***************************************************************** 11/30/01 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 9.282 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER CONTENTS 1 [toeslist] Lawmakers Bow to Wishes of Nuclear Industry 2 Entergy Nuclear IP2, Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.; Notice of 3 Stores stocking KI pills 4 Key U.S. Senator Backs Nuclear Energy, Warns Against Alarmist 5 Call for improved security at nuclear centers 6 Ahern and Blair divided on nuclear plant controversy 7 Burial of containers with radioactive material inside can't be proven 8 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Dirty industries escape paying for the 9 UK: No BNFL sell-off until 2004-05 10 Czech-Austrian agreement on nuclear plant will improve 11 Man in Custody for Nuke Plant Photos 12 Demand increased control of atomic safety (Krever kraftig 13 Czech party against including nuclear plant agreement in EU 14 Czech premier outlines costs of upgrading nuclear plant, slams 15 Sellafield nuclear row dominates summits Ahern angry at plans 16 Austria's Haider to seek referendum on Temelin agreement 17 New comments sought on radioactive waste proposal 18 Austria and Czech Republic agree on Temelin 19 Agreement over Temelin 20 EUROPE: Ukraine N-plant plans fail in dispute on funds 21 Czech, Austria Mull Nuclear Plant 22 Senate GOPs Get Cloning, Energy Bills 23 Austria reconciled to Czech N-plant 24 Sellafield upsets Blair and Ahern talks 25 Blair faces pressure on Sellafield 26 Bill would tighten security at nuclear power plants 27 CONGRESSIONAL AUDIT: Report deals blow to Yucca project 28 GREENPEACE WELCOMES STOP TO CHERNOBYL REPLACEMENT REACTORS 29 Plan to federalize guards at nuclear plants revealed 30 Yucca Mountain impact study to be released 31 GAO calls for delay on Yucca decision 32 GAO Challenges Plans for Storage Of Nuclear Waste 33 Democrats Want Nuke Plant Guards to Be Federal Workers 34 BNFL says money 'sunk' in MOX is irrelevant to case 35 IAEA Daily Press Review Date 2001-11-30 Number 229 36 Have your final say on Yucca Mountain - again 37 BNFL sends 350 home 38 DOE slates another Yucca Moutain Project meeting here 39 Stores stocking KI pills 40 Terror Suspect Visited Nuclear Plant 41 DOE conflicts at Yucca 42 More on Yucca Mountain; relief from price gouging? - 43 No prosecution in Vt. for picture of N-plant 44 Energy Secretary Says Draft GAO Report on Yucca Mountain "Fatally 45 Public Input on Yucca Mountain 46 Vulnerability of nuke plants concerns council 47 CY files second lawsuit in nuclear storage saga NUCLEAR WEAPONS CONTENTS 1 ATTACK ON AFGHANISTAN DIPLOMACY: US reviews how to stop spread 2 ATTACK ON AFGHANISTAN DIPLOMACY: N Korea rejects Bush's demand 3 Bosnia: Italian army seizes nuclear material, four arrested 4 Prosecutor to ask for additional investigation? 5 Readmit Inspectors, President Tells Iraq; 'Or Else' Is Unstated 6 U.S. Supports U.N. Anti-Nukes Push 7 Man accused of trying to enter U.S. illegally 8 DOE warned about plutonium storage plans 9 U.S. CONSIDERS NUKES TO DESTROY SADDAM'S WMD 10 Health official: No rush on IAAP flyover 11 Chao pleased with sick workers' compensation - 12 Up for Grabs - Nation doesn't need spending spree 13 Facility would convert uranium 'to something more stable' 14 US DOE DUF6 Public Meeting - Submitted by Graham E. Mitchell 15 US wins defeat of uranium study **************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 [toeslist] Lawmakers Bow to Wishes of Nuclear Industry Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2001 23:19:06 -0600 (CST) Nov. 28, 2001 Lawmakers Bow to Wishes of Nuclear Industry House Approved Nuclear Industry Subsidy With Almost No Debate Allowed and no Recorded Vote WASHINGTON, D.C. - The House approval of a measure that heavily subsidizes the nuclear industry shows that lawmakers' allegiances lie with the nuclear industry, not consumers, Public Citizen said today. The House late Tuesday voted to reauthorize the Price-Anderson Act, which limits liability for nuclear operators in the event of a serious accident or terrorist attack and shifts much of the burden to taxpayers. Lawmakers passed the bill, H.R. 2983, by a voice vote despite opposition from a broad coalition of public interest and environmental groups. "Democrats and Republicans alike capitulated to nuclear industry lobbyists in allowing this flawed legislation to pass," said Wenonah Hauter, director of Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program. "Apparently this House is more concerned with securing campaign contributions from the nuclear industry than protecting public health and safety." Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee that marked up H.R. 2983, received $131,590 from electric utilities in the last election cycle, making them his top campaign contributor. Electric utilities are also the top contributor to the committee's top Democrat, Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), who received $109,679 leading up to the 2000 election. The Price-Anderson Act, first enacted in 1957, establishes a taxpayer-backed insurance regime for nuclear power plants. It reduces the amount of insurance required for nuclear reactors, saving the industry billions of dollars in premiums. H.R. 2983 extends the Price-Anderson subsidy for another 15 years. The House leadership put the bill on its suspension calendar late last week after many Capitol Hill staff members had left for the Thanksgiving holiday. The suspension calendar usually is reserved for non-controversial matters such as naming new post offices; debate is limited and amendments are prohibited. Many lawmakers expected Price-Anderson to be subject to a roll call vote to be held at night, but legislation opponents failed to call for such a vote, so many House members were absent when the act was considered. "Price-Anderson raises too many critical issues to be treated as a formality," Hauter said. "To force the measure through a restricted legislative process that doesn't allow for full debate is an insult to the democratic process." ### ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Universal Inkjet Refill Kit $29.95 Refill any ink cartridge for less! Includes black and color ink. http://us.click.yahoo.com/QzLWzD/MkNDAA/ySSFAA/NJYolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: toeslist-unsubscribe@egroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 2 Entergy Nuclear IP2, Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.; Notice of [Federal Register: November 30, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 231)] [Notices] [Page 59823] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr30no01-133] NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket No. 50-247, License No. DPR-26] Issuance of Director's Decision Notice is hereby given that the Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, has taken action on the April 24, 2001, petition under section 2.206 Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR 2.206) submitted by Mr. David A. Lochbaum (petitioner) on behalf of the Union of Concerned Scientists. The petition was supplemented by letter dated May 3, 2001. The petitioner requested that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issue a Demand for Information (DFI) to licensees that use security personnel supplied by Wackenhut Corporation (Wackenhut), Entergy Nuclear IP2, Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.; Notice of [Federal Register: November 30, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 231)] [Notices] [Page 59823] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr30no01-133] NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket No. 50-247, License No. DPR-26] Issuance of Director's Decision Notice is hereby given that the Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, has taken action on the April 24, 2001, petition under section 2.206 Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR 2.206) submitted by Mr. David A. Lochbaum (petitioner) on behalf of the Union of Concerned Scientists. The petition was supplemented by letter dated May 3, 2001. The petitioner requested that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issue a Demand for Information (DFI) to licensees that use security personnel supplied by Wackenhut Corporation (Wackenhut), requiring them to provide a docketed response explaining how they comply with the requirement of 10 CFR 26.10 that licensees ``provide reasonable measures for the early detection of persons who are not fit to perform activities within the scope of this part'' and the requirement of 10 CFR 26.20 that ``licensee policy should also address other factors that could affect fitness for duty [FFD] such as mental stress, fatigue and illness.'' The petitioner also requested that the DFI require each licensee to generally describe its policy for the aforementioned factors and to explicitly describe its policy for these factors as applied to the security personnel supplied by Wackenhut. As a basis for this request, the petitioner stated that: An individual employed by Wackenhut Corporation and assigned duties as a security officer at Indian Nuclear 2 was fired on June 26, 2000 * * *. The individual had worked five straight 12-hour shifts [(12 hours on shift followed by 12 hours off for 5 straight days)] and declined to report for a sixth straight 12-hour shift because he reported to his management--in writing--that it would be ``physically and mentally exhausting.'' The individual reported to his management--in writing--that he was fully aware of his condition and ``would not want to be negligent in performing [his] duties as a security officer.'' The security officer had unescorted access to Indian Point 2 and thus was covered by 10 CFR part 26 as specified in Section 26.2 * * *. The petitioner also pointed out that Wackenhut employees are required by terms of their employment application, Collective Bargaining Agreement, and the Security Officer Handbook to report to work when directed. Thus, the petitioner contends that a worker employed by Wackenhut at an NRC-licensed facility reported to his management that he felt not fit for duty, declined to report for mandated overtime, and was terminated. The petitioner also stated that ``10 CFR 26.20 requires all licensees to have formal policy and written procedures for factors that could render plant workers not fit for duty. Fatigue is specifically mentioned in 10 CFR 26.20.'' The petitioner contends that the Wackenhut's contractual right conflicts with the Federal regulations in 10 CFR 26.10(a) and (b) and that in this case, the individual essentially provided ``reasonable measures for early detection'' of a condition rendering him not fit to perform activities within the scope of part 26. The petitioner further stated that rather than respecting the individual's judgment or seeking another opinion by a Medical Review Officer or other health care professional, Wackenhut fired that individual. The petitioner addressed the Petition Review Board (PRB) on May 7, 2001, in a telephone conference call to clarify the bases for his Petition. The transcript of this conference call is available in NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) (Accession No. ML012150128) and may be electronically viewed at the Commission's Public Document Room at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. The NRC sent a copy of the proposed Director's Decision to the petitioner by letter dated September 28, 2001. The petitioner responded with comments by letter dated October 2, 2001. The comments and the staff response to them are enclosures to the Director's Decision. The Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation has decided to grant the petitioner's request to the extent that the NRC will address the petitioner's concerns through the generic communication process. Specifically, the staff is developing a communication to all nuclear power plant licensees subject to the requirements of part 26. The communication will highlight the concerns identified in the petition and articulate the NRC's requirements as they apply to matters involving a worker's self-declaration of FFD. The staff intends to issue the communication in the near future. Further, as the staff proceeds with proposals to revise Part 26 and address worker fatigue through rulemaking, it will consider the need to clarify the NRC's expectations concerning worker declarations of FFD and work scheduling. The reasons for this decision are explained in the Director's Decision pursuant to 10 CFR 2.206 (DD-01-05), the complete text of which is available in ADAMS for electronic viewing at the Commission's Public Document Room (PDR), at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. The text is also accessible through the ADAMS Public Library on the NRC's Web site, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm.html [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=lin klog&to=http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm.html] (the Public Electronic Reading Room) at Accession No. ML013230169. If you do not have access to ADAMS or have problems in accessing the documents in ADAMS, contact the NRC Public Document Room reference staff at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737 or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov [pdr@nrc.gov] . A copy of the Director's Decision will be filed with the Secretary of the Commission so that the Commission may review it in accordance with 10 CFR 2.206(c) of the Commission's regulations. As provided for by this regulation, the Director's Decision will constitute the final action of the Commission 25 days after the date of the decision unless the Commission, on its own motion, institutes a review of the decision within that time. Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 23rd day of November, 2001. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. R. William Borchardt, Acting Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. [FR Doc. 01-29781 Filed 11-29-01; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 3 Stores stocking KI pills The Enterprise at SouthofBoston.com By Tamson W. Burgess MPG Newspapers PLYMOUTH (Nov. 29) - If you want to buy potassium iodide pills, advocated as protection for your thyroid in the event of a nuclear accident, they're available at Balboni's drug store in North Plymouth and at the Plymouth, Manomet and Kingston CVS stores. And even if you're over 40, you might want to consider stocking up on some for yourself as well. Selectman David Rushforth, a radiologist, is now tempering his earlier statements that potassium iodide pills aren't effective on anyone over 40. If there was an accident at the nuclear plant that leaked radiation into the air, a potassium iodide (KI) pill taken before or soon after exposure could protect your thyroid from one of the radioactive isotopes released. Some communities near nuclear plants, including neighboring Duxbury, stockpile the pills for residents in schools and shelters. Children are most vulnerable and receive the most protection from the pill. Local selectmen voted in 1999 not to stockpile the pills. But in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, rumors of threats to nuclear plants and overall increased anxiety, the board has been reviewing its decision. While selectmen are still considering whether to accept offers from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to pay for stockpiled pills, provided the state makes the request, they said they'd prefer to leave it up to individual residents. But the pills hadn't been available in local pharmacies for residents to buy. So the board sent Rushforth on a mission to find out why and see if the stores could stock the pills. He succeeded. Manomet CVS pharmacy manager Bruce Cashman had tried getting potassium iodide pills from his regular distributors without success. But when Rushforth called him with information about where he could buy them, he promised to forward the town's request to the CVS corporate offices. "Corporate was surprisingly quick in responding," Cashman said. He said they called him back in less then two hours with an answer, essentially telling him that if the town wants it, why not. The pills were in Cashman's hands in five days. Potassium iodide pills are sold over the counter. You don't need a doctor's prescription. They're currently on display at both the pharmacy counter and the front registers in the Manomet CVS, Cashman said. He split his large order with the Plymouth and Kingston stores. The pills are available at the pharmacy counter in those two locations. If there is a demand, Cashman said, other area CVS stores would also likely make the pills available for sale. He expects they will also be sold at the new CVS store scheduled to open in Cedarville Dec. 3. CVS sells the pills in a 14-pill pack of individually sealed pills for $10. Balboni's drug store in North Plymouth beat Rushforth and the selectmen to the draw. Balboni's has been selling potassium iodide pills for more than a month. "I saw on TV that kids were still dying in Chernobyl of thyroid cancer," Balboni's owner Richard Tassinari said. One broadcast talked about the pills' use in communities near nuclear plants. The report mentioned Plymouth by name, he said. But they weren't available through any of his regular wholesalers. "They don't stock it," he said. Then he started getting calls from area mothers looking to buy the pills to have on hand for their kids in case of an emergency. One doctor called from as far away as Brookline looking to buy KI pills. He'd called everywhere he said and couldn't find any store that sold them, not even in Boston. Eventually Tassinari found a supplier. (The pills are available for purchase over the internet.) The moms and the Brookline doctor bought them. The first order of two dozen bottles of 200 sold out quickly and Tassinari restocked. "We're just stocking it as a regular over-the-counter medication now because people are interested in it," Tassinari said. The pills are available for sale at Balboni's in either a bottle of 200 for $16.95 or a bottle of 14 for $8.95. The pills have a long shelf life, Tassinari said. The listed expiration dates run four to six years, but the pills should be good far longer than that, he said, provided they aren't exposed to moisture. Rushforth is pleased the pills are available in local stores, but still stresses, "This is not a panacea or a substitute for evacuation." If there were an emergency at the plant and you have a pill on hand, take it and evacuate. But if you don't have one, don't waste time looking for one, just evacuate, he said. The potassium iodide pills are only effective if taken before or within three to four hours of exposure to radiation. The FDA is revising the dosage standards. The results aren't expected until early next year and the NRC won't pay for stockpiling pills until that happens. In the meantime, Rushforth said, the pills contain 130 milligrams and should be appropriate for children as young as 12 months. For younger children, Rushforth would recommend crushing up half a pill. The younger the child, the more susceptible they are to radiation. The pills only offer protection from one of a slew of dangerous isotopes that could be released in an accident. They'd be pointless if the leak came from the used fuel storage facility rather than the reactor itself, Rushforth said. Radioactive iodine has a half life of only eight days, Rushforth said, so there isn't any left in the old fuel rods. But there are plenty of other isotopes that are extremely dangerous, he said, again urging residents to remember no pill is a substitute for leaving the town in the event of an accident. Rushforth said he had researched the age factor in the effectiveness of potassium iodide for selectmen back in 1999, but, when called on recently for more information, couldn't find his specific source. So he consulted with Jordan Hospital's health physicist. His reasoning says that the human thyroid, regardless of age, draws in iodine everyday, so it would also absorb radioactive iodine. Potassium iodide pills, in a sense, fill up the thyroid with iodine so it can't absorb the dangerous kind. Rushforth is now recommending the pills for anyone, even if they are over 40. MPG Newspapers, 9 Long Pond Rd., Plymouth, MA 02360 Telephone: (508) 746-5555 ***************************************************************** 4 Key U.S. Senator Backs Nuclear Energy, Warns Against Alarmist Nuclear Energy Institute Reaction to Plant Security November 27, 2001—As the nation prepares a comprehensive approach to critical infrastructure security, U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) is warning that it would be a mistake to inhibit the growth of nuclear energy production in the United States because of unwarranted concerns about nuclear plant safety. In a speech delivered by Domenici’s science advisor, Dr. Peter Lyons, at the George Bush Presidential Conference Center at Texas A&M University last week, Domenici said that the nation must carefully evaluate the safety of its critical infrastructure, including chemical plants, electrical transmission systems, pipelines, oil tank farms and nuclear plants. But he spoke out in support of nuclear power plants, saying they “are probably the most hardened commercial structures in the world.” Domenici also emphasized that the United States and its allies control nuclear fuel supplies. This is in stark contrast to petroleum-based fuels, which are “largely controlled by sources outside the United States who will consider their own best interests ahead of ours.” In my view, it just doesn't make sense to conclude that any potential target that cannot be hardened against any and all acts of war should be abandoned, as some of the anti-nuclear groups might suggest for nuclear plants. With that line of reasoning, we should be abandoning airplanes and high buildings,” he said. There's a long list of real benefits from nuclear energy, fundamental to its superb record in supplying clean, reliable, low-cost electricity,” Domenici said. “Nuclear energy, appropriately designed to avoid proliferation concerns and operate in absolute safety, can play a major role in energizing the rest of the world. It can be one of the solutions to providing global energy needs and helping to bring many of the poorer economies into the 21st century.” The text of Domenici’s speech is available on his website. Copyright © 2001 Nuclear Energy Institute. ***************************************************************** 5 Call for improved security at nuclear centers The Norway Post - Doorway to Norway 30. November 2001 The security at the nuclear research centers at Halden and Kjeller needs to be improved, according to a plan submitted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Aftenposten writes. The terrorist attacks in the US have led to stricter international measures aimed at protecting nuclear plants which handle nuclear materials. All such plants, including the ones at Halden and Kjeller shall be inspected more frequently, and be better guarded. The transpoort of nuclear material shall be carried out under stricter guard, according to the plan. The IAEA has proposed that up to NOK 0.5 billion be used to improve security against nuclear terrorism, in particular in the East European countries. -From a Norwegian point of view, this is very positive. In our opinion, security at Norwegian plants are satisfactory even today, but at the same time we have agreed to far stricter inspections carried out by IAEA inspectors, says Director Erlings Stranden at the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority. (NRK) Rolleiv Solholm ***************************************************************** 6 Ahern and Blair divided on nuclear plant controversy online.ie : News online.ie 30 Nov 2001 Differences between the Irish and British governments over plans for a controversial development at the Sellafield nuclear plant in Cumbria were highlighted when the leaders of the two countries met today. Britain intends to build a mixed oxide facility at the nuclear waste disposal complex, but it was clear that Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and British Prime Minister Tony Blair had agreed to differ on the issue during talks at Dublin Castle. The divisions were emphasised when the two men led delegates at the first meeting proper of the British-Irish Council since it was set up more than three years ago as part of the Good Friday agreement on Northern Ireland. Mr Blair stressed at a later news conference that any fears about the new MOX plant had to be based on firm evidence, which he claimed had yet to be presented. "It is important that we proceed according to evidence. But that is not to say we do not understand at all, or we do not listen. "It has been forcibly expressed to me today." The British Prime Minister added: "If anyone was at risk, the people at risk would be British - as well as Irish." Mr Ahern said: "I re-stated the Irish Government position, and the Prime Minister is familiar with it. "It is a serious issue of concern to the Irish people, both north and south. The MOX plant, in particular is a further agitation of what we believe." Ireland has already pledged to contest Sellafield in the European Court and at are challenging the project under United Nations laws. Today's British-Irish Council meeting went ahead after a series of postponements generated by failures to advance the Ulster peace process. The breakthrough came with last month's historic move towards disarmament by the IRA and subsequent re-election of Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble as First Minister of the Northern Ireland Executive. After today's meeting Mr Blair highlighted his "joy" at the turn in circumstances that had permitted the staging of the council meeting only the second of its kind. It enabled the two leaders to range over a number of agenda items not directly linked to the situation in Northern Ireland - such as ways of dealing with the common threat of drugs trafficking. Other issues on the agenda involved the environment, social inclusion, transport and the knowledge economy. There was also a discussions on a controversy generated by bombings in Dublin and Monaghan dating back more than 25 years. Today's meeting was also attended by Scottish Assembly First Minister Jack McConnell and his Welsh counterpart Rhodri Morgan as well as senior representatives from the Isle of Man and Channel Island administrations, as well as other members of the Irish government and the Northern Ireland executive. ***************************************************************** 7 Burial of containers with radioactive material inside can't be proven | wkyc.com [cleveland.com] November 29, 2001 CANTON, Ohio -- Federal authorities have concluded there is not sufficient evidence to believe egg-shaped containers holding radioactive material were ever buried at the Industrial Excess Landfill in Stark County. The U-S Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice checked the former operator's comment that radioactive waste was buried at the landfill 30 years ago. Government investigators, who spent eight months secretly pursuing the claims, said yesterday it cannot be proven. The federal judge who ordered the investigation said no further investigation is warranted. Investigators studied old dump receipts, interviewed witnesses and tested the ground at the 30-acre site south of Uniontown, between Canton and Akron. Related + This story was originally investigated by Dave Summers. You can read his stories here. © 2001 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material ***************************************************************** 8 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Dirty industries escape paying for the cleaning up Financial Times; Nov 30, 2001 By ROGER HIGMAN From Mr Roger Higman. Sir, So the government is to palm off British Nuclear Fuels' liabilities on to the taxpayer so that the company can be privatised ("Taxpayer to bear BNFL's liabilities", November 27). What sort of message is the government trying to give executives in public or private businesses? That dirty industries can carry on fouling the public nest, secure in the knowledge that the rest of us will pay the price of the clean-up? Who will pay for the liabilities incurred by the new nuclear power plants BNFL says it wants to build? Fifty years of nuclear operations has left a legacy of waste that will be a radioactive hazard for tens of thousands of years, longer indeed than the whole history of human civilisation to date. Future generations, who will have to pay for its storage, will curse this generation and particularly the government ministers who repeatedly let the polluter get away without paying. Roger Higman, Nuclear Campaigner, Friends of the Earth, London N1 7JQ Copyright: The Financial Times Limited 1995-1998 ***************************************************************** 9 UK: No BNFL sell-off until 2004-05 Financial Times; Nov 29, 2001 By DAVID BUCHAN and ROBERT SHRIMSLEY Moves to partially privatise British Nuclear Fuels now look unlikely before the next election after the government said it will not even consider a sale before 2004-05. Announcing plans to create a new Liabilities Management Authority to run the clean-up and decommissioning of BNFL and other civil nuclear plants, Patricia Hewitt, trade and industry secretary, said the deadline for privatisation had slipped from next year to 2004-05 at the earliest. She told MPs: "The government recognises that a public-private partnership could in the right circumstances both be right for BNFL's businesses and improve the management of liabilities at Sellafield. "However, the company and government recognise that much has to be done if this is to be possible." BNFL yesterday claimed it had enough cash to keep on trading and to cover new costs for dealing with atomic waste, for which liability is to pass to a new government agency. Robert Shrimsley and David Buchan Copyright: The Financial Times Limited 1995-1998 ***************************************************************** 10 Czech-Austrian agreement on nuclear plant will improve relations - Czech premier BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 30, 2001 [Announcer] Prague and Vienna has now overcome their dispute over the [Czech] Temelin nuclear power station, as the Czech and Austrian government heads signed an agreement [in Brussels on 29 November] and thus completed the Melk process [of safety and environmental assessment of the Temelin nuclear power station, they agreed upon last December]. The agreement opens an opportunity for the Czech Republic to hold talks [with the EU] on the energy chapter. Our correspondent Milan Fridrich reports from Brussels: [Fridrich]... Zeman said: [Zeman] I believe that this episode, which naturally in the past somehow complicated our bilateral relations, will no longer be that little cloud in the sky and that the relations between the Czech Republic and Austria will develop in the best possible way. Source: Czech Radio1 - Radiozurnal, Prague, in Czech 0900 gmt 30 Nov 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material ***************************************************************** 11 Man in Custody for Nuke Plant Photos Las Vegas SUN November 29, 2001 MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - A newspaper photographer was taken into custody by police under a 1917 Vermont treason law for taking pictures of a nuclear power plant. But a prosecutor said he will not press charges. Jason Henske of the Brattleboro Reformer was held by Vernon police for two hours Wednesday before being released along with his camera and the images. Windham County State's Attorney Dan Davis said Thursday that after reviewing the case, he decided not to prosecute. He would not elaborate. Vernon police did not immediately return calls for comment. "It makes you very angry. I think this was completely uncalled for," said Henske, 26. The paper said it would use the photos Friday for a story about security at the Vermont Yankee plant - a move the prosecutor said would be irresponsible. "The security at Vermont Yankee and some of the other power plants in the state, dams, and hydroelectric generating facilities have been a concern for law enforcement as potential targets for terrorists," Davis said. "I think police in certain situations are justified in trying to protect citizens from incidents which may occur at those facilities." The treason law was passed during the opening days of U.S. involvement in World War I. It was intended to protect railroads and other public facilities during wartime. The offense carries up to 10 years in prison. All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 12 Demand increased control of atomic safety (Krever kraftig skjerping av atomsikkerhet) Aftenposten - Norway; Nov 30, 2001 The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned of terrorist attacks on nuclear plants and wants control of atomic weapons to be tightened. Increased control will also affect the plants at Halden and Kjeller in Norway. IAEA has suggested that up to NKr500m extra be spent on security measures against so-called atomic terrorism, and measures will particularly be made in eastern Europe. Erling Stranden of Statens Stralevern, the Norwegian radiation protection authority, said that nuclear safety has been an issue for several years. Mr Stranden explained that most nuclear plants are constructed so as to be able to endure a collision with a small aircraft. However, he could not say if the possibility of hijackers running a major passenger aircraft into a plant has been considered. He also believed that the Norwegian plants with atomic material are sufficiently secure. Abstracted from Aftenposten World Reporter All Material Subject to Copyright ***************************************************************** 13 Czech party against including nuclear plant agreement in EU accession treaty BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 30, 2001 Text of report in English by Czech news agency CTK Prague, 30 November: The senior opposition Civic Democrats (ODS) said today that they would do everything for commitments concerning the safety of the nuclear power plant in Temelin, southern Bohemia, be not included in a protocol to the Czech Republic's EU accession treaty. The Czech and Austrian prime minister, Milos Zeman and Wolfgang Schuessel, with the help of EU enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen agreed in Brussels on Thursday [29 November] that the commitments would be embedded in the protocol attached to the accession treaty. Jan Zahradil, ODS shadow foreign minister, said today that the government should say how much the Brussels agreement would dent into the state budget. According to Zahradil, the inclusion of the commitments into the accession protocol was a very unusual procedure and precedent also for the Union member countries which use nuclear energy. "That the current Czech government and the current Austrian government agreed on this does not mean that it will be included in the accession treaty because it can encounter resistance within the European Union as well," Zahradil said. The ODS however praised the "exceptionally accommodating" procedure by the Czech government which, it said, was guided by a strong effort not to further escalate relations with the neighbouring Austria and to refute even the slightest doubts about Temelin's safety... Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 1234 gmt 30 Nov 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter ***************************************************************** 14 Czech premier outlines costs of upgrading nuclear plant, slams press report BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 30, 2001 Warsaw, 30 November: To upgrade the nuclear power plant in Temelin, southern Bohemia, as agreed on with Austria on Thursday [29 November] will cost some 100m korunas, Prime Minister Milos Zeman said at a press conference in Warsaw today. Zeman, on a day-long official visit to Poland, was reacting to information by the Czech daily Mlada fronta Dnes according to which the upgrading would cost some 10bn korunas. Zeman said the daily was a tabloid paper. "Tabloid dailies must not of course be believed. The costs of certain upgrading measures in Temelin will be roughly one hundred times lower than the stated 10 billion," Zeman said. He however did not say where the government was going to take the money from. He also avoided assessing the Czech-Austrian agreement on Temelin, which he and Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel signed in Brussels yesterday and which Vienna presents as its success. Under it, Austrians will agree with the Czech Republic's closing the energy chapter in its EU accession negotiations in exchange for the Czech commitment to upgrade Temelin... [One dollar equals 37.47 Czech korunas.] Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 1302 gmt 30 Nov 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter ***************************************************************** 15 Sellafield nuclear row dominates summits Ahern angry at plans for expansion Belfast Telegraph; Nov 30, 2001 BY CHRIS THORNTON:CTHORNTON@BELFASTTELEGRAPH.CO.UK A NUCLEAR spat was expected to dominate twin summits that opened in Dublin today to formally restart the Good Friday Agreement's functions outside Northern Ireland. The British-Irish Council - also known as the Council of the Isles - and the North-South Ministerial Council brought governments from both sides of the Irish Sea to the Republic's capital to talk about topics of mutual interest. In between the two summit meetings, Prime Minister Tony Blair and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern were expected to hold a bilateral meeting to discuss their widening dispute about the Sellafield nuclear plant. The main meetings were scheduled to cover a range of topics, including co-operation in the fight against drugs, but were mostly designed to show the Agreement's institutions were up and running. Today's summits mark only the second full meeting of the British-Irish Council - designed to foster east-west relations - and the North-South Ministerial Council, which brings together the Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish Cabinet. But they presented a tricky political hurdle for David Trimble. The First Minister was involved in talks with what one insider called the "massed ranks of nationalism" - the Irish government, the SDLP and Sinn Fein - less than 24 hours before the crucial Ulster Unionist Council meeting and an anticipated struggle with the anti-Agreement forces in his party. This afternoon's North-South meeting marked the most public end to his ban on Sinn Fein Ministers attending cross-border meetings. In spite of that dramatic undercurrent, today's meetings were expected to be overshadowed by the margin meeting between the two premiers. Mr Blair and Mr Ahern were due to hold talks over lunch, after the British-Irish session breaks up and before Ministers gather for the North-South meeting. Aides said the two prime ministers would talk about Northern Ireland, Sellafield and the war in Afghanistan. But while the two men agree on the first and third topics, Sellafield has produced significant differences between them. The Irish government is opposed to British plans to expand the reprocessing of nuclear fuels at the plant on the Irish Sea coastline. Dublin is presently pursuing three different legal actions against Britain. 2001 Copyright Belfast Telegraph Newspapers Ltd. World Reporter ***************************************************************** 16 Austria's Haider to seek referendum on Temelin agreement BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 30, 2001 Former Freedom Party of Austria (FPOe) leader and still influential party member Joerg Haider said on Friday he wanted a referendum on Thursday night's agreement in Brussels with the Czech Republic over the Temelin nuclear power station, Austrian radio reported. Haider explained in remarks broadcast on Austrian radio how he wanted the referendum question worded. "Do you agree with the result of the negotiations on the Melk process that was achieved in Brussels?," Haider said. "The citizens can then answer yes or no. We will then have a comprehensive opinion poll. This is an instrument provided for by the Austrian constitution." Haider said the shut-down of the Temelin nuclear power plant must remain the final goal, the radio reported. Source: Oesterreich-1 radio, Vienna, in German 1100 gmt 30 Nov 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter ***************************************************************** 17 New comments sought on radioactive waste proposal Laughlin Nevada Times Nov. 28, 2001 WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new public comment period for a proposal to bury the nation's high-level radioactive waste 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas continues through Dec 14. The additional call for public review and input comes after release of Nuclear Regulatory Commission documents declaring sufficiency of work toward preparing for a licensing application, and changing technical requirements and criteria to be consistent with environmental standards issued by the Environmental Protection Agency for Yucca Mountain. The period also coincides with Department of Energy publication, in the Nov. 14 Federal Register, of amended policies for evaluating the suitability of Yucca Mountain for development of a nuclear waste repository. Links to the documents, several dozen pages available in text and portable document format, can be found on the Yucca Mountain Project web site at www.ymp.gov The web site also contains instructions for submitting comments. As before, written comments should be addressed to: Carol Hanlon, U.S. Department of Energy, Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Office (MS #025), P.O. Box 364629, North Las Vegas, NV 89036-8629. According to the NRC's Richard A. Meserve in a letter to Robert G. Card, Under Secretary of Energy, Science and Environment at the DOE, the NRC now considers preparatory work toward an application for licensing the proposed radioactive repository to be sufficient. " ... the NRC believes that sufficient at-depth site characterization analysis and waste form proposal information, although not available now, will be available at the time of a potential license application such that development of an acceptable license application is achievable," Meserve wrote. Two caveats, he added, are that the NRC is making no conclusions concerning the actual suitability of the Yucca Mountain site; and that licensing decisions will not occur until the DOE submits its application, NRC staff completes an independent safety review and issues an evaluation, additional hearing opportunities are provided and the NRC makes a final determination of whether the license application meets its regulations. Despite the NRC's cautions, the DOE appears to have its collective mind made up about the Nevada site. According to the department's Register announcement of policy revisions, original activities for comparing and selecting sites is now limited to physical site investigation activities focused on evaluating the suitability of Yucca Mountain. "This rulemaking, by identifying the types of sound scientific information and methods that will be used in assessing the likely performance of a repository at the Yucca Mountain site, sets forth guidance to assist (the energy secretary) in reaching a judgement on the suitability of that site for a geologic repository," the announcement states. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham called the new developments "milestones" in the search for a national solution to the mounting problems of radioactive waste. "The Yucca Mountain Site Suitability Guidelines provide the criteria that will guide the (DOE) in determining the suitability of the Yucca Mountain site ..." the secretary wrote, "... and reflect 20 years of scientific work at the Yucca Mountain Project. "The guidelines are consistent with recently finalized, site-specific regulations from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on the safe disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste." Still, Abraham maintained he is searching for consensus on the site selection. The choice of Yucca Mountain appears to be universally opposed by leaders of the state of Nevada. "As I made clear at the department's hearings in September this year and as I have told Nevada officials, I am committed to providing Nevada's citizens additional public involvement opportunities to comment ..." the secretary wrote. The extended comment period, he continued, "keeps that commitment to the citizens of Nevada." ©2001 MyWebPal.com. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy ***************************************************************** 18 Austria and Czech Republic agree on Temelin (Osterreich und Tschechien einigen sich uber Temelin) Der Standard - Austria; Nov 30, 2001 A dispute between Austria and the Czech Republic over the Temelin nuclear power station, which is located in the Czech Republic close to the Austria border, has been resolved. After almost ten hours of talks, the Austrian chancellor Wolfgang Schussel and the Czech prime minister Milos Zeman agreed on a set of measures to bring Temelin up to the safety standards which meet Austria's conception of European requirements. The Czech Republic can now continue accession talks on energy with the EU. The document includes agreements on all 29 points that were disputed between the two nations. Abstracted from Der Standard All Material Subject to Copyright ***************************************************************** 19 Agreement over Temelin (Einigung uber Temelin) Wirtschaftsblatt - Austria; Nov 30, 2001 Austria and the Czech Republic have settled their dispute over the Czech nuclear power station at Temelin. Following a lengthy discussion, Austrian chancellor Wolfgang Schussel and Czech prime minister Milos Zeman, together with EU Enlargement Commissioner Gunter Verheugen, have signed an agreement for the introduction of a package of measures to bring the safety standards at Temelin to the level demanded by Austria. However, Mr Verheugen says that the question as to whether the agreement will be taken up as a protocol in the EU entry files for the Czech Republic (this is one of Austria's main demands). A decision must be made by the other 14 EU states, but Mr Verheugen has expressed optimism that they will accept the solution. Abstracted from Wirtschaftsblatt World Reporter All Material Subject to Copyright ***************************************************************** 20 EUROPE: Ukraine N-plant plans fail in dispute on funds Financial Times; Nov 30, 2001 By TOM WARNER A plan six years in the making to help Ukraine complete two reactor blocks at Soviet-built nuclear power plants collapsed yesterday after the Ukrainian government asked for a last-minute renegotiation of the terms. In a letter sent to the heads of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the EU's Euratom agency late on Wednesday, the Ukrainian government said it would not sign an agreement by December 7 as had been planned. Instead it said it wanted to renegotiate conditions attached to EBRD and Euratom credits, including planned increases in power prices. After European governments said they were unable to wait and unwilling to renegotiate, the Dollars 1.5bn (Pounds 1.06bn) project has collapsed, at least in its present form, amid bitter recriminations. Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma told journalists during an appearance in Moscow that the western lenders' conditions would have meant "eternal slavery for Ukraine". The EBRD said it was unlikely that the project could be rescued. The EBRD's rules give management one year to sign a loan agreement from the date of board approval - December 7 - after which it must start its approval procedures over essentially from scratch. "Many members would not be willing to reopen a discussion, and in particular would not want to relax the condition on tariff increases," said Jeff Hiday, an EBRD spokesman. The collapse of the deal highlights the cardinal shift in Mr Kuchma's domestic and foreign policies since a crisis last winter in which he was accused of organising the killing of a journalist. Since then his relations with western governments have soured while his relationship with Russia's President Vladimir Putin has grown warmer and warmer. Meanwhile, high growth rates in Ukraine and in most parts of the former Soviet Union have made Mr Kuchma less eager for western aid than he was in 1999-2000, when his government faced a severe credit crunch. Mr Kuchma, who was attending a meeting of the heads of the Commonwealth of Independent States in Moscow, said he would go ahead with the project and hoped for Russian support. The project stems from a 1995 agreement between the Group of Seven industrial nations, the EU and Ukraine to close the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, site of a devastating explosion in 1986. The EBRD planned to contribute Dollars 215m to the project, backed by Dollars 585m from Euratom and an estimated Dollars 348m from US and European export-credit agencies. Euratom was the first commit to the project, but it took the EBRD until this month to line up support from export-credit agencies, partly because of Ukraine's troubled record with previous guaranteed loans. Copyright: The Financial Times Limited 1995-1998 ***************************************************************** 21 Czech, Austria Mull Nuclear Plant Las Vegas SUN November 29, 2001 BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - The Czech government agreed Thursday to tighten safety at the Temelin nuclear plant, defusing a dispute with Austria that threatened Czech prospects for an early entry into the European Union. The EU mediated the deal reached by Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel and Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman. It would end a long-running dispute between the central European neighbors over the Russian-designed power plant which is just 30 miles from the northern border of nuclear-free Austria. "In the past, this has complicated relations between Austria and the Czech Republic. Now the skies have cleared," Zeman told reporters. Under the deal, the Czech's safety commitments will be written into the republic's EU treaty of accession, expected in 2004. In return, Austria agreed not to block negotiations on its neighbor's entry into the 15-nation Union. Austria demanded the shutdown of the power plant which is due to become fully operational in 2003 after almost 20 years of construction and testing. "The EU set out a sensible way forward. This is a fine example of good neighborliness," Schuessel said after the talks. Based on Soviet design but updated with U.S. technology, the 2,000-megawatt plant has been plagued by technical problems since construction work began in 1986. Testing of Temelin's reactors resumed Wednesday after a leaking circulation pump caused the latest, month-long, shutdown. All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 22 Senate GOPs Get Cloning, Energy Bills Las Vegas SUN November 30, 2001 WASHINGTON (AP) - Two high-priority issues for Senate Republicans - an energy bill and a temporary ban on human cloning - will be voted on next week in the Senate. The vote was scheduled for Monday afternoon on an amendment by Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., combining a six-month ban on cloning and a House-passed package of $33 billion in energy tax breaks that also includes a controversial proposal opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. Although the amendment is unlikely to get the 60 Senate votes necessary, Lott said Thursday that Republicans believe the Senate should go on record on both issues before Congress recesses in December. "In the case of energy, and in the case of cloning, if we don't do it now, we won't be able to do anything until February or March," Lott added. President Bush and congressional Republicans have sought a vote on the energy legislation since it passed the House in July, arguing it is critical for the economy, would create jobs and would reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., said earlier this week that the Senate will consider energy incentives early next year. The Senate also plans to consider human cloning issues next year, but news this week that a Massachusetts company had succeeded in cloning a human embryo led Republican conservatives to demand a temporary ban right away. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., said his proposal would ban all human cloning for six months to give Congress time to examine the issue. "Time out - let's hold up a little bit," Brownback said. "We need to debate all of these issues." The amendment combining the two high-profile issues was proposed as part of yet another unrelated measure: a bill overhauling the railroad retirement system that would allow pension funds for about 1 million people to be invested in the stock market. All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 23 Austria reconciled to Czech N-plant BBC News | EUROPE | 30 November, 2001, 09:41 GMT Temelin: Soviet design with added Western technology By the BBC's Oana Lungescu in Brussels Austria and the Czech Republic have settled a row over the controversial Temelin nuclear power plant, which threatened the Czech Republic's bid to join the European Union. Now the skies have cleared Czech PM Milos Zeman After a 10-hour meeting in Brussels on Thursday, the Austrian Chancellor, Wolfgang Schuessel, and the Czech Prime Minister, Milos Zeman, said they had agreed on a stringent set of measures to improve the plant's safety and monitor its environmental impact. The deal opens the way for the Czech Republic to conclude crucial accession talks on energy. In a lengthy document, the Czechs have agreed that Temelin will become operational only after remaining safety concerns raised by EU experts are addressed. Privatisation The document goes on to list 21 measures to monitor the environmental impact of the plant, which was Soviet-designed but upgraded with US technology. Hot potato: Greens have deep objections There is also a firm commitment to apply these measures even if Temelin is privatised, as will probably happen next year. The European Commissioner for Enlargement, Guenter Verheugen, who hosted the talks, said the degree of transparency and co-operation on nuclear safety achieved by the Czech Republic and Austria in the last year was unprecedented anywhere in the world. He said stalled accession talks with Prague over the energy issue could now be concluded next month. This would be a decisive step in the Czech Republic's bid to join the European Union by 2004. 'Safe' plant But Mr Verheugen also called on political parties in Austria to set aside what he called this bitter dispute and not to hold EU enlargement hostage to domestic political quarrels. The EU set out a sensible way forward - this is a fine example of good neighborliness Austrian Chancellor, Wolfgang Schuessel It is unclear whether the far-right Freedom Party, the junior member in the Austrian coalition, will give its blessing to the deal. Its best-known politician, Joerg Haider, repeated in Brussels on Thursday that Temelin should be shut down. The Czech plant, which is just 60 kilometres (37 miles) from the border with nuclear-free Austria, has become a political hot potato in both countries. But the International Atomic Energy Agency described Temelin this week as one of the safest nuclear facilities in Europe. ***************************************************************** 24 Sellafield upsets Blair and Ahern talks Guardian Unlimited | Archive Search Staff and agencies Guardian Unlimited Friday November 30, 2001 Britain and Ireland clashed over plans to develop the Sellafield nuclear plant today, casting a shadow over the first meeting of the cross-border British-Irish Council. Tony Blair, the prime minister, said he had been "forcibly" informed by his Irish counterpart, Bertie Ahern, of Dublin's opposition to British plans to build a mixed oxide facility at the nuclear waste disposal complex. "It is important that we proceed according to evidence. But that is not to say we do not understand at all, or we do not listen," Mr Blair said after meeting Mr Ahern. "It has been forcibly expressed to me today." The prime minister added: "If anyone was at risk, the people at risk would be British - as well as Irish." Mr Ahern, whose Fianna Fail party last week placed a full page advertisement in The Times newspaper to detail its objections to the MOX plant, said: "I re-stated the Irish government position, and the prime minister is familiar with it. "It is a serious issue of concern to the Irish people, both north and south. The MOX plant, in particular is a further agitation of what we believe." Ireland has pledged to contest plans to develop Sellafield in the European Court and is challenging the project under United Nations law. The disagreement surfaced at the first full meeting of the British-Irish Council since it was set up more than three years ago as part of the Good Friday Agreement on Northern Ireland. Previous meetings had been postponed because of repeated failure to move the peace process forward. The breakthrough came after last month's move towards disarmament by the IRA and the subsequent re-election of the Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble as first minister of the Northern Ireland Executive. Mr Blair expressed his "joy" that the council had finally met. Other items discussed included ways of dealing with the common threat of drugs trafficking, the environment, social inclusion, transport and the knowledge economy. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2001 ***************************************************************** 25 Blair faces pressure on Sellafield by Ben Leapman Tony Blair flies to Dublin today to be told by his Irish counterpart that the Sellafield nuclear plant must close. Bertie Ahern is pressing his case against the site, which the Irish say is polluting the Irish Sea with radioactive waste. It follows Ireland's unprecedented step this week of buying newspaper advertisements in the UK in a bid to embarrass Mr Blair in to a U-turn. It is also the first meeting between the two premiers since the IRA's historic start to weapons decommissioning, which put the Northern Irish peace process back on track. © Associated Newspapers Ltd., 30 November 2001 ***************************************************************** 26 Bill would tighten security at nuclear power plants [Las Vegas Review-Journal] Friday, November 30, 2001 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal Reid cosponsors measure to form new federal police force for facilities By STEVE TETREAULT DONREY WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- Nuclear power plants would be guarded by a new federal police force and the government would be required to strengthen other security at the plants under a bill introduced Thursday in Congress. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and four others submitted legislation in the House and Senate directing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to tighten protections at nuclear power generators, spent fuel pools and onsite radioactive waste storage containers. At a news conference, Reid compared the bill to one recently signed into law by President Bush that establishes a federal force of baggage screeners at airports. "Our nation can't afford to have anything less than the best trained professionals guarding our nuclear power plants," he said. Reid said he expects opposition from the NRC, which has been evaluating its security rules for nuclear plants but has not yet announced planned changes. "The NRC has told me they don't want a nuclear security force. They said they wanted to go along with what they have, which are rent-a-cops," Reid said. "It didn't work with the airports, and it won't work at nuclear plants." Proponents of the security measure say nuclear plants, where a major accident could spread radioactivity for miles, are obvious targets for terrorists. Nuclear utility executives contend their facilities already are hardened and shielded and are less attractive targets than imagined. The president of the Nuclear Energy Institute said the legislation was "well-intentioned but misguided." "This bill is a reflexive political response to a problem that does not exist, given the fact that nuclear power plants are private facilities protected by a paramilitary force of highly trained, well-armed, dedicated professionals," said NEI head Joe. F. Colvin. Colvin said security forces "already are subjected to strict hiring standards, comprehensive FBI background checks and other appropriate reviews." In addition to establishing a federal police force, the legislation includes other security ideas for nuclear plants that have been circulating on Capitol Hill since the Sept. 11 attacks. Reid, chairman of the Senate's nuclear regulation subcommittee, said the improvements could cost $1 billion, but that would be offset by whatever nuclear power companies are paying now for security. He said he will hold hearings early next year to find out. Nuclear utilities would probably be assessed the additional costs, he said, with some of those costs probably being passed on to consumers. In addition to Reid, other sponsors are Sens. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., and Reps. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Nita Lowey, D-N.Y. Their legislation requires the NRC to revise its "design basis threat," the terrorist scenario that utilities are required to protect against. Markey said nuclear plant security is presently designed to repel a small number of lightly armed attackers, a scenario that seems badly out of date when compared to the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. "We know from Sept. 11 that attackers will come in large numbers, they will be heavily armed, and they will be suicidal," he said. The NRC also would be required to test security through mock attacks on nuclear plants every two years instead of six to eight years, as is practice now, the lawmakers said. Exercises for local government emergency personnel would be conducted every three years. The bill also would establish stockpiles of anti-radiation potassium iodide tablets near schools and hospitals within 50 miles of nuclear facilities. "Potassium iodide is the Cipro for nuclear exposure," Markey said. Clinton said nuclear plant security across the nation is a patchwork because of differing state and local regulations. "We don't feel we have the guarantees of security that we should have," she said. "We are only so strong as our weakest link and we want to ensure there are no weak links." This story is located at: http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2001/Nov-30-Fri-2001/news/17564468.html [http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2001/Nov-30-Fri-2001/news/17564468.html] ***************************************************************** 27 CONGRESSIONAL AUDIT: Report deals blow to Yucca project [Las Vegas Review-Journal] Friday, November 30, 2001 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal Officials rip plan to store nuclear waste By STEVE TETREAULT DONREY WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- A stinging congressional audit obtained by the Review-Journal casts the federal government's efforts to bury nuclear waste inside Yucca Mountain as "a failed scientific process" that will take years to fix. The report, which is expected to be released today, urges Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham to delay for several years the site recommendation he is expected to make this winter. The Energy Department is not bound by the recommendation. But regardless of whether its advice is heeded, the General Accounting Office report says there is no chance officials will meet the stated goal of storing nuclear waste 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas by 2010. "This is the beginning of the end for the Yucca Mountain Project," said Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. Based in part on interviews with the program's own contract managers, the GAO report concludes that the Department of Energy cannot be sure when the site will open, how much it will cost and how it ultimately will be designed. The department also has suffered a "loss of management control" of studies into the safety and suitability of Yucca Mountain to hold thousands of tons of radioactive waste. As a result, the department can't say for sure "when and at what cost the site investigation would be completed and a license application submitted (to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission)." The report describes the government's efforts at Yucca Mountain as "a failed scientific process" that has led the Energy Department to make continued changes in its site suitability criteria. An original plan calling for the natural features of the mountain to contain radiation from spent fuel has developed into one that will rely on specially designed casks, tunnels and other "engineered barriers" to do the job, the report said. The GAO, a nonpartisan congressional agency that audits federal programs, recommends Abraham delay a site recommendation on Yucca Mountain until the Energy Department has completed technical work on a license application. Abraham's decision at that time should be based on whatever new information is gained about the Nevada mountain as well as "the results of analysis of alternative approaches to the currently envisioned repository." If Abraham decides to recommend the site this winter to President Bush, the GAO said, "he should specifically address why it is appropriate." Apart from the timing of a site recommendation, the GAO recommended the Energy Department "re-establish the baseline" guiding the nuclear waste program to take into account scientific work that remains to be done, its cost and the time needed for completion. Investigators also said project leaders should "follow the department's requirements for managing major projects." Nevada lawmakers said the report confirms in strong terms the criticism that state leaders have aimed at the Yucca Mountain Project for years. The government has spent close to $7 billion so far studying Yucca Mountain, and its current projected cost is about $57.5 billion. "I hope this administration seriously considers postponing indefinitely this site characterization study because of the failures, the fraud, the bias, everything that has taken place over the past 14 years," said Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev. "This is not news to me, but it is good news to Nevada," Gibbons said of the report. "Years ago, Nevada was picked as a repository site because it had little political clout at the time, but today is a new day," Reid said. "This is a validation of what we've been talking about for the past few years. It shakes Yucca Mountain to the core," said Traci Scott, spokeswoman for Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev. Energy Department officials in Washington could not be reached late Thursday night for comment. The GAO report was commissioned in February by Reid and by Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., after they received an anonymous letter that questioned the performance and qualifications of certain Yucca Mountain program managers. Although the letter was unsigned, the detail of its allegations suggested it came from someone with knowledge of the program, the lawmakers said at the time. In their report, investigators said they were told by program managers themselves that the Yucca Mountain project is destined for further delays, in part because there are hundreds of outstanding technical issues that need to be settled before a license application can be filed with the NRC. Bechtel-SAIC, the operating contractor of the project, told investigators "work on these agreements will not be completed until January 2006, or about four years after DOE plans to make a site recommendation." "An extension of the license application to 2006 would almost certainly preclude DOE from achieving its long-standing goal of opening a repository in 2010," the GAO said. "Submitting a license application in January 2006 would extend the opening date for the repository until about 2013." But because a Yucca Mountain repository would be the first of its kind, the agency said even 2013 would be optimistic, and suggested it may not be ready to open until 2015. News of the report was welcomed by other Nevadans who have long fought the proposed repository. "The state has always said there has been a number of technical deficiencies in DOE's program, including not enough research on waste packages, large uncertainties in the performance assessment and lack of understanding of the groundwater movement," said Bob Loux, Nevada's Nuclear Projects Agency chief. "These concerns are certainly in line with the (Nuclear Waste) Technical Review Board and the (NRC) advisory committee on nuclear waste and international peer review groups." Various agencies reviewing the Yucca Mountain Project have advised the Department of Energy that more studies need to be completed before the project can move forward. The concerns focus on such uncertainties as how metals used in waste canisters will hold up under corrosive conditions; how the maze of tunnels and engineered barriers will react to possible intrusion from molten rock from volcanic activity; and how water migrating through the mountain from its surface will affect the proposed repository some 1,000 feet beneath the ridgetop. "There's a whole list of problems for them to resolve before they can even think about moving forward," Loux said. Kalynda Tilges, nuclear issues coordinator for Citizen Alert, a statewide environmental group and longtime critic of the project, said the GAO report supports what environmentalists have contended all along -- that science, not politics, should ultimately dictate whether Yucca Mountain can safely contain the waste for the 10,000-year regulatory period. "This is amazing information. It gives us hope that somebody out there is really listening to the reality of this insane project. If it's truly going to be science and not politics that decides the future of Yucca Mountain, then this is the report that decides it," she said late Thursday. With the passage of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act in 1982, the federal government started the process of looking for a suitable burial ground for thousands of tons of highly radioactive spent fuel. In 1987, the Nuclear Waste Policy Act was amended by Congress to single out Yucca Mountain for the high-level nuclear waste repository. Yucca Mountain currently is the only site government scientists are studying to entomb high-level nuclear waste, most of which is spent nuclear fuel pellets currently stored at commercial power reactor sites across the nation. Review-Journal staff writer Keith Rogers contributed to this report This story is located at: http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2001/Nov-30-Fri-2001/news/17565454.html [http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2001/Nov-30-Fri-2001/news/17565454.html] ***************************************************************** 28 GREENPEACE WELCOMES STOP TO CHERNOBYL REPLACEMENT REACTORS 30 November 2001 London - Greenpeace welcomed yesterday’s decision of the Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma to pull out of the international financing deal for the completion of two Ukrainian nuclear reactors to replace those destroyed in Chernobyl. The Ukrainian withdrawal has been made official by President Kuchma yesterday during his visit to Moscow declaring, that the conditions for a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) were unacceptable. The EBRD is the leading institution in the financing of the 'K2R4' reactors, unit 2 at the Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant and unit 4 at the Rovno nuclear power complex. Yesterday’s final approval had been seen by many observers as nothing more than formality. With the collapse of the loan arrangements between Ukraine and the EBRD, Euratom loans of $US585 million are also now in doubt. The Euratom loans were approved by the European Commission last year. Greenpeace today called on the European Commission to formally abandon its loan proposals for the project. "This is the end for what would have been two highly dangerous reactors in a country with an appalling nuclear safety and environmental record. This is good news for Ukraine, its neighbouring countries and the world." said Greenpeace spokesperson, Tobias Muenchmeyer who has been campaigning on the issue for a number of years. He was banned last year from entering the Ukraine where he has family. Ukraine’s decision came as a surprise as EBRD President Jean Lemierre had put the final approval for the controversial US$ 215 million loan on the agenda of yesterday’s Board session. The project got initial approval on December 7th last year when Ukraine threatened the EBRD to delay the closure of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. "The K2R4 loans have been highly embarrassing issue for the EBRD with six years of negotiations, manipulations and the spending of US$ 40 million in ‘preparation costs’ to promote this nuclear project," said Muenchmeyer. The Ukrainian government announced its intention to complete the K2R4 reactors anyway with financial and technical support from Russia which despite grandiose plans has been unable to complete many of its own half built reactors. Between 1993 and today only one reactor (Rostov 1) has been completed. "This is the right time for the EBRD to change tracks and to promote and finance energy efficiency projects in Ukraine to help the country towards a sustainable energy sector." Said Muenchmeyer. Tobias Muenchmeyer, Greenpeace's expert on Ukrainian nuclear issues, was declared persona non grata by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry in May 2000 and has been banned from entering Ukraine ever since, although he has family in Ukraine. No reason has been given why Muenchmeyer is not allowed to enter Ukraine anymore. Greenpeace is campaigning to overturn this undemocratic decision which strikes at the heart of free speech. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: - Tobias Muenchmeyer +49 1708666052 or Jon Walter +31 6 212 969 20 ***************************************************************** 29 Plan to federalize guards at nuclear plants revealed Las Vegas SUN November 30, 2001 By Benjamin Grove WASHINGTON -- Now that Congress has approved a federal security force for the nation's airports, it should approve the same for nuclear power plants, Sen. Harry Reid said. Reid, D-Nev., along with Democratic Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, unveiled new legislation Thursday designed to reduce terrorism risks at the nation's 103 nuclear reactors. Nuclear power plants are "clear and harrowing" potential terrorist targets, Lieberman said. The bill would put a new security force of as many as 7,000 highly trained guards under the jurisdiction of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The legislation also would: mandate mock terrorist attacks on plants by air, water and land; mandate that plants plan for a wider variety of potential terrorist threats; and require the stockpile of potassium iodide, which can reduce the effects of radiation exposure, at schools and hospitals within 50 miles of nuclear facilities. "We need a whole new system," Reid said at a press conference. Reid called current security at plants "rent-a-cops." The NRC "strongly opposes" the bill for a number of reasons, NRC chairman Richard Meserve said in a Nov. 28 letter to Reid. The federalized security force is not needed, Meserve said, although Reid and the bill's other co-signers said security tests at nuclear power plants have shown a number of weaknesses. Meserve said Reid's bill tries to fix a "non-existent problem." Private security firms provide "well-trained, well paid" guards, Meserve said. The bill also preempts efforts under way by the NRC to strengthen security, Meserve said. Meserve argued that the legislation would shift the whole focus of the NRC from an independent regulatory agency to a security force manager. He also pointed to the cost: roughly $1 billion, which means nuclear power plants could pass on higher electricity rates to consumers. Reid countered that nuclear power plants already spend a lot of money on private security, so the $1 billion figure is misleading. The nuclear industry opposes the bill, too, said Joe Colvin, president and chief executive officer of the Nuclear Energy Institute, the industry's influential top lobby group. "The proposal is a reflexive political response to a problem that does not exist, given the fact that nuclear power plants are private facilities protected by a paramilitary force of highly trained, well-armed, dedicated professionals," Colvin said. All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 30 Yucca Mountain impact study to be released Las Vegas SUN November 30, 2001 By Mary Manning Clark County officials on Saturday plan to reveal preliminary results of a study estimating the social, economic and political ramifications should a nuclear waste repository be built at Yucca Mountain. The study will be presented during a public meeting, which begins at 10 a.m. Saturday at the County Government Center, 500 Grand Central Parkway. County Commissioner Myrna Williams, who opposes the repository and serves on the state's Agency for Nuclear Projects Commission, said the three-year study was compiled by county agencies and outside consultants. Williams and Commission Chairman Dario Herrera plan to attend Saturday's public meeting. Based on its study, the county recommends that the site, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, should be disqualified from consideration as the nation's nuclear waste repository, Irene Navis, director of the county's Nuclear Waste Division, said. "Absent a final repository design and the issuance of a final EIS (environmental impact statement), it is impossible to identify the full range of impacts," Navis said. For example, the county studied the potential impact on the local area from an accident that does not release radioactive material. At the other extreme, the study examines a worst-case scenario, wherein a large amount of radiation is released. The study concludes that if nuclear waste is trucked to Yucca Mountain after 2010 without incident, more than 11,000 Clark County residents will move from Las Vegas and stop spending and estimated $182 million per year. The study bases its results on the "stigma" of living near a nuclear repository and a resulting decline in the area's attractiveness. If an accident occurs that allows radiation to leak from a shipping container, more than 90,000 people will leave Las Vegas and stop spending $1.4 billion over 30 years as waste is shipped, the impact study says. A severe accident could involve a collision with a concrete bridge or a nuclear waste container rupturing during a long-burning fire resulting from the crash. "Of interest to note is, that over this last decade the population within Clark County has never declined and in fact has grown an average of 6.2 percent per year," the study says. The study is still under way, and is being directed by Keith Schwer and his staff at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Center for Business and Economic Research. The people leaving Las Vegas include those who lose their jobs as a result of the bad publicity from the radioactive accident and subsequent drop in tourism. In a single year of repository operation without a transportation accident, 5,393 jobs, most related to gaming, will be lost along with employee incomes of about $282 million, the study concludes. If radiation is released during an accident, more than 54,000 people will lose their jobs and $776 million of income will be lost because of the drop in tourism, the study says. "The greatest job loss is equivalent to closing 30 Las Vegas resorts," Williams said. The county's impacts will be included in a final report being prepared by the state for the Department of Energy, manager of the nuclear waste repository project. "Unlike most accidents that cause disruptions to our everyday lives, a nuclear release will most likely result in this disruption continuing for a much longer period than other hazardous incidents or events," the study says. "The only, somewhat analogous case study to this type of accident would be the Chernobyl incident." A nuclear reactor in the town of Chernobyl, Ukraine, melted down during an accident in April 1986, and former Soviet Union officials failed to notify area residents. All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 31 GAO calls for delay on Yucca decision Las Vegas SUN November 30, 2001 Report deals blow to DOE By Mary Manning and Benjamin Grove WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department should indefinitely postpone a decision on whether to build a high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, a Congressional audit says. The report by the General Accounting Office is a crushing blow to the department's plans to proceed with Yucca, Nevada lawmakers said. However, the DOE says the report will not slow plans to make a recommendation about the site to the President Bush in the coming months, a spokesman said this morning. According to the report, the department has no reliable estimate of when or at what cost the repository could be opened, and even the project's main contractor says it is premature to recommend Yucca Mountain. "I believe this may be the smoking gun that will derail Yucca Mountain," said Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., who is sending a letter about the report to her 434 House colleagues. The GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, launched the Yucca study in February at the request of Berkley and Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. Reid said the report was the most damning report ever produced about Yucca Mountain. He plans to meet next week with Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., to plot strategy in using the report to kill a Yucca repository. "It shows from an independent source -- no one has ever questioned the GAO's veracity or independence -- that the science is not ready for anyone to make a determination," Reid said. "The DOE is way ahead of itself." Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham today sent a letter to non-partisan GAO's Comptroller General David Walker. Abraham questioned the independence of the report because the draft was leaked Thursday to media and immediately trumpeted by the Nevada delegation. "While I have great respect for GAO, this kind of premature disclosure significantly, if not irreversibly, taints the work product of any inquiry by GAO or any other investigative body," Abraham wrote. "I note that the requestors of this report have a long history of strong opposition to the Yucca Mountain project." The report surfaced just a month or two before the Energy Department is expected to recommend to Bush establishing a permanent nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The DOE plans to move forward with its site recommendation report despite the GAO report, said department spokesman Joe Davis. The GAO report is "fatally flawed," Davis said, because it confuses what types of data are required for a site recommendation versus data required for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to eventually approve the Yucca site. The DOE and NRC have both said the Energy Department has sufficient evidence to make the site recommendation, Davis said. A leading congressional proponent of Yucca Mountain also believes it is time to make a decision about Yucca. "We feel satisfied that it is a suitable site. Nothing in life is ever 100 percent certain," said Samatha Jordan, spokeswoman for Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas. Nevada officials say they plan to use the report to lobby Bush directly, urging him to postpone a Yucca decision. Gov. Kenny Guinn said today it's time for the DOE to give up on Yucca Mountain. "The conclusions of the GAO mirror those of nearly every external review that has been looking at the project, including the presidential-appointed National Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and several national and international peer review groups. "It's becoming increasingly obvious that the Yucca Mountain project is doomed to failure," Guinn said. The question, Guinn said, is "when will the DOE and the administration recognize that Yucca Mountain can never be found suitable and certainly is not licensable by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission." Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., also said the Energy Department should "pull the plug" on the project. "It is a failed scientific process," Gibbons said. "I think we will see that Yucca Mountain will turn out to be the greatest waste of taxpayer dollars in U.S. history." Nevada lawmakers said they were troubled that the GAO said the plans for Yucca Mountain shown to Congress and Nevada residents "may not describe the facilities that DOE would actually develop." "They're trying to sell us a project that doesn't exist -- what they're actually going to do they haven't shown us yet," Berkley said. "It's immoral, unethical and illegal." Nevada lawmakers said they also were concerned that the report said the department, in reviewing its options, may consider a "staged" waste shipment plan in which high-level radioactive material is gradually moved to Nevada. That essentially establishes a temporary waste site in Nevada until Yucca is complete -- a plan Congress has rejected. Reid, the majority whip, said Congress likely would not again consider temporary storage. Bush, during the presidential campaign, told Guinn that he would veto a temporary waste site because scientific issues at Yucca are unresolved. The GAO study also put new light on the stance of the Energy Department's major contractor, Bechtel SAIC. The report revealed that Bechtel told the government that it would take until January 2006 to complete detailed research and cost estimates for a repository. The GAO may have mischaracterized Bechtel's stance, Davis said. Attempts to reach Bechtel were unsuccessful. The DOE and its contractors are still analyzing nearly 300 technical issues, the GAO report says. "DOE is not ready to make a site recommendation because it does not yet have all of the technical information needed for a recommendation and a subsequent license application." That is what state officials have been telling the department all along, said Bob Loux, director of the Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects, which acts as a watchdog for the state. Berkley agreed. "How can the administration approve a project at a point when even Bechtel is saying that it is impossible to finish (its) analysis until all the evidence is in -- no earlier than 2006?" Congress singled out Yucca Mountain in 1987 as the best site to bury high-level nuclear waste from the nation's 103 commercial reactors and weapons facilities. Scientists and their contractors have been studying Yucca ever since. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham is expected to recommend the mountain as a permanent tomb for 77,000 tons of nuclear waste within the next few months. Bush then likely would recommend it to Congress. Nevada can veto the decision. Congress would have the power to override Nevada's veto, and the site could face up to four years of review. The GAO report recommends that if Abraham decides to recommend Yucca, he provide a detailed rationale for "proceeding without additional technical information needed for a license application." "Furthermore, we are making recommendations to DOE to better manage the nuclear waste program and to prepare estimates of the schedule and costs for opening the repository at Yucca Mountain that are tied to a new baseline for the program," the GAO said. The report deals a blow to the Bush administration's accelerated plans to revive nuclear power in America, where nuclear plants have not been constructed since the 1970s, Nevada officials said. Nuclear industry lobbyists argue that the government had a legal obligation to begin hauling waste away from plants by 1998. Nuclear officials disagree with the GAO report's assertion that there is not enough scientific data available to recommend the site, said Mitch Singer, a spokesman for the Nuclear Energy Institute, the industry's top lobby group. "The NRC has said that there is enough information available, the DOE has said there is enough information, we say there is enough," Singer said. "Nobody is going to say that this is going to be built tomorrow. But there is no sense in stopping the whole works." All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 32 GAO Challenges Plans for Storage Of Nuclear Waste (washingtonpost.com) Report Urges Bush Administration To Delay Decision on Nevada Project By Eric Pianin Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, November 30, 2001; Page A03 The General Accounting Office is urging the Bush administration to indefinitely postpone a decision on whether to build a huge, permanent and centralized nuclear waste storage site in the Nevada desert and is raising serious questions about whether it could ever be built as currently conceived. The remote site beneath Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, has been eyed by Congress and the Energy Department for the past 20 years as the only candidate for the storage of all nuclear waste generated in the United States. The newly reenergized nuclear power industry, championed by the Bush administration, recently has been predicting that the site could be opened as soon as 2010. But according to a GAO draft report obtained by The Washington Post, the Energy Department "is unlikely to achieve its goal of opening a repository at Yucca Mountain by 2010 and has no reliable estimate of when, and at what cost, such a repository could be opened." The report presents a challenge to the administration's aggressive schedule, which calls for Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham to recommend to President Bush this winter whether to formally designate Yucca Mountain as the site for 78,000 tons of radioactive waste. Abraham is certain to urge Bush to move ahead with the project, according to government officials and industry sources. But the GAO study has greatly complicated the administration's efforts, particularly because it reflects the views of Bechtel SAIC Co., the private contractor hired by the Energy Department to oversee the project. The study said Bechtel SAIC recently told the DOE that it would take until January 2006 to complete the detailed research and cost estimates and to resolve hundreds of outstanding issues before the administration could responsibly designate the site and then begin the lengthy process of seeking a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. "DOE is not ready to make a site recommendation because it does not yet have all of the technical information needed for a recommendation and a subsequent license application," the study said. The GAO also warned that the plans for Yucca Mountain that officials have been showing to lawmakers and Nevada residents "may not describe the facilities that DOE would actually develop." Controversy over the proposed underground storage site has persisted for nearly two decades as the nation gropes for a way to dispose the radioactive waste from nuclear power plants and weapons facilities. Having no access to a centralized storage facility, plant owners are holding about 40,000 metric tons of spent fuel in temporary storage at 72 plant sites in 36 states. With so much uncertainty over the fate of the project, the report said, the administration is considering, as a fallback position, temporarily storing nuclear waste above ground at the site beginning in 2010. The project is widely unpopular in Nevada and has drawn strong opposition from lawmakers and state officials, including Gov. Kenny Guinn (R), Senate Majority Whip Harry M. Reid (D) and Rep. Shelley Berkley (D). The state is prepared to file a formal protest against the project if Bush decides to seek a license for Yucca Mountain -- a dispute that eventually would have to be resolved by majorities in the House and the Senate. With Reid and Senate Majority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.) vowing to block the project in the Senate, the prospects for passage appear bleak as long as the Democrats are in control. However, with conflicting concerns about the need for increased sources of energy and the importance of tightening controls over nuclear waste, experts say it is impossible to predict how Congress will eventually resolve the controversy. Reid, who commissioned the GAO study, said yesterday that the findings will provide him and other opponents with powerful ammunition in the effort to defeat a project that has already cost the federal government $8 billion. "I think it's the beginning of the end of Yucca Mountain," he said. "This report is a damning indictment of a process Americans relied upon to protect their health and safety." But Energy Department officials indicated that they will not be deterred by the GAO study and that by law the administration is entitled to make a decision on the site long before it completes all the studies and research necessary to apply for a license. "We're perplexed how GAO could find any technical or legal basis to support their conclusion in their draft report," said Joe Davis, a spokesman for the department. As for Bechtel SAIC's assertion that it will take years to complete the preliminary research necessary to decide whether to go forward, Davis said: "We don't agree." The Bush administration has embraced the project as vital to the president's plan to address the nation's long-term energy needs partly by expanding the use of nuclear power plants. In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, some industry officials have pleaded for fast action on the project to relieve them of responsibility for nuclear waste that could be targeted by terrorists. In June, the administration unveiled the final health and safety standards for the proposed depository that officials had hoped would allow construction of the project to proceed. With the new standards regulating all potential sources of radiation exposure from ground water, air and soil, administration officials said they hope they have overcome a difficult political obstacle. But the GAO report said the Energy Department is still gathering and analyzing technical information on nearly 300 separate issues. These include the expected lifetime of engineered barriers and waste containers, the physical properties of the site and the mathematical models used to evaluate the performance of the planned project. © 2001 The Washington Post Company ***************************************************************** 33 Democrats Want Nuke Plant Guards to Be Federal Workers Reuters | AP | ABCNEWS.com Thursday November 29 7:07 PM ET U.S. Nuclear Security Increased By Chris Baltimore WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic lawmakers in both houses of the U.S. Congress unveiled legislation on Thursday to bolster nuclear power plant security by requiring guards at the nation's 103 plants to become federal employees with more extensive screening and training. If enacted, the House and Senate bills would require the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to enact tough new security measures such as extensive background checks for guards and the preparation of plans to handle military-style attacks. Senate sponsors of the bill did not say how much it would cost to convert guards at the 103 commercial plants into federal employees. Congress recently voted to adopt a similar approach with security inspectors at commercial U.S. airports. The NRC has previously said it is unsure whether U.S. nuclear power plants could withstand the crash of a large airliner, such as the ones hijacked for the Sept. 11 attacks. Nuclear power reactors are typically enclosed in concrete walls of up to 4.5 feet (1.35 meters) thick. Senate Democrats Harry Reid of Nevada, Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut and Hillary Clinton ( [http://rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/*http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news? p=%22Hillary%20Clinton%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw] - [http://rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/*http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Hillary+ Clinton] ) of New York are sponsoring the Senate version of the bill, as part of the anti-terrorism effort following the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. In the House, the bill is championed by Massachusetts Democrat Edward Markey, a long-time critic of current nuclear plant safety. ``Congress must act to protect the American people from a potential nuclear disaster that could be more devastating than Chernobyl,'' he said, noting that Osama bin Laden ( [http://rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/*http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news? p=%22Osama%20bin%20Laden%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw] - [http://rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/*http://search.yahoo.com/bin/search?p=Osam a%20bin%20Laden&cs=nw] )'s al Qaeda network has reportedly targeted nuclear plants for attack. Markey's bill also would require states to stockpile potassium iodide within 200 miles of nuclear facilities. The drug is ``the Cipro for nuclear disaster and can prevent thousands of cases of thyroid cancer due to radioactive exposure,'' he said. The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), the industry's main lobbying arm, said that plants already have enough safeguards. The nuclear industry group called the legislation a ''political response to a problem that does not exist'' and noted that plants are already guarded by ``paramilitary'' employees who are armed and well-trained. Nuclear power watchdog groups have urged stricter security such as soldiers and missiles stationed at each nuclear power plant. Copyright © 2001 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or ***************************************************************** 34 BNFL says money 'sunk' in MOX is irrelevant to case ireland.com - The Irish Times - IRELAND Thursday, November 29, 2001 From Rachel Donnelly, in London It would have been "economic madness" to refuse authority for the Sellafield MOX plant knowing it would deprive Britain and BNFL of substantial economic benefit, the Court of Appeal heard yesterday. On the final day of a legal challenge by Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace to overturn a High Court ruling that the British government was justified in approving the plant, Mr David Pannick, QC, for BNFL, argued ministers adopted "basic economic principles" when assessing the economic benefits of MOX. That meant sunk costs of £470 million (sterling) - to build and prepare the plant for production before the case for MOX was considered by the British government - should be ignored because they could not be recovered even if the plant did not go ahead. In addressing the economic benefits of MOX, Mr Pannick said, the Environment Secretary and the Health Secretary were entitled to conclude that the assessment should be carried out in accordance with well-established principles of economic rationality. "To take account of costs already expended would be to have regard to an economically irrelevant factor. One of the fundamental principles of economic rationality is that sunk costs are sunk - that bygones are bygones and have no part to play in assessing the economic advantages of a course of action," Mr Pannick said. The challenge by the environmentalists, Mr Pannick said, was about the "proper construction" of Article 6 of an EU Basic Safety Standards Directive. It says member states must justify any practice resulting in exposure to ionizing radiation "by their economic, social or other benefits in relation to the health detriment they may cause." Mr Pannick said there was nothing in the Directive or International Commission on Radiological Protection recommendations requiring "a reversal of the laws of economics". Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth argued earlier that in disregarding the £470 million sterling costs, the British government erred in law and the case for MOX was economically unjustified. For the environmentalists, Lord Lester QC said capital costs were the costs of the new practice resulting in exposure to ionizing radiation and as such were relevant in an economic assessment of MOX that must produce a net positive economic benefit. The capital costs, Lord Lester argued, "do not cease to be relevant because they have already been incurred" since the proper construction of Article 6 and the ICRP recommendations was concerned with all costs and benefits relating to a new practice. Lord Justice Simon Brown, sitting with Lord Justice Waller and Lord Justice Dyson, reserved judgement. [http://www.ireland.com ***************************************************************** 35 IAEA Daily Press Review Date 2001-11-30 Number 229 1. Non-proliferation Russian Atomic Energy Minister and US Energy Secretary agree on closer co-operation on preventing spread of nuclear weapons and protecting nuclear material: they also noted importance of co-ordinating their efforts with other countries and IAEA. DPRK rejects recent US calls for inspections and threatens to take unspecified ``necessary countermeasures.'' Media Resources: (R; NYT - 29/11) Dem. P.R. of Korea; IAEA; Russian Federation; United States of America 2. Terrorism More on nuclear threat: according to report, even experts who think bin Laden's al-Qaeda network does not have an atomic bomb say it's best to assume it does and prepare accoardingly. Iraq rejects President Bush's demand to allow weapons inspectors back and denies charges that his country is amassing weapons of mass destruction or harbouring terrorists. Moroccan man arrested in connection with Sept. 11 hijackers reportedly visited NPP near Hamburg in May. OPANAL calls on nuclear powers to prevent atomic material from falling into hands of terrorists. DPRK signs two UN treaties designed to fight terrorism. Legislation to federalize guarding of US NPPs against terrorist and other threats introduced in US Senate: bill also would require stockpiling of potassium iodide. Media Resources: (BBC; FT; G; R; USA; WP; Xin - 29, 30/11) Afghanistan; Dem. P.R. of Korea; Germany; Iraq; United States of America 3. Nuclear power Numerous reports on Temelin NPP: Czech Government agrees to tighten safety at plant, potentially defusing dispute with Austria that threatened Czech prospects for an early EU entry; reactor now at minimum output due to testing. US and Russia give further signs of moving their energy policies closer together. Plan six years in making to help Ukraine complete two reactor blocks intended to replace closed Chernobyl NPP collapses after Ukrainian Government asks for last-minute renegotiation of terms. Media Resources: (BBC; FT; G; K; R - 29/11) Austria; Czech Republic; EBRD; IAEA; Russian Federation; Ukraine; United States of America 4. Radiation, health UNGA turns down Iraqi proposal that UN should study effects of DU munitions used in Gulf War. Media Resources: (R - 29/11) Iraq; UN; United States of America 5. Radwaste, fuel Researcher discovers type of bacteria that could be modified to clean up uranium contamination. United Nations tribunal [Hamburg-based International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea] to soon rule on whether Ireland should be granted injunction to prevent Britain opening nuclear fuel processing unit at its Sellafield plant. Media Resources: (YAH - 27/11) UN; United Kingdom; United States of America 6. UN More on UN sanctions on Iraq. Media Resources: (BBC - 29/11) Iraq; Russian Federation; UN; United States of America 7. Miscellaneous Pentagon plans to test part of its missile defense program Saturday by trying to shoot a mock warhead out of the sky with an interceptor rocket, military officials said. Media Resources: (IHT - 29/11) United States of America ***************************************************************** 36 Have your final say on Yucca Mountain - again Las Vegas City Life Good old boys sing songs of Nevada Nevada Equal Rights Commission struggles to handle increased caseload By Heidi Walters If anyone needed a reminder that Nevada is forever and always in the large-handed grip of a homegrown Western roundup of Nevada boys, then they should have attended Monday night's gathering-of-the-governors presented by UNLV's department of public administration (part of the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs). It was a pleasant, chummy, underpublicized affair. And there was something, if not quite comforting, then revealing in the ready display of our state's chain of command, at least the last five links of it, represented by former governors Mike O'Callaghan, Robert List, Richard Bryan, Bob Miller and present governor Kenny Guinn. But first, we must say why this small gathering occurred. Apparently, it was Sheriff Jerry Keller's homework assignment for professor Bill Thompson's public administration class. Keller is working on his master's degree at UNLV. He deserves an "A," we were told, for managing to get Guinn to the affair. The Sheriff works in mysterious ways. Moderator Mitch Fox, of Channel 10 (KLVX-TV), sparked the evening's discussion by asking the governors how they handled crises, such as Sept. 11 for Guinn, in their administrations? "[Sept. 11] did change the way we allocated our time," Guinn said. "Health education, the budget - all those issues were set aside ... and the safety of people became the number one priority. ... For six weeks, maybe 65 percent of our time" dealt with the aftermath of the tragedy, "and it was hard to concentrate on other issues." The other governors said no crises they encountered rivaled Sept. 11, although they had their issues. Miller had Desert Storm and a recession "even more severe than what's facing Gov. Guinn now," he said. Bryan dealt with the whole kaboodle: health care, gaming, federal land policy, nuclear waste and the state's contentious relationship with the IRS, for starters. List, who said most of his administration's issues "were much more mundane and peaceful," had the MX Missile and an energy crisis. And down through the decades, they passed each other the baton - and the governor's desk with a can of B.S. Repellent, courtesy of O'Callaghan, in the top right drawer. O'Callaghan placed the Sept. 11 aftermath in governorly perspective: "Crises come and crises go, just as this one will," he said. But when it's over "we will still have the same issues" of health care, education and so forth. And this, dear reader, may be one example of why he is considered the most popular governor Nevada's ever had. One might say, even - oh, judging by little clues revealed by the other governors - that it is O'Callaghan, the most senior of these governors in terms of era of reign, who is still whipping the power chain from his no-nonsense, at times uncompromising and righteous end. One clue: In answer to Fox's question, "What does it take to be a good governor?" part of Miller's reply was, "The first thing you learn, as governor, is that you take Gov. O'Callaghan's calls immediately. Otherwise, you become invisible." (This produced loud guffaws and knowing looks.) Miller, incidentally, has been called by some snidesters "living proof that we don't need a governor in Nevada" because "he didn't do anything." But he did try. Guinn put in a good word for Miller: "He went to a class-size reduction" in grades one through three that stands today and is budgeted for. Miller also proposed a mining tax. "That failed," he said. "Amidst some pellets being thrown through the governor's mansion, and some death threats, the industry was very good at corralling us through the legislation." As for O'Callaghan, he said a good governor listens to the people, and knows what he can't do. And they all agreed a governor needs "a good heart," to quote List. Ironically, many nowadays question the condition of List's heart, since he joined the payroll of the pro-Yucca Mountain nuke waste dump camp. The irony flashed home each time his Nevada-shaped shiny cufflinks caught the light. Indeed, when the nuclear waste issue came up, the discussion almost grew lively as the governors were nearly tempted out of their genteelness. List grew a bit more redfaced and his eyes rolled like a wild horse's as he explained his position: "The likelihood of it has grown to be very, very high," he said. "Nuclear-generated energy is pollution free, it's safe ... and it's coming. I think Nevada should step up. I think there will come a day when Nevada will benefit" with "high-paying good jobs." Bryan - this is his fortŽ - said he disagreed and went into the various arguments as to why the Yucca dump is not inevitable. And Miller, becoming visible for a moment, carried the torch further, saying, "Obviously we all disagree with" Gov. List (to which they all smiled nicely). There's a reason, Miller said, they call it the "Screw Nevada Bill." He likened the "negotiate for benefits" battlecry of pro-Yucca people to agreeing to be a whore and "now they're just haggling over the price." The governors also talked about tax policy, especially how to deal with that pesky tax shift from List's administration that took the main tax burden from property owners and placed it on sales and tourists. It has, all agreed, made Nevada extremely vulnerable during recessions, and it needs to change now that Nevada has changed so much. Perhaps the most surprising moment of the session was a strikingly un-Nevadan rant against growth. In O'Callaghan's words: "We keep hearing that growth will take care of our problems. But as growth occurs, so do the problems increase. Growth doesn't take care of it. Growth is the problem." And if the boss says so, well ... Copyright 2001 Las Vegas City Life ***************************************************************** 37 BNFL sends 350 home Oak Ridger Online --> Story last updated at 1:35 p.m. on Friday, November 30, 2001 Company cites lack of work by Paul Parson Oak Ridger staff BNFL Inc. has temporarily suspended more than 350 workers involved in a major operation at the Oak Ridge K-25 site. The suspension is a result of the unavailability of work created by the Department of Energy's decision earlier this month to halt work involving fissile material, or uranium, at the site, Jim McAnally, vice president of BNFL's Oak Ridge operations, wrote in a memo to the workers Thursday. DOE's action was due to deficiencies in several key safety documents pertaining to K-25. "Our hope is that the work suspension will be temporary," said McAnally, who added that BNFL is hoping to receive the go-ahead to resume work next week. McAnally did not specify what kind of compensation, if any, these workers would receive. Walter Perry, a DOE spokesman, said this morning, "We must have the required safety procedures in place before we can resume work involving fissile materials. We are doing all we can, as quick as we can, to get this problem corrected in order to avoid impacts to the workforce." DOE and BNFL signed a $238 million, six-year contract in 1997 to decontaminate and decommission three buildings at K-25: K-33, which totals 2.8 million square feet; K-29, 586,880 square feet; and K-31, 1.4 million square feet. K-25 was formerly used to separate uranium-235 from uranium-238 through a gaseous diffusion process. At last count, BNFL's project at K-25 employed around 600 people. Officials involved with BNFL's Oak Ridge project did not return calls this morning for additional comments. Paul Parson can be contacted at (865) 220-5533 or pparson@oakridger.com [pparson@oakridger.com] . All Contents ©Copyright The Oak Ridger ***************************************************************** 38 DOE slates another Yucca Moutain Project meeting here Daily Times: News Column [Ely, Nevada, Times] White Pine residents are to get another chance to tell Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham of their concerns about the proposed, high-level, nuclear-waste repository at Yucca Mountain. The Department of Energy has scheduled nine additional hearings in Nevada on Dec. 5, 8 and 12. The Ely hearing is set Dec. 8, 11 a.m.-8 p.m., in the Bristlecone Convention Center. Abraham, who will not be attending any of the hearings, said, "Scheduling these nine additional hearings and opening an additional 30-day comment period are the department's latest steps in providing Nevada citizens opportunities to participate in the process." So far, the Energy Department has held 57 public hearings -- including two in Ely -- on the repository proposal. Hearings have been held in all 17 Nevada counties and in Inyo County, Calif. Representatives of the Energy Department will be on-hand to accept written comments or spoken comments, which will be written down by a court reporter. The supplemental 30-day comment period started on Nov. 14. Written comments also may be sent to the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Office (M/S #025), P.O. Box 364629, North Las Vegas, NV 89036-8629. In the previous two hearings conducted in Ely, Energy Department employees were onhand to accept the comments and answer questions. They also had written material about the project, but no formal presentations were made. Additional information about the project is available on the Internet at www.ymp.gov or by calling (702) 794-1322. ***************************************************************** 39 Stores stocking KI pills The Enterprise at SouthofBoston.com By Tamson W. Burgess MPG Newspapers PLYMOUTH (Nov. 29) - If you want to buy potassium iodide pills, advocated as protection for your thyroid in the event of a nuclear accident, they're available at Balboni's drug store in North Plymouth and at the Plymouth, Manomet and Kingston CVS stores. And even if you're over 40, you might want to consider stocking up on some for yourself as well. Selectman David Rushforth, a radiologist, is now tempering his earlier statements that potassium iodide pills aren't effective on anyone over 40. If there was an accident at the nuclear plant that leaked radiation into the air, a potassium iodide (KI) pill taken before or soon after exposure could protect your thyroid from one of the radioactive isotopes released. Some communities near nuclear plants, including neighboring Duxbury, stockpile the pills for residents in schools and shelters. Children are most vulnerable and receive the most protection from the pill. Local selectmen voted in 1999 not to stockpile the pills. But in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, rumors of threats to nuclear plants and overall increased anxiety, the board has been reviewing its decision. While selectmen are still considering whether to accept offers from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to pay for stockpiled pills, provided the state makes the request, they said they'd prefer to leave it up to individual residents. But the pills hadn't been available in local pharmacies for residents to buy. So the board sent Rushforth on a mission to find out why and see if the stores could stock the pills. He succeeded. Manomet CVS pharmacy manager Bruce Cashman had tried getting potassium iodide pills from his regular distributors without success. But when Rushforth called him with information about where he could buy them, he promised to forward the town's request to the CVS corporate offices. "Corporate was surprisingly quick in responding," Cashman said. He said they called him back in less then two hours with an answer, essentially telling him that if the town wants it, why not. The pills were in Cashman's hands in five days. Potassium iodide pills are sold over the counter. You don't need a doctor's prescription. They're currently on display at both the pharmacy counter and the front registers in the Manomet CVS, Cashman said. He split his large order with the Plymouth and Kingston stores. The pills are available at the pharmacy counter in those two locations. If there is a demand, Cashman said, other area CVS stores would also likely make the pills available for sale. He expects they will also be sold at the new CVS store scheduled to open in Cedarville Dec. 3. CVS sells the pills in a 14-pill pack of individually sealed pills for $10. Balboni's drug store in North Plymouth beat Rushforth and the selectmen to the draw. Balboni's has been selling potassium iodide pills for more than a month. "I saw on TV that kids were still dying in Chernobyl of thyroid cancer," Balboni's owner Richard Tassinari said. One broadcast talked about the pills' use in communities near nuclear plants. The report mentioned Plymouth by name, he said. But they weren't available through any of his regular wholesalers. "They don't stock it," he said. Then he started getting calls from area mothers looking to buy the pills to have on hand for their kids in case of an emergency. One doctor called from as far away as Brookline looking to buy KI pills. He'd called everywhere he said and couldn't find any store that sold them, not even in Boston. Eventually Tassinari found a supplier. (The pills are available for purchase over the internet.) The moms and the Brookline doctor bought them. The first order of two dozen bottles of 200 sold out quickly and Tassinari restocked. "We're just stocking it as a regular over-the-counter medication now because people are interested in it," Tassinari said. The pills are available for sale at Balboni's in either a bottle of 200 for $16.95 or a bottle of 14 for $8.95. The pills have a long shelf life, Tassinari said. The listed expiration dates run four to six years, but the pills should be good far longer than that, he said, provided they aren't exposed to moisture. Rushforth is pleased the pills are available in local stores, but still stresses, "This is not a panacea or a substitute for evacuation." If there were an emergency at the plant and you have a pill on hand, take it and evacuate. But if you don't have one, don't waste time looking for one, just evacuate, he said. The potassium iodide pills are only effective if taken before or within three to four hours of exposure to radiation. The FDA is revising the dosage standards. The results aren't expected until early next year and the NRC won't pay for stockpiling pills until that happens. In the meantime, Rushforth said, the pills contain 130 milligrams and should be appropriate for children as young as 12 months. For younger children, Rushforth would recommend crushing up half a pill. The younger the child, the more susceptible they are to radiation. The pills only offer protection from one of a slew of dangerous isotopes that could be released in an accident. They'd be pointless if the leak came from the used fuel storage facility rather than the reactor itself, Rushforth said. Radioactive iodine has a half life of only eight days, Rushforth said, so there isn't any left in the old fuel rods. But there are plenty of other isotopes that are extremely dangerous, he said, again urging residents to remember no pill is a substitute for leaving the town in the event of an accident. Rushforth said he had researched the age factor in the effectiveness of potassium iodide for selectmen back in 1999, but, when called on recently for more information, couldn't find his specific source. So he consulted with Jordan Hospital's health physicist. His reasoning says that the human thyroid, regardless of age, draws in iodine everyday, so it would also absorb radioactive iodine. Potassium iodide pills, in a sense, fill up the thyroid with iodine so it can't absorb the dangerous kind. Rushforth is now recommending the pills for anyone, even if they are over 40. MPG Newspapers, 9 Long Pond Rd., Plymouth, MA 02360 Telephone: (508) 746-5555 ***************************************************************** 40 Terror Suspect Visited Nuclear Plant Las Vegas SUN November 29, 2001 BERLIN (AP) - A Moroccan man arrested in connection with the Sept. 11 hijackers visited a nuclear power plant near Hamburg in May, an official at the school where he studied said Thursday. Mounir El Motassadeq, 27, an electrical engineering student at Hamburg's Technical University - the same school attended by suspected Sept. 11 ringleader Mohamed Atta - visited the plant in Stade, about 30 miles north of Hamburg, on May 15 as part of a school trip to the town, said Ruediger Bendlin, a school spokesman. Bendlin said the professor who led the trip said El Motassadeq did not take any notes and had to be cajoled into taking the trip with the rest of the students in his research group. "(The professor) said it would be good for the group if he joined, so that the group would do something together," Bendlin said. "When he was first invited he refused, he said he had to focus his concentration on his duties for his exams." The visit, which came at the end of the sightseeing tour of Stade, did not include any access to secure areas, Bendlin said. "He never asked any questions, that's what the leading professor of the group told us, and he did not take any further interest," Bendlin said. Since the suicide attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, authorities have raised fears that terrorists might choose to target a nuclear facility and have stepped up security at nuclear sites around the world El Motassadeq was arrested at his Hamburg apartment Wednesday on charges he controlled an account used to bankroll several of the Sept. 11 hijackers. German authorities said he had "intensive contacts" with the terrorist cell in Hamburg. He was the first person arrested in Germany with a direct link to the group accused of the attacks on Washington and New York. He had power of attorney over hijacker Marwan Al-Shehhi's bank account in the north German city, according to the Federal Prosecutor's Office. The account was used to finance Al-Shehhi and other members of the terrorist group, including Atta and hijacker Ziad Jarrah, the prosecutor's office said. The money also allegedly financed Al-Shehhi during his stay in the United States and was used to pay for his flight training at a school in Florida. El Motassadeq has been a student at the university since 1995, where Al-Shehhi also studied. All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 41 DOE conflicts at Yucca Letter from Gov. Kenny Guinn to Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham re: Provide you with my views on the recently released report by the Department's Inspector General regarding alleged conflicts of interest in legal services for the Yucca Mountain project OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR One Hundred One North Carson Street Carson City, Nevada 89701 KENNY C. GUINN Governor November 29, 2001 The Honorable Spencer Abraham Secretary of Energy Department of Energy 1000 Independence Ave. SE Washington, DC 20585 Dear Secretary Abraham: I am writing to provide you with my views on the recently released report by the Department's Inspector General regarding alleged conflicts of interest in legal services for the Yucca Mountain project. My review of the report suggests that the activities of the law firm Winston and Strawn reveal a level of actual conflict and a perception of conflict so pervasive that the relationship between this firm and the Department is beyond repair. Further, the signing of disclosure statements excluding work the firm conducted for the Nuclear Energy Institute is not only reprehensible but may violate the law. The fact Winston and Strawn recognized a conflict was likely to occur even before the actual award of the contract is evidenced by the firm's internal memo regarding traveling to Las Vegas with the Nuclear Energy Institute. This underscores the degree to which the firm actively sought to conceal the relationship the firm had with the Nuclear Energy Institute. Mr. Secretary, you and President Bush have repeatedly declared that any decision about Yucca Mountain would be made on the basis of sound science. It appears now that this is not possible. Because of the relationship this firm had with the Nuclear Energy Institute, the Department can not assure itself, the public or the Congress that documents and other materials were not prepared by staff also working with NEI, or that NEI did not have substantial involvement in their preparation. As a result, it is my opinion that the Department must now terminate the contract with Winston and Strawn and identify all of the documents, reports and other materials that the firm had any part of preparing or perfecting. The Department must face the reality that much, if not all, of the information and data that this law firm had any involvement in is likely tainted and rendered unusable in the Yucca Mountain decision making process, including a licensing proceeding before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. I look forward to your decision concerning this matter. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, --/s/-- KENNY C. GUINN Governor ***************************************************************** 42 More on Yucca Mountain; relief from price gouging? - By Ken Bouton Editor Emeritus Thursday, November 29, 2001 Thanks for your many comments by phone and letters to my suggestion that the time has come for our bigwigs to take a realistic look at the future of Yucca Mountain being used for permanent storage of high level nuclear waste, and put aside the politics-as-usual bickering which has left most of us - and them - addled by a lot of misinformation and little factual data. With but one exception, all of you agreed that since it appears inevitable that the feds will put the nuke dump in our back yard - since not one single other site is even being studied - that we should start figuring how to get the maximum benefits from it. Like money. Tons of it, for every truck load of nuclear waste that is hauled into our state. That lone exception was from a lady (I use the word charitably) who wrote that I am a complete "idiot" for daring to suggest that we should get our act together so we can gain the absolute utmost in economic benefits, when (not "if") this dump is finally approved by the feds. I'll expand on that a bit. Let's levy a fee of one million dollars on every waste-filled truck that crosses our state line and in turn apply that charge as an offset to our ever-soaring property taxes. Were we to do that, instead of the huge public disapproval of the dump (as reported), my guess is an awful lot of voters would change their minds in a hurry. But all arguments for or against the dump aside, it is still my contention we're going to get it, like it or not, so why not at least take a look at all possible economic benefits when those trucks start to roll through town. And who knows, then maybe Mayor Oscar Goodman won't have to plunk his royal body in front of a nuke waste filled truck, as he has threatened to do. But this space is hardly a forum to debate the nuclear dump issue. Nor, for that matter - and wholly unlike a bunch of radio and television talk shows - is it the forum for deciding the strategy of how to fight the war. I get especially irritated at some of those network TV prima donnas, whose main duty seems to be to ask utterly stupid questions at every news conference with a military leader. For example, the lady masquerading as a reporter, who demanded to know why a certain kind of bomb was being used on the Talibans. "To kill people," was the curt and deserved reply from Donald Rumsfeld, our defense chief. Our nation is at war, so will the citizens be given relief from price gouging, as we were during the last Big War? Just wondering, but with electric utility rates poised to take us all back into the dark ages, soaring natural gas rates threatening to turn our homes into igloos, and our telephone company wanting to force everyone to use carrier pigeons, perhaps the feds - since no local authorities will undertake the task - should take long and hard looks at what is happening on the home front, in this respect, too. Oh, and that's not to mention that health care systems are falling apart and that private medical insurance rates are set to soar higher than a military jet. The warning signs of even more problems for millions of elderly on limited incomes are all too clearly in view. ***************************************************************** 43 No prosecution in Vt. for picture of N-plant By Associated Press, 11/30/2001 MONTPELIER - A Brattleboro newspaper photographer, detained by police for two hours for taking a photograph of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, will not be prosecuted for treason, the county prosecutor said yesterday. Windham County State's Attorney Dan Davis said that after reviewing the police case, he would not use a 1917 treason law to prosecute Brattleboro Reformer photographer Jason Henske. Davis said, however, he felt it would be irresponsible for the Reformer to use the photo during a time of heightened security when ''Vermont Yankee and some of the other power plants in the state, dams, and hydroelectric generating facilities have been a concern for law enforcement as potential targets for terrorists.'' Brattleboro Reformer managing editor Kate Casa said the paper would publish the photo today as planned to accompany a story about the history of security at Vermont's only nuclear plant. ''Under this statute anyone who has file photos, anyone who has maps can be prosecuted,'' she said. ''This is not what this country is about.'' Vermont Yankee spokesman Rob Williams said that plant security spotted the photographer at about 3 p.m. Wednesday and called police. Casa said police told Henske he could be charged with treason for taking photos of the plant during a time of war. Henske was held for about two hours and finally allowed to leave with his camera and the digital images of the plant. He was not arrested. Henske, 26, has worked at the Reformer since June. It is his first job as a journalist. He said he'd taken photos of the plant on several occasions since Sept. 11 without problems. This story ran on page B2 of the Boston Globe on 11/30/2001. © Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company. ***************************************************************** 44 Energy Secretary Says Draft GAO Report on Yucca Mountain "Fatally Flawed" Predetermined Conclusions Taint Work Product; Undermine Validity of Yucca Inquiry energy.gov - Headquarters' Press Release RELEASE DATE: November 30, 2001 [Print Friendly Version] WASHINGTON, DC - The following letter was released today from Department of Energy headquarters: November 30, 2001 Mr. David M. Walker Comptroller General U.S. General Accounting Office 441 G Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20548 Dear Mr. Walker: I was disturbed to see a news account of a draft General Accounting Office (GAO) report on the site characterization activities the Department of Energy (DOE) is conducting at Yucca Mountain as required by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. While I have great respect for GAO, this kind of premature disclosure significantly, if not irreversibly, taints the work product of any inquiry by GAO or any other investigative body. This is especially disturbing in that the draft report is fatally flawed. In the normal course of events, DOE would have had an opportunity to formally comment on its deficiencies, allowing GAO to correct its work product. Our interactions with your staff on this inquiry and the inappropriate, premature release of the draft report reinforce my concern that it was assembled to support a predetermined conclusion. I well recognize how politically charged the Yucca Mountain project is, but it is a shame that someone or some persons have marred GAO's integrity and undermined the validity of this inquiry. I note that the requestors of this report have a long history of strong opposition to the Yucca Mountain project. Congress has required that Yucca Mountain be studied in order to determine its suitability as a long-term repository for radioactive wastes. Congress established the statutory requirements that guide this work. I will continue to carry out those responsibilities faithfully and fairly. Sincerely, Spencer Abraham Media Contact: Joe Davis, 202/586-4940 ***************************************************************** 45 Public Input on Yucca Mountain FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 21, 2001 A special panel discussion and public question and answer forum for Southern Nevadans will be held Saturday, December 1, 2001, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Clark County Government Center Commission Chambers, 500 South Grand Central Parkway. The honorable former Sen. Richard Bryan will moderate the panel which includes Congressman Jim Gibbons, Nevada State Senator Mark James, Robert Loux of the Nevada State Agency for Nuclear Projects, County Commissioner Myrna Williams and Commission Chairman Dario Herrera, Fred Dilger of Clark County Nuclear Waste Division, Paul Brown of PLAN and Steve Cloobeck of SAVE NEVADA. Appearing by video will be U.S. Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign, and Congresswoman Shelley Berkley. Public responses from this meeting will be included as part of the Clark County/State of Nevada final impact report to the U.S. Department of Energy. The Yucca Mountain Hotline at 455-5820 is also available to register personal comments for the record. Both Commissioners Williams and Herrera encourage public participation by Southern Nevada residents to both give input and receive the latest news on this important public issue. For more information, contact the Clark County Comprehensive Planning Department, Nuclear Waste Division at 455-5591. ***************************************************************** 46 Vulnerability of nuke plants concerns council TheDay.com: Additional protection should be considered, state officials advised By Paul Choiniere - More Articles Published on 11/30/2001 Waterford –– The country should consider deploying mobile air defense systems around the nation's nuclear plants and immediately begin moving nuclear waste to a central storage facility in Nevada, the Connecticut Nuclear Energy Advisory Council advised in a resolution passed Thursday. John Markowicz, co-chairman of the advisory panel, said facilities such as the Indian Point nuclear station just north of New York City are “sweet targets” that could cause catastrophic damage if subjected to the kind of attack that felled the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11. The recommendations are addressed to Gov. John G. Rowland and to state legislative leaders, but the intention is that they be carried forward to nationally elected leaders, Markowicz said. The council was created several years ago to advise the governor and legislature on nuclear energy issues. Hawk and Patriot missile defense systems that are deployed in Europe “to protect against a Russian invasion” could be used to protect U.S. nuclear power assets, he said. A series of mobile systems could be moved from plant to plant, leaving potential terrorists unsure whether a plant was vulnerable to attack. The panel, meeting in the town where the Millstone Nuclear Power Station is located, said it was particularly concerned about the vulnerability of buildings that contain high-level nuclear waste. Such waste is immersed in storage pools at Millstone and at other plants. The pools and the buildings containing the material were never designed to handle the kind of suicide attacks witnessed Sept. 11. More robust concrete and steel shells protect the nuclear reactors themselves. Because the nuclear waste is a potential target, efforts should begin as soon as possible to begin transferring the materials from plants across the country to the storage facility proposed at Yucca Mountain in the Nevada desert, the council's resolution states. The Yucca project has been delayed for years because of political and scientific debates about whether the waste can be safely stored there for the thousands of years it will remain dangerous. According to the advisory council, the time for waiting and debating has ended. “It is now in the national interest as well as a matter of national security to activate the national repository and relocate nuclear waste from Connecticut to this more secure location,” the council said in its resolution. In a related matter, the panel learned that the National Guard troops that had been assigned to help protect Millstone station following the terrorist attacks ended their duty there Nov. 20. Peter Hyde, a Millstone spokesman, said additional private security personnel were introduced into service before the Guard ended its assignment. In other business, the panel heard that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is continuing its own review of the circumstances surrounding the misplacement of two highly radioactive fuel rods at the Millstone 1 nuclear plant. Millstone officials first reported a year ago that the two fuel rods were missing. The problem was discovered when an inventory was conducted in preparation for the sale of Millstone by Northeast Utilities to Richmond, Va.-based Dominion. A yearlong study that cost Northeast Utilities $9 million was unable to reach any firm conclusion about the whereabouts of the fuel rods. The study was completed in October. Investigators determined that the most likely scenario is that the fuel rods were mistaken for other equipment, cut into pieces within the storage pool and shipped in a shielded container to the low-level radioactive waste dump in Barnwell, S.C., in May 1988. Plant records last refer to the fuel rods in 1980. The report also raised the possibility that the fuel rods were transported to the General Electric Vallecitos facility in Pleasanton, Calif., or to the low-level radioactive waste dump in Hanford, Wash., or are still hidden undetected somewhere in the Millstone 1 storage pool. The nuclear plant is permanently closed and has not operated in six years. “This to me is a very serious problem, that two spent fuel rods went running off somewhere, or maybe they didn't, and we just don't know,” said Evan Woollacott, co-chairman of the advisory panel. Todd J. Jackson, a health physicist with the NRC and leader of the inspection team looking into the matter, said that because not every inch of the storage pool can be searched no one can say with 100 percent certainty that the fuel rods are not there, though it appears highly unlikely. Panel members were incredulous that the nuclear materials in the pool could not be fully inventoried. Jackson said the NRC's own review of the matter should be completed around the end of January. p.choiniere@theday.com © 1998-2001 The Day Publishing Co. ***************************************************************** 47 CY files second lawsuit in nuclear storage saga The Middletown Press By NANCY CUNNINGHAM, Middletown Press StaffNovember 30, 2001 HADDAM -- Connecticut Yankee has again asked a federal judge to decide whether federal law supersedes local zoning authority regarding the location of a dry-cask storage facility for spent nuclear fuel. In an attempt to get a court-sanctioned ruling in favor of the location it has chosen to store its highly radioactive used fuel, Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Company of Haddam Neck filed a federal lawsuit against the town Nov. 21. The town, the Board of Selectmen, Zoning Enforcement Officer Cynthia Williams and Building Official Alan Paskewich are defendants in the lawsuit. U.S. District Judge Alan Nevas dismissed an initial lawsuit filed by the company, which sought to overturn the Haddam Planning and Zoning Commission's December 2000 decision to deny the company's application to re-zone a 15-acre residential tract to construct a dry-cask used fuel storage facility. Within a week of Nevas' decision, which noted the company's case failed to present "a substantial, immediate and real controversy," the company filed for a building permit to construct the storage facility, which was denied. In search of a resolution, the company has filed another lawsuit, similar to its initial court complaint, against the town. The company has always believed its case rendered a real controversy, but "we believe now that there is even more (evidence) to support the argument that there is sufficient controversy," Connecticut Yankee spokeswoman Kelley Smith said, noting the town's decision to deny the building permit. While the company says the 15-acre wooded tract is the safest location on its 583-acre property, the town has argued the location violates the perimeters established by a 1962 Zoning Commission ruling, in which the land occupied by the nuclear power plant was zoned non-conforming use. The company closed the plant in 1996 and is required by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to clean up residual radioactive contamination as part of the decommissioning process. Smith said the impasse over where the facility will go has hindered the decommissioning process -- and time is money. "There is a potential for millions of dollars in damages as a result of the ongoing delays," Smith said, noting the clause is a precautionary measure to protect the electric rate-payers who are paying the decommissioning costs. The town and the company have agreed to continue court-sanctioned settlement discussions. ©The Middletown Press 2001 ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR WEAPONS ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 ATTACK ON AFGHANISTAN DIPLOMACY: US reviews how to stop spread of nuclear arms TERRORIST FEARS: Financial Times; Nov 30, 2001 By STEPHEN FIDLER A review of US efforts to help prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction from Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union is in its final stages, US officials told lawmakers yesterday. The Bush administration initiated the review soon after entering office but the issue has become more topical amid growing concerns about the acquisition of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons by terrorists such as Osama bin Laden. The aim is to stop the spread of materials that could be used to build such weapons, and to discourage former Soviet scientists from offering their services to the highest bidder. The administration has been criticised for cutting its budgets for efforts aimed at reducing the threat. Daniel Akaka, the Democratic chairman of the Senate subcommittee that held its hearing yesterday, welcomed President Bush's commitment to a big increase of assistance to Russia for dismantling such weapons. "This was a welcome first step. Unfortunately, the administration cut the budget for these programmes before completing its review," he said. The administration has denied making such cuts. However, the Russian American Nuclear Security Advisory Council, a think-tank aimed at encouraging non-proliferation activities, said the administration's 2002 budget request cut funding by Dollars 100m from the previous year. A bipartisan task force into the issue concluded that the funding for such programmes should be increased four-fold. Thad Cochran, a Republican senator, described the review as aiming to get the best value for the money being spent on such efforts, saying it was deceptive and misleading to say such funds had been reduced. "It's more important to look at these efforts on a programme-by-programme basis," he said. "Reviewed in this way, it's clear that the administration is increasing funds for programmes that are contributing to our national security and to the security of others as well." For example, no funds were requested to eliminate nuclear missile silos because they had already been eliminated, he said. The officials from the four US government departments involved in the programmes - State, Commerce, Defence and Energy - said the review had not affected their current operational efforts. One of them, Marshall Billingsley, deputy assistant secretary of defence for negotiations, sounded a note of concern about chemical weapons programmes. "We are concerned with the threat of chemical weapons proliferation, and are troubled by inadequate security and safety measures currently being maintained on stocks of chemical agent, and we have a programme that is addressing this concern," he said. Copyright: The Financial Times Limited 1995-1998 ***************************************************************** 2 ATTACK ON AFGHANISTAN DIPLOMACY: N Korea rejects Bush's demand for inspections NUCLEAR WEAPONS: Financial Times; Nov 30, 2001 By ANDREW WARD North Korea yesterday rejected US calls for inspections of its suspected nuclear weapons and threatened "counter measures" against Washington's stance. The comments escalated the war of words that has been building between Washington and Pyongyang in recent weeks, prompting speculation that the communist regime could be a future target of the US war against terrorism. On Monday, President George W. Bush demanded inspections of North Korea's arms and warned the country would be "held accountable" if it developed weapons of mass destruction. North Korea's state news agency said the request was "unreasonable" and proved that "some forces in the US do not want dialogue". "Under this situation, (North Korea) cannot sit idle but is left with no option but to take necessary countermeasures," it said, without explaining what those measures might be. North Korea is included in the Washington's list of terrorist-sponsoring nations and is suspected of stockpiling both nuclear and biochemical weapons. Most analysts doubt the US would extend its war against terrorism as far as North Korea but this week's verbal spat underlines the deterioration in relations since Mr Bush was elected. In recent weeks Washington has criticised Pyongyang for its human rights abuses and religious suppression. Mr Bush's tough approach has hampered attempts by South Korea, an ally of the US, to ease tensions on the divided peninsula, causing frustration in Seoul. On Tuesday, the two Koreas briefly exchanged gunfire across their heavily militarised border for the first time in three years. However, there have been some signs that North Korea is willing to end its international isolation. On Wednesday, the country signed a United Nations anti-terrorism treaty, backing-up its condemnation of the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington. Pyongyang is eager to be removed from the US list of terrorist sponsors because it restricts access to badly needed international loans and aid. North Korea was blamed for overseas terrorism against South Korean aircraft and government officials in the 1980s. It is also accused of harbouring international terrorists but is not thought to have strong links with Middle Eastern groups. North Korea, which has sealed itself off from the capitalist world since the end of the Korean war in 1953, is one of the "rogue states" that Washington has used to justify its proposed national missile defence shield. Copyright: The Financial Times Limited 1995-1998 ***************************************************************** 3 Bosnia: Italian army seizes nuclear material, four arrested BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 30, 2001 Text of report in English by Italian news agency ANSA web site Sarajevo, 30 November - [Italian] Carabinieri in the international peacekeeping force in Bosnia [Sfor], working with local police, have intercepted and seized nuclear material which Croatian smugglers planned to sell to international terrorists intent on making tactical nuclear weapons, sources here said. Four people were arrested in the operation which took place near Kiseljak, 30 km north of Sarajevo, in an area inhabited predominantly by Croats. Police seized a number of metal containers full of radioactive substances bearing the name of the former Yugoslav federal army. Source: ANSA news agency web site, Rome, in English 1330 gmt 30 Nov 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. ***************************************************************** 4 Prosecutor to ask for additional investigation? 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. As the Pasko-trial resumed on November 29, prosecutor Aleksandr Kondakov declared that he needed some days to prepare a statement to the Court. This has led to speculations about what kind of trick he is up to. Jon Gauslaa, 2001-11-29 23:48 Today the phonetic experts who were supposed to evaluate whether Pasko speaks on the FSB's recordings of his telephone conversations or not, were finally able to present their conclusion. It yielded no surprises. The experts could indeed confirm what Pasko said when the trial started back in July: it is him who does the talking. They also concluded that the FSB's transcripts of the recordings were fairly accurate. Supreme Court ruling attached to case file Since the experts only confirmed the obvious, Pasko's defence did not use much energy on interrogating them. In stead Ivan Pavlov requested the Court to attach the Supreme Court's recent ruling regarding decree 055:96, which is the normative act that the charges against Pasko is based on, to the case files. The request was granted. Whether or not the Pacific Fleet Court will attach importance to the Supreme Court ruling, which states that decree 055:96 is an "invalid and illegal" normative act since it has not been the subject to official state registration, is however another question. Russian law has not traditionally been based on precedents. Besides, it is literally speaking thousands of miles from Moscow to Vladivostok. Thus, one has no guarantee that the Pacific Fleet Court will feel obliged to follow the legal opinion of a Supreme Court ruling. Request for additional investigation? The judge then asked the participants of the trial to give their views about the conclusion of the investigative part of the trial. Pasko and the defence were ready to present their views on the spot, but first the prosecutor had to give his opinion. This led to some fierce arguing between the defence and the prosecutor, which ended with Kondakov asking for time until Monday to make up his mind regarding the written statements he wants to deliver to the court related to the said issue. The Court fulfilled his wish, and declared that the next court session will be held on December 3. The fact that the prosecutor, who has been very passive throughout the whole trial, suddenly hinted that he would deliver statements to the Court did naturally lead to some speculations about their content. - I suspect that the prosecutor might ask the Court to send the case back to the FSB for additional investigation, said Ivan Pavlov. Journalist 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, where the re-trial has been going on since July 11, 2001. 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 ***************************************************************** 5 Readmit Inspectors, President Tells Iraq; 'Or Else' Is Unstated November 27, 2001 A WARNING By ELISABETH BUMILLER WASHINGTON, Nov. 26 — President Bush warned Saddam Hussein today that if he did not admit United Nations inspectors to determine if Iraq is developing nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, he would face consequences. Mr. Bush declined for now to say what those might be. "He'll find out," Mr. Bush said. In issuing the threat, the president seemed to broaden his definition of terrorism to include the development of weapons that would "terrorize nations," a significant departure from the definition he used in an address to Congress in September about the purpose of the war. "If anybody harbors a terrorist, they're a terrorist," Mr. Bush said today. "If they fund a terrorist, they're a terrorist. If they house terrorists, they're terrorists. I mean, I can't make it any more clearly to other nations around the world. If they develop weapons of mass destruction that will be used to terrorize nations, they will be held accountable." Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said tonight that Mr. Hussein should hear Mr. Bush's words as "a very sober, chilling message." In an appearance on CNN on "Larry King Live," Secretary Powell added, "There are many options available to the international community and to the president." Mr. Bush's remarks came as his administration continues an internal debate over the next phase of the war, including whether it will undertake military action to try to oust Mr. Hussein. Mr. Bush has been criticized by conservative Republicans for not moving forcibly against Mr. Hussein, who has been accused of plotting to assassinate Mr. Bush's father and whose survival continues to torment Washington a decade after the Persian Gulf war. For his part, Mr. Bush insisted that he had not widened the definition of what his administration considers terrorism, even though he did not mention weapons of mass destructions in his speech to Congress. "Have I expanded the definition?" Mr. Bush said. "I've always had that definition, as far as I'm concerned." Mr. Bush made his remarks in a question-and-answer session with reporters after a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden welcoming two American Christian relief workers who were rescued this month by American forces in Afghanistan. The president, whom one missionary, Heather Mercer, praised as "such a man of God," repeated some of the same strong language that he first used last week in a speech to cheering members of the 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, Ky. "Afghanistan is still just the beginning" of the war on terrorism, Mr. Bush said today, emphasizing that Americans would die there. "It's going to happen," the president said. "I said this early on, as the campaign began: America must be prepared for loss of life. I believe the American people understand that we've got a mighty struggle on our hands and that there will be sacrifice." Mr. Bush added that "as for Mr. Hussein, he needs to let inspectors back in his country, to show us that he is not developing weapons of mass destruction." Other than this warning, the president gave no further hint of what course the war might take should Osama bin Laden be captured or killed and his Al Qaeda network be destroyed in Afghanistan. Iraq is the most conspicuous example of a country that either has or is suspected of developing nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, but it is not the only one. Mr. Bush also said today, "We want North Korea to allow inspectors in, to determine whether or not" North Korea is developing nuclear weapons. A showdown with North Korea in 1994 led the United States to reinforce its troops on the peninsula. The crisis was partly resolved with an agreement that froze the North's nuclear activity at one major site, but the Bush administration suspects there are additional plants capable of producing nuclear weapons. The United States has also said it strongly suspects Iran, Libya and Syria of developing biological weapons. In each of these cases, the White House appears to be laying the groundwork for demanding international inspections. What administration officials will do if the nations refuse is unclear. Iraq has refused to admit inspectors since 1998, when the Clinton administration and British forces responded with four nights of air and missile strikes against more than 100 targets, including military headquarters and air defenses. But Mr. Hussein remained in place. During the the 2000 presidential campaign, Mr. Bush and his advisers pledged to confront Mr. Hussein more aggressively than Mr. Clinton had. Significantly, those advisers included Secretary Powell and Vice President Dick Cheney, who had helped Mr. Bush's father oust Iraqi forces from Kuwait in the gulf war in 1991. In February of this year, barely a month in office, Mr. Bush ordered air strikes with Britain against Iraqi radar stations and air-defense command centers, calling the action a necessary response to Iraqi provocation. Since Sept. 11, a group of administration hard-liners has argued that the United States should move further against Iraq, but Secretary Powell has said there is no evidence linking Mr. Hussein to the Sept. 11 attacks and that the coalition against terrorism will not hold if Washington acts against Iraq. The secretary said on CNN tonight that he was working with Russia for a compromise on what the administration calls "smart sanctions" against Iraq, which are intended to let in civilian goods but not military ones. "What we don't want to have go in, are equipment that can be used for developing weapons of mass destruction," Secretary Powell said. "We're not doing this just to protect America, but to protect the region." Mr. Bush has so far seemed to endorse the views of Mr. Powell, and the president said again today that he remained focused on the war in Afghanistan. "We're going to make sure that we accomplish each mission that we tackle," Mr. Bush said. "First things first." Although Mr. Bush has been criticized by some conservatives for what they consider his hesitation in dealing with Mr. Hussein, Senator John W. Warner of Virginia, the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee, warned today about opening up another front in the war. "The principal focus should be on achieving the goals of this mission," Mr. Warner said in a news conference on Capitol Hill. Before tackling terrorism in a new country or region, Mr. Warner added, the administration should conduct "a complete reassessment with regard to coalition support." Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company | Privacy Information ***************************************************************** 6 U.S. Supports U.N. Anti-Nukes Push Las Vegas SUN November 30, 2001 VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Warning anew of the threat of nuclear-related terrorism, the United States on Friday pledged to support the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency's efforts to stop terrorists from obtaining nuclear material. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said the U.S. government is giving the International Atomic Energy Agency $1.2 million for the anti-terrorism effort while Washington discusses increasing its funding for the agency. U.S. contributions now make up roughly 25 percent of the agency's $300 million annual budget, IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said. Speaking to the agency's board of governors in Vienna, Abraham praised the organization's efforts to help countries increase security at nuclear facilities, calling its work "vital to the global war on terrorism." "The work the agency does to deny nuclear material and radioactive sources to terrorists and state sponsors of terrorism is an integral part of our effort to stem the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," Abraham said. After Sept. 11, the agency's director general, Mohamed ElBaradei, warned that terrorists could next try to attack nuclear plants or build radioactive bombs. Nuclear experts have warned that the collapse of the Soviet Union created a political vacuum that left some nuclear material unaccounted for. On Friday, ElBaradei asked the IAEA's wealthier members to increase the agency's budget by $30 million to $50 million annually so it can expand its efforts to help countries safeguard nuclear material. ElBaradei said the 133-member agency would use the money to help governments prevent theft of radioactive materials and increase border controls in order to prevent the smuggling of such material. "We have the solutions," ElBaradei said. "Now governments have to come up with the resources." The agency, which sets international standards for radiation protection, said it has evidence of 175 cases of trafficking in nuclear materials since 1993. All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 7 Man accused of trying to enter U.S. illegally [Las Vegas Review-Journal] Friday, November 30, 2001 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal A Pakistani man has been charged with trying to use a forged passport to enter the United States at McCarran International Airport. According to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court, Imtiaz Hussain was arrested Nov. 22 after he aroused the suspicions of an officer with the Immigration and Naturalization Service at McCarran. The complaint states that Hussain arrived in Las Vegas on a flight from London and presented an INS inspector with a British passport. The passport identified Hussain as a Ghazanfar Ali. The INS inspector determined Hussain appeared nervous and that an alteration had apparently been made to the photo on Hussain's passport. Under further questioning, Hussain acknowledged his true name and that he had previously tried to enter the United States legally but that he had been denied a visa. Hussain told authorities that he had paid a vendor in Pakistan $1,935 for the fake passport and other documents. The criminal complaint does not detail why Hussain was coming to this country. He remains in the custody of the INS. LAS VEGAS Data on radioactive products declassified National Nuclear Security Administration officials said they have completed a report that includes declassified data about radioactive products left from 828 below-ground nuclear weapons tests. The information was declassified to allow the public to understand the potential for groundwater contamination from detonation cavities at the Nevada Test Site, 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas. It will also serve as a tool for researchers who are tracking the contamination. Full-scale nuclear weapons tests were conducted at the test site from 1951 through 1992, with most underground tests occurring after 1963. The report will be available on the administration's Web site, www.nv.doe.gov. It was prepared by two national laboratories. This story is located at: http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2001/Nov-30-Fri-2001/news/17564360.html [http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2001/Nov-30-Fri-2001/news/17564360.html] ***************************************************************** 8 DOE warned about plutonium storage plans GreenvilleOnline.com - News November 29, 2001 - 12:44 pm e-mail this By James T. Hammond CAPITAL BUREAU jhammond@greenvillenews.com [jhammond@greenvillenews.com] COLUMBIA — A federal nuclear oversight panel has warned the U.S. Department of Energy that plans to store plutonium at South Carolina's Savannah River Site for 50 years are "impractical" because the "aged" facility "was never intended to provide more than interim storage." And in a Sept. 19 letter responding to John Conway, chairman of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said DOE is "confident that properly stabilized and packaged plutonium-bearing materials can be safely stored for up to 50 years." Gov. Jim Hodges, who has said he believes the Bush administration wants to bring the nation's plutonium waste to South Carolina and leave it here, said Wednesday that 50 years would amount to de facto permanent storage. "This indicates there is not a strong commitment to reprocessing this material and shipping it out to another location. That is totally contrary to what they agreed to do several years ago, and it is contrary to what they have been telling us," Hodges said. Department of Energy spokesman Joe Davis said the 50-year reference is a DOE standard of packaging longevity, and does not imply that the Bush administration intends to leave the material at SRS for 50 years. "We're not saying we are putting anything at Savannah River Site. It just means the package is certified for 50 years. We've always said we have a review under way and we are not close to shipping anything to SRS," Davis said. "It is our intention that the material that goes into SRS for treatment will be taken out of SRS for storage," Davis said. But the Democratic governor said he's not reassured that South Carolina won't be stuck with the plutonium beyond his lifetime. "This just further strengthens my resolve that South Carolina will have an iron-clad agreement with the Department of Energy before any plutonium reaches here. If we do not, we will all be dead and gone and the plutonium will still be sitting at SRS," Hodges said. House Speaker David Wilkins, who met with Undersecretary of Energy Robert Card in August about the plutonium shipments, said the letters did not change his view that the Bush administration "is committed to a reasonable exit strategy that will benefit the state of South Carolina." "I do not interpret that as a statement by DOE that we must keep it for 50 years," Wilkins said. Andy Davis, spokesman for U.S. Sen. Ernest F. Hollings, said Abraham's letters were "just another in a growing list of examples that DOE has no intention of honoring its agreement with South Carolina." DOE has said it plans to store the plutonium from Rocky Flats, Colo., and other nuclear weapons facilities in an obsolete reactor building at SRS, an "interim" solution of 10 years or less. Abraham also cited in his letter "the potential loss of the immobilization disposition pathway" for surplus plutonium. He said other, existing facilities might be used to dispose of the plutonium rather than a new facility at SRS that was promised in a 1998 agreement between South Carolina and the federal government. Hodges has threatened to use any means necessary, including roadblocks by the state Highway Patrol, to keep DOE from shipping surplus plutonium to South Carolina if the Bush administration plans to abandon the 1998 agreement to pay for new missions and jobs at SRS, and to eventually remove the plutonium to a permanent disposal site in another state. Abraham said in his letter the alternative methods will be "significantly less costly," but Hodges maintains the federal government should keep its word and stick to the plan that would eventually remove the highly toxic plutonium from South Carolina. Conway, of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, said in a Nov. 21 letter responding to Abraham's letter that his agency remains concerned about DOE's plans for plutonium disposal. "In its September 19, 2001, response to the Board's reporting requirements, DOE concluded that the possible extended storage (up to 50 years) of plutonium at SRS would not lead to any safety issues as long as the material was packaged to meet DOE-STD-3013." he wrote. He added, "The Board agrees that DOE-STD-3013 is an appropriate standard for stabilization and packaging of plutonium for long- term storage. However, the K-Area Material Storage (KAMS) facility, which will be relied upon for such storage at SRS, is an aged facility and was never intended to provide more than interim storage. "Maintaining KAMS for prolonged use beyond its design life could prove to be impractical." Latest news: Clemson awaits word from Humanitarian Bowl after Tangerine picks Wolfpack (Updated 6:20 pm) Copyright 2001 The Greenville News. ***************************************************************** 9 U.S. CONSIDERS NUKES TO DESTROY SADDAM'S WMD Middle East Newsline - Area News - Updated Daily WASHINGTON [MENL] -- The Bush administration is being quietly urged to develop low-yield nuclear bombs to destroy Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program. Industry sources said the administration is being lobbied by both the Pentagon and members of Congress to develop a new generation of low-yield nuclear weapons. The bombs would seek to destroy hardened targets in rogue states, particularly Iraq. The U.S. military, the sources said, have been largely unsuccessful in destroying the bunkers used by Saudi fugitive Osama Bin Laden in the mountains of Afghanistan. The U.S. Air Force has used the conventional GBU-28 bombs for such missions. Dr. Robert Nelson of the Federation of American Scientists disclosed the program during a conference on Nov. 8 in Washington. Nelson is regarded as close to the Pentagon and knowledgeable of classified military projects. NOTE: The above is not the full item. editor@menewsline.com [editor@menewsline.com] for further details. ***************************************************************** 10 Health official: No rush on IAAP flyover The Hawk Eye Newspaper [http://archive.thehawkeye.com] November 30, 2001 Iowa Time: 11:30 PM By Dennis J. Carroll The Hawk Eye • Senators, Vilsack have called for flyover of munitions plant. State radiological regulators reiterated their request Thursday for a low-level flyover of the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant, but, in an unexpected twist, said it would not matter if it wasn't done for 10 years. "If there's been any damage, it's already been done," said Dan McGhee, a health physicist with the radiological division of the Iowa Department of Public Health. In addition, McGhee said there is no evidence that people are currently being made ill from possible radioactive hazards at the plant. State officials, including Gov. Tom Vilsack and Iowa's U.S. Senators Charles Grassley and Tom Harkin, have been urging reluctant Army officials to conduct such a low-level flyover of the plant with sophisticated radiological detection gear. The two senators have said that if the Army continued to balk at a flyover, Congress would insist that it be done. The Army, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, had hesitated at conducting a flyover, contending it's unnecessary and wouldn't accomplish what its proponents claim. The EPA's project manager, Scott Marquess, said Thursday, an EPA study of flyovers concluded, among other things, that such a survey might be able to detect radiological hazards on the surface, but not very far under the ground. The idea would be a "fence to fence" search of the IAAP's sprawling 19,000 acres to discover whether there may be radiological hot spots left over from operations of the Atomic Energy Commission. The AEC assembled and in the later years test-fired components of nuclear weapons at the plant from the late 1940s to the mid-1970s. McGhee's remarks came at a meeting of the citizen panel, the Restoration Advisory Board, which monitors the Superfund cleanup at the plant, now expected to cost about $134 million. McGhee said large-scale "scoping survey" best accomplished by a flyover is necessary "to support the historical record." "Nobody can say whether (radiological hazards) are there or not," McGhee said. In a related matter, an Army Corps of Engineers official from St. Louis told the RAB that her office, the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program, has determined that existing and recently declassified documents indicate that the AEC operated on approximately 1,600 acres of the compound. Included were: • Line 1, where nuclear weapons were assembled. • Four firing sites, two of which still are contaminated with depleted uranium, the other two possibly with silver from the processing of X-ray films used to inspect the weapons. • The north burn pad landfill. • Explosives disposal areas. • Three storage yards, including three warehouses. • A deactivation furnace. • The security Command Center and Emergency Response Command Post. Sharon Cotner, FUSRAP project manager, said she expects that Congress will designate IAAP a FUSRAP cleanup site in February or March, which will provide another funding source for the plant restoration. "We're going to follow the contamination," Cotner said, suggesting that if AEC-produced hazardous materials lead off-site through streams or other sources they will be tracked down and cleaned up. "The contamination doesn't know property lines," Cotner said. In a cost update for RAB members, Rodger Allison, IAAP's environmental projects manager, said that since the late 1970s, about $67.5 million has been spent on cleanup at the plant; $5 million is to be spent in fiscal year 2002, and $58 million in the future through 2014, for a total of nearly $134 million. In a cost-savings for taxpayers, Kevin Howe, the Army Corps of Engineers project manager out of Omaha, Neb., noted that cleanup of about 6,000 cubic yards (8,000 tons) of explosives-contaminated soil from one part of the plant has ended up costing dramatically less than had been expected. Howe said a soil-restoration project conducted by Grace Bioremediation Technologies of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, reduced 45,000 pounds of explosives to less than 2,300 pounds of residual explosive compounds, and from contamination levels of 1,500 parts per million to less than 53 ppm. The cost of cleaning up that soil had been estimated at $260 to $440 per cubic yard. However, the actual cost was $167 per cubic yard. The process, using organic material and iron shavings, is expected to be used on other soil restoration projects at the plant. [http://www.thehawkeye.com/columns/index.html] The Hawk Eye 800 S. Main St., Burlington Iowa 52601 319-754-8461 Front Desk · 319-754-6824 FAX · 1-800-397-1708 Toll Free ***************************************************************** 11 Chao pleased with sick workers' compensation - The Paducah Sun Paducah, Kentucky Friday, November 30, 2001 By Joe Walker jwalker@paducahsun.com--270.575.8650 Labor Secretary Elaine Chao said she is pleased with the way claims are being paid to people who presumably got sick from radiation exposure while working at the Paducah uranium enrichment plant during the Cold War. Chao, who on Thursday visited the claims center off Blandville Road, said out of about 800 claims filed, 50 have been paid and about 70 more should be paid soon. The center opened in July to help workers or their spouses qualify for $150,000 and medical care if the employees suffer from specific cancers related to radiation exposure, silica or beryllium. Chao said rumors the center might close are untrue. The center not only will stay open as long as needed, but its role has expanded at least temporarily from intake to advocacy. "The bottom line is we want people to be taken care of and it seems to be going along very well," she said. "Just from my visits this (Thursday) afternoon, the clients who were in the lobby appear to be pleased. When you deal with any government bureaucracy, there is going to be frustration, but it's been good for them to have someone who has been able to shepherd them through." Chao also met privately with Boyd Young, president of Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers (PACE) International, who came to Paducah from union headquarters in Nashville, Tenn. Last week, nearly 700 PACE employees at the Paducah plant approved an 18-month contract with operator USEC Inc. The union and company are awaiting guidance from the Bush administration about how much the government will support continued operation of the plant, which is the nation's only uranium enrichment facility. Although Chao said she was unaware of the White House's stance, the union has said the administration is formalizing a plan to help keep the plant running. Turning to the aftermath of Sept. 11, Chao said the government has allocated about $150 billion to help with relief and jobs lost as a result of the terrorism. "The president has been very concerned about the economy and about unemployed workers," she said. ***************************************************************** 12 Up for Grabs - Nation doesn't need spending spree [http://www.paducahsun.com/] The Paducah Sun Paducah, Kentucky Friday, November 30, 2001 To get the flavor of the debate in Congress over President Bush's proposed anti-terrorism and economic stimulus bills, let's consider an excited remark attributed to U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va.: "It's an open grab bag, so let's grab!" Moran wants to "grab" several billion for transportation projects in his home state. These projects have little or nothing to do with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the war on terrorism. It appears the congressman hasn't gotten the message about national unity and self-sacrifice. The Sept. 11 attacks changed America, but it's not clear how much they changed the environment in Washington, D.C. For Moran and, unfortunately, many others in Congress, the national tragedy created a major political opportunity. Let's grab! The grabbers in the Senate are trying to load down the economic stimulus and anti-terrorism packages with all sorts of goodies. Most of the additional spending is for pork-barrel projects that offer no real help for the lagging national economy. President Bush has promised to veto a grab bag spending bill. He holds the high ground in this debate, and he should use his soaring popularity to block excessive spending by politically greedy congressional operators. The House narrowly approved the $20 billion anti-terrorism bill requested by Bush. This money, which would come on top of $20 billion allocated earlier, should be enough to cover the initial stage of the war in Afghanistan and recovery programs for New York City. Senate Democrats tried to pad the bill with $15 billion in additional spending. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle is backing off that request but he still is seeking at least $7 billion more than the president believes is necessary. In the aftermath of Sept. 11, no one disputes that substantial new funding is needed for the military and domestic security measures. With the nation at war and in a recession, balancing the federal budget no longer is a priority. But "grab bag" federal spending — spending that does not have the purpose of financing the war, stimulating the economy or improving domestic security — is still unwise. The federal government is expected to run a deficit of at least $50 billion at the end of the current fiscal year. Bush's budget director says deficit spending will continue for at least the next several years. Under the circumstances, deficits are justified. All serious economists agree the ailing economy needs a boost from government. However, if Senate Democrats have their way, deficit spending will return with a vengeance — and continue well beyond the war on terrorism and the recession. Robert Bixby, the executive director of a bipartisan group of budget hawks, told Knight-Ridder's Washington reporters, "The key question, really, is not whether we have deficits this year or next year, but whether or not we plunge back into an era of sustained deficits. It's very difficult to reimpose fiscal discipline." That's why President Bush must fight to maintain fiscal discipline. Democrats and some opportunistic Republicans are trying to use the national crisis as cover for runaway spending on projects that could not survive public debate in ordinary times. Sen. Fritz Hollings of South Carolina wants to pour more than $4 billion into Amtrak, a perennial money loser. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nevada, is pushing for at least a billion to establish "magnetic levitation" rail service between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. A number of senators and congressmen are suggesting we can pave the way to national security by pumping up federal highway funding. It's time for Congress to close the grab bag and focus on what's really important: the war and the economy. ***************************************************************** 13 Facility would convert uranium 'to something more stable' Portsmouth Daily Times Portsmouth, Ohio DOE plan might bring 350 jobs By Josh Hickle Times Staff Writer Thursday, November 29, 2001 Piketon - The United States Department of Energy hosted a public meeting Wednesday night at the Vern Riffe Vocational School to announce the intent of preparing an environmental impact statement for the construction of depleted uranium conversion facilities in Portsmouth, Ohio and Paducah, Ky. "There is no facility at Portsmouth or Paducah that can do what we need to do," said Kevin Shaw, DOE spokesperson, "We need to take the depleted uranium hexaflouride and convert its chemical form to something more stable."Shaw said the facilities will be constructed on plant grounds. Once the facilities are completed, there is a possibility for a number of jobs for the area. "I would say it would depend on how many shifts they run and days they operate," Shaw said. " I guess it could be as much as 300 to 350 jobs at both sites," During the meeting, a presentation was given on how the statement will be put together. The public was encouraged to comment, and raise concerns for future reference. Among the issues raised was the off-site contamination of air, water, and soil by Vina Colley. In addition, water quality and wildlife effects were also questioned. The first draft of the statement is scheduled for June 2002, with final draft scheduled for January 2003. Construction of the facility is scheduled to begin by 2004. The deadline for comments has been extended to Jan.11, 2002. Comments are to be mailed to Shaw at the U.S. Department of Energy, office of Environmental Management, Office of Site Closure, Oak Ridge Office (EM-32), 19901 Germantown Rd, Germantown, MD 20874 ©2001 - The Portsmouth Daily Times ***************************************************************** 14 US DOE DUF6 Public Meeting - Submitted by Graham E. Mitchell Ohio EPA Comments - Ohio EPA Comments US DOE DUF6 Public Meeting November 28, 2001 Since the late 1980's Ohio EPA has been concerned about the long term management issues with the thousands of depleted uranium hexafluoride (DUF6) cylinders currently in storage at the Portsmouth site. The problems with this aging population of cylinders will only get worse over time and the cost of managing them will continue to increase. When problems with cylinder management at the Portsmouth site became apparent, Ohio EPA cited DOE in 1990 with violations of Ohio hazardous waste regulations. To resolve the ensuing enforcement case against DOE, Ohio EPA and DOE signed orders in 1998 that set forth how DOE must manage the cylinders at the Portsmouth site. The orders require DOE to regularly inspect, test and maintain the cylinders and cylinder yards, and to clean up DUF6 that might be released in the event of a breached cylinder. The orders also included a contingency plan in the event of an emergency involving DUF6. In addition, the orders required DOE to make good faith efforts to evaluate the potential use or reuse of the DUF6. As part of these good faith efforts, DOE is now evaluating various alternatives to convert the DUF6 into a safer form for long-term storage or disposal. For the past several years representatives from Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee have been meeting with DOE to address the problems that exist with these cylinders in all three states. In general, we support DOE's preferred alternative of building two conversions plants, one at Portsmouth and one at Paducah. We also agree that the DUF6 cylinders currently stored in Oak Ridge, should be safely transported to Portsmouth for conversion after the conversion plants are built. Through this NEPA process, we are very interested in hearing from stakeholders and other interested parties about the best alternatives to convert and manage the DUF6 inventory. There are many very important issues to resolve related to the safe conversion, storage of by-products, transportation and disposal options. We look forward to your input into this process. Thank you. Submitted by Graham E. Mitchell, Ohio EPA, 937-285-6018 ***************************************************************** 15 US wins defeat of uranium study By Irwin Arieff, Reuters, 11/30/2001 UNITED NATIONS - After lobbying by Washington, the General Assembly rejected yesterday an Iraqi proposal that the UN study the effects of the depleted-uranium shells used by US-led forces in the Gulf War. Baghdad has insisted for years that there is a link between the depleted uranium used in armor-piercing weapons during the 1991 war and an increase in the number of Iraqis with leukemia and other kinds of cancer. Iraq's Health Ministry has said that cancer cases rose to 10,931 in 1997 from 6,555 in 1989, especially in areas bombed during the war, in which a US-led coalition drove Iraq out of Kuwait after it invaded its oil-rich neighbor. The 189-nation General Assembly voted down the Iraqi plan 45-54, with 45 abstentions. The assembly's committee on disarmament and international security had approved the plan earlier this month, 49-45. Diplomats credited a lobbying campaign by Washington for the turnaround. Acting at Baghdad's request, the World Health Organization began an in-depth study this year of the health impact of depleted-uranium munitions used in Iraq. Baghdad has cited studies saying that coalition forces used 944,000 depleted-uranium shells against Iraq during the Gulf War. A resolution drafted by Iraq said the shells had spread radioactive particles and chemical dust over large areas and contaminated ''animal and plant life and the soil.'' It asked UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to survey UN member nations and relevant outside groups ''on all aspects of the effects of the use of depleted-uranimum armaments'' and submit a report on his findings to the assembly next year. The use of ammunition containing depleted uranium sparked a furor across Europe earlier this year, after some allied peacekeepers in Bosnia and Kosovo said they had developed leukemia because of exposure to the material. NATO and many health officials have denied that the munitions cause cancer. This story ran on page A19 of the Boston Globe on 11/30/2001. © Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company. ***************************************************************** 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: *****************************************************************