***************************************************************** 01/30/01 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 9.28 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER CONTENTS 1 Scientists to grill Energy officials on Yucca Mountain waste plan 2 BOARD HEARS REQUESTS TO REJECT VERMONT YANKEE SALE 3 NH Seabrook nuke returns to power grid from refueling 4 Taiwan's premier returns after ban 5 Knives come out in nuclear debate 6 Taiwan premier in nuclear gridlock 7 Australian Environment Minister to Approve Uranium Mine 8 Bills Aim To Nudge Goshutes 9 Lucas Heights on track for safety considerations 10 ERA report exposes problems for Jabiluka: ACF 11 Taiwan's Premier Criticized on Plant 12 N-plants felt the tremors but are safe, claims AERB 13 FEATURE - ENVIRONMENT A PRIORITY FOR EU PRESIDENT SWEDEN 14 Greenland, Norway concerned over waste transports 15 Temelin Does Not Jeopardize Nuclear Safety in the Fourth Quarter 16 Stop Russia Becoming "Nuclear Waste- dump", Ecologists Tell Putin 17 ATTORNEY GENERAL TO SUPPORT TOWN IN NUCLEAR WASTE FIGHT 18 Ukraine, Russia discuss supply of nuclear fuel 19 Iodine levels OK, project concludes 20 Blumenthal joins Haddam in fight on nuclear waste 21 ELECTRON CAFé BY JOHN GLENN: ROLLING BLACKOUTS NUCLEAR WEAPONS CONTENTS 1 Plutonium Found in Greece Park 2 NATO commander reassures and consults 3 Minister takes child to Kosovo 4 Sandia Ground-Water Tests' Meaning Debated 5 Ex-Lodi man suing company, blames Maywood site for cancer 6 Savannah River Site Meets Groundwater Cleanup Milestone 7 DOE slaps UC with latest violations of lab security ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 Scientists to grill Energy officials on Yucca Mountain waste plan Tuesday, January 30, 2001 Copyright c Las Vegas Review-Journal REVIEW-JOURNAL Apanel of presidentially appointed scientists will quiz Energy Department officials today on the government's plans to build a repository for highly radioactive waste in Yucca Mountain. The Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board is holding a two-day meeting at the Longstreet Inn in Nye County's Amargosa Valley to discuss scientific issues facing the effort to safely entomb 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste. Most of the waste is in the form of metal rods holding spent fuel pellets from commercial power reactors. Lake Barrett, acting director of the Energy Department's Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, is scheduled to give an update of the program. He will be followed later in the day by discussions on corrosion of waste packages, water movement in the mountain and design of the proposed repository, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The board's chairman, Jared Cohon, wrote Congress and former Energy Secretary Bill Richardson in December to express technical concerns as the Energy Department approaches its goal this year to decide on whether to recommend the site to President Bush for development into a repository. "In the board's view, the DOE has not yet demonstrated a firm technical basis for its present high-temperature 'base case' repository design," Cohon's letter said. ***************************************************************** 2 BOARD HEARS REQUESTS TO REJECT VERMONT YANKEE SALE BY DAVID GRAM, ASSOCIATED PRESS, 1/29/2001 19:05 MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) Lawyers for the Dean administration and the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant told the Public Service Board on Monday that it should reject the proposed sale of the plant to a Pennsylvania company. Several parties who have appeared before the board throughout the tortuous, 15-month consideration of the offer by AmerGen Energy Co., urged the board Monday to order that the plant be put up for auction an outcome that appears increasingly likely. The board is expected to render a decision in the next few weeks. Vermont Yankee lawyer John Marshall told the board that a more recent and, in his view, more generous offer for the Vernon reactor than that from AmerGen demonstrated that there is ''more value available in the marketplace for the Vermont Yankee nuclear power station'' than previously had been thought. Marshall urged that the board ''move as expeditiously as possible to an auction'' of the plant. Edward Van Schweibert, lawyer for AmerGen, was the only one in a crowded hearing room still arguing strongly for his company's offer. He argued that it was better than that from Mississippi-based Entergy Nuclear Corp. He also argued that the AmerGen deal could be completed much sooner than any other offer for the plant--possibly by spring. ''It is our proposal that is on the table and will not result in delay,'' Van Schweibert said. The board has been examining AmerGen's now twice-revised offer to buy Vermont Yankee for about 15 months. After a major revision of the proposal in November, Entergy asked for permission to make its own offer for the plant. And two other companies that own nuclear plants around the country have said they'd like to make bids if the plant is put up for auction. Comparing the Entergy and AmerGen offers is complicated because the sale will not only involve a cash purchase price, but the transfer of the plant's nearly $300 million decommissioning fund to the new owners and other components. But most of those following the case say the Entergy offer appears at least $20 million richer than that from AmerGen. Some of the participants in the case, including the Conservation Law Foundation, urged that the AmerGen deal be rejected and that the board open an investigation to examine all the available options for the plant. Board Chairman Michael Dworkin made clear that the panel would consider not allowing any sale of the plant. He previously has noted that another option is an early shutdown of the reactor. Vermont Yankee's operating license doesn't expire for another 11 years. Marshall said Vermont Yankee opposed the idea of opening a fresh investigation into the plant's options, and made clear that Vermont Yankee still hopes the plant will be sold. He said there was ''an irony that this is even at issue,'' saying Vermont Yankee was moving to sell because of past pressure to do so from regulators. The plant's two largest owners are Vermont's two largest distribution utilities: Central Vermont Public Service Corp. and Green Mountain Power Corp. Many utilities have moved in recent years to sell off their generating stations as part of a broad agreement that governments lessen their regulation of the companies and allow competition in an industry traditionally dominated by monopolies. Marshall said Vermont Yankee and its owners had decided to sell the plant as part of this overall restructuring of the electric industry. Both the AmerGen and Entergy offers call on Vermont's utilities to buy power from Vermont Yankee for the remainder of its license term. Backers of the sale say the result would be lower costs for power from Vermont Yankee. The nuclear company's vice president for finance, Bruce Wiggett, in a recent interview likened the situation to selling a house and then renting it from the new owner at a monthly rent lower than the mortgage payment was. Boston Globe ***************************************************************** 3 NH Seabrook nuke returns to power grid from refueling MONDAY JANUARY 29, 5:51 PM EASTERN TIME (UPDATE: recasts, adds further comments from North Atlantic) NEW YORK, Jan 29 (Reuters) - North Atlantic Energy Service Corp. said in a statement on Monday it had returned the 1,162-megawatt Seabrook nuclear unit in New Hampshire to the electricity grid from an outage that began in October 2000. The plant, in Seabrook, N.H., will now ramp up to full power through a series of staged tests after resuming output to the grid, the company said. The company said it would not disclose when the plant is likely to return to full power, in part for competitive reasons. The refueling outage began on Oct. 20 and was delayed several times for work on the unit's diesel generators. It was originally expected to exit the outage around Dec. 7. The unit, on an 18-month refueling schedule, was last shut for a 47-day refueling outage from March 27 to May 13, 1999. Seabrook is operated by North Atlantic, a unit of Northeast Utilities (NYSE:NU - news), for a consortium of New England utilities. The owners include: NSTAR's (NYSE:NST - news) Canal Electric Co. (4 percent); Northeast Utilities' Connecticut Light & Power Co. (4) and North Atlantic Energy Corp. (36); BayCorp Holdings Ltd.'s (AMEX: MWH - news) Great Bay Power Corp. (12); Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Co. (12); National Grid Plc's (quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland: NGG.L) Montaup Electric Co. (3) and New England Power Co. (10); United Illuminating Co. (NYSE:UIL - news) (18), and others. In October 1999, Consolidated Edison Inc. (NYSE:ED - news) agreed to acquire Berlin, Conn.-based Northeast Utilities. The deal has been held up as the companies consider conditions imposed by the Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control. ***************************************************************** 4 Taiwan's premier returns after ban Independent Chun-hsiung back in lawmaking body By Annie Huang, AP 30 January 2001 Banned from the legislature for three months, Taiwan's premier returned to the lawmaking body today, enduring hours of harsh criticism from legislators furious about the government's decision to halt a nuclear project. Many hoped that Premier Chang Chun-hsiung's appearance at the two-day special legislative session would calm the tempers of powerful opposition lawmakers, who have threatened to topple the new government because of the nuclear issue. But Chang, Taiwan's number 3 ranking leader, prompted a new round of verbal attacks, insisting that the government did not have to follow the legislature's opinion about the project's fate. The US dlr 5.4-billion plant, one-third complete, was approved by a previous administration. The premier argued that the plant, the island's fourth, would not be a safe source of energy and that Taiwan could not store the nuclear waste. "Now I really hope I can persuade you to support stopping the construction on the fourth nuclear power plant so that we can proudly say we have made an important decision to create a social miracle, to establish a non-nuclear home." Legislators are especially displeased with Chang because the government scrapped the plant in October without consulting with the legislature. Lawmakers have argued they approved the plant's budget and should have had a say in its future. They accused Chang of violating the constitution and banned him from the legislature. Today, lawmaker Wang Tein-ging of the People's First Party accused the premier of being undemocratic. Referring to ousted Philippine President Joseph Estrada, Wang said, "Estrada ignored public opinion and they took him down." Chang argued that his Cabinet was not obligated to follow the policies of previous governments. Ting Shou-chong of the Nationalist Party, Taiwan's largest party, said the government's canceling of the plant caused gridlock and kept the government from dealing with pressing issues, such as the economy and relations with China. "Where is your political wisdom?" Ting asked. He suggested that if Chang did not resign, then President Chen Shui- bian, who appointed the premier, should be recalled by lawmakers. The premier dodged several questions about whether he would consider resigning to appease lawmakers. On Wednesday, the opposition was expected to finish the special session by passing a resolution calling for the resumption of construction on the plant. Chang said he hoped the government could work out a compromise with the opposition. But Nationalist legislator Ho Chih-hui said his party would not accept an offer to negotiate a compromise if the government ignores the legislature's resolution. Ho, the Nationalist caucus leader, said a compromise should be made before a resolution is legally adopted. Outside the legislature, a crowd of about 50 peaceful protesters held pictures of nuclear disasters at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. They also rolled out barrels painted yellow to look like storage drums for nuclear waste. Yesterday, a man set himself on fire briefly at an anti-nuclear sit-in outside the legislature. Before torching himself, the man gave an anti-nuclear letter to reporters. He was in stable condition on Tuesday. ***************************************************************** 5 Knives come out in nuclear debate The Taipei Times Online: 2001-01-30 TUESDAY, JANUARY 30TH, 2001 RANCOR: The deep split between the DPP and the opposition over the fate of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant is coming to a head, with neither showing any intention of backing down BY LIN MEI-CHUN STAFF REPORTER The fate of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant (®Ö¥|) is to be decided in a two-day special legislative session, starting today, at which Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (±i«T¶¯) will deliver his report on the Cabinet's decision to scrap the plant. Chang was branded persona non grata by the legislature after he decided to scrap the plant on Oct. 27, and this will be the first time he has presented a report to the legislature since then. In a meeting yesterday at the Legislative Yuan, attending lawmakers quickly nailed down the details of the schedule for the special session. In today's session, Chang will be questioned by the 40 lawmakers registered to do so following his report. Tomorrow morning, lawmakers will cast their votes regarding the resumption of the controversial project after a discussion. Neither the executive nor the legislative branch has shown any sign of giving ground as both continued to accuse each other. "The Legislative Yuan has every right to make a resolution concerning a crucial national policy in accordance with Article 63 of the Constitution. If the resolution says that the construction of the power plant should be resumed, the Executive Yuan has no power to disobey the ruling, " said Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (¤ýª÷¥­), who is also a KMT vice chairman. "It is very unlikely the result of the resolution could be changed ? it wouldn't even be possible with President Chen Shui-bian's (³¯¤ô«ó) stepping in as mediator." KMT Secretary General Lin Feng-cheng (ªLÂ×¥¿), echoing Wang's views, said that the Executive Yuan must respect the outcome of the resolution. "The country would slip further into chaos if the Executive Yuan failed to abide by the rules of the game, and if that happened, the ruling party should assume all responsibility for any unfavorable consequences," Lin added. It is widely expected that the opposition parties, which hold an overwhelming majority in the legislature, will pass a resolution to continue building the plant. In the face of the hostile political atmosphere, the ruling DPP is making a last-ditch effort to shore up support from the public as the convener of the DPP's legislative caucus, Chou Po-lun (©P§B­Û), said that the DPP's determination to establish a nuclear-free country has never been shaken. "The DPP's stance against the power plant project is as firm as ever .? If the legislature passes a resolution in contradiction with the decision made by the Cabinet, then both sides should enter into negotiations in accordance with our Constitutional mechanism to put an end to this vicious struggle," Chou said. Responding to Chou's call for the opposition to negotiate, Lin said that the problem at hand had nothing to do with a lack of communication between the ruling and opposition parties, but everything to do with "the tension between the executive and legislative bodies." "The Executive Yuan can come and negotiate with the legislature, and the dispute would be resolved if [it] accepts the result of the resolution. The center of the issue lies in how the Executive Yuan would win the support of the legislature. It has nothing to do with negotiations between the ruling and the opposition parties," Lin said. This story has been viewed 455 times. Copyright c 1999, 2000, 2001 The Taipei Times. All rights ***************************************************************** 6 Taiwan premier in nuclear gridlock - 1/30/2001 - ENN.com Tuesday, January 30, 2001 By Benjamin Kang Lim [I] Taiwan's Premier Chang Chun-hsiung defended on Tuesday his politically explosive decision to shelve a nuclear power plant, enraging opposition deputies who threatened to recess indefinitely. Taiwan's embattled Premier Chang Chun-hsiung on Tuesday defended his politically explosive decision to shelve a nuclear power plant, enraging opposition deputies who threatened to recess indefinitely. Testifying before parliament, Chang listed nine reasons in a 34-page report supporting his decision made last October to halt construction of Taiwan's fourth nuclear power plant - including inability to handle nuclear waste or potential disaster. Chang told the 220-member legislature his controversial decision was "not unconstitutional," made the island a safer place and would not lead to power shortages. But in remarks expected to prolong a political gridlock and further dampen a weakening economy, Chang said any parliament vote to overturn his decision would not be legally binding. "Even if the Legislative Yuan votes against the decision, it is not necessarily binding," Chang said, referring to the opposition-dominated parliament which is certain to vote down the cabinet decision on Wednesday. "Construction of nuclear power plants in Taiwan is neither an economic nor an ideological issue, but an issue of life and survival of the 23 million people and an issue concerning the future welfare of all, " the premier added. Angry opposition deputies accused Chang of contempt, demanded his resignation and threatened to recess indefinitely - a move which which would drag out a political crisis that has rocked the stock market and unnerved investors. "He should voluntarily step down," said Cheng Yung-chin, legislative whip of the main opposition Nationalist Party. "We do not rule out the possibility of recessing indefinitely." Chang said his departure would not help resolve the dispute over the US$5.5 billion project which is already one-third complete. Political analysts said Chang - who assumed office last October - was likely to fight for his job. They said opposition deputies lack the guts to propose a vote of no confidence against Chang, because President Chen Shui-bian could dissolve the legislature and call a snap election. Parliament's four-year term ends in early 2002, and the number of seats held by the Nationalist Party - ousted by Chen in presidential elections last March - is widely expected to dwindle after year- end elections. Copyright 2001, Reuters All Rights Reserved ***************************************************************** 7 Australian Environment Minister to Approve Uranium Mine TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 3:17 PM SGT ADELAIDE, Jan 30 Asia Pulse - Federal Environment Minister Robert Hill will approve South Australia's proposed Honeymoon uranium mine, the Australian Conservation Foundation [ACF] said. Senator Hill's approval is the final step needed to allow construction of the mine - about 75km northwest of Broken Hill - which will use the controversial acid in-situ leach [ISL] mining technique. ACF campaign officer David Noonan said Senator Hill was set to grant approval despite the ISL technique not being used in any other developed country. "Senator Hill is set to make key recommendations on a project that uses an increasingly discredited technique to mine a highly dangerous mineral," Mr Noonan said in a statement. More than 1,300 statements from members of the public opposing the mine were submitted as part of the public consultation process required before the mine could be constructed. Most submissions focused on fears that waste radioactive acid solution from the leaching process could leak into the surrounding groundwater or the Great Artesian Basin. They also expressed concern about the potential for long-lived radioactive waste to be created. The company planning to develop the mine, Southern Cross Resources, which is 65 per cent Canadian-owned, has rejected such concerns. Southern Cross said in a supplementary Environmental Impact Statement released last November, the underground water channel from which uranium will be mined was not connected to any other aquifers. It said the groundwater contained in the channel was 100m below ground level and did not rise naturally to the surface, so could not be used as a water source for plants and animals. And the report said the channel was surrounded by an "impervious" natural clay layer and was in an "entirely different geological formation" from the Great Artesian Basin, 70km to the north of the proposed site. If Senator Hill does approve the mine tomorrow, the company's board is expected to commit to the project next month, paving the way for construction to begin. Honeymoon is expected to produce 100,000 tonnes of uranium oxide annually for six years, and to create 200 jobs nationally. Copyright c 2000 Asia Pulse Pte Ltd. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 8 Bills Aim To Nudge Goshutes TUESDAY, January 30, 2001 BY GREG BURTON THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Utah's Goshute Indians will get carrots and sticks from lawmakers opposed to the storage of high-level nuclear waste on the Skull Valley band's reservation in Tooele County. Sen. Terry Spencer, a lawyer with experience in environmental litigation, unveiled four bills Monday that would reward or punish the tribe, depending on whether the tribe goes ahead with its plan to store spent nuclear fuel rods under contract with Private Fuel Storage (PFS), a consortium of out-of-state utilities looking to rid themselves of the nuclear waste. Spencer's legislation dovetails with Gov. Mike Leavitt's efforts to foil the Goshutes' waste storage plan. While there is almost universal anti-nuke sentiment on Capitol Hill, a handful of lawmakers are opposed to Spencer's carrot-and-stick approach. "We need to treat tribal members with respect and not just punish them," said Senate Minority Whip Ron Allen, D-Stansbury Park, whose district includes the reservation. "This is a very delicate issue and it doesn't sound like much of a choice between a lifetime of poverty and a chance at making millions of dollars." One of the Senate bills, known as a boxcar because it carries a name and number but no enacting language, promises economic development and investment in educational opportunities both on and off the reservation. "We're giving them something in exchange for giving up the high-level nuclear waste," Spencer, R-Layton, said. "We didn't want to say, 'Hey you have to turn your back on all this money' without offering anything in return." Spencer said he was unsure of the costs of the development measures. While Allen agreed that economic development is long overdue for the Goshutes, he remains critical of an offer contingent on tribal leaders knuckling under to prevailing political wills. On the flip side, Spencer has prepared three bills aimed at heading off waste storage. One proposal places an outright ban on the use of Tooele municipal services--fire, police, water, sewer, road--for the PFS facility. Allen says tribal members don't use the services. Goshute tribal Chairman Leon Bear couldn't be reached for comment Monday. Spencer's second bill would appropriate $1.6 million for an anti-nuke campaign and attorney fees in expectation of a prolonged court battle against the PFS-Goshute proposal. A third bill would impose a 75 percent gross receipts tax assessed for any high-level nuclear waste headed for the PFS site. "We want to make it economically unfeasible," Spencer said. "No matter which road we take, we expect this to end up in the court system." ***************************************************************** 9 Lucas Heights on track for safety considerations Age Breaking News PSYCHIATRIC ASSESSMENT Source: AAP|Published: Tuesday January 30, 4:41 PM Australia's next nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights may secure official approvals by February 2002. Approval is a step closer with the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency today releasing its action plan on how it'll deal with the application to build the $280 million reactor. It expects to receive the application from the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation by May. This will allow it to make a final decision on whether the reactor meets safety standards and whether it can proceed by next February. Agency chief executive John Loy says he'll be seeking advice from the Nuclear Safety Committee as part of the process. Dr Loy says the construction application will be examined by agency staff, independent experts and members of the public before a decision is made. He says a program of public information meetings will continue in Sutherland Shire - where the reactor is to be located - to keep the public informed. Copyright © 2000 The Age Company Ltd. Any unauthorised use, ***************************************************************** 10 ERA report exposes problems for Jabiluka: ACF 11:05 AEDT TUE 30 JAN 2001 Energy Resources of Australia Ltd's latest half-yearly profit statement exposed growing problems for the Jabiluka uranium mine, the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) said. ERA announced an operating profit after tax of $8 million for the first six months. This compared to $19.2 million for the same period last year which included a $12.3 million abnormal income tax benefit. Earnings before interest and tax were down $2.1 million to $15 million because of lower prices. ACF nuclear campaigner Dave Sweeney said lower prices, reduced sales revenue and a lower average ore grade were problems for ERA. "ERA's problems are set to grow in the future," Mr Sweeney said in a statement. "The low uranium spot price is set to have a long-term impact on half or ERA's contracts and Jabiluka remains stalled an deeply unpopular. "This report is further evidence that this project is costing ERA dollars, credibility and community goodwill everyday." A spokesman for iron giant Rio Tinto, which bought a majority share in ERA when it took over North Ltd in August last year, said ERA's future remained under review. The French nuclear group Cogema has been touted as a potential buyer for ERA which owns the Ranger and Jabiluka mines on the edge of Kakadu National Park. The spot market price for uranium ended the calender year at an historic low for the industry of $US7.10 per pound. ERA said the spot price was expected to improve. But the low spot market would continue to adversely influence ERA's results with 50 per cent of the company's contracts affected. The Jabiluka mine remains on hold while efforts continue with the anti-mining traditional owners to create a cultural management plan for the site. cAAP 2001 c 1997-2001 ninemsn Pty Ltd - All rights reserved - Terms ***************************************************************** 11 Taiwan's Premier Criticized on Plant January 29, 2001 ASSOCIATED PRESS TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)--Banned from the legislature for three months, Taiwan's premier returned Tuesday and endured hours of harsh criticism from lawmakers furious about the government's decision to halt a nuclear project. Many hoped that Premier Chang Chun-hsiung's appearance at the two- day special legislative session would calm the tempers of powerful opposition lawmakers who have threatened to topple the new government because of the nuclear plant. They had banned him from the legislature to punish him for suspending the project. But Chang, Taiwan's No. 3 ranking leader, prompted a new round of verbal attacks, insisting that the government did not have to follow the legislature's opinion about the project's fate. The $5.4 billion plant, one-third complete, was approved by a previous administration. The premier argued that the plant, the island's fourth, would not be a safe source of energy and that Taiwan could not store the nuclear waste. "Now I really hope I can persuade you to support stopping the construction on the fourth nuclear power plant so that we can proudly say we have made an important decision to create a social miracle, to establish a non-nuclear home," he said. Legislators are especially displeased with Chang because the government scrapped the plant in October without consulting with the legislature. Lawmakers have argued they approved the plant's budget and should have had a say in its future. They accused Chang of violating the constitution and banned him from the legislature. On Tuesday, lawmaker Wang Tein-ging of the People's First Party accused the premier of being undemocratic. Referring to ousted Philippine President Joseph Estrada, Wang said, "Estrada ignored public opinion and they took him down." Chang argued that his Cabinet was not obligated to follow the policies of previous governments. Ting Shou-chong of the Nationalist Party, Taiwan's largest, said the government's canceling of the plant caused gridlock and kept the government from dealing with pressing issues, such as the economy and relations with China. "Where is your political wisdom?" Ting asked. He suggested that if Chang did not resign, then President Chen Shui- bian, who appointed the premier, should be recalled by lawmakers. The premier dodged several questions about whether he would consider resigning to appease lawmakers. Outside the legislature, about 50 peaceful protesters held pictures of nuclear disasters at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. On Monday, a man set himself on fire at an anti-nuclear sit-in outside the legislature. Before torching himself, the man gave an anti-nuclear letter to reporters. He was hospitalized in stable condition on Tuesday. ALL CONTENTS COPYRIGHT 2001 LAS VEGAS SUN, INC. ***************************************************************** 12 N-plants felt the tremors but are safe, claims AERB rediff.com: JANUARY 30, 2001 Nuclear power stations at Kakrapur, Rawatbhata, Tarapur, Narora, Kalpakkam and Kaiga escaped unscathed even as they felt the tremors of the devastating earthquake which destroyed half of Gujarat. Atomic Energy Regulatory Board secretary K S Parthasarathy, in a release stated that the AERB received reports from all the stations about the quake but none of them were affected. The Kakrapur atomic power station is closest to the quake's epicentre. No damage was observed of any kind to the civil structures, pipes, pipe supports, cable trays and physical barriers. The AERB has rated the event at level zero in the international nuclear event scale of the Indian Atomic Energy Agency as it did not have any impact on nuclear safety, the release added. UNI ***************************************************************** 13 FEATURE - ENVIRONMENT A PRIORITY FOR EU PRESIDENT SWEDEN SWEDEN: January 29, 2001 STOCKHOLM - CONCERN ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT IS GROWING AFTER A YEAR WHICH SAW FLOODS FROM AFRICA TO EUROPE AND THE FAILURE OF GLOBAL CLIMATE TALKS. For Sweden, determined to put environmental issues at the centre of its stewardship of the European Union, the heightened awareness - driven home by torrential rain and disastrous floods in Sweden in late summer and early winter - is both a challenge and an opportunity. "It would be a feather in our cap if the EU managed to reach a sustainable climate strategy during our presidency," Swedish Environment Minister Kjell Larsson told Reuters. The environment is one of the "three E's" - together with enlargement and employment - that Sweden has set as its priorities while it holds the rotating EU presidency for the first six months of this year. Sweden is keen for the 15-member union to make progress on taking in the dozen candidate countries, mainly from Eastern Europe, but it also wants to make sure the new members observe the same environmental standards as the present EU. Targeting the environment shows politicians have started to realise that change is needed, said Bert Bolin, professor of meteorology at Stockholm University and former chairman of the United Nations panel on climate change. "The economic and political costs of natural disasters caused by pollution are getting bigger and bigger as the ecological system loses equilibrium," he said. For instance heavy use of fossil fuels is creating greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), which boost temperatures, melting ice at the poles and raising sea levels, threatening low-lying countries. Scientists are not certain that there is a direct link between greenhouse gases and last year's floods in Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe. CONCERN But most say the emissions aggravate climate conditions, as wet regions became wetter and dry areas dry up, leading to problems with water supplies and food. Governments around the world have agreed in principle to cut these emissions. "If we don't start working to curb global warming now we will see a lot of people having to move which will be very costly," Bolin said. "It will take 20-50 years to make a change once we've started to reduce greenhouse emissions." Global climate talks deadlocked in December when the United States and Europe disagreed on how to carry out reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases agreed in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997. The United States, which is backed by Canada, Australia and Japan, wants to allow developed countries to count carbon dioxide soaked up by forests in its targets for cutting emissions. It also wants maximum flexibility for countries to trade emissions credits. The EU wants them to meet most of their targets by cutting emissions at home. If the talks are not restarted by the end of Sweden's presidency in June, one opportunity to discuss the issue will be an expected visit by George W. Bush to meet EU leaders that month, the first visit by a US president to Sweden. At home, Sweden wants to cut emissions by encouraging rail transport, and will construct a new line between Stockholm and the northern city of Umea. "To cut CO2 emissions we'll initiate a campaign to move people and transport from road to rail," said Larsson. Another way to cut emissions is to encourage the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy such as wind, solar, biomass and small hydropower and support new technology for more efficient energy use. But Swedish officials say that measures such as these will not suffice to curb emissions. "The only two real alternatives to curb the greenhouse gases are higher taxes and trade of emission quotas," said former environment minister Olof Johansson, who heads the government's climate committee. ENVIRONMENT TO WIN OVER EURO-SCEPTICS The focus on environmental issues will also help a Swedish government facing strong voter scepticism about the EU. An opinion poll last month showed 43 percent of Swedes oppose membership of the EU, which Sweden joined in 1995, while only 37 percent were in favour. The environmentalist Greens, and ex-communist Left Party, which both support the minority Social Democratic government in parliament, combine an anti-EU stance with tough environment policies. "We hope the EU will become more attractive by showing how important we consider the environment to be," said Larsson. And Sweden is determined not to let concern about environmental problems on the other side of the Baltic undermine public support for enlargement of the EU. "Applicants should understand they can't wait with shaping up their environment and that it is central for the negotiations for membership, " said Larsson. Lithuania's Chernobyl-style two-reactor nuclear power plant in Ignalina will not be an obstacle to membership for the Baltic state as it has agreed to close one reactor by 2005 and will decide the fate of the other in 2004. Sweden, which closed its first reactor in 1999 under plans to phase out nuclear power, has invested about one billion crowns ($106 million) since the beginning of the 1990s to clean up the Baltic Sea. But it wants to involve an even greater neighbour in improving the environment of the Baltic region. Sweden is keen to help Russia's Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad, squeezed between EU candidates Lithuania and Poland, which suffers from nuclear waste and other pollution. And it is concerned about nuclear safety in Russia's northern port of Murmansk, where a floating cemetery of more than 100 discarded nuclear submarines drifts in the Barents Sea. "I hope that Russia won't see this as only an EU issue," said Larsson. Story by Eva Sohlman REUTERS NEWS SERVICE ***************************************************************** 14 Greenland, Norway concerned over waste transports M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD. Story Filed: Tuesday, January 30, 2001 10:51 AM EST JAN 30, 2001, M2 Communications - Anders Andreasson, a member of the Greenlandic Assembly, has asked the government what options Greenland has to affect the transport of dangerous substances through its territorial waters. The issue was raised as Qanorooq, a Greenlandic news programme, said that a route closer to Greenland would be an option for transporting nuclear waste from Europe to Japan. Norway has reportedly protested a route that would take the radioactive waste north of its coastline. This route had been proposed as protests had forced a change to a previous route that went south of Africa. The waste mainly comes from the UK and France, according to Radioavisen, a Greenlandic online newsletter. Copyright c 1998-2001 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD http://www.m2.com ***************************************************************** 15 Temelin Does Not Jeopardize Nuclear Safety in the Fourth Quarter Central Europe Online Daily News - PRAGUE, Jan 30, 2001--(CTK - Czech News Agency) CEZ, the operator of the nuclear power plant Temelin, has secured the nuclear safety and radiation protection at Temelin sufficiently and the complications during the power start-up of the first block were expected, a quarterly report of the State Authority for Nuclear Safety (SUJB) writes. The report is on the agenda of Wednesday's session of the government and CTK has learnt its content from SUJB spokesman Pavel Pittermann. "The development up to now has shown that all events that may have affected nuclear safety have been coped with so far," Pitterman quoted the report for CTK. The power plant is being put in operation, tests are carried out and assessed in line with the approved documentation and under the supervision of SUJB inspectors. There was no leak of radioactivity from the primary circuit, Pitterman said. "Failures related to the connection of the turbo-set have been expected," Pitterman quoted the report. SUJB expected complications in view of the experience with the start-up of similar facilities. The failures are "the result of the fact that only the output level of 30 pct enables to test the whole of the secondary circuit," according to the report. The report has been commented on, for example by the Environment Ministry and Foreign Ministry, and amended accordingly, Pitterman noted. ((C) 2001 CTK - CZECH NEWS AGENCY) ***************************************************************** 16 Stop Russia Becoming "Nuclear Waste- dump", Ecologists Tell Putin Russia Today - MOSCOW, Jan 29, 2001--(Agence France Presse) More than 500 Russian ecological groups have called on President Vladimir Putin to oppose a bill passing through parliament they say would make Russia "the world's nuclear waste-dump," Interfax reported Monday. The Duma (lower house) last month backed a government plan to earn billions of dollars by treating the world's nuclear waste, voting by a large majority to approve an amendment easing a 1991 environmental protection law. Deputies have been "dazzled" by the opportunity to make large sums of money and acted "in disregard of the opinion of 2.5 million Russians who signed a petition in favor of an environmental referendum", the appeal by the ecological organizations said. A second reading of the controversial bill is scheduled for the end of next month. The government says the amended legislation would permit Russia to sign contracts with China, Germany, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and Taiwan, earning 21 billion dollars over the next 10 years. ((C) 2001 AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE) ***************************************************************** 17 ATTORNEY GENERAL TO SUPPORT TOWN IN NUCLEAR WASTE FIGHT BY ASSOCIATED PRESS, 1/29/2001 20:50 HADDAM, Conn. (AP) The state attorney general has joined the town in opposing plans to store spent nuclear waste in casks at the site of the former Connecticut Yankee nuclear power plant. Richard Blumenthal filed a friend of the court brief Monday to support the town in fighting a lawsuit from the Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Company. The town has refused to rezone a portion of land for use as a storage site, fearing it might eventually become a regional high-level radioactive waste dump. As a result, the company has filed a federal lawsuit against the town, claiming federal laws not local zoning laws should apply because the storage of nuclear waste is federally regulated. Blumenthal contends local zoning authorities derive their power from state laws and the company's lawsuit amounts to an attack on those laws. ''No nuclear facility can use federal law as a self-serving shield against valid local health and safety measures,'' said Blumenthal. ''Local communities, not federal bureaucrats, should determine how their land is used.'' No hearing date has been scheduled in the case. Boston Globe Online: Print it! ***************************************************************** 18 Ukraine, Russia discuss supply of nuclear fuel ITAR/TASS NEWS AGENCY Story Filed: Tuesday, January 30, 2001 9:49 AM EST KIEV, January 30 (Itar-Tass) - Ukraine and Russia are holding negotiations on the supply of nuclear fuel in 2001. Kiev would like to buy fuel for all the 13 units of nuclear power plants, and the fuel cost may make about 210 million dollars, a source in the PR department of Ukraine's Energoatom company has told Itar- Tass. There are also negotiations about the transportation of used nuclear fuel to Russia's Krasnoyarsk mining and chemical plant and the Chelyabinsk Mayak plant. The shipment of used fuel from the first and second units of the Rovno nuclear power plant has been postponed from 2000 to 2001. The overall yearly cost of shipments will make 70-80 dollars. yer/ (c) 1996-2001 ITAR-TASS. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 19 Iodine levels OK, project concludes SPECIAL REPORTS ÿ This story was published 1/30/2001 HERALD STAFF WRITER More than 99 percent of the median radiation doses that were estimated for Hanford downwinders in a $3.8 million government project were within ranges that are considered acceptable for a thyroid medical test. The just-completed Hanford Individual Dose Assessment Project estimated the amount of radioactive iodine that may have been absorbed in the thyroid glands of people living downwind from the nuclear reservation from 1944 to 1957, the height of Cold War production of plutonium for nuclear weapons. Those were the years of heaviest releases of iodine 131, which concentrates in the thyroid. Although the estimates were prepared as a public service rather than a study, the project's final report does summarize dose estimates. It found that of the 7,987 dose estimates that were mailed to people who completed diet histories, 0.2 percent had a median estimate greater than 100 rads. It's not uncommon for up to a 100-rad dose of radioactive iodine to be given in medical tests to diagnose thyroid problems, said Herman Cember of Indiana, a national expert in radiation protection and member of the Hanford Health Effects Subcommittee. No adverse effects have been found from those doses in medical tests, he said. However, materials mailed to those asking for dose estimates noted that "many scientists and public health officials believe that any radiation dose could increase the risk of cancer and other diseases." Thyroid doses that occurred during early childhood when thyroids are small particularly may increase health risk. The majority of downwinders who asked that their dose be calculated, 52 percent, received median dose estimates of less than 1 rad. In comparison, they would have received about 0.1 rad each year from naturally occurring background radiation. The next-largest group, 40 percent, were given median dose estimates between 1 and 10 rads. About 7.8 percent received median dose estimates of 10 to 100 rads. The federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, which has proposed a medical monitoring program for Hanford downwinders, has set an estimated median of 10 rads as the minimum level to be considered for the program. However, the program has not received funding. Because of the many uncertainties in estimating thyroid doses based in part on what people recall eating 50 years ago, downwinders were given a broad range of estimated doses and the median estimated dose. For instance, a person with a 1.5-rad median estimate was also given a range of 0.45 rad to 5.9 rads. "The range was huge," said John Erickson, director of the project for the Washington State Department of Health. Instead of picking the median figure to analyze, the top or bottom figures could be used to paint a very different picture of dose estimates, he said. "People wanted their dose (estimates) for different reasons, " said Ellen Haars, the dose program manager for the state health department. Some wanted an estimate to take to their doctors, and some wanted the estimate for lawsuits against the Department of Energy. But many people said they just "wondered what was done to me, " Haars said. "And people have the right to know." Iodine 131 was released into the air and carried downwind during plutonium production at Hanford. People were exposed to the radioactive material primarily by drinking milk from cows that grazed on grass contaminated with radioactive fallout in downwind areas. Breathing contaminated air and eating freshly harvested contaminated fruits and vegetables also could have contributed to their radiation dose. Those who wanted an estimate of their dose filled out lengthy questionnaires that ranged from how family cows were fed to how many servings of cooked fresh fruit such as jams and pie they ate per week. Trisha Pritikin, an attorney who was on an oversight committee for the project and who is a member of the Hanford Health Effects Subcommittee, is asking that more dose estimate work be done. She'd like Hanford iodine dose estimates combined with estimates of doses from fallout from Nevada nuclear bomb tests. She also wants dose estimates for other biologically significant radionuclides released from Hanford. Dose estimate ranges then need to be translated into health risk, she and another oversight committee member wrote in a letter to federal project officer Mike Donnelly. "People, receiving their HIDA estimated I-131 doses, have commented that they have no idea what these Hanford IDA numbers might mean to their health," they wrote. "We believe that the project did not go far enough to provide the information within a health context in a way that could be more useful to the exposed population." ***************************************************************** 20 Blumenthal joins Haddam in fight on nuclear waste TheDay.com: Local and National News Published on 1/30/2001 HADDAM — Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has joined the town of Haddam's fight in federal court to prevent the Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Co. from imposing a high-level nuclear waste storage facility on the town. The federal case could set a precedent as to whether local zoning regulations or federal regulations take precedent when it comes to dealing with the nuclear waste left behind when a nuclear plant closes. Connecticut Yankee ceased operations in 1996. Two months ago the town's Planning and Zoning Commission rejected the company's proposal to create a special zone that would have allowed the highly radioactive waste, now stored at the defunct Connecticut Yankee reactor, to be relocated about three-quarters of a mile from the plant on company property. On Dec. 21 the company filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court contending that the movement and storage of nuclear waste is governed by federal law and zoning regulations do not apply. At the time it filed the lawsuit, the company expressed a willingness to reach a settlement that would allow the facility to be built without litigation. Now the attorney general has petitioned the court to participate as amicus curiae, or friend of the court, so that it can file legal arguments in support of Haddam. “No nuclear facility can use federal law as a self-serving shield against valid local health and safety measures,” said Blumenthal Monday in announcing his decision to get involved in the legal fight. “The specific question of whether federal nuclear energy law preempts state land-use law is of great significance, not only to Haddam, but also to many other municipalities.” Haddam First Selectman Tony Bondi said he welcomed Blumenthal's involvement and alluded to the potentially precedent-setting importance of the case. “This is an important issue that concerns not only Haddam,” he said. Connecticut Yankee officials want to place the waste, consisting of spent uranium-filled fuel rods once used to power the reactor, into 43 individually sealed steel and concrete canisters. They contend that is a better and safer alternative than keeping the waste stored where it is. The nuclear plant has not operated since 1996. The waste problem has been created because no permanent, national storage facility has been selected. In rejecting the proposed zone change, the Haddam P&Z Commission expressed concerns the facility, sp; ***************************************************************** 21 ELECTRON CAFé BY JOHN GLENN: ROLLING BLACKOUTS Power Online News for power industry professionals 1/29/2001 I will tread into territory where I have little or no expertise — the California energy crisis. As I understand deregulation California style, the regulated utilities were required to sell their power generating plants and to buy power through a special electricity marketing exchange. The utopian theory was that competitive, market forces on the supply side would drive prices down and benefit everyone. At the time demand was low and supply was relatively high, therefore the theory had some credibility. Based upon this rosy outlook consumers were promised that rates would not rise for a fixed number of years. Glenn’s hypothesis 1: Market forces do not work well when price has no role to play on the demand side. As California’s economy soared, the demand for electricity by consumers and new industries soared right along. Energy supplies got tight and suppliers charged what the market would bear. California’s commercial utilities without their own sources had to pay the higher prices but were forbidden to pass the cost along. The energy suppliers now consider California’s utilities a poor credit risk and want cash on delivery. The United States government had to order the suppliers to sell on credit while California scrambles to become the middleman between the suppliers and the users. Again, the rosy outlook is that the good credit of California will allow it to negotiate long-term contracts at higher but reasonable rates. Glenn’s hypothesis 2: If government opens the checkbook, every wheeler- dealer, accountant and lawyer in the country will figure the best and quickest way to grab a share. That is my view. Slate magazine cites (as a Bushism of the day) the new President’s view of the situation: “The California crunch really is the result of not enough power-generating plants and then not enough power to power the power of generating plants.”—Interview with the New York Times, Jan. 14, 2001 I am not convinced that this is solely a generating crisis. California made a mistake in devising a patchwork plan that was neither regulated nor deregulated. Market forces could probably avoid all blackouts but there would be several million unhappy customers (and voters). California is vulnerable because there is a per capita deficit for generating capacity within the State. If California had some more control over the supply side it could wield more influence and probably avoid blackouts. Glenn’s hypothesis 3: Nuclear could have provided a difference in electricity supply. Ironically, California has a mothballed nuclear facility with an operating license that was not scheduled to expire until 2008. I quote from a presentation* by the NRC’s Dan Martin in 1991: “On June 6, 1989, a public referendum was held and the vote was for closure of the Rancho Seco facility. The owner, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District agreed to be bound by the vote and shut down the plant immediately. All fuel was transferred to the spent fuel pool by the end of that year and a decommissioning plan was prepared and submitted for review in May 1991.” Today the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) is a net importer of electricity. However, it is much better off than the commercial companies since it still operates a substantial part of the generating capacity for its needs. SMUD reported the following sources of electricity in 1999. Rancho Seco was in operation between 1975 – 1989 and had a rated electrical capacity of 913 MW. That is 263 MW greater than electricity that SMUD was committed to buy in 1999. If Rancho Seco were online today, California might not have enough internal electricity generating capacity to avoid a crisis but 913 MW sure would help. Rancho Seco is touted as a great “Green” victory. The site is now home to a solar power facility. But note the minute contribution that wind and solar are making to the SMUD supply. Alternative energy is nice but just does not meet the need (as discussed in earlier columns.) Let us heed the California crisis as an early warning not to become too dependent on any one energy source— particularly not foreign oil. As always, I think a mix that includes 30 to 50% of nuclear generation of electricity would be ideal for our environment, economy and security. --> Statement [*]WWW.POWERONLINE.COM ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR WEAPONS ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 Plutonium Found in Greece Park January 30, 2001 ASSOCIATED PRESS THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP)--A small amount of plutonium believed smuggled from Eastern Europe was found buried in a park, in a possible sign of increased trafficking of radioactive material, officials said Tuesday. Metal plates containing about a tenth of an ounce of plutonium and americium, another radioactive element, were found Saturday by Finance Ministry agents acting on a tip. The ministry's fraud agency is investigating possible link between the plutonium and a cigarette smuggling ring from neighboring Bulgaria, police sources said. The park where the plutonium was found is about 7 1/2 miles outside Thessaloniki, and is often used for picnics and by joggers. The amount was far less than the plutonium needed to make a bomb. But it raises concern of toxic contamination from the highly dangerous substances. About 20 pounds of plutonium are used in a bomb, according to U.S. government estimates. But other experts say just over half that amount is needed. "Plutonium is usually sold for terrorism purposes," said the agency's director, Leonidas Kamarinopoulos. "Plutonium is very dangerous even in this quantity." The plates were transported to a safe facility in Athens by members of the state Agency of Atomic Energy, authorities said. Greece has only one small nuclear reactor used for research. Kamarinopoulos said the find had been reported to the International Atomic Energy Commission in Vienna, Austria, which will try and trace its origin. The plutonium will be transported to its country of origin or one which processes radioactive materials for power generation, he said. Greece has become a crossroads for various kinds of smuggling, including trafficking in drugs and illegal weapons. ALL CONTENTS COPYRIGHT 2001 LAS VEGAS SUN, INC. ***************************************************************** 2 NATO commander reassures and consults Sofia Echo By Brendan Howe NATO’S commander-in-chief for Allied Forces Southern Europe Admiral James Ellis reiterated this week that there is no plutonium risk from the use of depleted uranium weapons in the Balkans. Ellis was in Sofia on Tuesday to meet with Bulgarian Defence Minister Boyko Noev and consult with the Bulgarian government on the continuing challenges faced by the region. “I find that the insights offered by those who have lived here for generations are particularly useful in examining options in potential policy for long-term solutions that benefit us all,” Ellis said. He stressed that studies to date have not established any link between the use of depleted uranium and illnesses and deaths reported among NATO troops who have served in the Balkans. Six Italians and one Portuguese soldier have died, and there were dozens more cases of unexplained illnesses which were dubbed “Balkan Syndrome.” Depleted uranium is used on missiles, shells and bullets because of its heavy armour penetration. Ellis said that any decision on the future use of depleted uranium weapons needs to be reached in a sensible way, as those weapons were created to ensure the effectiveness of military operations. “The issue needs to be addressed clearly and openly, as it is. The scientific data and the facts associated with this material have to be provided as they have, and then the decisions need to be made on a calm and rational basis, as I believe they are,” Ellis said. General Mikho Mikhov, the chief of the Bulgarian Army General Staff, also met with Ellis to discuss Bulgarian involvement in peacekeeping operations as well as increasing the combat effectiveness of the country’s army. Ellis took over command responsibility for NATO’s KFOR operations in Kosovo last week. As part of the same decision, taken by NATO last October, responsibility for the NATO-led SFOR operation in Bosnia- Herzegovina will also be taken over February 19 by the regional command of Allied Forces Southern Europe. This shift will lead to Ellis being the commander-in-chief for both operations. ***************************************************************** 3 Minister takes child to Kosovo Sofia Echo By Daniela Vassileva THE Bulgarian Defence Minister has visited Kosovo with his 10 year- old-daughter – to show he is not worried about radiation risks in the region. Boiko Noev toured the main camp of Bulgaria’s troops in Kosovo, part of the German contingent of KFOR there, with German Defence Minister Rudolf Sharping. The visit was prompted by the month-old Balkan Syndrome controversy –fears that radiation emitted by depleted uranium tipping NATO ammunition used in the 1999 campaign has affected the health of soldiers who served there and remains a threat to inhabitants. “Both Bulgarian and German military experts are categorical: the health of German and Bulgarian soldiers in Kosovo is not at risk,” Noev told the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA) on Monday. Military experts from the German contingent showed the ministers pieces of depleted uranium gathered in Kosovo. “Radiation from these shells with depleted uranium would be scarcely 20 per cent of the dose of radiation received by plane passengers, ”Rudolf Sharping said. The other concerning aspect in the radiation scare is that it is potentially harmful to the economies of the Balkans. Noev was also in Macedonia on Saturday. “The media over-reaction to the problems surrounding the use by the U.S. of depleted uranium in Kosovo may affect adversely the economies of Bulgaria, Macedonia and the entire region”, he and Macedonian Defence Minister Ljuben Paunovski told reporters after delegations from the two countries met on Saturday in Skopje. The fuss over Balkan Syndrome may put potential investors off the Balkans and impede the export of agricultural produce to the rest of Europe. “It may lead to imposition of an unofficial embargo on the region, ”the Macedonian minister said. The two ministers agreed to continue to do everything possible to achieve stabilisation in the Balkans. “The Balkans must show that they do not expect to be admitted to the European Union and NATO as a reward, but along the road to these structures, they should prove their earnest desire and capability of achieving mutual co-operation in a truly European way,” Paunovski said. Aplan has also been signed for bilateral defence co-operation in 2001. “Macedonian experts will arrive in Bulgaria in a couple of weeks’ time to finalise arrangements for the forthcoming supplies of Bulgarian Army surplus weapons to the Macedonian Army,” Paunovski said. “Bulgaria is to provide, free of charge, one radar for the Macedonian Air Defence, which may even be modernised before delivery,” Noev said. ***************************************************************** 4 Sandia Ground-Water Tests' Meaning Debated ÿÿÿ Tuesday, January 30, 2001 Journal Staff Writer Activists and the government are squabbling over whether old data show hazardous chemicals have leaked from a Sandia National Laboratories landfill. The feud involves interpretation of 10 years of data from Sandia's tests of ground water beneath its Mixed Waste Landfill, located near the southern edge of Kirtland Air Force Base. The question - do the data contain evidence of contamination, or a few lab errors in the midst of a larger amount of data showing the water is clean? A ream of ground-water test results data contains 16 cases where hazardous chemicals were found in samples sent to a commercial lab for testing, according to Paul Robinson of the environmentalist Southwest Research and Information Center. Robinson said that shows there could be a way for toxic waste in the landfill to contaminate the aquifer below. John Gould, the Energy Department official in charge of the cleanup, said Robinson singled out a handful of tests showing trace contamination, while a vastly larger number of tests shows the water beneath the landfill is clean. That pattern, he said, is more consistent with bad test data than real pollution. It is important to guard against so-called "false positives," when lab equipment is so sensitive that it can detect traces of contamination introduced in the test process, said University of New Mexico engineering professor Bruce Thomson. They can creep in from drilling equipment, other chemicals used in the testing lab, even fumes in the air while the water sample is being packaged, he said. "False positives are the bane of our existence, " said Doug Earp, who does ground-water testing for the city of Albuquerque. To guard against the problem, Sandia sent test samples of clean water to the laboratory along with the ground water to be tested. Sandia also sent duplicate samples of the same ground water, reasoning that if contamination showed up in one but not the other, it was likely to be a false positive. Two of the 16 cases cited by Robinson involved the test samples of clean water rather than ground water, according to a Journal review of Sandia records. Three involved cases where duplicates of the same sample showed no contamination. In addition, five of the cases cited by Robinson came from a background test well 500 feet away from the landfill set up to monitor natural ground-water conditions for comparison. Robinson insists contamination could have reached the background well, but Sandia cleanup manager Dick Fate said ground water in the area flows the opposite way. The real test, according to Thomson, is whether a contaminant shows up consistently in a well in test after test. Sandia records show that that did not happen in the majority of cases cited by Robinson. Sandia acknowledges that the toxic chemical toluene found in four of the ground-water samples is real. The contamination suddenly began appearing in 1997 in one well soon after Sandia installed a device in the bottom of the well to help control water flow. Inquiries with the device's manufacturer showed toluene was used in its manufacture, said Sandia cleanup official Mike McVey. Robinson said he believes the data show "more than just false positives out there." He believes it is evidence the landfill might be leaking. "It's just an indication that something might be going on," he said. Copyright 2001 Albuquerque Journal ***************************************************************** 5 Ex-Lodi man suing company, blames Maywood site for cancer Tuesday, January 30, 2001 blames Maywood site for cancer --> By PAULO LIMA Staff Writer A 37-year-old state prison inmate is suing Stepan Co., alleging that he acquired a form of cancer from living near the company's radioactive site. Former Lodi resident Robert A. Sogluizzo was diagnosed in March 1999 with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, says a lawsuit filed in Superior Court. Eight months after that diagnosis, in November 1999, Stepan agreed to pay $10 million in settlements to 570 residents of Maywood, Lodi, and Rochelle Park. Those residents were in the process of suing the company after environmental tests revealed massive radioactive contamination at the Maywood property and in surrounding soil and groundwater. Sogluizzo's wife and attorney say he never pursued a settlement because he was in prison at the time and was unaware of them. Sogluizzo is still at Trenton State Prison, serving out the final months of a 15-year sentence for armed robbery, records show. "I don't see how this [the settlement] would prevent him from bringing his own action," said Sogluizzo's attorney, Kenneth E. Ryan. "You can't say, 'Sorry, pal, you missed the boat.' " Several of Sogluizzo's family members benefited from the 1998 settlement, Ryan said. After he went to prison, however, Sogluizzo did not keep in touch with his siblings and never heard about the settlements, said his wife, Janice. "He wasn't aware of the lawsuit until I cut an article out of The Record and sent it to him," she said. Officials at Stepan did not return a call to the company's Northfield, Ill., headquarters Monday. At the time of the settlement, company Chief Executive F. Quinn Stepan told shareholders that he believed the company would have prevailed in the lawsuit but settled to avoid costly and lengthy litigation. Sogluizzo lived "near the said property" in Lodi from 1974 through 1983, according to the lawsuit. He went to prison in New York in 1986 and was transferred to the New Jersey prison in 1988. The property on West Hunter Avenue once belonged to Maywood Chemical Works. The now-defunct company used thorium--a naturally occurring radioactive metal--to make mantles for gas lanterns. During the 1950s, the government refined thorium for use as nuclear energy. Stepan took over the property in 1956. The company makes chemicals used in industrial and household products, including soap, detergents, and insulation, according to its Web site. The Army Corps of Engineers began cleaning up the contaminated soil and groundwater in the neighborhood surrounding the plant in 1984. About 43 deaths were blamed on the contamination. Other residents say they have suffered from cancer, neurological disorders, and stress. A government report in 1997 revealed a higher-than-normal rate of cancers of the brain and nervous system among women living in neighborhoods with contaminated sites. More than 286,000 people in the United States suffer from non-Hodgkins lymphoma, according to the Cure for Lymphoma Foundation. Janice Sogluizzo said her husband's disease is in stage 4, its most serious level. "Looking at his health, how much time does he have left?" she wondered. ***************************************************************** 6 Savannah River Site Meets Groundwater Cleanup Milestone AIKEN, SC, January 29, 2001 - The Savannah River Site's A/M Area has logged another milestone for the site's restoration efforts in surpassing the four-billion-gallon mark in groundwater cleanup. Chris Bergren, project manager over the area, puts this amount of water into perspective by saying four billion gallons of water poured in a vessel the size of a football field would make a water column a mile and three-quarters high. The A/M Area houses laboratories, administration buildings and facilities where fuel target assemblies were manufactured and degreased. Chlorinated industrial solvents were the primary degreasing materials and in the early days of site operations, the practice of putting chlorinated industrial solvents into earthen basins was considered acceptable. However, it is unsatisfactory by today's environmental standards and stricter regulations and has resulted in groundwater contamination at the site. The primary A/M Area groundwater treatment technology employed is air stripping, commonly referred to as pump and treat. Air stripping works by pumping contaminated groundwater to the surface and up the top of a 70-foot vertical column. Then, as the water cascades downward through the column, air that has been forced upward through the column mixes with the water, causing the water's contaminants to vaporize out of the liquid stream. The cleaned water continues to flow downward and is piped to a regulated outfall. The Savannah River Site (SRS) notes that basic air stripping technology is not foreseen as the final solution to remediating A/M Area's contaminated plume. A balanced mix of very aggressive to passive technologies is used to attack the entire contaminated groundwater plume. Aggressive technologies, which generally are more costly to operate, are employed at the core of the plume where large amounts of volatile organic compound contaminants can be destroyed. Passive remediation technologies are used at the fringes of the plume to cost-effectively remove the lower concentrations of the contamination. The most recently deployed groundwater treatment technology that will boost A/M Area remediation is Dynamic Underground Stripping. According to Jim Kupar, project technical lead, this process uses steam and oxygen to attack concentrated areas of solvent contamination and therefore eliminate sources of contamination in a very short time and reduce overall remediation time by many years. SRS was constructed during the early 1950s to produce the basic materials used in the fabrication of nuclear weapons, primarily tritium and plutonium-239. Five reactors were built on the site. The reactors produced nuclear materials by irradiating target materials with neutrons. Also built were support facilities including two chemical separations plants, a heavy water extraction plant, a nuclear fuel and target fabrication facility and waste management facilities. The Site's Environmental Restoration Program is making significant progress. Of the 500 acres in the program, more than 280 are in interim or final remediation. One third of the total 477 waste units are closed, in remediation or have been designated for no further action; four billion gallons of groundwater have been remediated, and more than 500,000 pounds of solvents have been removed. ***************************************************************** 7 DOE slaps UC with latest violations of lab security January 29, 2001 By Lisa Friedman WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON--As if having one scientist under their watch mishandle NUCLEAR data and others temporarily misplace computer hard drives with super-sensitive information about NUCLEAR terrorism wasn't bad enough, the Department of Energy last week slapped the University of California with even more security violations. In one of the incidents DOE cited, eight Los Alamos National Laboratory workers were exposed in March to airborne plutonium. The NUCLEAR lab, as it turns out, is exempt from civil penalties. Otherwise, DOE officials said, UC would have had to cough up about $605,000. The ink on UC's contract to continue managing Los Alamos and the nation's other NUCLEAR laboratory in Livermore, by the way, was barely dry when these violations were announced last week. UC has been in hot water over security lapses for the past two years. Several congressional leaders have called for the federal government to end its half-century long relationship with the university and open up the management contracts to competitive bidding. But in the final hours of the Clinton Administration, university officials managed to secure the school's tenure through 2005. The contract likely won't be placed in jeopardy by this new round of violations, most of which occurred early last year. But it doesn't look good, and will surely add fuel to the fire of House and Senate leaders who have it in for UC. Congressional hearings on the university's new contract and its ability to secure NUCLEAR secrets are already in the works. Sen. Dianne Feinstein has reintroduced a bill granting police greater access to body armor. The James Guelff Body Armor Act, named in honor of a San Francisco police officer who was killed in 1994 by an assailant shielded by two layers of bullet-proof vests, also enhances penalties for criminals who commit violent crimes while wearing body armor. Feinstein first introduced the bill in October, but it languished in committee with only nine co-sponsors. President Bush may be entering office with shaky environmental credentials, what with his eagerness to drill for oil in Alaska and his nomination of an Interior Secretary who champions mine and timber companies. Even so, some congressional leaders are hoping he'll come through in ways that Bill Clinton didn't. Specifically, key House and Senate members are urging Bush to pass the Conservation and Reinvestment Act, a $3 billion program that sets aside offshore oil drilling revenues for use restoring wetlands, protecting endangered species and building city parks. The bill, co-authored by Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, and Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, passed the House by a wide margin and became bottled up in the Senate. Ultimately Clinton vastly watered down the bill and folded it into a larger conservation package. "We firmly believe that your Administration, the Congress and the American people would be well served to have a common-sense environmental bill as a key component of your first agenda," Young wrote Bush this week. "With your active support, we believe CARA can be enacted early in the 107th Congress." You can contact Lisa Friedman by phone at (202) 662-8731 or ***************************************************************** 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: *****************************************************************