resolve the question of restructuring the debts to nuclear power producers. According to the deputy chief of the UES press service, Andrey Yegorov, the debts have now risen from R10.4bn at the end of 2000 to R13bn in the current year. Meanwhile, UES insists that, at the present time, the electricity companies which owe money are preparing a plan for restructuring the debts to the nuclear power stations. One of the first to set about this was the Bryanskenergo [Bryansk Power] joint-stock company. The company's management will soon submit such a plan to the Smolensk nuclear power station. Source: Kommersant, Moscow, in Russian 22 Nov 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to Copyright ***************************************************************** 15 House Votes to Renew Nuke Plant Liability Law RealColumbus.com: Posted: 07:27 PM EDT Tuesday, November 27, 2001. BY CHRIS BALTIMORE WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a bill to approve a 15-year extension of an existing federal nuclear accident insurance law, seen by industry as key to new plant construction. The bill, approved by the Republican-controlled House Energy and Commerce Committee in late October, limits nuclear operators' liability for potential plant mishaps. Reauthorization of the Price Anderson Act, set to expire in August 2002, is seen by industry as a key provision for future construction of new plants. The act, passed in 1954, requires nuclear operators to carry the maximum available amount of accident insurance of $200 million and collectively fund a $9 billion pool for paying claims for large accidents. Upwards of $9 billion the bill commits federal funds. The Bush administration on Tuesday released a statement supporting the bill. ``To assure the future of nuclear energy, liability coverage must continue for nuclear activities,'' it said. The bill passed the House floor by a voice vote after House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Billy Tauzin, a Louisiana Republican, worked out contentious issues before his committee approved the bill in late October. ``America now more than ever needs to reduce its growing dependence on foreign oil,'' Tauzin said, according to spokesman Ken Johnson. ``We cannot do that unless this country develops nuclear power to its full potential.'' Along with Tauzin, Texas Republican Joe Barton was the bill's main proponent. Opposing the bill was Massachusetts Democrat Edward Markey, a long-time foe of the nuclear industry who says the nation's 103 nuclear reactors are vulnerable to attack. Markey attacked language to the House bill that requires the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to rethink its current safeguards against plant attacks. The measure has yet to pass the Senate. Republican senators have submitted energy legislation for a floor vote that includes Price Anderson reauthorization. But Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said on Tuesday that he doubts that package will see a vote before the end of the year. The Senate could take up the measure sometime between late January, when lawmakers return from holiday recess, and mid-February, he said. CONSUMER ADVOCATE OPPOSITION Public Citizen, an advocacy group established by recent presidential candidate Ralph Nader, said the measure amounts to a public subsidy for the nuclear industry that leaves taxpayers liable to pay for mishaps. ``Taxpayers could pay billions of dollars if a meltdown occurs or a reactor is attacked by terrorists,'' the group said in a release. Consumer groups also objected to the voting protocol chosen by lawmakers to pass the measure, which they say rushed the bill through with little chance for debate. So-called ``suspension of the rules,'' the voting technique used to pass Price Anderson, is usually reserved for noncontroversial bills ``like renaming post office and federal buildings,'' said Keith Ashdown with Taxpayers for Common Sense, who called Tuesday's approval ``an abuse of the legislative process.'' No new nuclear plants have been built in the United States since the 1979 accident at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island plant, where the failure of the plant's water cooling system led to the partial melting of the reactor's uranium core. Nuclear power currently produces about 20 percent of all U.S. electricity. [http://www.reuters.com/] ***************************************************************** 16 Why does nuclear power industry still need special liability protection? LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: OPINION: EDITORIAL: Blocking progress Wednesday, November 28, 2001 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal EDITORIAL: Blocking progress Why do motorcycles have carburetors? The earliest machines used open pans of gasoline -- the vapors rising from the open fuel source were vacuumed into the cylinder and ignited by the spark plug, powering the engine. But of course this was dangerous -- the fuel sloshed about, fires were common, and the likelihood that any insurer would have issued a policy underwriting the rider's safety was far-fetched. Manufacturers knew they had to come up with a safer and more reliable arrangement -- and the race to develop the enclosed carburetor was on. Today, exploding motorcycle engines are not a big problem. But imagine for a moment that Congress had intervened. After all, motorcycles are useful to the military. If the early motorcycle manufacturers had enjoyed better political connections, they might have asked Congress to pass a law sharply limiting their liability in the case of fires from those primitive engines. Should anyone suffer a truly serious injury, Congress would step in and pay the bill. The manufacturers would have been able to continue making their bikes the old-fashioned way -- and they'd still be blowing up with regularity. The problem isn't just theoretical. Government interventions really do distort the free market. The Price-Anderson Act was enacted in 1957 and has been renewed three times since -- it will expire Aug. 1 unless the Senate joins in renewing it again, as the House voted to do Tuesday. The law was specifically created to help the fledgling nuclear power industry bypass private insurers who wanted prohibitively high premiums to indemnify manufacturers and operators against liability claims that might result from a meltdown -- assuming they'd insure them at all. The odds of such an event were extremely difficult to calculate, given that no one had a baseline of experience with commercial reactors. So Congress simply waved its magic wand, and said any damages above $9.5 billion would be paid by Congress, which is to say the taxpayers. The way was cleared to build commercial reactors. With the insurers thus indemnified, no one bothered to investigate the potential liability should all the spent fuel rods end up stored "on site" for the next 100,000 years. The precedent having been set, it was simply assumed Congress could and would step in to wave its magic wand yet again ... as it soon will, mandating that all nuclear waste be buried in Nevada, whether the locals like it or not. The Price-Anderson renewal was brought to the House floor Tuesday under guidelines more commonly used to speed through non-controversial measures "like renaming post offices and federal buildings," points out Jill Lancelot, legislative director for the watchdog group Common Sense. Yet, "There is nothing more controversial than limiting liability protection for a politically powerful industry at the expense of taxpayers." Wouldn't this be a good time for the Congress to subpoena witnesses from the insurance industry and ask them -- given the track record of the past 40 years -- whether this warping of the market is still required? One need not be "against" nuclear power to say it should stand on its own two feet in competition with other methods of power generation -- with the final arbiter being the independent insurance actuaries setting their liability rates, absent any federal "bailout." That's how the free market works. webmaster@lvrj.com Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal, 1997 - ***************************************************************** 17 House renews protection for nuclear power plants LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: NEWS: Wednesday, November 28, 2001 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal Law commits government to pay accident claims above $9.5 billion By STEVE TETREAULT DONREY WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- The House on Tuesday approved a 15-year extension of the government insurance program for nuclear utilities in a bill that also calls on the Bush administration to upgrade security at power plants. After a brief debate, lawmakers renewed the Price-Anderson Act, which authorizes the government to step in if claims from a nuclear accident overwhelm private insurance bought by utilities. Supporters said the legislation was important to the growth of nuclear power in the nation's energy mix as utilities seek financial protection for investments in new plants. "Price-Anderson is nothing more than a last-resort indemnification of the nuclear industry," said Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, who compared it to government deposit insurance for banks, price supports for farmers and mortgage insurance for lenders. Opponents challenged why the government continues to subsidize nuclear power 44 years after Price-Anderson was enacted to support the fledgling nuclear industry. The law in effect sets a cap on what utilities would pay in accident claims, they said. "After 50 years, this industry should be mature enough to stand on its own legs," said Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore. Nevada lawmakers opposed renewal. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said Price-Anderson "will subsidize the production of nuclear waste" that may end up at a repository being considered for Yucca Mountain, northwest of Las Vegas. "Americans are expected to purchase their own insurance, yet the nuclear industry asks Americans to pay for theirs," said Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev. The bill now goes to the Senate, where Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., is expected to play a role as majority whip and as chairman of a nuclear power subcommittee. Reid recently said he "has problems" with renewing the law but has not detailed his position. Aides said Reid takes a dim view of renewal. The Price-Anderson law requires operators of 106 participating reactors to buy the maximum amount of private insurance, about $200 million per reactor, and also contribute $88 million per reactor to a shared insurance pool. Private insurance would cover $9.5 billion in claims from a nuclear accident. Claims above that would be paid by the government after approval by Congress. Although both sides described Price-Anderson as significant, it was considered in the House under a fast-track procedure usually reserved for noncontroversial matters. It passed by voice vote. Most of the law's controversial aspects were settled through compromise among leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., led opposition but said the measure had been "sweetened" to build support. Among other things, it chipped at long-standing provisions that granted Energy Department contractors protection from liability if they caused accidents while handling radioactive materials. The new bill allows the Justice Department to recover accident costs found to result from a contractor's "intentional misconduct." The recovery amount could not exceed the profit the offending company would have received under its government contract. The bill also contains elements added after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. It directs the president to report to Congress within six months on studies of nuclear plant vulnerabilities and to take action on those findings. It also requires the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to update the terrorism scenarios that utilities are required to protect against, and to oversee new "force on force" exercises to test nuclear plant readiness against possible attack, On transportation matters, the legislation requires federal background checks of all truck drivers carrying nuclear waste cargo. ***************************************************************** 18 House OKs Nuke Plant Liability Limit Newsday.com - By H. JOSEF HEBERT Associated Press Writer November 27, 2001, 6:44 AM EST WASHINGTON -- The House overwhelmingly approved legislation Tuesday to extend a law that limits the financial liability of nuclear power plant operators in a major accident or terrorist attack. The measure also would require a review of security requirements for nuclear power plants taking into account the kind of terrorist attack that destroyed the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission already has begun such a review. The House rejected arguments that the Price Anderson Act, which limits private companies' liability in a nuclear accident, is outdated and should be scrapped. The law's supporters argued that in 44 years of the law's existence, the taxpayer has never had to pay on claims arising from a nuclear accident and that some liability limits are needed if the nuclear industry is to survive with a new generation of power plants. The current law, enacted in 1957 and extended several times, requires individual nuclear power plants to have private insurance covering at least $200 million. In addition, the industry as a whole must have insurance for another $9.3 billion to be available for an accident at any of the plants. Any costs above that would be borne by the government. The House-passed bill would extend the law, which expires next August, to August, 2017. It now awaits Senate action. Several Democrats joined in supporting the legislation after compromises were reached on new liability limits for private Energy Department contractors and on new security measures at reactor sites. Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., called the federal liability limits "particularly odious" but urged colleagues to support the legislation because of its new security requirements. The bill requires the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to reassess its security rules to establish more clearly what kinds of attacks the industry must guard against and what is the responsibility of the government. It also calls on the NRC to more closely monitor and grade mock terrorist exercises, better track the transportation of nuclear materials, and tighten background checks for employees with access to such materials. In the weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the NRC began a broad security review -- much along the lines outlined in the bill -- with an eye toward overhauling its regulations. While the legislation passed by a voice vote, it prompted sharp criticism from a few lawmakers, who argued that a major accident or terrorist attack could inflict tens of billions of dollars in damages and leave the taxpayer holding the bill. "It's nothing more than a giant government subsidy to keep the nuclear industry afloat," declared Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., whose state has been fighting a proposed federal nuclear waste site 90 miles from Las Vegas. She called the government's assuming of liability over a major nuclear accident "nothing short of highway robbery." But Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., argued that "taxpayers have not spent one dime" although there have been 206 claims involving nuclear incidents. The claims, even those arising from the Three Mile Island accident, were covered by private insurance because they fell far below the trigger for government payments. On the Net: House Energy and Commerce Committee: http://energycommerce.house.gov Nuclear Regulatory Commission: http://www.nrc.gov Department of Energy: http://www.energy.gov Copyright © 2001, The Associated Press ***************************************************************** 19 Weak alloy may have caused leak Daily Yomiuri On-Line Yomiuri Shimbun A corrosive alloy no longer in use as welding material was used in the construction of the reactor pressure vessel at Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant's No. 1 reactor in Hamaokacho, Shizuoka Prefecture, in which a crack was found after radioactive water leaked Nov. 9. it was learned Tuesday. The alloy, called Inconel 182, was also used as welding flux for a reactor at Japan Atomic Power Co.'s Tsuruga Power Station Unit No.1 in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture. Numerous cracks were found in the reactor's welds two years ago. The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency is investigating whether the alloy was related to the cracks at the two plants, suspecting it is a problem common to old boiling-water reactors built in 1970s and early 1980s. Inconel is a hard alloy containing nickel, which has a high degree of resistance to corrosion. It is used in thin pipes inside nuclear reactors and rocket engines. Many types of Inconel are used. For use in nuclear reactors, two types were developed: Inconel 82 for machine welding, and Inconel 182 for hand welding. Both of them are used within the vessel housing a driving unit for the control rods at Hamaoka plant's No.1 reactor. Inconel 182, however, was later found to be more corrosive than the Inconel 82, as it contained less niobium, an element that retains the carbon in metal. A new type of Inconel 182 containing more niobium than the original alloy was developed and used for the plant's No. 3 reactor, together with Inconel 82. No. 4 reactor used only Inconel 82, as all the welding work was done by machine. About 300 cracks were found in a huge stainless partition, called a "shroud," at Tsuruga plant's No. 1 reactor in late 1999, and the shroud was replaced as part of a large-scale refurbishing. The trouble was caused by stress-and-corrosion-induced cracks in Inconel 182. It is suspected that the alloy in question was used in all the old boiling-water reactors. Chubu Electric Power Co. is investigating the cause of the Hamaoka plants' crack, concentrating on whether the compound metal should be used for reactors. Depending on the result of the investigation, all boiling-water reactors could face emergency repairs. On Monday, the firm said a two-centimeter rupture on a welded part was the cause of the leakage of radioactive water from the pressure vessel at Hamaoka plant's No. 1 reactor. The power company found the rupture in a tube that attaches one of the 89 control rod driving units to the bottom of the vessel, a spokesman said. It was the first time a leak of this type has occurred at a nuclear power plant in Japan, nuclear experts said. In a test, air bubbles were detected in both the lower right and left sides of the tube, leading experts to believe the cracks had allowed radioactive water to leak from the pressure vessel in the 540,000-kilowatt No. 1 reactor, the spokesman said. The four-meter control rod drivers were attached to the 14-centimeter-thick vessel by the tubes in 1972. The units--measuring 15 centimeters in outer diameter--as well as the tubes--20-centimeter in outer diameter--and the inside of the vessel are made of nickel alloy. The company will study whether workers used excessive heat when welding this part to the bottom of the vessel or whether they failed to weld the parts properly. Copyright 2001 The Yomiuri Shimbun ***************************************************************** 20 House votes for nuclear subsidy Las Vegas SUN Today: November 28, 2001 at 9:18:11 PST Berkley calls plan for insuring plants 'highway robbery' By Benjamin Grove LAS VEGAS SUN WASHINGTON -- The House on Tuesday voted to renew an insurance plan for nuclear power plants that requires taxpayers to pay part of the tab for a costly catastrophic accident. Nevada lawmakers have opposed the controversial measure. The Senate has not acted on the bill. The legislation establishes a liability plan that pools the resources of the nation's 103 nuclear power plants. If one plant has an accident, it would pay about $200 million, and the other plants would chip in about $88 million each, eventually piling up roughly $9.5 billion. But if costs exceed $9.5 billion in a Chernobyl-like disaster, taxpayers would pay the difference. Nuclear plants depend on the plan because private insurance companies will not insure nuclear plants. A worst-case accident could cost an estimated $300 billion, Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., argued Tuesday, although no nuclear accident has ever cost that much in America. The insurance plan paid out about $187 million after the Three Mile Island accident in 1979. The legislation, commonly called the Price-Anderson Act, was enacted in 1957 and has been renewed by Congress three times. The act will expire in August 2002 if not renewed again. If Price-Anderson lapses next year, the insurance plan would still protect existing plants, but it would not cover new plants. That's why renewal of Price-Anderson is vital to the renaissance of nuclear power in America, advocates say. Nuclear power plants have not been built since the 1970s in part due to public opposition, but industry officials say it is time to construct new plants. "This bill paves the way for a new generation of smaller, safer nuclear power plants," said Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, chairman of the energy subcommittee that launched the bill. Critics of the plan say it is an unfair government subsidy of the nuclear power industry. Berkley called it "highway robbery." Nevada lawmakers also oppose the act in part because more nuclear power plants translate to more nuclear waste. Nevada's Yucca Mountain is the proposed site of the nation's first high-level nuclear waste burial ground. "Price-Anderson not only subsidizes the production of nuclear energy, it also subsidizes the production of nuclear waste," Berkley said. In other action Tuesday, the House by voice vote approved a bill authorizing President Bush to give educational and health care assistance to women and children in Afghanistan. Berkley led debate for Democrats in favor of the Afghan Women and Children Relief Act of 2001. Women under Taliban rule were marginalized and rendered helpless as their children went hungry and were not given access to education, Berkley said. "Women were made invisible," Berkley said. "They became non-people." The bill authorizes Bush to use some of the $40 billion approved by Congress shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks to pay for efforts to recover and respond to the attacks. "Now is our time in history to speak out," Berkley said. "Now is our time in history to make a difference." Berkley joined a handful of other women House members who argued for the bill. The congressional women have a key ally: Laura Bush, who on Nov. 17 in the first presidential radio address given solely by a first lady, said the war is a fight for the rights and dignity of Afghan women and children. All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 21 Environmental groups, Irish Republic take action to stop nuclear reprocessing plant - 11/28/2001 - ENN.com Wednesday, November 28, 2001 By Associated Press LONDON — Environmental groups asked Britain's Court of Appeal Tuesday to block the opening of a nuclear reprocessing facility in northwestern England. Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth are appealing a decision by the High Court earlier this month that the government had made "no error of law" in granting approval for the Sellafield facility in Cumbria to begin production of mixed-oxide fuel. The two groups argue that the government took a "distorted" view last month when it decided to allow the plant to begin operations. The groups cite a European Union directive requiring governments to ensure that the economic, social, and other benefits of new processes which create radiation outweigh any detriment to health before they give the go-ahead for such operations. Lawyers for the groups also argue that errors made in calculating whether the plant would be financially viable invalidate the government's decision to permit the operation to go ahead. The groups say the plant could lead to pollution and also become a target for terrorists or nuclear thieves. The plant, which turns spent plutonium and uranium into mixed plutonium and uranium oxide (MOX) fuel, was completed in 1996 but has never been opened. The go-ahead was held up for financial reasons and after operator British Nuclear Fuels admitted to falsifying records. The hearing before three appeal judges is expected to end this week. On Nov. 9, the government of the Irish Republic also began legal steps to prevent the opening of the plant. Ireland has called for the creation of an international arbitration tribunal to resolve the dispute and asked the Hamburg-based International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea to suspend the British government's decision, pending conclusion of the arbitration. Campaigners on Ireland's east coast have alleged for years that citizens suffer a higher-than-average incidence of cancer, which they blame on the Sellafield site, which is less than 200 miles (320 kilometers) from the Irish coast. Copyright 2001, Associated Press ***************************************************************** 22 Dominion: Nuclear glitch not so bad HAMPTON ROADS - Business By MICHAEL DAVIS, The Virginian-Pilot © November 28, 2001 Dominion Resources Inc. says problems with a backup diesel generator did not pose a serious risk, since the device is one of several designed to run the plant's safety systems in a power outage. And the company will ask the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to reduce the violation from the second-worst level of safety significance to the third. ``We believe their assumptions are not realistic,'' said Richard Zuercker, a spokesman for Richmond-based Dominion. The meeting Friday at the NRC's Atlanta offices will focus on an emergency generator, shared by the plant's two reactors, that would keep cooling systems, valves and other systems operating if they lost power. ... Read more in The Virginian-Pilot or at PilotOnline.com ThinkIn--> The owners of the Surry Power Station will try to convince federal regulators this week that a malfunction at the nuclear plant was a less-severe violation than inspectors have determined. Dominion Resources Inc. says problems with a backup diesel generator did not pose a serious risk, since the device is one of several designed to run the plant's safety systems in a power outage. And the company will ask the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to reduce the violation from the second-worst level of safety significance to the third. ``We believe their assumptions are not realistic,'' said Richard Zuercker, a spokesman for Richmond-based Dominion. The meeting Friday at the NRC's Atlanta offices will focus on an emergency generator, shared by the plant's two reactors, that would keep cooling systems, valves and other systems operating if they lost power. Each reactor also has its own backup generator, and a fourth generator could also provide power plantwide. The facility uses some of the electricity it generates to run its own systems. If one of its reactors goes down and power is interrupted, the emergency generators would start up. The partial failure of some parts inside the troubled generator in late 2000 and early 2001 could have caused the device to break down if it had been needed for long periods, the NRC said. The generator ran fine during periodic testing, according to Dominion, and no emergency required its use. It was replaced in April, along with the two reactors' dedicated generators. Zuercher said Dominion does not dispute that the generator's parts went bad. But he said the backup systems at the plant prevent the malfunction from being a ``yellow'' safety level -- the second-worst of four levels, running from green to white, yellow and red. NRC's inspectors found that ``this condition was not found to be unsafe as is, but it decreased the margin of safety,'' said spokesman Roger D. Hannah. The company will argue that it instead deserves a ``white'' violation. The level of violation determines the degree and frequency of scrutiny by NRC, which can mean additional work and expense for the plant operator. Hannah said a decision on the case is likely within a few weeks. Reach Michael Davis at 446-2599 or midavis@pilotonline.com home.hamptonroads.com ***************************************************************** 23 Calpine wants power plant near Surry nuclear facility HAMPTON ROADS - Business By MICHAEL DAVIS, The Virginian-Pilot © November 28, 2001 Calpine Corp. of San Jose, Calif. wants to build the 1,000-megawatt, natural gas-fired facility in Gravel Neck, near the Surry Power Station nuclear plant. At full operation, the Chippokes Energy Center would employ about 25 workers with a total payroll of about $2 million a year. The proposal is subject to approval by the State Corporation Commission, environmental regulators and local zoning boards. Calpine officials said they have been looking at Virginia to complement the company's power-generating operations in high-demand Sunbelt states like Georgia, Mississippi and elsewhere. ``Virginia makes a lot of sense for its geographic diversity,'' said spokesman John Flumerfelt. ... Read more in The Virginian-Pilot or at PilotOnline.com ThinkIn--> A California-based energy company plans to open a half-billion-dollar electric power plant in Surry County in mid-2005. Calpine Corp. of San Jose, Calif. wants to build the 1,000-megawatt, natural gas-fired facility in Gravel Neck, near the Surry Power Station nuclear plant. At full operation, the Chippokes Energy Center would employ about 25 workers with a total payroll of about $2 million a year. The proposal is subject to approval by the State Corporation Commission, environmental regulators and local zoning boards. Calpine officials said they have been looking at Virginia to complement the company's power-generating operations in high-demand Sunbelt states like Georgia, Mississippi and elsewhere. ``Virginia makes a lot of sense for its geographic diversity,'' said spokesman John Flumerfelt. State law allows companies to build power plants in Virginia without proving the electricity is needed within the state. And Virginia and other states are moving toward deregulated retail utilities, allowing more companies to sell power and prompting the development of a wider wholesale generation market to feed them. Flumerfelt said the proposed Surry County site offers access to Columbia Gas of Virginia's natural gas pipeline on the supply end, and to Dominion Resources Inc.'s transmission lines at the Surry Power Station for outgoing electricity. The proposed Calpine plant is a combined-cycle design, which uses the hot exhaust from its natural gas-driven turbine to make steam and drive yet another turbine. The process is cleaner and more efficient than other designs. The base capacity of the plant would be about 790 megawatts. That could be pushed to about 1,000 megawatts during peak demand, or enough to fuel about 250,000 homes. Surry County Board of Supervisors chairman Ernest L. Blount did not return telephone calls for comment. But in a statement released by Calpine, he said community leaders welcome the plant, ``and look forward to working with them as the project moves forward.'' home.hamptonroads.com ***************************************************************** 24 IAEA Daily Press Review Date 2001-11-28 Number 227 1. Non-proliferation Japanese and ROK officials reportedly urge DPRK to join US-led campaign against terrorism and to address concerns about its suspected nuclear weapons programme. Media Resources: (RNYT - 28/11) Dem. P.R. of Korea; Japan; Korea, Republic of; United States of America 2. Terrorism Op-Ed: "How Secure Is Pakistan's Plutonium?"; two retired Pakistani nuclear scientists suspected of having ties to Osama bin Laden reportedly detained again for questioning. Media Resources: (NYT - 27, 28/11) CTBT; India; Pakistan 3. Nuclear power More on Temelin NPP: IAEA says its team of experts found plant safe to operate; test phase to be resumed tonight; and Czech/Austrian leaders to meet tomorrow in Brussels on dispute over plant's safety. Nuclear officials in Hungary unveil detailed plans for 20-year operating lifetime extension for Paks NPP. US House passes legislation reauthorizing 44-year-old nuclear power liability and indemnification law. Korea Nuclear Energy Foundation (KNEF) to launch public information campaign to foster positive public opinion about nuclear energy. Russia intends to modernize and extend service life of 11 power units in its nuclear power stations by 2005. Majority of Germans believe that nuclear power will continue to play important role in their energy mix, according to study by Germany's nuclear forum DAtF. Closing France's 58 NPPs by 2020 would cost Government between FFr240 billion and FFr510 billion (US$32billion to US$70 billion) and lead to higher taxes, according to study by Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry. Media Resources: (R; S; WNA - 27/11) Austria; Czech Republic; France; Germany; IAEA; Korea, Republic of; Russian Federation; United States of America 4. Radiation, health Op-Ed: "For Radiation, How Much Is Too Much?" Media Resources: (NYT - 27/11) United States of America 5. R Ibaraki Governor favors hosting fusion project ITER. Media Resources: (JAP - 28/11) Japan 6. UN US and Russia reach compromise to renew UN oil-for-food programme in Iraq and US agrees to support Russia's call to clarify UNSC resolution that would ease sanctions in return for Baghdad's co-operation with weapons inspectors. Media Resources: (BBC; CNN; NYT; S; UNW - 28/11) Iraq; UN; United States of America ***************************************************************** 25 Senate Leader Sees Energy Bill Vote Next Year Tuesday November 27 5:06 PM ET By Susan Cornwell and Tom Doggett WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said on Tuesday he doubted the chamber would have time to vote on energy legislation before the end of the year, but he was committed to taking it up by February. ``I don't know that we'll have the opportunity to complete work on the energy bill before the end of this session,'' Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat, told the Senate. If the legislation were delayed, Daschle said the chamber would take up an energy bill sometime between late January, when lawmakers return from their holiday recess, and mid-February. ``My commitment will be that we raise this issue, debate it, and have good opportunity to consider energy legislation prior to the Founders Day break'' in mid-February, Daschle said. Daschle said several committees were working on aspects of the legislation, including the energy, finance, armed services and environment and public works committees. ``Because it is so multifaceted and jurisdictional, we chose to put a proposal together that will allow the Senate to work its will ... That proposal will be introduced next week, and available to all during the time when we're not in session'' over the holidays, he said. Senate Republican leader Trent Lott was disappointed with Daschle's timetable. ``It's a great concern to me and a number of senators that we are not going to be able to consider an energy policy for our country before the end of the year,'' he said. ``We should do one before we go out.'' Republicans are pushing for a vote on their broad energy bill that would increase domestic energy supplies by, in part, allowing drilling in a small part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge located in northeast Alaska. The House of Representatives passed similar legislation in early August. However, Senate Democrats are strongly opposed to giving oil firms access to the refuge and instead propose an energy bill that focuses more on energy conservation and energy efficiency. The Bush administration has urged the Senate to vote on a broad energy bill this year that includes language opening the refuge to drilling. The government estimates the reserve could hold up to 16 billion barrels of oil, enough to replace the amount of crude the United States imports from Iraq for 70 years. Democrats and environmental groups argue that drilling would harm the polar bears, caribou and other wildlife that live in the refuge. Daschle told reporters he would allow a vote on drilling in the refuge, known by the acronym ANWR. However, he would not say if he would permit a simple majority vote on the issue, which would require just 51 votes for approval, or force Republicans to get the 60 votes needed to end a threatened filibuster by Democrats opposed to drilling. ``There will be votes on ANWR. I am not at this point ready to commit to an up-or-down vote,'' he said. Democrat Jeff Bingaman, chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, has worked out the comprehensive energy bill, running over 400 pages, that will be introduced by Daschle next week, according to a Bingaman staffer. The Senate Finance Committee is working on a separate package of energy tax credits and incentives worth about $15 billion, the staffer said. This is much less than the $33 billion in related tax credits included in the House energy bill passed over the summer. Also unlike the House bill, the Senate measure includes language strengthening the reliability of the nation's electric grid and re-authorizing federal liability insurance for utilities that own nuclear power plants. The House was scheduled to vote late on Tuesday on a stand-alone bill that would continue the nuclear liability insurance. The Senate bill is close to the House's version in supporting funding of government energy research and development programs. Copyright © 2001 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 26 N-waste storage: Time to OK site and move on © 2001 Michigan Live Tuesday, November 27, 2001 Former U.S. Sen. Spencer Abraham of Michigan has a key national decision to make in the weeks ahead. He is now President Bush's Secretary of Energy and has inherited this question: Should he recommend that the federal government proceed with using Nevada's Yucca Mountain as the site for a national nuclear-waste repository? Yes, he should, in our view. But history suggests that whatever Secretary Abraham recommends will be the subject of controversy. That being so, the only correct decision is one that benefits the public in the broadest sense. Safe storage of waste. Since the dawn of the nuclear age, experts have felt that the safest way to store radioactive waste is deep underground. With the 1982 enactment of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, Congress launched a search for a suitable storage site. In 1987, the Department of Energy was authorized to focus on one of nine locations, the one at Yucca Mountain. It is remote -- 100 miles from Las Vegas, with only six inches of rainfall annually and an extremely low water table -- 800 to 1,000 feet below the underground storage repository, which itself would be 660 to 1,600 feet below the ground surface. In recent weeks the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has signed off on a plan to build the dump at Yucca Mountain. Secretary Abraham is likely to follow suit by recommending approval to the president. However, the events of Sept. 11 raised new security issues on top of already fierce opposition in the state of Nevada. A new series of public hearings has been scheduled to address those issues. Michigan is one of the states with a stake in the outcome. Under the 1982 legislation, electric ratepayers have been contributing to a federal nuclear-waste dump that has yet to be built. Nationally, more than $16 billion has been collected. That includes $720 million from Michigan customers, and of that, more than $200 million came from Consumers Energy customers. So, where's the beef? You pay millions over nearly 20 years and get nothing? Time for federal action. We appreciate the new concerns over terrorist activity -- particularly while transporting waste to Nevada. But if terrorists want to mess with nuclear waste, the existing storage system is far more vulnerable than a well-chosen national site would be, or even unannounced shipments of waste. After all, Consumers Energy is storing nuclear waste in glorified barrels along the shoreline of Lake Michigan. That will not change until a federal storage site is completed. Due process is important, but 20 years at a virtual standstill is paralysis. Clearly the Yucca Mountain site has been studied to death -- an appropriate term, considering the site's proximity to Death Valley.Now it is time to move ahead with a decision. We urge Secretary Abraham to recommend to the president that the federal government give final approval to the Yucca Mountain site. --The Jackson Citizen Patriot Copyright 2001 Michigan Live Inc. ***************************************************************** 27 WNA NEWS BRIEFING 01.48 | 21 - 27 November 2001 A weekly summary of international news relevant to the nuclear energy industry. [NB01.48-1] Australia: Southern Cross Resources Inc has received approval of its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) from Australian Federal and State authorities to produce uranium from the Honeymoon operation in South Australia. The company expects commercial in-situ leach (ISL) production to start in late 2002, eventually reaching 1000 tonnes U3O8 (848 tU) per year. Honeymoon will be Australia's fourth operational uranium mine. (Southern Cross Resources, 21 November; NucNet Business News, 97/01, 23 November; see also News Briefings 01.10-5 and 01.46-6) [NB01.48-2] France: Closing the country's 58 nuclear power reactors by 2020 would cost the government between FFr240 billion and FFr510 billion (US$32billion to US$70 billion) and lead to higher taxes, according to a study by the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry (MEFI). The analysis indicates that the least expensive, most flexible, and 'most judicious' scenario for France is to extend operation of its existing reactors and not build any new capacity - nuclear or non-nuclear - until at least 2020. The study compares such as phase-out - as being demanded by the French Green party - with two alternatives: extending the lifetimes of all French reactors by 10 years, to 40 years, or building new nuclear power units to replace today's reactors, assuming the latter must be closed for technical or safety reasons. (Nucleonics Week, 15 November, p1) [NB01.48-3] Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd (AECL) expects to have its new generation Candu ready for market in three to four years, despite some innovative engineering work still to be concluded. The first 600 MWe Candu NG - which will cut 30%-40% off current Candu costs - could be built in either Canada or the UK. The most significant design change in the Candu NG is the use of slightly enriched uranium (SEU) (enriched to 1.6%) rather than natural uranium fuel. This has enabled the reactor to have a smaller core size and fewer fuel channels, and reduced the amount of heavy water required. (Nucleonics Week, 15 November, p9; see also News Briefing 01.46-18) [NB01.48-4] US uranium production during the third quarter of 2001 totalled 646 224 pounds U3O8 (249 tU), 34% less than produced during the same quarter of 2000, according to figures from the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration (EIA). During the first nine months of 2001, total US uranium production was just less than 2.1 million pounds U3O8 (808 tU), a drop of 30% compared with the first nine months of 2000. (FreshFUEL, 26 November, p5; see also News Briefing 01.26-2) [NB01.48-5] Australia: WMC Ltd - owner and operator of the Olympic Dam copper and uranium project - has rejected a potential A$11 billion (US$5.7 billion) takeover bid from Alcoa Inc, claiming that the offer was too low. WMC has instead proposed to demerge into two new separate listed companies - WMC Alumina and WMC Minerals. The demerger proposal requires shareholder and court approval. (WMC, 21 November; Nuclear Market Review, 23 November, p2; see also News Briefing 01.47-18) [NB01.48-6] Cameco, COGEMA and RWE NUKEM - the three companies engaged in a long-term contract to purchase the natural uranium component from highly enriched uranium (HEU) contained in Russian nuclear weapons - have signed an amendment to the agreement, originally signed in March 1999. Under the amendment, the three companies have committed to take the full amounts of the quota for export into the US market under the USEC Privatisation Act, which is 10 million pounds U3O8 (3846 tU) in 2002, increasing to 20 million pounds U3O8 (7693 tU) annually in 2009. Under the previous agreement, the contract amounted to an option for the three western companies. The new agreement essentially stabilises the feed portion of the US-Russian HEU deal - a development that is seen as benefiting both the Russian and the western participants in the deal. (Cameco, 26 November; FreshFUEL, 26 November, p1) Meanwhile, US uranium producers and key US utilities have reportedly worked out compromise legislative language that would restrict, but not forbid, the Department of Energy (DOE) from selling government stocks of uranium as early as 2002. According to the compromise, DOE could sell as much as 3 million pounds U3O8 (1154 tU) annually up to 2009, then 5 million pounds U3O8 (1923 tU) in 2010 and 2011, 7 million pounds U3O8 (2693 tU) in 2012, and 10 million pounds U3O8 (3846 tU) in 2013 and thereafter. (Nuclear Fuel, 26 November, p1; Ux Weekly, 26 November, p4; see also News Briefing 99.13-1) [NB01.48-7] US: The Department of Commerce (DOC) has concluded its hearings on the trade case brought by USEC Inc against European uranium enrichers Eurodif/Cogema and Urenco. The most fundamental issue is whether Eurodif and Urenco, in their contracts with US utilities, are providing a product or a service. Under US trade law, only products are subject to import duties. A final DOC decision in the case is scheduled for 13 December. (Nuclear Fuel, 26 November, p4; see also News Briefing 01.37-5) [NB01.48-8] Armenia: Metsamor-2 - the country's sole nuclear power reactor - was restarted on 15 November. The 376 MWe VVER was shut down on 10 July for planned maintenance and refuelling. The outage was scheduled to last 45 days, but was extended due to 'difficulties concerning fuel purchasing'. (NucNet News, 352/01, 21 November; see also News Briefing 00.50-8) [NB01.48-9] Russia: Rosenergoatom will build a new nuclear power reactor at the Novovoronezh plant. When completed in 2012, it will be the sixth reactor at the plant. The third, fourth and fifth reactors at the plant will also be upgraded. (Ux Weekly, 26 November, p4; see also News Briefing 01.29-10) [NB01.48-10] US: Exelon Generation Co has applied for amendments to its operating licences for Dresden-2 and -3 as well as Quad Cities-1 and -2, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced. The company hopes to raise the thermal output of Dresden by 17% to 2957 MW and that of Quad Cities by 17.8% to 2957 MW. (FreshFUEL, 26 November, p5) [NB01.48-11] Czech Republic: A team of experts has reviewed safety issues at the Temelin nuclear power plant. The team was assembled by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and consisted of national experts from Bulgaria, France, Germany, Spain, the UK, with an observer from Austria. They concluded that most safety issues identified in 1996 as relevant to reactors of the VVER-1000/320 design had been addressed and resolved, while work continues on the few remaining issues. These remaining issues, however, were not judged to affect the safe operation of Temelin. (IAEA, 27 November; see also News Briefing 01.30-6) [NB01.48-12] Hungary: Detailed plans for extending the operating lifetime of the Paks nuclear power plant by 20 years have been announced by plant officials. A comprehensive technical review concluded that 'there is no technical barrier or safety limit that may restrict the operation of the Paks nuclear power plant for up to 50 years'. The Paks plant consists of four reactors, which entered commercial service between 1983 and 1987. A 'preparatory project' was launched in October, with a view to drafting and introducing a comprehensive 'lifetime management programme', and to preparing the necessary licensing documents for the lifetime extension by 2007. This is in addition to existing plans for an 8% increase in total electrical output. An economic review found that Paks had the lowest generation costs of any Hungarian power plant, and should maintain its competitiveness against alternative energy sources following partial market liberalisation, due to take place in Hungary on 1 January 2003. (NucNet Business News, 98/01, 26 November; see also News Briefing 01.06-11) [NB01.48-13] Slovakia: The government approved an agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to establish a fund to finance the shutdown of Bohunice-1 and -2. Slovakia has already agreed to close the reactors by 2006 and 2008, respectively, as a condition for its entry into the European Union (EU). Under the agreement, the EBRD and Slovakia will co-manage a fund providing finances needed to rebuild the plant's infrastructure for a different use in the energy sector and to cover social programmes and retraining for employees affected by the closure. The EU will contribute US$132 million to the new fund. The total cost of closing the two reactors has been estimated at US$301 million. (Nuclear Market Review, 23 November, p2; see also News Briefing 01.43-2) [NB01.48-14] France: Defence at Cogema's La Hague reprocessing plant has been stepped up. A third battery of ground-to-air missiles has been installed near the plant and the no-fly zone around the facility has been extended to 10 km (six miles). Some 150 military personnel are currently positioned near La Hague. (Agence France-Presse, 21 November; see also News Briefing 01.43-9) [NB01.48-15] Japan: A nationwide review of light water reactor (LWR) safety inspection practices has been ordered by regulators at the Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry (METI). The move follows the rupture of a high-pressure injection system (HPIS) pipe at Chubu Electric Power Co's Hamaoka-1 reactor. Meanwhile, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd (MHI) will investigate HPIS piping at other Japanese reactors. (Nucleonics Week, 15 November, p1; see also News Briefing 01.47-12) [NB01.48-16] Russia: A floating complex for processing liquid radioactive waste from nuclear-powered submarines was to be formally transferred from Japanese to Russian ownership on 22 November. Russia has been operating the Landysh facility, built under an agreement between the government of Russia and Japan, for more than a year. Landysh - built at a cost of some US$35 million - has already processed about 800 cubic metres of waste during a test period and is expected to process 7000 cubic metres annually. (NucNet News, 350/01, 21 November; see also News Briefing 00.37-12) [NB01.48-17] US: E.On of Germany - Europe's biggest energy group - is planning acquisitions in the US to build a leading position in the American energy market. The company reportedly has funds of US$31 billion to US$35 billion for acquisitions, excluding proceeds of planned disposals. E.On's chief executive, Ulrich Hartmann, is quoted as saying the company plans to 'purchase two big American energy companies in the very near future'. (Financial Times, 22 November, p28; see also News Briefing 01.26-5) Previous News Briefing NB01.47 ***************************************************************** 28 KNEF to launch PR campaign for nuclear energy http://www.koreaherald.com "Korea Nuclear Energy Foundation (KNEF) will launch concrete public relations (PR) activities in order to create positive public opinion about nuclear energy," Lee Tae-sup, chairman of KNEF, said. In an interview with The Korea Herald, the top executive of KNEF said that the foundation would focus its emphasis on strengthening its power as a professional institution to educate the public about the safety and environmental advantages of nuclear power. "At the same time, KNEF will push for a thorough business management under which it will attain maximum effects with minimum costs," said Lee. "Finally, KNEF will strive to bolster its competitiveness through a drastic reform and improvement of its systems," he said. Noting that nuclear power, people and the natural habitat of modern society coexist together, he said, "KNEF staff call these circumstances "nuclear culture" and our role is to promote this ideal and develop the nuclear culture for the future well-being of mankind." "When claiming a real need for peaceful nuclear energy, we do not limit ourselves to definitions of a simple safe energy supply, but take a broader view of the sustainable development of nuclear energy's potential as the environmentally friendly source of energy for the 21st century, " he noted. Related to this, Chairman Lee continued to say, "KNEF will endeavor as a professional public relations body to promote a well balanced understanding of nuclear energy. And our accumulated experience and efforts in the public relations field enhances the development of a nuclear culture in Korea." Following are excerpts of the interview with Chairman Lee. Question: You were appointed as chairman of KNEF this year. Would you comment on your impressions? Answer: Since I took office as chairman of KNEF, six months have passed. During the period, I have felt a heavy responsibility as the head of a nuclear power public relations institution. And, I think one of major problems is that the general public does not have a proper understanding of nuclear power. As a result, I will do my best to help people better understand nuclear power in a more positive way through honest, transparent, and open public PR activities. Q: Koreans are still not well aware of KNEF. Would you introduce KNEF briefly? A: KNEF was established in March 1992 in order to promote nuclear culture through education and disseminate scientific information on the peaceful use of nuclear energy. As a non-profit and professional PR institution, KNEF is conducting diverse publicity and PR activities. It publishes books and data on nuclear energy-related information and knowledge, holds cultural events for the promotion of nuclear culture, and educates teachers and students of the next generation. Particularly, KNEF is placing its priority on the education of the young generation. Q: Would you comment on the future direction of KNEF operations? A: Nuclear power generation accounts for 40 percent of total electric power produced in Korea. Accordingly, it plays a critical role as an important source of energy. In spite of its abundant benefits, many people still have a biased view that nuclear power is dangerous. Therefore, as a professional PR organization for nuclear energy, KNEF will endeavor to correct the people's misunderstanding of nuclear power. For this purpose, KNEF will place its emphasis on improving its ability as a professional PR organization, carrying out detailed PR programs, and pursuing drastic reforms and system renovations. Through these reforms and changes, it will secure confidence from the government, business community, and general public. Q: About 20 years have passed since the operation of the first nuclear power plant in Korea. Would you comment on the current status of Korea's nuclear industry and its technology level? A: At the end of 2000, Korea had 16 nuclear power plants in four regions, which have facility capacity of 13,715,000 kw. In terms of total electric power facility capacity, this accounts for 28.3 percent. Last year, nuclear energy supplied 40.9 percent of total electric power generation, by producing 108.9 kwh. As of the end of 1999, Korea had 162 nuclear energy-related companies, 20,698 employees and total sales of 8.26 trillion won, which accounts for about 1.7 percent of GDP. Both in quantitative and qualitative terms, Korea has succeeded in the development of nuclear power generation. Although Korea depended completely on foreign technology in the construction of its first nuclear power plant, now it has achieved a technical independence of 95 percent. Notably, the nuclear power plant under way in Sinpo, North Korea is led by Korean manpower and technology, demonstrating that Korea's nuclear technology is at a world-class level. Q: The demand for electric power this year reached a record high due to the worst drought in 90 years and the sweltering heat this summer. How much does nuclear power generation contribute to the Korean economy? A: The quality of electric power generation has increased by 10 percent every year, which is exceeding the economic growth rate. This year the increase rate of electric power generation is expected to reach 6 percent because of the economic slowdown. As the use of electric power is steadily increasing, the failure of any nuclear power plant could cause serious damage. Korea has to import 97 percent of its energy sources, which amounts to $37.6 billion. This is almost the same as the combined export amount of semiconductors and computers, which are Korea's major export items. It also accounts for 23.4 percent of total imports. Nuclear power is a technology-intensive energy source, and it is relatively cheap compared with other energy sources. If we compare nuclear power plants with LNG plants, they save us $3.5 billion per year. A stable supply of electric power is possible with nuclear power. In addition, Korea has enough stockpiles of nuclear energy sources, which can be used for three years in an emergency. Q: Securing the location of radioactive waste storage facilities is an urgent problem facing Korea. How does this matter proceed? A: People often compare a nuclear power plant to a "mansion without a toilet." Since Korea introduced its first nuclear energy plant in 1978, it has not yet secured a storage site for radioactive waste. Among the 20 advanced countries that are operating nuclear energy plants, Korea is the only country that has no radioactive waste storage facility. This is shameful. In order to secure a radioactive waste storage location, the government has adopted an open inducement method instead of unilateral action by the government. So the government has tried to receive applications from local governments. But regretfully, no local government has applied for a storage facility. However, in some local communities, a majority of the people has agreed on the inducement of a storage facility. This means that people's understanding of the necessity for such a facility, its safety and related welfare facilities is broadening. The government plans to grant a local government willing to build a storage facility a variety of incentives, including 300 billion won in supporting funds and the creation of more jobs. Q: Finally, would you comment on the prospects for the nuclear power industry? A: In my opinion, the prospects for the nuclear power industry are very bright because the 21st century is an era of environment and the environmental issue has very close relation with the use of energy. For a stable supply of energy and the protection of environment, the nuclear power generation business should be continuously grown, and I think it would be possible. For Korea, which imports more than 97 percent of the total energy it needs, the exploitation of the nuclear power plant is essential. 2001.11.28 (C) Copyright 2000 Digital Korea Herald. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 29 N-waste storage: Time to OK site and move on © 2001 Michigan Live Tuesday, November 27, 2001 Former U.S. Sen. Spencer Abraham of Michigan has a key national decision to make in the weeks ahead. He is now President Bush's Secretary of Energy and has inherited this question: Should he recommend that the federal government proceed with using Nevada's Yucca Mountain as the site for a national nuclear-waste repository? Yes, he should, in our view. But history suggests that whatever Secretary Abraham recommends will be the subject of controversy. That being so, the only correct decision is one that benefits the public in the broadest sense. Safe storage of waste. Since the dawn of the nuclear age, experts have felt that the safest way to store radioactive waste is deep underground. With the 1982 enactment of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, Congress launched a search for a suitable storage site. In 1987, the Department of Energy was authorized to focus on one of nine locations, the one at Yucca Mountain. It is remote -- 100 miles from Las Vegas, with only six inches of rainfall annually and an extremely low water table -- 800 to 1,000 feet below the underground storage repository, which itself would be 660 to 1,600 feet below the ground surface. In recent weeks the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has signed off on a plan to build the dump at Yucca Mountain. Secretary Abraham is likely to follow suit by recommending approval to the president. However, the events of Sept. 11 raised new security issues on top of already fierce opposition in the state of Nevada. A new series of public hearings has been scheduled to address those issues. Michigan is one of the states with a stake in the outcome. Under the 1982 legislation, electric ratepayers have been contributing to a federal nuclear-waste dump that has yet to be built. Nationally, more than $16 billion has been collected. That includes $720 million from Michigan customers, and of that, more than $200 million came from Consumers Energy customers. So, where's the beef? You pay millions over nearly 20 years and get nothing? Time for federal action. We appreciate the new concerns over terrorist activity -- particularly while transporting waste to Nevada. But if terrorists want to mess with nuclear waste, the existing storage system is far more vulnerable than a well-chosen national site would be, or even unannounced shipments of waste. After all, Consumers Energy is storing nuclear waste in glorified barrels along the shoreline of Lake Michigan. That will not change until a federal storage site is completed. Due process is important, but 20 years at a virtual standstill is paralysis. Clearly the Yucca Mountain site has been studied to death -- an appropriate term, considering the site's proximity to Death Valley.Now it is time to move ahead with a decision. We urge Secretary Abraham to recommend to the president that the federal government give final approval to the Yucca Mountain site. --The Jackson Citizen Patriot Copyright 2001 Michigan Live Inc. ***************************************************************** 30 Taxpayers for Common Sense: End The Price-Anderson Act U.S. Newswire 27 Nov 16:28 To: National Desk Contact: Keith Ashdown of Taxpayers for Common Sense, 202-546-8500 ext. 110 WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following is a statement by Jill Lancelot, Legislative Director of Taxpayers for Common Sense on the upcoming vote by the House of Representatives on the Price-Anderson Act: Washington lawmakers and lobbyists for the nuclear power industry have teamed up behind closed doors to all but guarantee that a controversial liability law worth billions to the nuclear power industry will be passed by the House of Representatives this week with little or no debate. The law, known as the Price-Anderson Act, is being considered under the "suspension of the rules," a Congressional procedure that allows for quick voice votes without any amendments, and is usually reserved for non-controversial bills like renaming post office and federal buildings. There is nothing more controversial than limiting liability protection for a politically powerful industry at the expense of taxpayers. Liability limits reduce the nuclear industry's cost of fully insuring against the risk of an accident. Most other industries insure against potential liabilities and risk loss of assets if the insurance is inadequate. By eliminating the cost of insurance and eliminating some investment risk for the industry, the Price-Anderson Act gives nuclear power an unfair advantage over other sectors of the energy industry. The Price-Anderson Act limits the nuclear industry's liability at $9.43 billion. According to independent estimates, the value of the federal liability protection ranges from $355 million to $3.4 billion. The liability cap would pay only pennies on the dollar if an accident occurred. The cost to clean up after the Chernobyl disaster was more than $300 billion and a 1982 Sandia National Laboratory study estimated an accident in the U.S. would exceed $110 billion. What was intended to be a temporary solution forty-four years ago has now become a permanent crutch for the industry. Price-Anderson was supposed to be a ten-year program to get a fledgling industry off the ground. Just like many other special deals in Washington this one never ended. Washington lawmakers should level the playing field and put an end to this nuclear power play. Congress should not reauthorize the Price-Anderson Act. ------ Taxpayers for Common Sense is a non-partisan voice for American taxpayers. TCS is dedicated to cutting wasteful spending and subsidies in order to achieve a responsible and efficient government that lives within its means. Copyright 2001, U.S. Newswire ***************************************************************** 31 A security blanket at Seabrook Station The Union Leader & New Hampshire News - November 28, 2001 By KATHRYN MARCHOCKI Union Leader Staff SEABROOK — Guards in battle-dress uniforms armed with M-16s are the first sign things have changed at Seabrook Station. The zig-zagged series of concrete barriers outside the main gate are next. There, a half dozen guards and police form the nuclear power plant’s new first line of defense since Sept. 11. Despite the constant humming of spinning turbines pumping out enough electricity to feed a million homes, the plant operates under an heavy veil of security previously unseen at the nation’s 103 nuclear plants, Seabrook Station spokesman Alan Griffith said. The new perimeter checkpoint is just one of the more visible changes at Seabrook since nuclear plants nationwide streaked to their highest level of security immediately after the terrorist attacks. “It’s unprecedented. It never happened before,” Griffith said Monday, of the first time nuclear power plants nationwide went to Level 3 security. “The entire property was buttoned up at that point,” he added. Seabrook Station is also quieter these days. The Science and Nature Center and nature trail that winds through tidal marsh and forest along part of the plant’s 900 acres are deserted. Normally drawing 20,000 to 30,000 school children and visitors a year, they have been off-limits to the public since Sept. 11. Instead, two local police officers are the only ones on the trail that skirts the Browns River estuary Monday morning. One, a Seabrook police officer armed with a 12-gauge shotgun, and another from Hampton are among local police called in Oct. 30 to boost the plant’s security force after the FBI issued its second warning of a possible terrorist attack. Officers from Seabrook, Hampton, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office and Salisbury, Mass., will continue the 24-hour perimeter patrols indefinitely, Griffith said. Seabrook Station pays for the officers, he said. While Level 3 security is the highest level for nuclear power plants, “it means different things at different times,” Griffith said. “It’s kind of a broad category from which we can do things,” he added. Security can be adjusted up or down depending on latest intelligence information plant security managers receive from the FBI, State Police and local authorities, Griffith said. “We are in daily contact with local, state and federal officials. We’re getting information on the state of security around the country as it relates to nuclear plants and we use this to determine what steps we should take,” he added. A Federal Aviation Administration decision to set up “no-fly zones” around nuclear power plants would be one example of boosting security further within the existing Level 3 state of alert, Griffith said. Seabrook Station sealed off the southern access road to the 900-acre facility, forcing all traffic to enter through the perimeter checkpoint. There, the plant’s approximately 900 employees who used to insert a security card at an automated gate must now stop at the first of three, staggered barriers, where armed guards in body armor check their identification. Griffith would not discuss other enhanced security steps taken since Sept. 11. Besides the extra security precautions taken in the past 10 weeks, the 11-year-old plant itself always operated under tight security, Griffith said. “That’s where security is extremely fortified and heavily defended,” he said. Anyone entering the plant where the administrative offices are and nuclear fission power generation occurs must pass through three security stations. The first is a full-body scanner that can detect the most minute trace of explosives. A metal detector is next. The last station is a hand geometry machine that reads employees’ finger and palm print off their security cards while they press their palm on the machine. The two must match before they can pass through a steel turnstile and into the plant. Inside, employees cleared to enter the plant’s vital protected area, which houses the control room and nuclear reactor, must pass through more security barriers, Griffith said. Before leaving the plant, employees step into a radiation detection screen to ensure they are carrying no radioactive material. Lastly, they insert their security card into a reader before exiting, creating an electronic record of their entire time in the facility. Visitors to the station must get clearance before they can enter the facility and cannot travel without an escort. A reporter and photographer touring the grounds this week were not allowed to speak with any employees and could not go beyond the lobby of the security building. Vehicular access to the plant also is tight. Cars, tanker trucks delivering chemicals and maintenance workers in company vans all line up before a locked, chain-link fence topped with barbed wire waiting their turn to enter the plant. The locked fence slides open long enough to allow one vehicle to pass into a rectangular, enclosed area. There a team of private, armed security guards in battle-dress uniforms and body armor prowl under the hood, open doors, and peek into crevices and any conceivable place things could be hidden. As a final check, one guard methodically sweeps a mirror with a long pole handle on it beneath the vehicle. The entire process takes at least 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size and type of vehicle. Seabrook Station also has electronic surveillance inside and outside the plant, including the expansive Browns River tidal marsh. Seabrook Station was built in the 1970s to withstand a collision by fully-fueled FB-111, the fighter-bomber that flew out of Pease Air Force Base at that time, Griffith said. Its nuclear reactor dome design is unique in that one dome encapsulates another, he said. The exterior dome of 1½-feet thick, steel-reinforced concrete surrounds another one made of similar material 4½ feet thick. Inside that is the reactor vessel, which lies underground between 8 inches to 12 inches of solid steel, he said. The reactor vessel contains rods made of the steel alloy, zircaloy, which hold the uranium pellets that fuel the plant. The Union Leader. ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR WEAPONS ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 N.Korea Urged to Address Nuke Worries washingtonpost.com: By Jae-Suk Yoo Associated Press Writer Wednesday, November 28, 2001; 3:30 AM SEOUL, South Korea –– U.S., Japanese and South Korean officials urged North Korea to join the U.S.-led campaign against terrorism and to address concerns about its suspected nuclear weapons program. In a joint statement released Tuesday, the three countries took "positive" note of actions taken by the North following the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. But the officials, who met for two days in San Francisco, said North Korea needs to "take further steps to confirm its cooperation with international anti-terrorism initiatives and opposition to international terrorism." The North, which is included on a U.S. list of nations that sponsor terrorism, called the September attacks "very regrettable and tragic." It also decided to sign two United Nations treaties barring the financing of terrorism and the taking of hostages. But the hard-line communist country voiced opposition to the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, saying it could result in heavy civilian casualties. The statement by the U.S., Japanese and South Korean officials did not say what further steps that North Korea should take in connection with the war in Afghanistan, but the U.S. ambassador to South Korea, Thomas C. Hubbard, said recently that the North Koreans "have been less than forthcoming in supporting the coalition against terrorism." On Monday, President Bush denounced both Iraq and North Korea for their alleged development of weapons of mass destruction. He warned that there would be consequences if they produce them. The San Francisco statement also mentioned the breakdown of the latest round of North and South Korean talks, and said "enhanced inter-Korean dialogue was central to efforts to reduce tension and increase stability on the Korean Peninsula." The 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a permanent peace treaty, and the border that divides the two Koreas is the world's most heavily armed. © 2001 The Associated Press ***************************************************************** 2 Two Pakistani nuclear scientists under spyglass again The Frontier Post From Peshawar Pakistan Tahir Rathore Updated on 11/28/2001 11:04:43 AM ISLAMABAD: Pakistan confirmed that the two retired nuclear scientists have been again booked for interrogation of their links with Al-Qaeda of Osama bin Laden. “The retired nuclear scientists of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), Baishiruddin and Majid had again booked for investigation. But there is no intention to extradite them to any third country,” Director General ISPR, Major General Rashid Qureshi said on Tuesday He was addressing a joint daily news briefing with Foreign Office spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan. Aziz said that the government to consider the recognition of government in Kabul once a broad-based multi ethnic government is established under the aegis of the United Nations. The spokesman said for the moment no Afghan delegation is coming to Pakistan. However, he said Pakistan is in contact with all Afghan groups. To a question, the spokesman said that Iranian Foreign Minister Mr. Kamal Kharazi will be reaching Islamabad, today (Wednesday) evening for talks on the situation in Afghanistan. He said even in the past, there was no difference of opinion between Pakistan on the formation of broad-based multi ethnic government in Afghanistan. To a question, Mr. Aziz Ahmad Khan said that Pakistan has requested the ICRC and the United Nations to find out about Pakistanis following surrender of Taliban in Kunduz. To a question, D.G ISPR said that there was reportedly infighting between two Afghan groups on the other side of the border. He said no small arms, or missiles were targetted to Pakistan posts and no missile fell in Pakistani territory. In reply to a question he said what is going on inside occupied Kashmir is freedom movement. There are organizations that formed groups from within the Kashmir’s in Indian held Kashmir who are fighting for their right of self determination which has been guaranteed both by the United Nations Security council and which is still in force. Qureshi made it clear that no missile fell in Pakistan’s territory during the US led ongoing military operation in Afghanistan. Rashid Qureshi replying to a question has said that there were reportedly infighting between two Afghan groups on the other side of the border. He said no small arms, or missiles were targetted to Pakistan posts and no missile fell in the Pakistani territory. To another question, he said what is going on inside Indian Occupied Kashmir is freedom movement. There are organizations that formed groups from within the Kashmir’s in Indian held Kashmir. He said that groups were fighting for their right to self-determination. He Rashid Qureshi said that the United Nations Security Council and which is still in force have guaranteed right to self-determination to them. There were no similarities between happening in the Indian Occupied Kashmir and in other terrorist activities anywhere in the world, he said. © Copyright 2001 The Frontier Post ***************************************************************** 3 How Secure Is Pakistan's Plutonium? November 28, 2001 By MANSOOR IJAZ and R. JAMES WOOLSEY A deeply disturbing picture of terrorist intent has emerged in recent weeks as blueprints for building nuclear weapons have been discovered in the wreckage of abandoned Al Qaeda safe houses. These blueprints and other documents, while largely available in the public domain, sharpen the need for a vigorous American policy to deal with unsecured nuclear, chemical and biological materials. Even if terrorist manufacture of nuclear bombs is unlikely, substantial dangers remain of terrorists using radioactive material in low-tech "dirty" bombs. The main nuclear security problem posed by Al Qaeda today is access to radioactive materials in Pakistan. However, for a decade we have focused on the former Soviet Union. Since the end of the cold war, approximately 175 incidents of smuggling or attempted theft of nuclear materials there have been thwarted. But the threat remains, as the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Nov. 6, when the last attempt at theft was made. For Russia, a sensible solution is available — the Nunn-Lugar "cooperative threat reduction" program to improve the security of Russia's nuclear materials, technology and expertise. This week, the House Republican leadership will decide whether to finance the next phase. The program is only 40 percent complete; finishing it will take another quarter of a century at the current rate of funding. It is past time to fully implement and finance this important legislation. The Nunn-Lugar initiative can serve as a valuable precedent in addressing security problems in Pakistan. Neither Pakistan nor India has signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty or the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Nor has either country engaged in negotiations, under the auspices of the United Nations Conference on Disarmament, to protect against theft of fissile materials. This reluctance in India and Pakistan to recognize international norms, however, should not alter our resolve to improve the security of nuclear materials in South Asia. While Islamabad is widely believed to have the material for 25 to 40 medium-yield bombs, most of its nuclear devices are kept in component parts, not as assembled warheads. The storage procedures, quite elaborate prior to Sept. 11, were altered again on Oct. 7 when the American bombing of Afghanistan began. Separately stored uranium and plutonium cores and their detonation assemblies were moved to six new secret locations around the country. The new storage patterns were designed to allow for rapid assembly and deployment, but attackers will nonetheless find it much more difficult to confiscate Pakistan's nuclear weapons. Even if Al Qaeda obtained radioactive materials from a sympathizer at one of Pakistan's plants for making weapons-grade nuclear materials, as some reports have suggested, the material would still have to be shaped into a fissionable core with detonation switches and delivery housings. Such a complex effort would be difficult to carry out in an Afghan cave. But we can hardly count on terrorists always being under bombardment in caves. Pakistan's nuclear command hierarchy, overhauled in 2000, was also revamped on Oct. 7 in the wake of a broad military-intelligence shake-up. Pakistan's president and army chief, Pervez Musharraf, created the strategic planning division and appointed a moderate general, Khalid Kidwai, to oversee Pakistani nuclear assets. Self-policing, however, is not enough. Since 1990, American sanctions have blocked sale or transfer of any technology that might have a military use — including technologies that would improve nuclear security. American export license controls — and, where necessary, Non-Proliferation Treaty and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty compliance rules preventing United States exports — should be waived to transfer the technology needed to protect Pakistan's nuclear arsenals and materials from unauthorized use. The Bush administration should make available American vaults, sensors, alarms, tamper-proof seals, closed-circuit cameras and labels to identify, track and secure Islamabad's nuclear materials. Such precautions would dramatically reduce the probability that even the most devoted bin Laden supporter inside a Pakistani nuclear enrichment facility would get very far in trying to deliver stolen uranium or plutonium to terrorists. There is a real risk that Pakistan's fanatics might collaborate with Al Qaeda; the plans, recently discovered in Kabul, for a helium balloon armed with anthrax have been attributed to a Pakistani nuclear scientist turned Taliban philanthropist. But the risk is manageable if we can help the Musharraf government focus on this threat, as Russia has done in the Nunn-Lugar cooperative threat reduction program. Unless we follow such a course, we face the very real possibility of terrorist militias obtaining not just blueprints but the materials to fashion and detonate weapons of mass destruction. We also risk sharpening the debate in Pakistani military and political circles about whether its nuclear expertise should be shared with other Muslim countries. It is hard to think of two developments that are less in our interest. Mansoor Ijaz, a nuclear scientist, is chairman of Crescent Investment Management in New York; his father was an early pioneer in Pakistan's nuclear program. R. James Woolsey, an attorney, was director of central intelligence from 1993 to 1995. Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company | Privacy Information ***************************************************************** 4 Fears over nuclear terror online.ie : News The Irish Examiner 28 Nov 2001 By John Breslin INTERNATIONAL experts are divided on whether Iraq is anywhere close to developing a nuclear capability given the difficulties it experienced on earlier programmes. On Monday, US President George Bush hinted the war against terrorism may be widened with Iraq the next possible target. In answer to a question about Iraq, he said any country that developed weapons of mass destruction for the purposes of terrorism would be held accountable. Mr Bush warned Iraqi President Saddam Hussein that he would find out the consequences if weapons inspectors were not allowed back into the country. The country first began to develop nuclear capability, it is believed, back in 1979 but the programme has been littered with problems, confined to low level internal development and was effectively smashed following the Gulf War and the dismantlement in 1994 of its key research facility. It may have started again from near scratch but sanctions imposed since the end of the Gulf War would have limited development, according to the Federation of American Scientists. In addition, the five main countries with nuclear know-how - the US, Britain, Russia, China and France - are all signatories of a non-proliferation pact which forbids the passing of knowledge or materials. There are only seven countries in the world that have built and tested weapons of mass destruction, the five plus India and Pakistan. But it is almost certain that Israel has fully developed its nuclear weapon potential along with North Korea. A number of other countries are thought to have conducted extensive research. The US currently has 12,500 nuclear weapons, of which three quarters are in active service. It is continuing the tortuous negotiations with Russia - under the various START treaties - for a reduction in those numbers. Russia wants no more than 2,500 for both parties but the US has only committed to a low of 4,450 by 2007. Whatever the numbers, any one of the war heads is a lethal weapon of destruction. Talks on the implementation of the various strands of the START programme have being going on for years but they received a boost since September 11 as the US launched its offensive to build a consensus on the international war on terrorism. In the meantime, the US is continuing its unilateral development of the national missile defence system, a programme nicknamed Son of Stars that has an approved budget of £50 billion up to 2015. Its continued development effectively tears up the near three decade old agreed anti-ballistic missile treaty. A major fear is that international terrorist groups would have access to Soviet-produced suitcase nuclear bombs or biological or chemical weapons. Failing all that, there are plenty of conventional weapons floating around. In the last 10 years, the US has granted military export licences for goods totally a staggering $152 billion to countries across the world. Most of these goods have and will be sent to the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Israel the largest importers of weapons and technology. Turkey, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan have also imported billions of pounds worth of military goods, as has Korea and Taiwan in the Far East. ***************************************************************** 5 US finds 40 nuke test labs The Sun From BRIAN FLYN in New York MORE than FORTY al-Qa’ida labs have been found in Afghanistan which US forces believe were used for research into chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. Scientific papers and samples of chemicals from the secret labs have been flown to the United States for analysis. The Pentagon believes the evidence will show how close terror leader Osama bin Laden is to creating weapons of mass destruction. Bin Laden, in an interview published at the weekend, said he had nuclear weapons and might use them. US General Tommy Franks — leading the operation in Afghanistan — said: “We’ve identified more than 40 places which have the potential for weapons of mass destruction research. “We have not found anything that we yet believe is specific. That is why we are going to analyse them all.” Gen. Franks said the hunt for bin Laden had been narrowed down to just two areas in Afghanistan. The terror chief and his henchmen may be hiding near the last Taliban stronghold of Kandahar. Or he is in an area around Jalalabad and the Tora Bora mountains, near the Pakistan border. The general said: “These are the two areas we are looking carefully into.” Pakistani forces are also keeping a watch on up to 170 mountain passes in case bin Laden and his men make a run for it. Gen. Franks added: “If this leadership does leave Afghanistan, it’s simply a matter of continuing wherever they go until we find them. “It is a matter of tightening the noose.” US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said tips and intelligence were pouring in after a $25million reward was put up for information leading to the capture of bin Laden. Bin targets US pipelines OSAMA bin Laden has ordered his terror gangs to attack US oil and gas pipelines if he is killed or captured, Pentagon officials fear. The terrorist chief is believed to have personally approved attacks if he or Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar are put out of action. The FBI has alerted agents across America and fuel firms have tightened security. Air patrols have increased over thousands of miles of gas and petrol pipelines. Details of pipeline locations have been taken off websites. Attorney General John Ashcroft said: “Those are the kinds of reports which we take seriously.” © 2001 News Group Newspapers ***************************************************************** 6 Moment of truth closing The Pasko Case Gregory Pasko, an investigative journalist who worked for the Pacific Fleet's newspaper, was arrested on 20 November 1997 by the FSB and charged with high treason for his writing about the nuclear safety issues in the Russian Pacific Fleet. On November 29 the Pasko-trial will enter its last and decisive stage. Whether the Court will dare to base its verdict on the law, or in stead will give in to pressure from forces urging for a conviction remains to be seen. Jon Gauslaa, 2001-11-28 17:58 The re-trial of Grigory Pasko is still going on at the Court of the Russian Pacific Fleet in Vladivostok. Throughout the proceedings it has been clarified that the charges against him do not endure a critical light. They are based on the Ministry of Defence's decree 055:96, a normative act that the Russian Supreme Court on November 6, 2001 characterised as "invalid and illegal". Besides, it has been proven that the FSB did not only illegally collect the 'evidence' against Pasko, but also downright falsified important parts of it. From a legal point of view it should therefore not be difficult to predict the outcome of the case, especially since the Court has handled the trial fairly reasonable. Several recent events may however, seem somewhat disturbing. Proceedings delayed Back in July the Court appointed a group of phonetic experts from the Russian Ministry of the Interior (MVD) whose task was to evaluate whether Pasko speaks on the FSB's recordings of his telephone conversations or not. Although Pasko says that he does the talking, the expert evaluation has to be carried out, since the Military Supreme Court in its cancellation of the first Pasko-verdict focused particularly on the need for such an evaluation. The experts have - for no particular reason - been considerably delayed. They were first expected to present their conclusion in September, but it was then announced that they would continue working until late October, which caused a one-month break in the trial. When appearing in Court on October 29, they asked for another month. Because of this, the trial has been postponed to November 29, 2001, and may well continue throughout December and perhaps even into January 2002 before the verdict will be announced. The reiterated - and completely unjustified - delays can hardly be explained in any other way than as an attempt to exhaust Pasko and his defence, and to disintegrate Pasko's support. The FSB applied the same tactics in the Nikitin-case, but since the venue of that case was St. Petersburg, it was possible to maintain the attention around the case and the support for Nikitin. It is obviously more challenging to achieve the same when the venue is Vladivostok in the Russian Far East. Jacks in the box The continued delays are not the only recent incidents that have raised concern within Pasko's defence-team. In early November two high-ranking witnesses, rear admiral and Duma representative, Valery Dorogin, and the deputy commander of the Russian Navy and former head of the Pacific Fleet, admiral Zakharenko, appeared in Court to give their testimonies. The move took the defence by surprise as the admirals neither were entered on the list of witnesses, nor had been interrogated when the case was being investigated back in 1997-98. But now they popped up like some kinds of 'Jacks in the box'. The defence became even more astonished when it heard what the admirals had to say. Both focused on one of the ten episodes Pasko is charged with. In September 1997 Pasko attended a meeting of the Military Council of the Pacific Fleet, in order to cover it for his newspaper "Boyevaya Vaktha". He took some notes for the possible use in a later article. According to the indictment Pasko kept the said notes at home and later transferred them to Japan. The prosecution is however, not even close to prove that the notes were transferred (they were on the contrary confiscated at the search of Pasko's flat on November 20, 1997…) or that he had any intentions to transfer them. Admirals exceed state secret experts When being shown the notes, which are totally incomprehensible for all other persons than the one who wrote them, Mr. Dorogin claimed that they contain a whole lot of secret information. Mr. Zakharenko went one step beyond, as he declared that the notes contain 'extremely secret' information about the strategic use of the forces of the Pacific Fleet. Through these statements the admirals did by far exceed the conclusion of the state secret experts. According to them the notes reveal secret information 'only' about "the real names of military units" and "the activity of radio-electronic warfare units". The experts could however not substantiate these allegations when being interrogated in Court. It then became clear that their conclusion was entirely based on the above-mentioned secret, un-registered, invalid and illegal decree 055:96. The reason why the admirals appeared in Court in order to give their testimonies is not known. It is however noteworthy that both of them were especially flown in from Moscow, apparently on the order of the chairman of the Pacific Fleet Court himself, General Volkov. Court under pressure? The defence has also noted a recent negative change in the Court's attitude towards Pasko. The Court has for instance started to cross-examine him about several episodes, although it previously has declared that it has no further questions regarding these episodes. The defence fears that the reason behind the Court's changed attitude might be that the judges are under pressure from the FSB or from officers within the HQs of the Russian Navy or the Pacific Fleet, who after all are the superiors of the judges. And it is a fact that Pasko's critical journalism about the Fleet's handling of radioactive waste has created powerful enemies for him within these circles. Before the Court took a break in the end of September the trial developed very much in Pasko's favour. It was confirmed that the FSB has committed several law violations throughout the investigation. No witnesses said anything that incriminated Pasko, and the 'state secret experts' were almost ridiculed in Court. Consequently, the chances for a conviction occurred to be rather slim and one can not rule out that this might have been an incitement for some of Pasko's enemies to insert pressure on the Court. It is obviously too early to draw any conclusion regarding these issues, and it remains to be seen whether the Court will base its verdict on the law and the facts of the case, or if it in stead will give in to the possible pressure. The end of the trial is closing in, and so is the moment of truth for the legal development in Russia. Will it continue towards the rule of law or will it slide back into the abyss of arbitrariness? The upcoming verdict may not give the whole answer to this question, but it will definitively give an important part of it. Grigory Pasko was arrested on November 20, 1997 on charges of espionage on behalf of the Japanese TV-channel NHK. He was acquitted in July 1999, but convicted of 'abuse of official authority' and freed under an amnesty. Seeking a full acquittal, Pasko appealed, but so did the prosecution, insisting he was a spy. On November 21, 2000 the Russian Military Supreme Court sent the case back for a re-trial at the Pacific Fleet Court. The re-trial started on July 11, 2001, and it now seems unlikely that it will be determined this year. 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 ***************************************************************** 7 US finds no evidence of nuclear, chemical, biological weapons online.ie 28 Nov 2001 US experts on the ground in Afghanistan have found no evidence that either Osama bin Laden or the Taliban regime tried to develop nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, according to the commander in charge of the so-called "war on terrorism". General Tommy Franks said yesterday that his troops have searched more than 40 sites where they suspected such weapons may have been developed, but found no evidence to support their suspicions. He said some samples and papers were taken from the sites for more thorough analysis. ***************************************************************** 8 EPA shuffle decried: Shattuck watchdog fighting transfer Denver Post.com By Mike Soraghan msoraghan@denverpost.com Denver Post Washington Bureau --> Wednesday, November 28, 2001 - WASHINGTON - The investigator who forced the Environmental Protection Agency to agree to remove radioactive waste from a south Denver neighborhood says the Bush administration is trying to dismantle his agency. Residents of Overland Whitman Park, where the waste from the former Shattuck Chemical Co. is located, expressed concern about the development. EPA Administrator Christie Whitman announced Tuesday that she will move EPA national ombudsman Robert Martin out of the Superfund bureaucracy and into the agency's inspector general's office. "I believe this will give the ombudsman more independence and the impartiality necessary to conduct credible inquiries," Whitman said. But Martin said Whitman's move is simply a ruse to dissolve his office, which has repeatedly embarrassed the EPA by investigating its cleanup decisions. Martin said he was told Tuesday by EPA Deputy Administrator Michael Shapiro he was being assigned to "congressional and and public affairs issues" in the inspector general's office. Shapiro said he would not have control over his own budget and staff, Martin said. "Transferring the office of ombudsman to the office of inspector general would give the false appearance of independence because of the very different missions of these offices," Martin wrote in a letter to Whitman on Tuesday. In the letter, he threatened legal action to preserve his independence. Hugh Kaufman, the investigator who dug into the Shattuck decision for Martin, said the decision means that he and Martin will not be able to be watchdogs over the cleanup of the Shattuck site, due to begin next spring. That news shocked residents of working-class Overland Park. They have been working with Martin and Kaufman. "The most crucial part of this whole struggle is about to begin," said neighborhood activist Deb Sanchez. "Here we are being disregarded again." Residents' feelings were ignored in 1991 when the EPA decided to leave waste from the radium-processing facility at the site. Martin's investigation forced the EPA to reverse itself and agree to remove the waste. But U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Loveland, who has also worked closely with residents, doesn't believe Whitman is out to dismantle the agency. He says the inspector general's office is a good place for the ombudsman's office, if Congress can pass legislation that would give Martin the money and authority he needs. "We would respectfully disagree," said Allard spokesman Sean Conway. "Bob may be judging this as the first and last act in this process, and it's not." All contents Copyright 2001 The Denver Post ***************************************************************** 9 Two Pakistani nuclear scientists under spyglass again The Frontier Post From Peshawar Pakistan Tahir Rathore Updated on 11/28/2001 11:04:43 AM ISLAMABAD: Pakistan confirmed that the two retired nuclear scientists have been again booked for interrogation of their links with Al-Qaeda of Osama bin Laden. “The retired nuclear scientists of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), Baishiruddin and Majid had again booked for investigation. But there is no intention to extradite them to any third country,” Director General ISPR, Major General Rashid Qureshi said on Tuesday He was addressing a joint daily news briefing with Foreign Office spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan. Aziz said that the government to consider the recognition of government in Kabul once a broad-based multi ethnic government is established under the aegis of the United Nations. The spokesman said for the moment no Afghan delegation is coming to Pakistan. However, he said Pakistan is in contact with all Afghan groups. To a question, the spokesman said that Iranian Foreign Minister Mr. Kamal Kharazi will be reaching Islamabad, today (Wednesday) evening for talks on the situation in Afghanistan. He said even in the past, there was no difference of opinion between Pakistan on the formation of broad-based multi ethnic government in Afghanistan. To a question, Mr. Aziz Ahmad Khan said that Pakistan has requested the ICRC and the United Nations to find out about Pakistanis following surrender of Taliban in Kunduz. To a question, D.G ISPR said that there was reportedly infighting between two Afghan groups on the other side of the border. He said no small arms, or missiles were targetted to Pakistan posts and no missile fell in Pakistani territory. In reply to a question he said what is going on inside occupied Kashmir is freedom movement. There are organizations that formed groups from within the Kashmir’s in Indian held Kashmir who are fighting for their right of self determination which has been guaranteed both by the United Nations Security council and which is still in force. Qureshi made it clear that no missile fell in Pakistan’s territory during the US led ongoing military operation in Afghanistan. Rashid Qureshi replying to a question has said that there were reportedly infighting between two Afghan groups on the other side of the border. He said no small arms, or missiles were targetted to Pakistan posts and no missile fell in the Pakistani territory. To another question, he said what is going on inside Indian Occupied Kashmir is freedom movement. There are organizations that formed groups from within the Kashmir’s in Indian held Kashmir. He said that groups were fighting for their right to self-determination. He Rashid Qureshi said that the United Nations Security Council and which is still in force have guaranteed right to self-determination to them. There were no similarities between happening in the Indian Occupied Kashmir and in other terrorist activities anywhere in the world, he said. © Copyright 2001 The Frontier Post ***************************************************************** 10 Some experts worry that bin Laden may have the ultimate weapon November 27, 2001 The Associated Press LONDON (AP) While there is no proof Osama bin Laden has nuclear weapons, a wide range of international analysts say he has been trying to acquire them for years and may have succeeded, or be close. Even experts who think bin Laden's al-Qaida network does not have an atomic bomb say it's best to assume it does and prepare for its possible use. The scale and sophistication of the terror attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, for which bin Laden is the main suspect, mean nothing can ever again be ruled out, no matter how nightmarish, they say. "The Sept. 11 attacks certainly take us a lot closer to a nuclear possibility," said Paul Wilkinson, an expert on terrorism at St. Andrews University in Scotland. Fanatical terrorists "might resort to this kind of mass destruction weapon and we have to take that seriously," he said. U.S. Army Gen. Tommy Franks, commander of U.S. military operations against the Taliban and al-Qaida, said Tuesday that U.S. officials had identified more than 40 sites in Afghanistan where bin Laden's network may have been researching nuclear, chemical or biological weapons. He said the sites were still being tested for evidence that any weapon of mass destruction had actually been produced. Many experts fear bin Laden has a "dirty bomb" or could quickly construct one. Not capable of producing a nuclear explosion, a dirty bomb would use conventional explosives to spread radioactive material over a wide area and make it uninhabitable. It could be made from easily acquired low-grade nuclear material, such as isotopes for medicine and industry. "The problems in finding materials for a dirty bomb practically do not exist," said Dmitry Kovchegin of the Center for Policy Studies in Moscow. Bin Laden has boasted of having weapons of mass destruction. The U.S. and other Western governments say there is no evidence he has a nuclear weapon, but officials acknowledge it can't be ruled out. "Inevitably, it will happen eventually," said Dr. Frank Barnaby, a nuclear physicist who specializes in nuclear terrorism studies at the Oxford Research Group, a private think tank in Oxford, England. Analysts who doubt bin Laden has a nuclear bomb don't think al-Qaida has the skill to develop such weapons. Plans for an atomic bomb found in Kabul, reported recently by the British press, appear to have been an old spoof from a humor journal that al-Qaida may have mistaken for genuine diagrams. But even the skeptical experts won't rule out the possibility bin Laden has the bomb. "Making a bomb and getting it somewhere is a low likelihood scenario, but the consequences if they did are extremely high, so that pushes the risk level up. So I would say the risk level is medium," said Clive Williams, a terrorism expert at Australian National University. Experts have worried for years that acquiring or building a nuclear weapon of some kind is a much greater possibility since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Criminals have been caught smuggling nuclear material out of Russia. There are numerous, unverified reports of nuclear weapons being sold or misplaced. Russian officials admit security at their nuclear facilities is often poor. There is concern penniless nuclear scientists might be hired by outsiders to develop weapons. "Undoubtedly the disintegration of such a huge state as the U.S.S.R. created temptations and it would seem strange if nobody took advantage of them. Such organizations as al-Qaida have enough money and organizing skills to do it," said Vladimir Lukin, a vice speaker of the Duma, the lower chamber of the Russian parliament. Nuclear weapons in the arsenals of the United States, Russia and the other nuclear powers can only be operated with codes. Even if bin Laden has an ex-Soviet weapon, he is unlikely to have the code to detonate it, experts say. Analysts are divided over the chances of terrorists building a nuclear bomb. Some say it is easier than generally realized. Others counter that Iraq apparently failed to build a bomb despite a $10 billion effort lasting years. Barnaby said an atomic bomb can be built fairly easily using highly enriched uranium. Only Pakistan uses this material to build atomic bombs, which is worrisome, he said, because of known links between bin Laden and some former Pakistani nuclear scientists. But if bin Laden had a nuclear weapon, wouldn't he have used it? Analysts aren't so sure, saying terrorists traditionally build up attacks to heighten terror, so a nuclear attack might be saved for a final blow. The collapse of al-Qaida in Afghanistan could increase the chances, they say. "They would want to keep things up their sleeves. Terrorists need to escalate attacks. They have to notch it up all the time," said Barnaby. "The next natural move would be a nuclear terrorist act." Copyright 2001 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This ***************************************************************** 11 53 of 96 lawsuits settled Race-bias cases continue against site contractors Augusta Georgia: Metro: Web posted Wednesday, November 28, 2001 By Brandon Haddock [bhaddock@augustachronicle.com] Staff Writer AIKEN - Four Savannah River Site contractors have settled more than half of the 96 racial-discrimination lawsuits filed against them, their attorneys said Tuesday. Forty-three cases remain, said Deborah Sudbury, an attorney for the contractors, during a hearing in U.S. District Court in Aiken. The companies continue to work to settle those cases, said Will Callicott, a spokesman for the federal nuclear-weapons site's lead contractor, Westinghouse Savannah River Co. Westinghouse admitted no wrongdoing in the settled cases, Mr. Callicott said. He would not disclose how much money had been paid in settlements. The U.S. Department of Energy will reimburse the companies for any settlements and legal fees associated with the cases, Mr. Callicott said. Legal fees have stretched "well into the millions," he said, but he did not provide an exact amount. A hearing will continue today in U.S. District Court in Aiken on the remaining lawsuits. Judge Cameron M. Currie will decide whether expert testimony will be admissible as evidence. The cases stem from a 1997 lawsuit filed by 10 black SRS employees against Westinghouse and subcontractors Bechtel Savannah River Inc., BWXT Savannah River Co. and British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. Savannah River Corp. Less than six months later, 89 more employees joined the suit. The plaintiffs alleged that the contractors discriminated against black employees in awarding pay raises and promotions. They also alleged that black employees were assigned disproportionately to jobs that could expose them to radiation hazards. The employees initially sought a class-action lawsuit representing all current and former black employees of the companies, but U.S. District Court Judge Cameron M. Currie denied class-action status. Reach Brandon Haddock at (706) 823-3409 or bhaddock@augustachronicle.com [bhaddock@augustachronicle.com] . 1996 - 2001 The Augusta Chronicle. ***************************************************************** 12 -Presentation focuses on health clinic Oak Ridger Online --> Story last updated at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, November 28, 2001 by Paul Parson Oak Ridger staff One local group is breathing a little life into an old issue: A health clinic that could assist residents and workers who suffer from ailments associated with Department of Energy activities. "There have been numerous questions raised in this community about having a clinic," said James Lewis, a member of the Oak Ridge Reservation Health Effects Subcommittee. "I don't know how clinics are set up. I wanted us to bring in the people who knew about this so they could present it to the public." So, as part of its two-day meeting next week, the Health Effects Subcommittee will host a presentation from the Health Resources Services Administration, which works to provide quality health care to low income, uninsured, isolated and special needs populations. In Tennessee, the Health Resources Services Administration has worked on setting up clinics in Cookeville and Jellico. Robert Jackson, associate director for Primary Care with the organization's Southeastern Regional Field Office, said his talk will focus on whether Oak Ridge is eligible for a clinic. His presentation is scheduled for 8:10 to 9 a.m. Tuesday with a public comment session to follow. The issue of a health clinic in Oak Ridge is not a new one. The concept has been mentioned at a couple of Health Effects Subcommittee meetings this year. Members of several advocacy groups held a press conference about the issue last year and a petition calling for a clinic was given to DOE and the Centers for Disease Control in 1997. So far, none of these efforts have produced a clinic. The Health Effects Subcommittee was set up to provide recommendations regarding health concerns in Oak Ridge to a couple of federal agencies, including the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Although the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's mandate does not allow it to establish clinics, officials say the agency has been working to facilitate dialogue between health care delivery agencies and areas with health cares needs. However, a key component to facilitating this dialogue involves a public health assessment, which attempts to determine whether exposures to various hazards at sites may have caused harm to people. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry is working on one of these assessments in Oak Ridge. The Health Effects Subcommittee, which officially began meeting last year, consists of citizens primarily from the Oak Ridge area, including Knoxville and Roane County residents. Paul Parson can be contacted at (865) 220-5533 or [pparson@oakridger.com] . All Contents ©Copyright The Oak Ridger ***************************************************************** 13 On nuclear material, Bush, Congress clash [http://www.philly.com/] -- Select a Location -- In a reversal on defense spending, the President wants far less funding than Democrats do. By Jackie Koszczuk and Ron Hutcheson INQUIRER WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON - It's hard to imagine a worse worst-case scenario. Someone in Osama bin Laden's terrorist network could acquire nuclear materials from former Soviet Union stockpiles to use in a new attack on the United States. President Bush gave credence to just such a doomsday threat earlier this month when he disclosed that the government had information that bin Laden's al-Qaeda organization had tried to acquire weapons of mass destruction. Yet recent efforts in Congress to boost spending to secure nuclear stockpiles overseas, particularly those controlled by Russia, have met a highly effective opponent - Bush. In a reversal of their usual partisan stereotypes, the Republican president is fighting Democrats in Congress over their effort to spend more on defense - in this instance, to safeguard such nuclear sites. Bush says the government doesn't need the extra cash, but Rep. David R. Obey, a liberal from Wisconsin and the senior Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, insists the money could be used to close gaps in nuclear security. Most other Democrats are behind him. A key test of which way Congress will go is expected today, when the House will decide whether to block Obey's amendment to increase the funds or allow a vote on it. Obey's amendment would add $6.5 billion to the administration's budget for homeland defense. Beside securing nuclear stockpiles, it would increase spending for local public health facilities at the front lines of any bioterror attack; for more U.S. immigration agents along the Canadian border; for stepped-up inspections of imported food; and for a new computer system for the FBI. The most important feature, Obey said yesterday, would be the boost in spending for security at nuclear sites in the United States and abroad. He called for a $316 million increase for securing Russia's nuclear plants and weapons depots. The money would be used to help prevent the theft in Russia of nuclear fuel that terrorists could use to make radioactive bombs, to pay for monitoring equipment to help Russia detect smuggling, and to tighten security for the Russian navy's nuclear weapons. This would expand a program first enacted into law in 1991 and supported by leading lawmakers of both parties. The White House-backed defense bill would boost spending on those activities by $18 million - almost $300 million less than Obey's proposal. Obey and House Democrats also would boost spending to secure U.S. nuclear facilities by $503 million; the GOP bill would raise it by $100 million. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Bush thinks Congress should stick to its earlier agreement to spend no more than $40 billion this year on antiterrorism efforts. He also noted that homeland security chief Tom Ridge was reviewing the government's needs for stepped-up nuclear, biological and chemical defenses and could ask Congress for more money if he decides that more could be spent effectively. House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R., Ill.) thinks he has the votes to defeat Obey. The amendment "breaks the budget; that's the reason we won't allow it," Hastert spokesman John Feehery said. But the GOP-led House may not have the last word. Democrats who control the Senate share the concern that nuclear security is getting too little money in the post-Sept. 11 era - and some prominent Republican senators agree. Sen. Pete V. Domenici (R., N.M.), senior Republican on the Budget Committee, said he has repeatedly urged the White House to boost spending to protect Russian stockpiles from smugglers. "When you add it all together, there's not enough money, but there's been no indication that the White House has another plan," Domenici said. Other GOP defense boosters say they are willing to wait and see what Ridge comes up with. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R., Texas), a member of the defense spending subcommittee, said of the issue: "It is a very high priority. We should fully fund it, but I think we can do that" with a supplemental appropriations bill next year. Jackie Koszczuk's e-mail address is [jkoszczuk@krwashington.com] . ***************************************************************** 14 Terror laws at-a-glance BBC News | UK POLITICS | Tuesday, 13 November, 2001, 13:44 GMT Nuclear plants will be better protected The measures outlined in the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Bill cover a number of areas: Tracking terrorist funds The bill allows "account monitoring orders" enabling the police to require financial institutions to provide information on accounts for up to 90 days. The existing legal duty to report suspicion of terrorist financing will be strengthened so it will be an offence not to report where there were "reasonable grounds" for suspicion. Law enforcement agencies will be able to freeze assets at the start of an investigation, rather than when the person is about to be charged. Information sharing Government agencies such as Customs and Excise and the Inland Revenue will be able to pass on information to police and other security services where national security is an issue. Detention without trial The home secretary will get the powers to detain suspected international terrorists without trial where their deportation is not possible. The indefinitely renewable internments require part of the Human Rights Act to be set aside, requiring the home secretary to deem the UK in a state of public emergency. Detention will be subject to regular independent review by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission. New hate crime The offence of incitement to racial hatred will be amended to include religious hatred with the penalty rising to seven years. To be prosecuted an offender must use "threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour" to stir up hatred against a group of people, in the UK or abroad, because of their religious belief. Weapons of mass destruction The law will change to punish those who help foreign groups or regimes to acquire nuclear, biological or chemical weapons. Regulations governing laboratories where "dangerous pathogens" are held will be tightened and the use of biological weapons will become a specific offence for the first time. The police force who patrol nuclear sites, as well as military and transport police, will get extended powers and jurisdictions. Communications monitoring Communications companies will be able to retain information on calls and other communication made by customers such as numbers called or e-mail addresses. They will not retain the contents of e-mails or phone calls. Currently companies are obliged to erase data when no longer needed for billing, which has a "severe impact on criminal investigations". Mass trawls or ¿fishing expeditions¿ will not be permitted under a voluntary code of conduct. Bribery The currently laws against bribery will be expanded to include cases involving foreign nationals. Anti-globalisation campaigners have previously demanded such a measure on the basis UK-based corporations could bribe officials in developing countries with impunity. No backdating The bill's measure to combat bioterror hoaxers with up to seven years in prison will no longer be retrospective. There was criticism that the backdating of the law initially planned would break basic legal principles. But it is understood that "white powder hoaxes" tailed off after the government announced its intentions to strengthen punishment. Other measures The bill will allow law enforcement agencies to see plane passenger manifests and cargo details, a measure which will also help fight people smuggling and drug trafficking. GCHQ, the communications monitoring intelligence agency, will have their role expanded, while new terrorist taskforces can be created more easily. ***************************************************************** 15 Ashcroft says 603 still detained; documents show federal concerns include nuclear plant safety, hijackings New OrleansNet LLC. By LARRY MARGASAK The Associated Press 11/27/01 11:25 PM WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government is detaining 603 people in its terrorism investigation, including some alleged members of Osama bin Laden's network. Federal agents have cited concerns about nuclear power plants, guns and box cutters in seeking the detentions, according to documents reviewed by The Associated Press. Faced with growing congressional concern about the secrecy and scope of his investigation, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced Tuesday that 104 people have been charged with federal crimes in the probe. In his most detailed public accounting yet, Ashcroft released the names of those facing federal charges. But he refused to provide names for the hundreds held on immigration violations, saying he didn't want to aid bin Laden's al-Qaida network. "The Department of Justice is waging a deliberate campaign of arrest and detention to protect American lives," Ashcroft said. "We are removing suspected terrorists who violate the law from our streets to prevent further terrorist attacks." A senator who has been pressing for more disclosure said he wasn't satisfied. "I continue to be deeply troubled by (the Justice Department's) refusal to provide a full accounting of everyone who has been detained and why," said Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis. Several former high-ranking FBI officials interviewed by The Washington Post suggested the Justice Department is resurrecting tactics the government rejected in the late 1970s because they did not prevent terrorism and led to abuses of civil liberties. One of the officials, former FBI Director William H. Webster, said Ashcroft's policy of pre-emptive arrests and detentions "carries a lot of risk with it. You may interrupt something, but you may not be able to bring it down. You may not be able to stop what is going on." Documents provided to Congress and reviewed by the AP divulged evidence in some of the cases. For instance, a Pakistani man who took video footage of the World Trade Center a few days before the Sept. 11 attacks was charged by agents in Wilmington, Del., with being an illegal immigrant who possessed firearms, the documents show. A Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms affidavit also alleged the Pakistani, Raza Nasir Khan, requested maps of a hunting area near a rural Salem County, N.J., nuclear power plant and had a handheld global positioning system. A search of his home found four long guns and one handgun. Khan told authorities he visited the World Trade Center a few days before the attacks and shot videos, the documents said. The magistrate who ordered Khan held said she didn't see any connection to terrorism. In fact, few of the hundreds of pages of supporting documents provided to Congress mentioned a connection with the Sept. 11 attacks. In northern California, an Immigration and Naturalization Service affidavit alleged Nabil Sarama, a Palestinian, made a false statement to obtain a permanent residency card. Sarama was arrested Sept. 16 in Orlando, Fla., after police found him near a pay phone that had been used to make bomb threats, the documents alleged. A search of his suitcase, the affidavit said, turned up a kit capable of making between eight and 12 box cutters -- like the weapons used by the Sept. 11 hijackers. He also had a California Department of Motor Vehicles identification card, a Georgia driver's license, four Florida identification cards and a Palestinian Authority passport. Government computer records show that between 1994 and 2001, Sarama entered the United States at least five times through at least five ports and also used passports from Israel and Jordan. Most of the court papers given to Congress charged individuals with child pornography, Social Security fraud, illegal firearm possession, credit card fraud and immigration violations. One alleged possession of more than $40,000 worth of stolen Kellogg's cereals. Ashcroft disclosed 603 people remain in custody -- 55 on federal criminal charges and 548 on immigration violations. Forty-nine others who have been charged with crimes are either being sought or have been released on bond, officials said. Until Tuesday, the government had said only that more than 1,100 people had been detained since Sept. 11 and that a majority remained in custody. Ashcroft alleged that some in custody are members of bin Laden's al-Qaida network, though he declined to be more specific. "We will use every constitutional tool to keep suspected terrorists locked up," he said. He said the government's refusal to name most of those in custody was designed to protect American lives. "I am not interested in providing, when we are at war, a list to Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaida network of the people we have detained that would make any easier their effort to kill Americans," he said. The information released by the Justice Department on the 548 immigration detainees listed their countries of origin and the dates and types of charges they face. More than a third are from Pakistian. Ashcroft said immigration law barred him from divulging names. But he released the names of 93 of the 104 people facing federal criminal charges -- 11 cases remained sealed, officials said. Dozens of the names released by Ashcroft had already been made public but some were disclosed for the first time. They included: --Hussein and Nasser Abduali, indicted in New Jersey for conspiracy to embezzle. Court records show they were charged with conspiring to buy, receive and possess $43,270 worth of stolen cereal products. They have been released. --Ahmed Abdullah Alashmoud was indicted in New York for insurance fraud. He is in custody. --Souhail Sarwer was charged with credit card fraud in New York. He is a fugitive, the list said. The Justice Department also released documents detailing federal charges against 16 of the 104. Charges ranged from illegal possession of guns to visa fraud. One man detained on Sept. 11 on a bus carrying diverted airline passengers had box cutters in his baggage. He pleaded guilty to one count of trying to re-enter the country after being deported. Another man was charged with lying about coming to the United States to attend pilot training. The documents turned over to Congress included an FBI affidavit against Lotfi Raissi, an Algerian pilot the United States is trying to extradite from Britain in proceedings that began Tuesday. Authorities allege Raissi trained some of the hijackers who attacked the Pentagon. The affidavit said he made false statements in applying for a pilot's license. The FBI said Raissi failed to notify the Federal Aviation Administration of knee surgery and told the FAA he had no history of non-traffic convictions although he had been convicted of theft in Britain. On Tuesday Raissi was indicted for a second time by a federal grand jury in Arizona for conspiring to submit a false application for asylum on behalf of Redouane Dahmani, a 26-year-old Algerian who was living in the Phoenix area and faces similar charges. Ashcroft did not mention some key suspects, including Mohammed Jaweed Azmath and Ayub Ali Khan, arrested aboard a train in Texas the morning of the hijackings. Authorities said the two were carrying box cutters, cash and hair dye, and had shaved their bodies as was recommended by hijacking ringleader Mohamed Atta. Copyright 2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This ***************************************************************** 16 Cameco secures Russian warhead uranium supply: Firms up previous deal: Material processed into fuel rods for nuclear reactors Financial Post - Canada; Nov 28, 2001 SASKATOON - Cameco Corp. and its partners in a 1999 agreement to buy uranium salvaged from Russian nuclear warheads have signed an amendment to the deal committing them to buy at least 56,000 tonnes of uranium over the next 12 years. "We had the option of saying, 'Yes, we'll purchase this amount of uranium or no we won't,'" Jamie McIntyre, a Cameco spokesman, said yesterday. "What we've done is we've essentially secured the deal by committing to purchase at least an amount equivalent to the U.S. sales quota." The original deal, between Cameco, Cogema of France and Nukem of the United States and Germany and Techsnabexport, the commercial arm of the Russian Federation Ministry of Atomic Energy, gave the companies involved the right to buy a set amount of uranium. The amendment commits the companies to buy that amount. Mr. McIntyre explained Cameco, the world's largest uranium producer, was already buying the amount set out by the quota in the deal. "We didn't see that our practice was going to change through the remainder of the agreement so that's why we committed to purchase the equivalent to our U.S. sales quota each year to 2013," he said. The amendment commits Cameco and Cogema each to buy roughly 24,000 tonnes over the life of the agreement, while Nukem will purchase about 8,200 tonnes. The new agreement, Mr. McIntyre said, will allow both the companies and the Russians to better plan for the future. "It secures a revenue stream to the Russian Federation which is critical to them," he said. The Russians blend and dilute the highly enriched uranium from the warheads into low enriched uranium for use in nuclear power plants. Then it is shipped to the United States, where it is made into fuel rods for reactors. The deal stems from the earlier Megatons to Megawatts agreement between the U.S. and Russian governments under which Russia agreed to dismantle nuclear warheads over a 20-year period. Some 5,000 Russian nuclear warheads have been dismantled since that agreement was signed in 1993. Last month, Cameco reported a third-quarter profit of $15-million with more than half of that coming from its investment in Ontario's Bruce Power nuclear plants. The Saskatoon-based company is the exclusive supplier of fuel to Bruce Power's four operating reactors in Ontario. ***************************************************************** 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: *****************************************************************