***************************************************************** 4/08/02 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 10.89 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POLICY 1 Russia demands US prove Iran deal poses threat 2 Minister confirms Russia to supply nuclear fuel to USA 3 US: US nuclear agency steps up post September 11 security 4 Proposed reactor faces new rules 5 US: US companies eye early permits for nuclear sites 6 Russia to Resume Nuclear Shipments 7 North Korean atomic energy delegation returns from Russia 8 Vietnam to build first-ever nuclear power plant 9 Proposed reactor faces new rules NUCLEAR REACTORS 10 Czech minister "rules out" delay in putting Temelin power plant 11 Bulgaria plans to resume construction of second nuclear plant 12 US: Turkey Point license renewal review 13 US: NRC Makes Preliminary Finding of "High Safety Significance" For 14 US: NRC to Meet with SCE to Discuss Safety Performance at Songs 15 US: NRC to Meet with PG&E to Discuss Safety Performance at Diablo 16 US: NRC to Meet with Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Co. To Discuss 17 AU: There are better alternatives than a new nuclear reactor,say 18 Second Bulgarian nuclear plant would take six-seven years to 19 Lithuania should close nuclear plant by 2009 - Danish speaker 20 Bulgarian president stresses link between EU entry and closing 21 Alarm due to plane overflying Czech nuclear plant NUCLEAR SAFETY 22 US: Nuclear Escape Route 23 Pakistan nuclear safety dialogue NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 24 US: Nevada Gov. Guinn Declares 'The Battle Begins' As He Vetoes Yucc 25 US: Nevada steps up movement against N-waste 26 US: Goshutes can't manage N-waste 27 US: Nevada Lobbies Against Nuclear Dump 28 US: Storing of N-waste fuels debate 29 US: Guinn's Yuccaburg Address 30 US: Nevada ready to begin campaign in Congress to kill nuclear dump 31 US: Anti-Yucca drive heads to Congress 32 US: Guinn vetoes Yucca dump 33 US: Guinn to meet with lawmakers over budget cuts 34 US: W. Valley group plans for meeting 35 US: Nevada governor takes veto to Washington to kill nuclear dump NUCLEAR WEAPONS 36 US: Imagining the Unimaginable 37 Japan 'could build 7,000 nuclear bombs' 38 Putin Alarmed by U.S. Nuke Proposals 39 US: End the cold war for good US DEPT. OF ENERGY 40 Workers at Rocky Flats sue Kaiser-Hill 41 Terror rejuvenates New Mexico weapons labs 42 Isotope discovery sends BNFL workers home OTHER NUCLEAR ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 Russia demands US prove Iran deal poses threat RUSSIA: April 8, 2002 MOSCOW - Russia challenged the United States last week to produce proof it was transferring sensitive technology to Iran or let the two countries get on with their relations. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, at a news conference with his Iranian counterpart Kamal Kharrazi, called on Washington to show hard evidence for its claims that Moscow's growing nuclear cooperation with Tehran posed a threat to the United States. "If there are any concerns, we are ready to look into them. But for that we need facts, not words. And no facts have been presented," Ivanov said. "And after all, (nuclear deals) are a matter of our bilateral relations." The two ministers were talking at the end of Kharrazi's two-day Russian visit, which focused on fighting terrorism, completing Iran's Bushehr nuclear power station and finding common ground on carving up the oil-rich Caspian Sea. The United States, which has branded Iran part of an "axis of evil", is watching with growing dismay as Russian engineers proceed with work on the $800 million Bushehr project, due to become operational in 2005. Russia was the only country to agree to finish work on Iran's sole nuclear power station in Bushehr. Tehran now wants Moscow to build a second reactor in addition to the one initially planned, causing further alarm in Washington. Moscow, trying to tread a thin line between pursuing closer ties with Washington following the September 11 suicide attacks and reaping lucrative deals in Iran, says it has yet to decide whether to go ahead with the expanded project. Ivanov tried to soothe U.S. fears about suspected transfer of dual technologies to Iran, saying this was made impossible by international monitoring of the project. "We strictly abide by all international obligations and all nuclear programmes are under international control," he said. DIVIDING THE RICHES Dividing Caspian Sea riches was another matter high on Kharrazi's agenda. The issue became a problem after the breakup of the Soviet Union left Tehran dealing with four nations - Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Russia and Kazakhstan - bordering the Caspian, rather than only with Moscow, with which it had a special accord. Redistributing the Caspian's huge mineral resources has proved a stumbling block to large investment projects. The two ministers did not say whether they had forged a compromise, but they expressed hope that progress could be made at a summit of the five Caspian Sea states planned for late April. Ivanov and Kharrazi said the two sides had also discussed terrorism and escalating violence in the Middle East. Ivanov said Moscow supported U.S. President George W. Bush's decision to send Secretary of State Colin Powell to the region, while Kharrazi said he hoped Muslim nations would heed a call by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for a symbolic one-month oil embargo on the West. Story by Andrei Shukshin REUTERS NEWS SERVICE ***************************************************************** 2 Minister confirms Russia to supply nuclear fuel to USA BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Apr 8, 2002 Text of report in English by Russian news agency Interfax Moscow, 8 April: The Russian Atomic Energy Ministry plans to begin supplying low-enriched nuclear fuel made from war-grade uranium to the United States in April, Atomic Energy Minister Aleksandr Rumyantsev has told Interfax. He said the sides had begun drafting the agreement and a schedule for supplies during the administration of former US President Bill Clinton. It took the administration of George W. Bush a certain amount of time to study the matter and, therefore, deliveries were delayed. Source: Interfax news agency, Moscow, in English 0743 gmt 8 Apr 02 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. ***************************************************************** 3 US nuclear agency steps up post September 11 security USA: April 8, 2002 WASHINGTON - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said last week it was stepping up its oversight of security risks at the nation's 103 nuclear power plants by developing contingency plans for emergencies and assessing potential terrorist threats. Since the deadly Sept. 11 attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center, several lawmakers have urged the federal government to improve security at the plants, which could be attractive targets for airplane hijackers bent on releasing clouds of radioactive material. Critics have also complained that nuclear plant employees and contractors should be screened more closely. The NRC said beginning on the weekend, its new Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response will work closely with the White House's Office of Homeland Security to protect U.S. plants. The move is part of a top-to-bottom security review the NRC launched after the Sept. 11 attacks. "The NRC has concluded that a centralized security organization is a more effective and efficient way of organizing security activities," the agency said in a statement. The NRC is holding a public meeting on Monday to discuss nuclear plant security concerns. Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network have been blamed for the Sept. 11 hijacked plane attacks that felled the World Trade Center and punched a hole in the Pentagon. Until now, the NRC's Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards has overseen security programs for nuclear fuel facilities and materials, transportation and disposal. Meanwhile, the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation has overseen nuclear plants and spent nuclear fuel facilities. The new office will combine those tasks and develop contingency plans for emergencies, the NRC said. It will also oversee threat assessment and NRC counterintelligence and classified documents. REUTERS NEWS SERVICE ***************************************************************** 4 Proposed reactor faces new rules Thestar.com/ Mon Apr 8, 2002 - Updated at 07:54 PM Environmental checks outlined for Darlington fusion experiment Peter Calamai Science Reporter OTTAWA — A $12-billion nuclear fusion experiment planned for a site east of Toronto will have to pass a marginally stricter environmental check than first proposed, federal nuclear safety regulators said. But the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission ducked the core issue raised by opponents of the controversial ITER project — whether the project is actually needed for national energy security. The question of need doesn't have to be examined under federal environmental law and was beyond the commission's mandate, the agency said in a formal decision posted on its Web site. "Other political and economic processes exist to address this matter," the agency said Friday. However, both Ottawa and Ontario are already supporting the costly project without any debate by lawmakers. The province has pledged $300 million toward Canada's estimated $2-billion share of what is formally called the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). Negotiations are still under way between four international partners — Canada, Russia, Japan and the European Community — to pick the site for the experiment. Canada's is the only formal bid so far and a decision is expected by the end of the year. Canada's proposal is for a site beside the Darlington nuclear power station 60 kilometres east of Toronto. Acknowledging that the fusion experiment "is unique and involving a technology for which regulators and the public have little past practical experience," the nuclear commission demanded more details about the backers and also more details about the operational, physical, chemical and radiological aspects of the proposed facility. Three separate not-for-profit corporations are involved in promoting and overseeing ITER. While universities, government and trade unions are represented, industry concerns dominate. The project involves building a 13-storey concrete and steel chamber containing superconducting magnets to artificially create a miniature version of the sun with ionized gases reaching temperatures of more than 100 million degrees Celsius. A March meeting of the nuclear safety commission reviewed written objections from environmentalists who rapped ITER as "an expensive and hazardous high-tech fantasy." Two commission members complained at the meeting that the information available was too skimpy to make an informed decision. Legal Notice:- Copyright 1996-2002. Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All ***************************************************************** 5 US companies eye early permits for nuclear sites USA: April 8, 2002 SAN FRANCISCO - Several energy companies are taking early steps that might lead to licensing the first nuclear power plant in the U.S. since the Three Mile Island disaster in 1979, although the plans appear likely to remain on the drawing boards for the next few years. The move comes amid growing concern about safety and potential terrorist threats against the reactors. Dominion Resources Inc. said last week it told the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission this week it intends to seek an early site permit for a possible new reactor at its two-unit North Anna power plant in Virginia. "We want to keep our options open, but we have no plans to build a new nuclear power plant," said Dominion Resources spokesman Richard Zuercher. "We're more interested in demonstrating the process than building anything," he said, adding that Dominion plans to apply for an early site permit in autumn 2003. An early site permit allows a company to "bank" the land for up to 20 years for possibly building a new reactor - without having to specify the reactor type or committing to construction. The program, launched by the NRC in 1999 to smooth the way for new reactors, has not yet been tested. Exelon Nuclear, the largest nuclear fleet operator in the country and a unit of Exelon Corp., has said it intends to submit an early site bid by June 30, 2003. A company spokesman said Exelon will identify the site, or sites, by June 30 this year. And a spokesman for Entergy Corp., the nation's second largest operator of nuclear plants, said the company is "actively" considering filing one or two early site permits. "All three have indicated some interest in filing an early site permit, but nobody has formally done anything," NRC spokesman Victor Dricks told Reuters. A LONG PROCESS Although plans are preliminary, the fact that three utilities are considering permits is a big step for an industry that has been virtually in a deep freeze for decades. No commercial nuclear power plant has been ordered in the U.S. since the 1979 Three Mile Island accident when there was a partial meltdown of the reactor core. And new problems are raising questions about the future of atomic reactors. Corrosion in a massive piece of carbon steel atop the reactor at FirstEnergy Corp.'s Davis-Besse plant in Ohio has alarmed regulators. The NRC said today the problem represents an "unacceptable reduction of the margin of safety" at the plant. The NRC is reviewing 68 similar reactors in the U.S. fleet of 103 nuclear plants, which provide one-fifth of the nation's electricity. Moreover, the NRC also said today it was stepping up its oversight of security risks at nuclear plants by developing contingency plans for emergencies and assessing potential terrorist threats in light of the Sept. 11 attacks. Despite these concerns, the NRC's Dricks said "We think chances are very good that someone will choose to build a new nuclear plant, whereas a few years ago that didn't seem possible." Dominion's Zuercher, who does not see anyone announcing plans to build a new nuclear plant in the next few years, believes the euphoria of last summer, when there was talk of building new nuclear plants for the first time in decades, stemmed from unrealistic expectations. To build new nuclear plants, costs would have to be competitive with those of other types of plants, a permanent storage facility for nuclear waste would have to be in place and the government would have to be committed to supporting new reactors, he said. Even if companies decide to apply for an early site permit, the process could be lengthy and expensive. Zuercher said it would take about 18 months to produce an application, and an NRC evaluation could take one year to 18 months. Story by Vibeke Laroi REUTERS NEWS SERVICE ***************************************************************** 6 Russia to Resume Nuclear Shipments Las Vegas SUN Today: April 08, 2002 at 1:55:12 PDT MOSCOW (AP) - Russia will resume shipments of nuclear fuel from Soviet-era weapons to the United States this month for use in U.S. power plants, after months of debate over prices, Russia's nuclear energy minister said Monday. The shipments are part of a U.S.-funded program aimed at keeping nuclear materials out of terrorists' hands. The Russian fuel accounts for about half the low-enriched uranium used in U.S. nuclear plants. The program appeared to be in jeopardy after the previous contract for the fuel expired at the end of last year. USEC Inc., the U.S. government-appointed middleman that buys the fuel and resells it to American utility companies, and its Russian counterpart, Tenex, were at loggerheads over prices in the new contract. After protracted negotiations, officials from both countries reached a deal in February. "We reached a compromise, and as a result, the real supplies will start in April," Russian Nuclear Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev was quoted by the Interfax-Military News Agency as saying Monday. He did not give a specific date. He said Russia would receive about $500 million annually under the new deal. The program has already funded the destruction of 5,600 Soviet-era nuclear warheads. Under the February deal, the price USEC would pay for the nuclear fuel would fluctuate with the markets annually and would be based on a three-year average. USEC had argued that the old, fixed price was too high and too inflexible. The Bethesda, Md.-based company is a former government entity that was privatized in 1998. All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 7 North Korean atomic energy delegation returns from Russia BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Apr 8, 2002 Text of report by North Korean radio on 6 April Our country's General Bureau of Atomic Energy delegation, headed by General Director Yi Che-son, returned home on 6 April after participating in a meeting of the plenipotentiary government representatives of the member nations of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, which was held in Dubna, Russia. The delegation was greeted by concerned functionaries. Source: Central Broadcasting Station, Pyongyang, in Korean 1300 gmt 6 Apr 02 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. ***************************************************************** 8 Vietnam to build first-ever nuclear power plant BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Apr 8, 2002 Text of report by Vietnamese radio text web site on 6 April Vietnam will build its first-ever atomic power plan in the central province of Phu Yen in 15 years at an estimated cost of 3bn dollars. A survey for construction of the plant will be completed soon. Assistance in term of manpower and capital sources will be provided by the International Atomic Energy Agency and governments of Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Germany. They also expressed willingness to help Vietnam in planning and construction of the plant. Source: Voice of Vietnam text web site, Hanoi, in Vietnamese 6 Apr 02 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. ***************************************************************** 9 Proposed reactor faces new rules [Thestar.com] Mon Apr 8, 2002 - Updated at 07:54 PM Apr. 8, 2002. 01:00 AM Environmental checks outlined for Darlington fusion experiment Peter Calamai Science Reporter OTTAWA — A $12-billion nuclear fusion experiment planned for a site east of Toronto will have to pass a marginally stricter environmental check than first proposed, federal nuclear safety regulators said. But the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission ducked the core issue raised by opponents of the controversial ITER project — whether the project is actually needed for national energy security. The question of need doesn't have to be examined under federal environmental law and was beyond the commission's mandate, the agency said in a formal decision posted on its Web site. "Other political and economic processes exist to address this matter," the agency said Friday. However, both Ottawa and Ontario are already supporting the costly project without any debate by lawmakers. The province has pledged $300 million toward Canada's estimated $2-billion share of what is formally called the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). Negotiations are still under way between four international partners — Canada, Russia, Japan and the European Community — to pick the site for the experiment. Canada's is the only formal bid so far and a decision is expected by the end of the year. Canada's proposal is for a site beside the Darlington nuclear power station 60 kilometres east of Toronto. Acknowledging that the fusion experiment "is unique and involving a technology for which regulators and the public have little past practical experience," the nuclear commission demanded more details about the backers and also more details about the operational, physical, chemical and radiological aspects of the proposed facility. Three separate not-for-profit corporations are involved in promoting and overseeing ITER. While universities, government and trade unions are represented, industry concerns dominate. The project involves building a 13-storey concrete and steel chamber containing superconducting magnets to artificially create a miniature version of the sun with ionized gases reaching temperatures of more than 100 million degrees Celsius. A March meeting of the nuclear safety commission reviewed written objections from environmentalists who rapped ITER as "an expensive and hazardous high-tech fantasy." Two commission members complained at the meeting that the information available was too skimpy to make an informed decision. Toronto Star Newspapers ***************************************************************** 10 Czech minister "rules out" delay in putting Temelin power plant into service BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Apr 7, 2002 Vienna: "Good, open, friendly" is how Czech Environment Minister Milos Kuzvart describes the relations between the Czech Republic and Austria - after months of heated controversy over the Temelin nuclear power plant in southern Bohemia, which climaxed in the petition for a referendum initiated by the Freedom Party of Austria in January. "There is no reason to assume that these relations should be anything but normal and very good." An example of this are the "varied contacts between the mayors" of towns near the border. Kuzvart rules out that the environmental compatibility check of 78 changes to the nuclear power plant will lead to a delay in putting the power plant into service. "I have taken a very close look at the documentation of these changes. There is not yet a final assessment (and thus no official notice - the editor), but I rule out a delay."... Source: Die Presse, Vienna, in German 6 Apr 02 p 7 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. ***************************************************************** 11 Bulgaria plans to resume construction of second nuclear plant BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Apr 7, 2002 Text of report in English by Bulgarian news agency BTA web site Sofia, 6 April: Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, prime minister and leader of the Simeon II National Movement (SND), said on Saturday [6 April] that the government plans to resume the construction of the nuclear power plant at Belene [suspended in the early 1990s over environmental considerations] by meeting all modern standards for safety and reliability. This will guarantee Bulgaria's energy independence over the next decades, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha said in his closing address to the participants in the constituent meeting of the SND party. Bulgaria will continue to be one of the major energy sources in the Balkans, he said. "Observing the agreement reached with the European Union, including the commitments assumed by this country's previous governments, we will not betray the national interests in the field of nuclear power generation," the prime minister said. "The projects, the financing of which has been guaranteed and which will improve Bulgaria's infrastructure and communications in the next three years, total over 1bn euros; one-third of this amount will be provided under the European Union programmes," Saxe-Coburg-Gotha said. One of these projects is the construction of a second bridge across the Danube at Vidin Calafat, he said. "Today Bulgaria faces the challenge of taking the place it deserves among the EU member states, that is why we will be persistent and consistent in all our efforts, and loyal in honouring our commitments," Saxe-Coburg-Gotha said in his speech. In his words, a decisive step towards improvement of people's living standards is the creation of new jobs and the implementation of a comprehensive strategy for the development of the Bulgarian economy. Source: BTA web site, Sofia, in English 1956 gmt 6 Apr 02 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. ***************************************************************** 12 Turkey Point license renewal review Sun-Sentinel: Opinion Critic missed meetings, reports - but more to come By Steve Hale Posted April 8 2002 "Public ought to take an interest," made me think that the author must be new to South Florida. Stan Smilan wondered why he was the only member of the public to appear and offer comment on license renewal for Florida Power & Light Co.'s Turkey Point nuclear power plant. He also urged that the process for license renewal proceed slowly to allow more local involvement.The license renewal process for Turkey Point began four years ago. A team of FPL engineers spent two years conducting a safety analysis and environmental review before submitting an application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. NRC experts have taken another two years to review the application, conduct their own analysis, inspect the plant and hold multiple public meetings to take comments from our neighbors. Perhaps the writer missed the media coverage, as well as several Web site announcements and was not aware that the NRC held several well-attended public meetings in Homestead and Florida City. More than 50 representatives from government, businesses and community organizations spoke in support of license renewal. It was an overwhelming show of support from the community and we are grateful. The license renewal process has been well covered in the media. Plant employees have met with more than 70 organizations in the local community to discuss the license renewal. This community dialogue is ongoing and an important part of the process. In the past few months, the NRC issued reports confirming that there are no safety or environmental issues posed by Turkey Point license renewal. The NRC will be completing its review within the next several months and has offered additional opportunities for comment. We are pleased to be a part of this open process that allows our neighbors not only to take an interest, but also to have an active role. The author is license renewal project manager for Florida Power & Light Co. Copyright © 2002, South Florida Sun-Sentinel Sun-Sentinel.comQuestions or comments? | Paid archives | Start a ***************************************************************** 13 NRC Makes Preliminary Finding of "High Safety Significance" For Cooling System Problem at Point Beach Nuclear Power Station NRC: Press Release Region III - 2002 - 17 - U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region III 801 Warrenville Road, Lisle IL 60532 www.nrc.gov No. III-02-017 April 8, 2002 CONTACT: Jan Strasma (630) 829-9663 Pam Alloway-Mueller (630) 829-9662 E-mail: opa3@nrc.gov [opa3@nrc.gov] The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has made a preliminary finding for an auxiliary cooling system problem at the Point Beach Nuclear Power Station as being of "high safety significance" in an inspection completed in February. The two-reactor facility, located near Two Rivers, Wisconsin, is operated by Nuclear Management Company. NRC inspectors determined that an auxiliary cooling water system might fail to function under certain abnormal conditions. Normal plant operations were not affected by the problem, which was initially discovered by plant personnel in November of last year. The utility took prompt corrective actions to revise procedures and train reactor operators to address the immediate safety concerns. The auxiliary feedwater system was subsequently modified to further correct the problem. The NRC staff will hold a Regulatory Conference in the next several weeks with representatives of Nuclear Management Company in the NRC Regional Office in Lisle, Illinois, to discuss the safety significance of the cooling system problem. The date of the meeting, which will be open to the public, will be announced later. NRC inspection findings are evaluated with a four step assessment of their safety significance, ranging from "green" for a finding of minor significance, through "white" and "yellow" to "red," for a finding of high safety significance. The NRC's preliminary evaluation determined the cooling system problem to be a "red" finding. Information presented by the utility in the Regulatory Conference will be used by the NRC staff, along with its inspection findings, to determine the final safety significance of the problem. "Red" inspection findings can lead to additional NRC inspections and further meetings with the utility to review plant performance. Plant personnel found the problem, which affected both reactor units, while evaluating the risks associated with various equipment conditions. The auxiliary feedwater system is used to safely shut down the reactor if problems occur during plant operations and to continue removing heat from the reactor after shutdown. There are four pumps in the auxiliary feedwater system, two driven by steam turbines and two by electric motors. One turbine-driven pump is associated with each reactor, and the two motor-driven pumps serve either unit. When the pumps are operating, they require a minimum flow of water to prevent damage to the pumps. Each pump has a recirculation pipe that provides a continuous flow of water through the pump. Flow in this recirculation line is controlled by a valve that is operated by pressurized air; if the pressurized air system fails, the valves are designed to close automatically. The problem found by utility personnel could occur if the auxiliary cooling system were needed to maintain reactor cooling and if the pressurized air system failed because of equipment damage, a loss of electrical power, or seismic damage. The air system failure would shut the valves and stop the protective recirculation flow through the auxiliary pumps. The auxiliary pumps are designed to start automatically, when needed, but the pump flow must be subsequently adjusted by reactor operators to meet reactor cooling requirements. As reactor operators reduce or stop the flow from one or more of the pumps, according to standard emergency procedures, the pumps could be damaged because of the lack of adequate water flow in the system.. This damage could affect the ability of the auxiliary feedwater system to continue to remove heat from the reactor system under the abnormal conditions. The details of the NRC inspection findings are discussed in Inspection Report 2001-17 which will be available online in the NRC's electronic reading room. This report -- with the accession number ML020950889 -- may be viewed in the NRC's ADAMS document system, accessible at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. ***************************************************************** 14 NRC to Meet with SCE to Discuss Safety Performance at Songs NRC: Press Release Region IV - 2002 - 19 - U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region IV 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 400, Arlington TX 76011 www.nrc.gov No. IV-02-019 April 5, 2002 CONTACT: Breck Henderson Phone: 817-860-8128 Cellular: 817-917-1227 E-mail: opa4@nrc.gov [opa4@nrc.gov] The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of Southern California Edison Co. on Tuesday, April 16, to discuss the results of the agency's annual assessment of safety performance at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. The facility, which includes two operating reactors, is located near San Clemente, Calif., and is operated by SCE. The meeting, which will be open to the public for observation, is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at San Clemente Inn, 2600 Avenida del Presidente, San Clemente. NRC staff will be available before the meeting is adjourned to answer any questions from the public. A letter sent from NRC Region IV to SCE addresses plant performance during the period April 1 to December 31, 2001, and will serve as the basis for the meeting discussion. It is available on the NRC web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/sano_2001q4.pdf. Current performance information for SONGS Unit 2 is available on the NRC web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/SANO2/sano2_chart.html. SONGS Unit 3 information is available at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/SANO3/sano3_chart.html ***************************************************************** 15 NRC to Meet with PG&E to Discuss Safety Performance at Diablo Canyon NRC: Press Release Region IV - 2002 - 20 - U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region IV 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 400, Arlington TX 76011 www.nrc.gov No. IV-02-020 April 5, 2002 CONTACT: Breck Henderson Phone: 817-860-8128 Cellular: 817-917-1227 E-mail: opa4@nrc.gov [opa4@nrc.gov] The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of Pacific Gas & Electric Co. on Wednesday, April 17, to discuss the results of the agency's annual assessment of safety performance at Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. The facility, which includes two operating reactors, is located near San Luis Obispo, Calif., and is operated by PG&E. The meeting, which will be open to the public for observation, is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at Embassy Suites Hotel, 333 Madonna Rd., San Luis Obispo. NRC staff will be available before the meeting is adjourned to answer any questions from the public. A letter sent from NRC Region IV to PG&E addresses plant performance during the period April 1 to December 31, 2001, and will serve as the basis for the meeting discussion. It is available on the NRC web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/diab_2001q4.pdf. Current performance information for Diablo Canyon Unit 1 is available on the NRC web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/DIAB1/diab1_chart.html. Diablo Canyon Unit 2 information is available at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/DIAB2/diab2_chart.html ***************************************************************** 16 NRC to Meet with Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Co. To Discuss Safety Performance at Wolf Creek NRC: Press Release Region IV - 2002 - 21 - U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region IV 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 400, Arlington TX 76011 www.nrc.gov No. IV-02-021 April 5, 2002 CONTACT: Breck Henderson Phone: 817-860-8128 Cellular: 817-917-1227 E-mail: opa4@nrc.gov [opa4@nrc.gov] The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Co. on Thursday, April 18, to discuss the results of the agency's annual assessment of safety performance at Wolf Creek Nuclear Station. The facility is located near Burlington, Kansas, and is operated by WCNOC. The meeting, which will be open to the public for observation, is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at Coffey County Courthouse, 110 South 6th St., Burlington. NRC staff will be available before the meeting is adjourned to answer any questions from the public. A letter sent from NRC Region IV to WCNOC addresses plant performance during the period April 1 to December 31, 2001, and will serve as the basis for the meeting discussion. It is available on the NRC web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/wc_2001q4.pdf. Current performance information for Wolf Creek is available on the NRC web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/WC/wc_chart.html. ***************************************************************** 17 AU: There are better alternatives than a new nuclear reactor,say Doctors - MAPW Australia 5 April 2002 A group of medical doctors in Australia are disappointed that the nuclear regulatory body, ARPANSA, and the Federal Government have approved a replacement nuclear research reactor. "A full independent public inquiry and independent assessment should be performed before any thing else is done." said Ms Giji Gya, Executive Officer for Medical Association for Prevention of War Australia (MAPW). MAPW also went on to say that if an independent public inquiry did favour a replacement reactor, then at the very least, it should not be sited in populated suburb like Lucas Heights because of safety concerns and lack of adequate emergency procedures & community information, should an accident occur. “Australia doesn’t need a replacement nuclear reactor. It is dinosaur technology and the world already has enough reactors that create nuclear waste. Australia would be better to spearhead R&D into the already well-developed alternatives to produce isotopes needed for nuclear medicine.” Dr Bill Williams said. Dr. Williams was invited by ARPANSA to sit on the expert panel in December 2001. “Even a relatively small nuclear reactor presents a major long-term hazard and we still do not have a safe way of disposing of spent fuel and radioactive waste – one of the criteria for the construction licence to go ahead. As concerned doctors, we do not want the public hoodwinked by the government over this issue.” said Dr Williams. "The political, security risk probability and waste challenges that John Loy of ARPANSA mentioned in his announcement this morning when granting a construction licence, should be taken more seriously and not just 'noted," said Ms Gya. "ARPANSA has a responsibility to Australian citizens, not the nuclear industry, and despite what Dr Loy has said, there has not been adequate consultation with the community - both public and medical - on these issues," she said. "Futhermore, Mr McGauran's comment of the 'life-saving' aspects of a new nuclear reactor as justification for its construction, is simply a misleading exaggeration." "$300 million is a lot to divert from other areas which promise medical improvements for Australians. The impact on nuclear medicine procedures would be minimal if the nuclear research reactor is closed down and not replaced in Australia. There are alternatives, such as importation and cyclotrons," said Ms Gya. MAPW has developed a policy paper that supports the Senate inquiry’s recommendations for an independent inquiry into the risks, benefits and desirability of a new reactor and calls for alternative scientific projects that represent better value for money and the health of Australians.  The policy paper is here www.mapw.org.au/nuclear-reactors/02-01williams-rrr.html ***************************************************************** 18 Second Bulgarian nuclear plant would take six-seven years to build - official BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Apr 8, 2002 Belene, northern Bulgaria, 8 April: It will take at least six-seven years after a possible political decision, to start the Belene nuclear power plant, BTA was told Monday [8 April] by Petur Simeonov, who is in charge of Belene at the National Electric Company (NEK). Over 7,000 people will be employed in the project, said he. A couple of days ago Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha said that the government intends to go ahead with the construction of the N-plant at Belene in keeping with all modern safety and reliability requirements. In the prime minister's words, this will guarantee the energy independence of Bulgaria for several decades to come. According to Simeonov, all equipment that was put on the site of the Belene N-plant before the project was frozen [in the early 1990s] is in perfect condition. This is the view of the suppliers who have been making regular checks. Simeonov believes that before construction work is resumed, the government should come up with a decision saying whether there will be redesign, what type the reactor will be and who will supply it. Then the reactor will have to be licensed in keeping with the world practice of getting licensed reactors rather than N-plant sites... Source: BTA web site, Sofia, in English 8 Apr 02 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. ***************************************************************** 19 Lithuania should close nuclear plant by 2009 - Danish speaker BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Apr 8, 2002 Vilnius, 8 Apr 08, BNS - the Danish parliamentary chairman, Ivar Hansen, said in Vilnius on Monday [8 April] that Lithuania should decommission the Ignalina nuclear power plant (INPP) by 2009, as suggested by the European Union (EU) the country strives to join. Speaking to Vilnius reporters after a meeting with the parliamentary speaker, Arturas Paulauskas, Hansen said he supported the opinion earlier expressed by the Danish prime minister. He said that the Danish prime minister expressed the opinion of the Danish government which was in line with the sentiments of the parliament and the entire nation... The Lithuanian parliamentary chairman told his Danish colleague that the closure of Ignalina's two nuclear power units would depend on the financial assistance from the EU. "I said that our time frame and the closing terms were related with the assistance available from the EU," Paulauskas told reporters... Hansen also said that Denmark understood the economic consequences of the Ignalina closure for the Baltic state, vowing to help seek better closure conditions... Source: BNS news agency, Tallinn, in English 1208 gmt 8 Apr 02 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. ***************************************************************** 20 Bulgarian president stresses link between EU entry and closing nuclear reactors BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Apr 8, 2002 Text of report in English by Bulgarian news agency BTA web site Vratsa, northwestern Bulgaria, 8 April: Nuclear safety is a topmost priority for the Bulgarian president. "In my capacity as president of Bulgaria, nuclear safety is a topmost priority because it concerns the security and health of the Bulgarian citizens and of the citizens of the neighbouring countries," President Georgi Purvanov says in a letter to the chairman of the city council of Vratsa, where the Kozloduy N-plant is situated. The letter comes in reply to a declaration of the Vratsa city council position against the closure of the 440-MW Units 1 and 2 of Kozloduy. President Purvanov is expected to visit Kozloduy on Tuesday [9 April]. In his letter he underscores his firm belief that the closure of nuclear reactors is a decision that should be taken only by competent bodies such as the Committee for Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy and the International Atomic Energy Agency. "At the same time we need to remember that Bulgaria has already made international commitments and their implementation has implications for the country's accession to the EU," the letter says. Bulgaria undertook to coordinate with the European Commission an updated national energy strategy setting deadlines for the decommissioning of Unit 3 and 4. According to the president, the task of the Bulgarian side now is to prove to the competent bodies that substantial progress has been made with regard to the nuclear safety of the Bulgarian reactors in the recent years and to continue to make an effort towards their safe operation in future. Georgi Purvanov has previously expressed this position during a visit to Kozloduy 30 October 2001, when he visited the N-plant and talked to the management as part of his campaign for the presidential elections. Source: BTA web site, Sofia, in English 8 Apr 02 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. ***************************************************************** 21 Alarm due to plane overflying Czech nuclear plant misunderstanding - daily BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Apr 8, 2002 Text of report in English by Czech news agency CTK Prague, 8 April: The military alarm due to a small civilian plane which violated the outer no-fly security zone above the nuclear power plant Temelin, south Bohemia, on Saturday [6 April] was misunderstanding, Temelin spokesman Milan Nebesar told today's issue of the daily Lidove noviny. According to Nebesar, plane had its flight in this zone permitted and the plant security guard knew about it. There was, however, a bad agreement between the civilian air traffic controllers and their army colleagues, as a result of which a fighter was sent against the civilian plane, the paper writes, quoting Nebesar and calling it a mistake. "The pilot of the civilian plane reacted to calls by army pilots and returned to his aircraft's planned route," general staff spokesman Vladimir Palan said on Saturday. Temelin Director Frantisek Hezoucky said he had not been informed about the plant's airspace violation. "The airspace monitoring is a matter of the army, on which we fully rely," Hezoucky said. State Nuclear Safety Office (SUJB) head Dana Drabova confirmed to the daily that even in the no-fly zone over Temelin with a radius of 22 km air flights were possible on the basis of a permission from the civilian air traffic authority. "Flights are absolutely banned only in a five-kilometre zone," Drabova said. The plane was caught about 25 km from the station. The inner no-fly zone has a radius of 22 km, while the outer zone with limited traffic has a radius of over 40 km... Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 0558 gmt 8 Apr 02 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. ***************************************************************** 22 Nuclear Escape Route April 8, 2002 By BOB HERBERT E-mail: bobherb@nytimes.com Opponents of the Indian Point nuclear power complex in Westchester County are taking some of their most important cues from the successful fight against the trouble-plagued Shoreham nuclear plant on Long Island. It was the absence of a credible evacuation plan that ultimately killed Shoreham more than a decade ago. Shoreham was a colossal fiasco in many respects. It had been in the works since the 1960's, a dream project that was supposed to provide energy that was plentiful, safe and economical. By the end, its costs had ballooned from the earliest estimates of $70 million to a staggering $5.5 billion. It was the nation's most expensive nuclear power plant. And it never made it to the starting gate. There were plenty of problems with Shoreham. From the beginning there were worries about safety. Cracks developed in the plant's three backup generators. And federal officials were not satisfied with the strength of the original containment vessel. But it was the federal requirement that evacuation plans be developed for the areas surrounding nuclear plants that finally doomed Shoreham. That requirement was imposed after the 1979 disaster at Three Mile Island. The opposition to Shoreham, already strong, intensified after Three Mile Island. And when Shoreham was unable to come up with a viable evacuation plan, it was finished. Now, in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, opposition to Indian Point is intensifying. And once again a major focus is the viability of the plan for evacuation. The federal government has approved the existing Indian Point plan. But Indian Point opponents have always insisted that the plan was not just flawed or inadequate, but basically unrealistic. That feeling has grown since Sept. 11. Opponents fear that if a catastrophic event occurred at Indian Point there would be widespread panic in the region. Under the current plan, if it were necessary to evacuate an area during the school day, buses and vans are supposed to immediately head toward the schools, pick up the children and take them to designated areas outside the danger zone, where they would be united with their parents. What is more realistic, say the plan's opponents, is that fearful parents would immediately rush to the schools to pick up their children, thus clogging roads and making the overall evacuation effort that much more difficult. Uncertainties of this nature abound. If there were an event serious enough to warrant an evacuation, would all of the bus drivers be willing to drive into a possibly contaminated area to rescue the schoolchildren? Some drivers have already expressed their reluctance to enter a contaminated zone. What happens to people who are elderly or ill? What happens to those who become confused, or people who don't know the drill? If a mass exit were required, could the roads and bridges handle it? Or would traffic come to a standstill? The county and the owners of Indian Point (the Entergy Corporation, based in New Orleans) are engaged in elaborate efforts to update and improve the emergency response plan. But the plan applies only to a 10-mile radius of Indian Point, and the concern of residents in the region is spread far wider than that. That widespread concern, in the view of officials at Entergy, is misplaced. A company spokesman, Larry Gottlieb, said applying an evacuation plan to even a 10-mile radius was unnecessary. The danger zone, according to Mr. Gottlieb, would be much smaller — about a two-mile radius around the plant. And not everyone, even in that two-mile radius, would have serious cause for worry, he said. If a plume of radiation were released by some disaster at Indian Point, Entergy officials believe it would affect — depending on wind conditions — just a small wedge of the two-mile radius. "It's kind of like if somebody is pointing a gun at you," said Mr. Gottlieb, "and all you have to do is step to the left or to the right to get out of the pathway of the bullet. That's all you have to do. "You don't have to get into a car and go 50 miles out of the area to be protected. If we're telling you that the wind is blowing in a northeast direction and only this grid is affected — and we can tell this grid very simply — we recommend you stay in your home and don't move. And the rest of the folks aren't affected because the wind isn't blowing that way. It's really as simple as that." Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company | Privacy Information ***************************************************************** 23 Pakistan nuclear safety dialogue ©The Frontier Publications (Pvt) Ltd. Peshawar Cantt Pakistan ISLAMABAD (SANA): Pakistan is engaged in an ‘’elaborate dialogue’’ with the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) over matters relating to nuclear safety and its command and control structure, said a senior Pakistani foreign ministry official, quoted by Japan’s Kyodo news agency.The official said that dialogue with the US and the IAEA concerning the possible leakage of nuclear materials and technology from Pakistan was launched following President Pervez Musharraf’s visit to the US last November. The expert-level dialogue is aimed at strengthening Pakistan’s nuclear command and control authority and preventing the possible leakage of nuclear materials and technology, the official said. Analysts in Islamabad said the dialogue is particularly significant in the wake of the September 11 attacks in the US, which fueled growing concerns that terrorist groups may have access to materials, technology and manpower that could be used to manufacture weapons of mass destruction. General Musharraf and his government set up a nuclear command and control authority in February 2000 to exercise employment and control over all strategic nuclear forces and strategic organizations related to Pakistan’s nuclear program. The official said the command and control structure, as well as measures to ensure the security of nuclear material, were devised after studying the systems of other countries that have nuclear weapons and a nuclear power program. maintained by PakCyber.Com ***************************************************************** 24 Nevada Gov. Guinn Declares 'The Battle Begins' As He Vetoes Yucca Mountain Nuclear Dump Recommendation LAS VEGAS, April 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Gov. Kenny Guinn declared his historic decision to veto President Bush's nuclear waste recommendation today as a wake-up call for America -- the day when the rest of America will begin to realize that Yucca Mountain is not just a Nevada problem, but a national one that affects every American. "Let me make one thing crystal clear -- Yucca Mountain is not inevitable, and Yucca Mountain is no bargaining chip," Gov. Guinn said Monday morning in an address at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Tam Alumni Center. "And, so long as I am Governor, it will never become one." "Yucca Mountain is not safe, it is not suitable," the Governor continued, "and we will expose the Department of Energy's dirty little secrets about Yucca Mountain." Gov. Guinn departed Las Vegas for Washington D.C. today, where his Notice of Disapproval ("Veto") will be filed with both houses of Congress. Never before has a state been given the power to veto a Presidential decision. Congress recognizes that Nevada has a right to an active voice in the selection of a location for the permanent storage of the most dangerous waste generated by mankind. In 1982, Nevada was given the unequivocal right to veto the President's recommendation that Yucca Mountain become the nation's nuclear waste dump. "This veto belongs to each and every one of you who have battled against a project that would be detrimental to the public health and safety of our citizens," Gov. Guinn said, "our precious natural resources, and our economy, and to the other 43 states and hundreds of cities and towns in America through which this dangerous waste will be transported." Gov. Guinn declared that the Department of Energy's Yucca Mountain project is based on bad science, law and public policy. In 1987, Congress selected Yucca Mountain as the only site it would study for disposal of this dangerous waste. Notwithstanding that Yucca Mountain is thousands of miles away from 90 percent of the nation's 110 nuclear power plants, Congress was persuaded by one simple fact -- a population of less than a million and only four legislative representatives. "The fact that the Yucca Mountain decision was made without any analysis of the transportation risks to the 123 million Americans in states through which this dangerous waste will travel is the dirty little secret," Gov. Guinn said. DOE plans to use Yucca Mountain for the disposal of 77,000 tons of high-level radioactive waste and spent fuel from throughout the United States and 42 countries. Citing more than $100 million the nuclear power industry has spent to promote the project, Gov. Guinn asked all Nevadans to contribute at least $1 to the Nevada Protection Fund, which has recently topped $6 million. To donate, visit http://www.state.nv.us/nucwaste or call toll free in Nevada 1-800-366-0990. SOURCE Office of Governor Kenny Guinn Web Site: http://www.state.nv.us/nucwaste Copyright © 1996-2002 PR Newswire Association Inc. All Rights ***************************************************************** 25 Nevada steps up movement against N-waste - The Times of India AP [ MONDAY, APRIL 08, 2002 10:04:51 PM ] LAS VEGAS: Nevada has stepped up its campaign against burying nuclear waste under one of the state's mountains, with the governor vetoing a presidential endorsement and activists readying a lobbying campaign to reinforce his action. In February, President George W Bush picked Yucca Mountain as the place to entomb up to 77,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel that will remain radioactive for 10,000 years. The site is 145 km northwest of Las Vegas. On Friday, Republican Gov. Kenny Guinn signed a veto of Bush's endorsement. It was to be submitted to the US House and Senate on Monday. Guinn's veto was allowed under rules Congress wrote for developing a national nuclear waste dump. Congress will have the final say, however, and a vote on whether to override Guinn is expected before August. Opponents of the Yucca Mountain plan were organizing a coast-to-coast lobbying campaign against an override vote. Opposition to the project is overwhelming in Nevada. "Nuclear energy can be a good thing," Earl McGhee, a 74-year-old retiree, said from his home in Amargosa Valley, less than 24 km from Yucca Mountain. "But if it's mishandled, it's a bad thing. A longtime bad thing." The lobbying effort is being directed by two former White House chiefs of staff - Democrat John Podesta, who worked for President Bill Clinton, and Republican Kenneth Duberstein, who worked for President Ronald Reagan. The campaign is to include television ads targeting lawmakers in races that could swing on votes from environmentalists. Spent nuclear fuel has accumulated for decades at power plants and defense facilities in 34 states, as lawmakers debated whether and where to establish a national repository. Opponents of the Yucca Mountain project, led by environmentalists and Nevada's congressional delegation, are focusing their lobbying effort on the Senate, considering it almost certain that the Republican-controlled House will side with Bush. Nevada's campaign will focus on lingering questions about the safety of the Yucca Mountain site and fears that the thousands of truck and train trips it will take to haul the waste across the country will lead to accidents and potential radioactive spills. Copyright © 2002 Times Internet Limited. All rights reserved. | ***************************************************************** 26 Goshutes can't manage N-waste Monday, April 8, 2002 By Rex A. Allen As we, the Skull Valley Band of Goshutes, move toward the final environmental impact statement and the operation of a high-level nuclear waste storage facility as part of our economic development project, I want to make things clear to the federally recognized American Indian tribes, federal governmental agencies and the people of Utah. Many of you are interested in how the federal government can protect us and keep this world clean of any disposal of waste. A few years ago, the Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians received a General Assistance Program grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, which the tribe established as a Tribal Environmental Protection Agency. TEPA is responsible for the administration and structure of tribal statutes and regulations and requires compliance with tribal laws, regulations, permits and ordinances, including those federal laws within the reservation jurisdiction. The executive committee discussed additional permits within the "draft" tribal environmental code. It would allow Private Fuel Storage to purchase permits under the Tribes Nuclear Waste standards. The transportation of nuclear waste on and across tribal lands would have very low levels of public exposure. Also, the storage would consist of a lower level of employee exposure. All levels of exposure would be much less than the Department of Energy's storage facility at Yucca Mountain. The issue of permits within the draft Tribal Environmental Code wasn't in the best interest of the chairman. The chairman also didn't want to adopt the draft Tribal Emergency Operations Plan, which would train tribal members to be first responders, who would deal with emergency-response situations within the boundaries of the Skull Valley Indian Reservation. A tribe is treated as a sovereign government or subfederal government. Some tribes develop cooperative agreements with local counties and state agencies for emergencies. Tribal statutes, regulations and federal laws concur. Such laws, like the federal environmental laws, consist of the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act. What I find most outrageously disgusting is the Skull Valley Goshutes have been in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act for years. The water quality was contaminated with surface water containing E. coli, fecal matter and other organisms. One violation includes leaking underground storage tanks. The tribe has not inspected, repaired, maintained or removed any underground gasoline or diesel tanks on the reservation for years. A second violation is the Open Dump Act. The tribe has had an open dump for years, not a landfill. The soil contamination will have enormous environmental impact on aquatic ecosystems in the future. Also, all of the homes on the reservation haven't had an environmental assessment. The chairman or his delegates should take a sample of water once or twice a month to protect his people from harmful and dangerous hazards on the reservation. If a sovereign American Indian tribe can not clean up its own environmental problems within its jurisdiction, how can the tribe take care of 4,000 metric tons of high-level nuclear waste? The tribe is at a disadvantage in its own government and the circumstances surrounding its self-governance. I can see how a limited liability company and a federal agency can bulldoze their way through an ambiguous relationship. The message is clear. I believe the Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians is not capable of handling the storage facility, and most tribal members don't have a four-year college degree. Rex A. Allen is tribal executive secretary for the Skull Valley Goshute Indians. © 2002 Deseret News Publishing Company ***************************************************************** 27 Nevada Lobbies Against Nuclear Dump Las Vegas SUN Today: April 08, 2002 at 10:00:14 PDT LAS VEGAS- Nevada stepped up its campaign against burying nuclear waste in the state on Monday with the governor's veto of a presidential endorsement and activists readying a lobbying campaign to reinforce his action. In February, President Bush picked Yucca Mountain as the place to entomb up to 77,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel that will remain radioactive for 10,000 years. The site is 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. A veto of Bush's endorsement was signed on Friday by Republican Gov. Kenny Guinn and was being delivered to the House and Senate on Monday. "Let me make one thing clear, crystal clear in fact. Yucca Mountain is not inevitable," Guinn told supporters Monday before heading to Washington to lobby on behalf of the state's position. Guinn's veto was allowed under rules Congress wrote for developing a national nuclear waste dump. Congress will have the final say, however, and a vote on whether to override Guinn is expected before August. Opponents of the Yucca Mountain plan were organizing a coast-to-coast lobbying campaign against an override vote. The governor asked Nevada residents to each donate $1 or more to the lobbying campaign "We will expose the Department of Energy's dirty little secrets about Yucca Mountain," Guinn said, saying Americans have not been told of the danger of transporting nuclear waste through their neighborhoods. Opposition to the project is overwhelming in Nevada. "Nuclear energy can be a good thing," Earl McGhee, a 74-year-old retiree, said from his home in Amargosa Valley, less than 15 miles from Yucca Mountain. "But if it's mishandled, it's a bad thing. A longtime bad thing." The lobbying effort is being directed by two former White House chiefs of staff - Democrat John Podesta, who worked for President Clinton, and Republican Kenneth Duberstein, who worked for President Reagan. The campaign is to include television ads targeting lawmakers in races that could swing on votes from environmentalists. Spent nuclear fuel has accumulated for decades at power plants and defense facilities in 34 states, as lawmakers debated whether and where to establish a national repository. Opponents of the Yucca Mountain project, led by environmentalists and Nevada's congressional delegation, are focusing their lobbying effort on the Senate, considering it almost certain that the Republican-controlled House will side with Bush. Nevada's campaign will focus on lingering questions about the safety of the Yucca Mountain site and fears that the thousands of truck and train trips it will take to haul the waste across the country will lead to accidents and potential radioactive spills. On the Net: Yucca Mountain Project: [http://www.ymp.gov] Pro-Yucca Mountain site: [http://www.nei.org] Anti-Yucca Mountain site: [http://www.nirs.org] All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 28 Storing of N-waste fuels debate Buffalo News - Associated Press Majority Leader Tom Daschle is among the Senate opponents of burying nuclear wastes in Nevada. By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press 4/8/2002 WASHINGTON - Opponents of burying America's nuclear waste in Nevada will give the public a crash course in the dangers of hauling radioactive materials across the country, part of a long-shot lobbying campaign to kill the plan in Congress. Two former White House chiefs of staff - Democrat John D. Podesta, who worked for President Bill Clinton, and Republican Kenneth M. Duberstein, who worked for President Ronald Reagan - are directing the effort. The lobbying campaign is to include television ads targeting lawmakers in races that could swing on votes from environmentalists. The campaign was to get under way today, when Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn plans to veto President Bush's endorsement of Yucca Mountain as the place to hold up to 77,000 tons of nuclear waste that will remain radioactive for 10,000 years. Guinn's veto is allowed under rules that Congress wrote for finding a national nuclear waste dump. Congress will have the final say, however, and a vote on whether to override is expected before August. Spent nuclear fuel from power plants and defense facilities in 34 states has accumulated at those sites for decades as lawmakers grappled with the questions of whether and where to establish a national repository. Yucca Mountain, a volcanic ridge on the edge of the Nevada Test Site about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, has been under consideration for at least 25 years. In February, Bush recommended that it be chosen. Former White House chief of staff John H. Sununu, a Republican, and former Democratic vice presidential candidate Geraldine A. Ferraro are working on behalf of Yucca Mountain supporters. They include energy companies, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and at least 13 governors whose states have nuclear power plants. Opponents, led by environmentalists and Nevada's congressional delegation, already have sued. They are focusing their lobbying effort on the Senate, considering it almost certain that the Republican-controlled House will side with Bush. Their hope rests on several factors. The Senate's top two Democratic leaders - Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota and Majority Whip Harry Reid of Nevada - are staunch opponents, a half-dozen Democrats have replaced pro-Yucca Mountain Republicans since 2000, and re-election battles in states with strong environmental movements could cause some incumbents to reconsider supporting the project. Opponents acknowledge that they face long odds. Polls show that most Americans are only vaguely aware of the debate over nuclear-waste disposal. The site would open in 2010 at the earliest, making it hard to create a sense of urgency. While Daschle opposes the project, he has said that the special rules for this issue diminish the vast power he usually has to control what reaches the Senate floor. Privately, advisers on both sides say Daschle could prevent the vote. But Daschle has to consider the November midterm elections in which Democrats will try to preserve their fragile Senate majority. Asking Democrats from states with nuclear reactors to "stand with us on this might put their seat in jeopardy in the future," said Reid spokesman Nathan Naylor. Copyright © 1999 - 2002 The Buffalo NewsTM ***************************************************************** 29 Guinn's Yuccaburg Address April 8, 2002 Jon Ralston [online@rgj.com] RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL It won’t happen, but considering the historic nature of the occasion, it should. When he delivers his speech this morning in Las Vegas declaring his intention to veto President Bush’s designation of this state as the site of a nuclear waste dump, Gov. Kenny Guinn should think of a great Republican president rather than the man who patronized him a couple of months ago. Here is what he should say: “One score years ago, our federal fathers brought forth a notion conceived in politics and dedicated to the proposition that all states are not created equal. They passed a law, with malice aforethought, intended to forever shackle the great state of Nevada with the burden of high-level nuclear waste. “Five years after passing this tendentious law that would have made James Madison and Benjamin Franklin shiver, our federal overlords amended that historically unfair document with a Screw Nevada Bill of No Rights. The measure singled out the state because it was but a small cog in the national machine, a wasteland where electoral votes were as hard to find as water, where sin was legal, so sinful acts against her might be condoned. “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether this great state or any state can long endure. I have been given the unprecedented power to tell President Bush that this will not stand. This is that rarest of occasions when a governor can say no to a president. And not only do I say no to President Bush, I say, Read my lips: Hell, no. (Pause here for applause.) “George W. Bush lied to me and my fellow Nevadans. He did it for pure electoral gain. After we helped him win the presidency, he broke his word. “The world, -heck, maybe not even the local media or even Dema -- will little note nor long remember what I say here. But no one can ever forget what has been done here. The rights of one state have been sacrificed so that one industry, with one administration in its pocket and dozens of federal elected officials who have forgotten what states’ rights mean, can act like Pontius Pilate. “I know this veto probably doesn’t mean much. I know it was put in the bill as a sop. And I know most people don’t give us much of a chance. “But when the House of Representatives votes against us -very soon, I fear -they will not realize what they have done. And if Harry Reid and John Ensign cannot prevent their colleagues from doing the same, they, too, will know not what they have done. “But if the impossible becomes possible, if this is the first step to the end of this tyranny, then this state under God shall have a new birth of freedom. And we will know that government of the nuclear industry, by the nuclear industry, for the nuclear industry, shall have perished from the earth.” ***** Jon Ralston, who publishes The Ralston Report, works for Greenspun Media Group. He welcomes comments and questions. Write him at 2675Windmill, #3621 Henderson, NV 89074. Or call (702) 870-7997. © Copyright Reno Gazette-Journal, a Gannett ***************************************************************** 30 Nevada ready to begin campaign in Congress to kill nuclear dump April 8, 2002 [online@rgj.com] For 15 years, Earl McGhee has been speaking up against a federal plan to bury the nation's spent nuclear fuel beneath a volcanic ridge he can see from his home in the Nevada desert. "Nuclear energy can be a good thing,"McGhee, 74, said as he considered what he has learned in the years leading to Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn's planned Monday veto of a presidential order, which will send a decision on the Yucca Mountain project back to Congress. "But if its mishandled, it's a bad thing. A longtime bad thing,"said McGhee, who lives in Amargosa Valley, about 80 miles northwest of Las Vegas and less than 15 miles from the proposed national nuclear waste dump. "At one meeting, I asked,'What about a leak, or an accident?'"he said."What about transporting it across country in this age of terrorism? We should not be leaving ourselves open." Opponents of burying nuclear waste in Nevada will give Americans a coast-to-coast crash course in the dangers of hauling radioactive materials _ part of a long-shot lobbying campaign to kill the plan in Congress. The campaign begins Monday when Guinn plans to veto President Bush's endorsement of Yucca Mountain as the place to hold up to 77,000 tons of nuclear waste that will remain radioactive for 10,000 years. Guinn will fly to Washington to personally begin the lobbying campaign. Guinn's veto is allowed under special rules Congress wrote for finding a national nuclear waste dump. Congress can overrule Guinn, however, with a simple majority in both the House and the Senate. Votes are expected before August. Spent nuclear fuel from power plants and defense facilities in 34 states has accumulated at those sites for decades as lawmakers grappled with the questions of whether and where to establish a national repository. Yucca Mountain, a volcanic ridge on the edge of the Nevada Test Site, has been under consideration for at least 25 years. In February, Bush recommended it. Former White House chief of staff John Sununu, a Republican, and former Democratic vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro are working on behalf of Yucca Mountain supporters, which include energy companies, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and at least 13 governors whose states have nuclear power plants. Two former White House chiefs of staff, Democrat John Podesta and Republican Kenneth Duberstein, are directing the opposition effort, which will include campaign-style TV ads targeting lawmakers in races that could swing on votes from environmentalists. Opponents, led by environmentalists and Nevada's congressional delegation, already have sued. They are focusing their lobbying effort on the Senate, considering it almost certain that the Republican-controlled House will side with Bush. Their hope rests on the Senate's top two Democrats. Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota and Nevada's Harry Reid are staunch opponents. Also a half-dozen Democrats have replaced pro-Yucca Mountain Republicans since 2000 and looming re-election battles in states with strong environmental movements could cause some incumbents to reconsider. The campaign will focus on lingering questions about the safety of the Nevada site and fears that the thousands of truck, train and barge trips it will take to transport the material across the country will lead to accidents and potential radioactive fallout. Reid is handing out miniature toy trucks to make the point that full-scale models of the containers that will hold the waste in transit have not been tested. But opponents concede they face long odds. The logic for some senators seems inescapable, just as it is for governors in the South and Northeast who are on record supporting the Yucca Mountain project: Better there than here. Polls show most Americans are only vaguely aware of the debate, and with the site opening in 2010 at the earliest, there is no real sense of urgency. Yucca Mountain opponents have so far failed to raise the $10 million they say they need to mount an effective TV advertising campaign, particularly in states where incumbents seeking re-election are undecided or uncommitted. In prior votes, Senate majorities have favored Yucca Mountain, although there has never been a clear up-or-down vote such as the one expected this summer. "We have had bipartisan support in the past and we think it will be there in the future,"said Steve Kerekes, a spokesman for the Nuclear Energy Institute, the lobbying arm of the nuclear power industry. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., and Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., are the only Republicans on record against the Nevada site. While Daschle opposes the project, he has said the specially crafted rules for this issue diminish the vast power he usually has to control what reaches the Senate floor. Privately, advisers on both sides say Daschle could prevent the vote if he wished. But Daschle has to consider the November midterm elections in which Democrats will try to preserve their fragile Senate majority. Asking Democrats from states with nuclear reactors to"stand with us on this might put their seat in jeopardy in the future,"said Reid spokesman Nathan Naylor. On the Net: Yucca Mountain Project: http://www.ymp.gov Pro-Yucca Mountain site: http://www.nei.org Anti-Yucca Mountain site: http://www.nirs.org © Copyright Reno Gazette-Journal, a [http://www.gannett.com] Newspaper ***************************************************************** 31 Anti-Yucca drive heads to Congress April 8, 2002 [online@rgj.com] ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — Opponents of burying nuclear waste in Nevada will give Americans a crash course in the dangers of hauling radioactive materials across the country — part of a longshot lobbying campaign to kill the plan in Congress. Two former White House chiefs of staff, Democrat John Podesta and Republican Kenneth Duberstein, are directing the effort, which organizers say will include campaign-style TV ads targeting lawmakers in races that could swing on votes from environmentalists. The campaign begins today when Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn plans to veto President Bush’s endorsement of Yucca Mountain as the place to hold up to 77,000 tons of nuclear waste that will remain radioactive for 10,000 years. Guinn will fly to Washington to personally begin the lobbying campaign. Guinn’s veto is allowed under special rules Congress wrote for finding a national nuclear waste dump. Congress can overrule Guinn, however, with a simple majority in both the House and the Senate. Votes are expected before August. Spent nuclear fuel from power plants and defense facilities in 34 states has accumulated at those sites for decades as lawmakers grappled with the questions of whether and where to establish a national repository. Yucca Mountain, a volcanic ridge on the edge of the Nevada Test Site 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, has been under consideration for at least 25 years. In February, Bush recommended it be chosen. Former White House chief of staff John Sununu, a Republican, and former Democratic vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro are working on behalf of Yucca Mountain supporters, which include energy companies, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and at least 13 governors whose states have nuclear power plants. Opponents, led by environmentalists and Nevada’s congressional delegation, already have sued. They are focusing their lobbying effort on the Senate, considering it almost certain that the Republican-controlled House will side with Bush. Their hope rests on several factors. The Senate’s top two Democrats — Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota and Nevada’s Harry Reid — are staunch opponents, a half-dozen Democrats have replaced pro-Yucca Mountain Republicans since 2000 and looming re-election battles in states with strong environmental movements could cause some incumbents to reconsider. The campaign will focus on lingering questions about the safety of the Nevada site and fears that the thousands of truck, train and barge trips it will take to transport the material across the country will lead to accidents and potential radioactive fallout. Reid is handing out miniature toy trucks to make the point that full-scale models of the containers that will hold the waste in transit have not been tested. But opponents concede they face long odds. The logic for some senators seems inescapable, just as it is for governors in the South and Northeast who are on record supporting the Yucca Mountain project: Better there than here. Most Americans are only vaguely aware of the debate over nuclear waste disposal, polls have shown. The site would open in 2010 at the earliest, making it hard to create a sense of urgency. Yucca Mountain opponents have so far failed to raise the $10 million they say they need to mount an effective television advertising campaign, particularly in states where incumbents seeking re-election are undecided or have not said how they will vote. In prior votes, Senate majorities have favored the Yucca Mountain site, although there has never been a clear up-or-down vote such as the one expected this summer. “We have had bipartisan support in the past and we think it will be there in the future,” said Steve Kerekes, a spokesman for the Nuclear Energy Institute, the lobbying arm of the nuclear power industry. While Daschle opposes the project, he has said the specially crafted rules for this issue diminish the vast power he usually has to control what reaches the Senate floor. Privately, advisers on both sides say Daschle could prevent the vote, if he wished. But Daschle has to consider the November midterm elections in which Democrats will try to preserve their fragile Senate majority. Asking Democrats from states with nuclear reactors to “stand with us on this might put their seat in jeopardy in the future,” said Reid spokesman Nathan Naylor. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., must lobby his Republican colleagues to oppose Bush on this issue. He met individually with Republican senators before Congress went on its Easter break and will address them as a group soon. So far, Ensign and Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., are the only Republicans on record to oppose the Nevada site. © Copyright Reno Gazette-Journal, a Gannett ***************************************************************** 32 Guinn vetoes Yucca dump Las Vegas SUN Today: April 08, 2002 at 11:17:29 PDT By Erin Neff < [erin@lasvegassun.com] > Beneath the state's Battle Born flag, Gov. Kenny Guinn vetoed the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump this morning, declaring that the dump "is not inevitable" and saying he would press the fight to "expose the Department of Energy's dirty little secrets about Yucca Mountain." Becoming the first governor to veto a president, Guinn took a hard line against negotiating over Yucca Mountain and said the health, safety and welfare of Nevada's citizens are at risk if the government goes ahead with plans to ship 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste to the site 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. "Let me make one thing crystal clear: Yucca Mountain is not inevitable and Yucca Mountain is no bargaining chip and, so long as I am governor, it will never become one," Guinn said during a rally at University of Nevada, Las Vegas' Tam Alumni Center to about 300 people. In Washington this morning, Robert Dove, a state consultant, delivered Guinn's 10-page "notice of disapproval" -- a veto of the President Bush's recommendation on Yucca Mountain -- to House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and Senate President Pro Tempore Robert Byrd, D-W.Va. The notice lays out the state's case against the dump in response to Bush's recommendation to designate Yucca Mountain as the nation's nuclear waste repository two months ago. Under federal law, Guinn had a chance to veto the action. The veto now goes to Congress, which will vote on the matter within the next three months. Congress could see resolutions in both the House and Senate as soon as Tuesday. Guinn left this morning for Washington, where he will go on the assault Tuesday with orchestrated media events and meetings with the congressional leaders who hold the state's fate in their hands. During his speech, Guinn emphasized that Nevada will not bargain over Yucca Mountain, referring to some state leaders who have quietly talked about negotiating with the federal government over what the state will get if it takes the dump. He specifically addressed former Bush White House Chief of Staff John Sununu and former vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro, who are lobbying for the nuclear industry. "Mr. Sununu and the other high-paid lobbyists of the nuclear industry, hear Nevada loud and clear: The health, safety and well-being of present and future generations of Nevadans are not for sale at any price," he said. "Nevada's state slogan is 'Battle Born.' We came into this union fighting for our preservation, and we will continue to show the country we are united in our fight against Yucca Mountain." Many state political leaders, including a bulk of the Legislature, attended the rally along with several students from Kenny C. Guinn Middle School who wore T-shirts that read, "Protect Nevada's Future." "This veto belongs to each and every one of you who have battled against a project that would be detrimental to the public health and safety of our citizens," Guinn said to rousing applause. The 20-minute event featured patriotically dressed students and fourth and fifth graders from Gilbert Elementary School, a magnet school, who sang "Say Yucky to Yucca Mountain." Guinn's speech was interrupted five times by applause, including a standing ovation when he said he was going to veto the president. The crowd included several of the state's top Republicans, including Ensign; Sig Rogich, an adviser to former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush; Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt; and Secretary of State Dean Heller, as well as leading Democrats Rep. Shelley Berkley, Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins and casino executive Mike Sloan. "We need to stand united and having the governor as a Republican going to veto a Republican president speaks volumes," Berkley said. Speaking of the state's firm stance against bargaining, Perkins said, "I think the governor speaks for the state, and if there are other people talking (and) if a contrary message is getting to Washington, it absolutely hurts our cause. But I think that the governor's message was very clear." Guinn goes to Washington armed with a resolution by the Legislative Commission unanimously passed Friday urging Guinn to veto the Yucca Mountain site. Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, said Congress has got to understand that the Legislature and not only Guinn opposes the nuclear dump in Nevada. "We need to send the strongest message possible," Titus said. About a half hour after the rally ended, Dove, the former Senate parliamentarian who is now working for the state, delivered Guinn's veto. "Under the law, I'm ending Yucca Mountain as a waste site," Dove said to reporters. The veto, written by Washington-area attorney Joe Egan for the state, calls Yucca Mountain "the latest in a long series of Energy Department boondoggles -- one based on bad science, bad law and bad public policy." "We will not permit Yucca Mountain to happen, and it will not happen, because the project is manifestly not a worthy cause," the veto reads. The veto cites concerns about national security and recommends the DOE look at alternatives to reduce the toxicity of the radioactive fuel. The state cites three main points in his 10-page veto: inadequate science, legal challenges and national security. "The bottom line is this: Even if Yucca Mountain proceeds, spent fuel will continue to be stored above ground at reactor sites across America for many decades, perhaps centuries, to come," the veto says. "Secretary Abraham's 'one safe site' is a figment of DOE's imagination. The Yucca Mountain site is neither 'safe' nor will it ever be 'one.' " Guinn argues that the DOE is no longer referring to Yucca Mountain as a geologic site and is instead discussing engineered features of the site that would protect the environment from nuclear waste. The geological features of the site have been used as an argument for Yucca Mountain. "The former director of the Yucca Mountain project, Dr. John Bartlett, recently testified the project has become nothing more than a series of fancy engineered waste packages that just happens to be located 1,000 feet under ground. The Nuclear Energy Institute recently bragged that the repository can be licensed 'without the mountain.' "Nevada strongly opposes the designation of Yucca Mountain for nuclear waste disposal because the project is scientifically flawed, fails to conform to numerous laws, and the policy behind it is ever changing and nonsensical," Guinn says in the introduction to his veto. Guinn said he considered this morning's speech the most important of his administration, not just because it precedes his historic veto, but also because it is about the future of the state he dearly loves. Guinn has turned to the city and Clark County for money after the state Board of Examiners on Friday recommended $3 million from emergency funds be used to launch a nationwide advertising blitz against Yucca Mountain. Nevada's congressional delegation has asked the state for $10 million for the campaign. The Legislative Interim Finance Committee will consider the request Wednesday in Carson City. Guinn said the state could not afford more, because it faces a $100 million shortfall in its budget this year and $110 million next year. The governor said he hoped Clark County and the city of Las Vegas would come up with another $4 million to $5 million. Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman has asked the city manager to poll his fellow council members to determine whether political support exists to add more money to the state's legal defense and lobbying fund, and the Clark County Commission is studying allocating $3 million. People attending this morning's rally were given cards asking them to donate $1 or more to the fund, by calling (800) 366-0990 or on the website, state.nv.us/nucwaste/. Sun reporters Benjamin Grove and Cy Ryan < [cy@lasvegassun.com] > contributed to this story. All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 33 Guinn to meet with lawmakers over budget cuts Las Vegas SUN Today: April 08, 2002 at 10:48:01 PDT Trimming Medicaid among solutions being considered By Cy Ryan < [cy@lasvegassun.com] > SUN CAPITAL BUREAU CARSON CITY -- Though some new programs in health and welfare have already been put on hold, Gov. Kenny Guinn is expected to outline further budget-cutting measures Wednesday to deal with an expected $200 million shortfall this biennium. The governor is to appear before the Legislative Interim Finance Committee primarily to ask for a $3 million emergency allocation to lobby against the Yucca Mountain high-level nuclear dump site. But the meeting will also be devoted to examining the budget crunch. Revenues are coming in slower than expected, and costs in social welfare programs have increased since Sept. 11. "We're not as bad off as we could have been," Guinn said Friday. "We started early" in dealing with the money problem. He met Thursday with his Chief of Staff Marybel Batjer, Budget Director Perry Comeaux and state Human Resources Director Mike Willden to review ways to save the state money. Guinn last fall ordered a freeze on state hiring and put a hold on many one-time expenditures, such as purchase of new vehicles and equipment. Still, a shortfall of $51 million is expected this fiscal year in Medicaid, the program that provides medical care to the needy. Guinn is proposing to draw $21.1 million from an intergovernmental transfer reserve fund to cover that. The rest of the money would come from the federal government and counties. Willden said that would leave $4 million in that reserve fund, probably not enough to get the state through the next fiscal year. Another $7.5 million infusion is needed to finance welfare through this fiscal year. Willden said there would be $18 million left in that reserve for next fiscal year if the welfare numbers continue to grow. After Sept. 11 Guinn granted a waiver allowing workers who were laid off to draw both unemployment and welfare. Willden said that added only 600 families to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, costing $657,000. Guinn said he hoped to find an additional $10 million of excess money in bond redemption accounts. Comeaux said is weighing putting a hold on more than $11 million set aside by the 2001 Legislature to help the University and Community College System and state government agencies pay higher utility bills. The state Board of Examiners on Friday allowed $5.1 million, but members said they may not release the rest of the $17 million set aside because of the budget pinch. Other money-saving measures already proposed to Guinn: + Delaying until January the elimination of the assets test for Child Health Assurance Program. That would continue to limit the number of pregnant woman and children served by the program. + Delaying payment increases set for July 1 for medical care of Medicaid patients. Doctors were due to get a 3.7 percent jump, long-term care centers a 4.3 percent increase and hospitals a 2.3 percent hike. + Cutting reimbursements for drugs from 90 percent to 87 percent for those on Medicaid. Administrative costs the state pays may also be cut. Willden said he can't comment on any of the proposals until the governor appears before the Interim Finance Committee. And he wouldn't say if the administration has decided on any of the cutbacks. All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 34 W. Valley group plans for meeting Buffalo News - ASHFORD - The West Valley Citizen Task Force will meet Tuesday night in advance of an April 16 meeting with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The group has been meeting for several years to advise state and federal agencies about closing the former commercial nuclear fuel reprocessing center and the West Valley Demonstration Project. Tuesday night, the task force will prepare for the April 16 discussions with agency personnel on the NRC's cleanup criteria contained in a policy statement issued earlier this year. The NRC will hold a public meeting on the same topic beginning at 6 p.m. April 17 in the Ashford Office Complex. According to a notice published in March in the Federal Register, the purpose of the April 17 meeting is to discuss the policy. Also to be discussed are the roles and responsibilities of the NRC and the other federal and state agencies involved in activities at the West Valley site. The session will get under way at 7 p.m., and members of the public must register 15 minutes before the meeting if they wish to speak. An open house is being held from 6 to 7 p.m. to allow individual discussions with staff members. Copyright © 1999 - 2002 The Buffalo NewsTM ***************************************************************** 35 Nevada governor takes veto to Washington to kill nuclear dump [http://www.sfgate.com/news/] KEN RITTER, Associated Press Writer Monday, April 8, 2002 Breaking News Sections (04-08) 16:26 PDT LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Nevada stepped up its campaign against burying nuclear waste in the state on Monday with the governor's veto of a presidential endorsement and activists readying a lobbying campaign to reinforce his action. In February, President Bush picked Yucca Mountain as the place to entomb up to 77,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel that will remain radioactive for 10,000 years. The site is 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. A veto of Bush's endorsement was signed on Friday by Republican Gov. Kenny Guinn and was delivered to the House and Senate on Monday. "Let me make one thing clear, crystal clear in fact. Yucca Mountain is not inevitable," Guinn told supporters Monday before heading to Washington to lobby on behalf of the state's position. Energy Department spokesman Joe Davis said the Yucca Mountain project has received a thorough review by scientists. "It is strongly in the interest of national security, energy and homeland security and environmental protection to move forward and not leave waste stranded in 131 scattered sites around the country," Davis said. Guinn's veto was allowed under rules Congress wrote for developing a national nuclear waste dump. Congress will have the final say, however, and a vote on whether to override Guinn is expected before August. Opponents of the Yucca Mountain plan were organizing a coast-to-coast lobbying campaign against an override vote. The governor asked Nevada residents to each donate $1 or more to the lobbying campaign "We will expose the Department of Energy's dirty little secrets about Yucca Mountain," Guinn said, saying Americans have not been told of the danger of transporting nuclear waste through their neighborhoods. Opposition to the project is overwhelming in Nevada. "Nuclear energy can be a good thing," Earl McGhee, a 74-year-old retiree, said from his home in Amargosa Valley, less than 15 miles from Yucca Mountain. "But if it's mishandled, it's a bad thing. A longtime bad thing." The lobbying effort is being directed by two former White House chiefs of staff -- Democrat John Podesta, who worked for President Clinton, and Republican Kenneth Duberstein, who worked for President Reagan. The campaign is to include television ads targeting lawmakers in races that could swing on votes from environmentalists. Spent nuclear fuel has accumulated for decades at power plants and defense facilities in 34 states, as lawmakers debated whether and where to establish a national repository. Opponents of the Yucca Mountain project, led by environmentalists and Nevada's congressional delegation, are focusing their lobbying effort on the Senate, considering it almost certain that the Republican-controlled House will side with Bush. Nevada's campaign will focus on lingering questions about the safety of the Yucca Mountain site and fears that the thousands of truck and train trips it will take to haul the waste across the country will lead to accidents and potential radioactive spills. On the Net: Yucca Mountain Project: www.ymp.gov [http://www.ymp.gov] Pro-Yucca Mountain site: www.nei.org [http://www.nei.org] Anti-Yucca Mountain site: http://www.nirs. ©2002 Associated Press   ***************************************************************** 36 Imagining the Unimaginable Date: Mon, 8 Apr 2002 00:33:50 -0500 (CDT) San Francisco Examiner April 5. 2002 Imagining the Unimaginable By Conn Hallinan For the time being, the Bush Administration's recently leaked Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) has vanished from the nation's front pages, replaced by the news of the moment. But Americans should be clear what the consequences will be if it ever becomes official policy, and what developing a new generation of nuclear weapons will mean for the fragile web of treaties that presently keep the unimaginable at bay. Consider the dominos that will topple. The NPR targets seven nations with nuclear weapons---Russia, China, Syria, Iran, North Korea, Libya and Iraq---even though only the first two have nuclear arms. That specifically violates a 1978 U.S. promise (reaffirmed in 1995) never to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear powers unless the latter were in alliance with another nuclear power. The pledge was at the heart of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NNPT), in which 182 nations agreed not to acquire nuclear weapons as long as they were never targeted. It is a quid pro quo: "You don't threaten us with nukes, we don't have to develop them to defend ourselves." The Bush Administration rationalizes breaking the pledge by stretching the meaning of "weapons of mass destruction" to embrace chemical and biological weapons, both of which were specifically excluded from the NNPT for very good reasons. Chemical weapons, though thoroughly unpleasant, have never been capable of mass destruction. And while biological weapons are very scary, and certainly induce panic, they are too hard to deliver to make them a threat to large numbers of people. The only serious weapons of mass destruction are nuclear. The NPR also threatens to use nukes in the event of war between China and Taiwan, North and South Korea, or Israel and Iraq. While the latter is highly unlikely, there is considerable tension between the other antagonists, and we don't have much control over any of them. Want someone in Seoul, Tel Aviv or Taipei making that decision for us all? Lastly, it proposes using nuclear weapons in response to "surprising military developments," a term so vague that it could cover virtually any American military setback. Is a mission gone awry in Afghanistan (or Iraq) a "surprise"? Under the NPR, the only incentive for other nations not to develop nukes is fear, a dumb (and dangerous) way to run international relations. Following the NPR revelation, China's President Jiang Zemin said his country needs "atom bombsCB"C"bB,CB&if we do not want to be bullied by others." If there was ever a reason for Iran and North Korea to build the bomb, this policy provides it. The new plan proposes developing new "bunker busting" nukes despite a 1995 Congressional ban that such weapons blur "the distinction between nuclear and conventional war." The Department of Energy has already tripled the funding for a new plutonium pit plant ( the pit triggers a warhead to explode) and approved $3.25 million to produce tritium gas, a "blast enhancer" that allows one to miniaturize warheads. The next domino is the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). The CTBT has successfully slowed the development of newer and deadlier weapons by preventing real life testing. A side benefit of the CTBT is that it relaxes the tension on the nuclear trigger by creating uncertainly about whether your nuclear stockpile is trustworthy. If you can't test your old warheads, you are never quite sure if they will work, and you certainly don't want to lob a dud at some country like China or Russia. But new weapons require new tests. No one is foolish enough to deploy a fresh design without testing it, and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz has already made it clear that the Administration is considering violating the CTBT. The word in military circles is sometime after the next midterm elections. If the U.S. dumps the CTBT, India, Pakistan and China will follow in short order, with France and Russia close behind. One need only think for a moment about the present tension between India and Pakistan (not to mention China and Taiwan) to conclude that another round of nuclear testing in South Asia is a really bad idea. Besides re-igniting a global nuclear arms race, Americans will pay for this coming and going. The U.S. is estimated to spend about $30 billion a year on nuclear weapons (much of it secret "black budget" funds), and the price is going up. On top of that, nuclear weapons create 99 percent of all high level, and 75 percent of all low-level nuclear wastes in the U.S. Since we don't have any place to put them, we can look forward to poisoning ourselves as we go broke. It would be well if the Democrats would decide to rejoin the vertebrates and heed the words of former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara and former arms negotiator Thomas Graham Jr. about what instituting the NPR will mean: "We can expect nuclear weapons to spread around the world. We will live in a far more dangerous world and the U.S. will be less secure." __________________________________________________________________ Your favorite stores, helpful shopping tools and great gift ideas. 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Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 37 Japan 'could build 7,000 nuclear bombs' [Guardian Unlimited] Jonathan Watts in Tokyo Monday April 8, 2002 The Guardian [http://www.guardian.co.uk] Japan has the technology and the plutonium to make thousands of nuclear weapons, one of the country's most influential politicians declared this weekend in comments that are likely to stir up the ire of both China and survivors of the wartime atomic bombings. Ichiro Ozawa, the leader of the opposition Liberal party, made the comments against a backdrop of increasing Japanese concern about the economic and military rise of its Asian neighbour. "China is applying itself to expand its military power in the hope of becoming a superpower," he said. "If China gets too inflated, the Japanese people will get hysterical." However, he boasted that Japan would never lose a military confrontation if it became serious about strengthening its defences. "It would be so easy for us to produce nuclear warheads. We have enough plutonium at nuclear power plants in Japan to make several thousand such warheads," he said. Although military analysts and anti-nuclear groups have long claimed that Japan could develop nuclear weapons, politicians usually steer clear of the subject, which rekindles painful memories of the 200,000 killed by the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The government has a non-nuclear weapons policy. The timing is also sensitive because the Japanese prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, will visit China next week. Li Peng, chairman of the Chinese parliament, is currently visiting Japan to mark the 30th anniversary of bilateral ties. Mr Ozawa is known for rocking the boat with his uncompromising statements and political tactics. In 1993, he led a defection that pushed the Liberal Democratic party out of power for the first and only time since 1955. Three years ago, a member of his party was forced to resign as a junior defence minister after calling for a parliamentary debate on whether Japan should acquire a nuclear deterrent. Mr Ozawa insisted, however, that his latest comments were aimed at improving Japan-China relations. Anti-nuclear campaigners welcomed the candidness of the statement, saying that Japan's plutonium stockpile of 38 tonnes - including material being reprocessed in the UK and France - was part of an undeclared weapons programme able to make more than 7,000 warheads. Shaun Burnie of Greenpeace International said: "[Ozawa] has exposed the myths of it being a peaceful energy programme for a resource-poor country." Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2002 ***************************************************************** 38 Putin Alarmed by U.S. Nuke Proposals Las Vegas SUN April 07, 2002 MOSCOW (AP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed alarm at suggested changes in U.S. nuclear policy, saying in an interview released Sunday that they could lower standards for use of nuclear weapons to "a dangerous level." At the same time he was optimistic that President Bush's visit to Russia at the end of May would bring a "historical" agreement on nuclear weapons cuts. Putin's remarks came about a month after the Pentagon's leaked "nuclear posture review" sparked indignant reactions in Russia. The document outlined the possible use of nuclear weapons against countries that possess or are developing weapons of mass destruction. It specifically named Russia as a potential target, along with six other countries. "Here is why (this issue) cannot but worry us," Putin said in an interview with German and Russian media on the eve of his visit to Germany. "We are hearing some statements about the possibility of the use of nuclear weapons by the United States against non-nuclear states, among others. That's first. "Second, we are hearing declarations and suggestions to develop low-capacity nuclear warheads and possibly use them in regional conflicts. This lowers the threshold for the possible use of nuclear weapons to a very low plank, to a dangerous level." But Putin said it was too early to speak of a new nuclear strategy in Washington. "These are only the individual statements of people who are not the highest officials of the United States," he said in the interview, which was conducted Thursday and posted on the Kremlin Web site on Sunday. Putin said that Bush's visit to Moscow and St. Petersburg on May 23-26 would bring "historical" results in the form of a new agreement on weapons cuts. Bush has promised to cut the U.S. arsenal to 1,700 to 2,200 strategic nuclear warheads, while President Vladimir Putin has said Russia could go as low as 1,500. Both countries are allowed 6,000 under the existing START I treaty. Bush favored a verbal agreement over a formal treaty, but Washington later consented to Moscow's demands to put the cuts in writing. "I see this as a very important document that could become the basis for the future strategic stability of the world," Putin said. Another point of contention in the talks has been Washington's plans to store decommissioned nuclear warheads rather than destroying them. Moscow recently softened its stance on this issue, saying it might also store some warheads. Relations between Russia and the United States warmed significantly after Sept. 11, and Moscow has become a committed partner in the anti-terrorism campaign. But Putin warned Washington against acting alone against Iraq or other countries it deems terrorist threats, saying unilateral actions would be "counterproductive." He called for a joint effort "to convince Iraq to accept the return" of United Nations weapons inspectors. Russia is Iraq's biggest trade partner and ally on the U.N. Security Council. Washington's desire to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has been put on hold because of the war between Israel and the Palestinians. All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 39 End the cold war for good [http://www.csmonitor.com/] from the April 08, 2002 edition By Ronald E. Powaski EUCLID, OHIO – NATO was created, as Lord Ismay, NATO's first secretary general, put it, "to keep the Americans in, the Russians out, and the Germans down." The alliance, obviously, has performed those roles extremely well, considering that Western Europe is still free and very prosperous, while the Soviet Union has expired. Moreover, Germany is today a peaceful, democratic nation whose Army was reduced to less than 400,000 troops as a part of the treaty permitting its reunification in 1990. But is now the time to bring the Russians into NATO? Proponents of the idea argue that there no longer is much likelihood that Russia will invade Western, or even Central, Europe. The Russian military is hard- pressed to find the resources to defend its own somewhat reduced borders. Moreover, Russia wants to become a part of the European Community. Toward this end, the Russians in recent months have gone out of their way to demonstrate their eagerness to create a cooperative relationship with the West. They have accepted President Bush's call for drastic cuts in strategic nuclear arsenals. They even have muted their criticism of Mr. Bush's decision to withdraw the United States from the Antiballistic Missile Treaty. This 1972 agreement prohibits the testing, development, and deployment of the national ballistic missile defense system that the president wants to deploy. The Russians also have joined the US-led war on terrorism. They have shared intelligence with Western special services, opened Russian air corridors for "humanitarian supplies" to Afghanistan and, more importantly, maintained the flow of Russian oil to the West at a reasonable price. Equally significant, the Russians have toned down their criticism of NATO's impending decision to admit additional East European states to the alliance. The new members could include Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, states that border Russia and were once part of the Soviet Union. The Russians clearly would like to become a part of NATO. Russian President Vladimir Putin said recently: "There is no longer any reason for the West not to conduct talks" on Russian membership in NATO. Such an event would cement Russia's ties to the European Community, allow Russia to reduce further its expensive military establishment, and open Russia to the markets of the West. Realizing the growing importance of Russian assistance, NATO has begun to take steps that could eventually bring Russia into the alliance. On Dec. 7, NATO members met with Russian Foreign Minister Ivan Ivanov and concluded an agreement that will strengthen Russia's decisionmaking role in the NATO-Russian Permanent Joint Council, which was established by the 1997 Founding Act on Mutual Relations. That agreement gave Russia a voice in the alliance but not a role in making decisions. The case for eventual Russian membership in the alliance is a strong one. It is quite clear that even the newly modified Permanent Joint Council will be limited in the number of issues that both sides will be able to discuss and act upon, thereby maintaining the current awkward relationship between NATO and Russia as well as the old cold-war division of Europe. Equally significant, many, if not most, Europeans believe that Russian membership in NATO would complete the process of building a structure of European states that might finally bring lasting peace to the continent. Keeping Russia out of the alliance indefinitely, on the other hand, will not only leave a major gap in that mosaic, it could also revive Russia's traditional xenophobia and aggressiveness. At the very least, the prospect of Russian membership in NATO would prevent continued friction with Russia over NATO's eastward expansion. The Russians could hardly criticize a process in which they were invited to participate. Obviously, a negotiated settlement of the tragic Chechen conflict, including autonomy for Chechnya, accompanied by the withdrawal of most Russian troops, would go a long way toward easing opposition to Russia's entry into the alliance. At the same time, NATO should make it clear to the Russians that the continued development of democracy in their country – including the maintenance of a free news media, which has been under attack from the Putin government – is a prerequisite of Russia's admission into the alliance. In 1991, when the cold war ended, then Russian President Boris Yeltsin asked NATO to admit his country as a full member of the alliance. NATO scornfully dismissed his request, arguing that Russia was not ready for membership in the alliance. The consequences, at least in part, of that rejection were a short-circuiting of Russia's democratic development, rampant corruption, and near economic collapse, accompanied by friction between NATO and Russia over Bosnia and Kosovo. Now, as a consequence of the Sept. 11 tragedy, the West has a second chance to finally conclude the cold war, end the division of Europe, and make Russia a full partner of NATO in combating terrorism and curbing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. NATO, and particularly the United States, which leads the alliance, should not squander the opportunity the Sept. 11 tragedy has offered. NATO should make clear to the Russians that their continued cooperation with the alliance, as well as steady progress in the development of democracy and respect for human rights, particularly in Chechnya – will lead to Russia's eventual admission into the alliance, certainly by the end of this decade. • Ronald E. Powaski is a professor of history at Cleveland State University and author of 'Return from Armageddon: The End of the Nuclear Arms Race?' (Oxford, 2000). Copyright © 2002 The Christian Science Monitor. All rights ***************************************************************** 40 Workers at Rocky Flats sue Kaiser-Hill [www.TheDailyCamera.com] By Katy Human Camera Staff Writer Six Rocky Flats workers claim they were unfairly reassigned to "broom-pushing" jobs after they pointed out serious safety concerns during cleanup of the former nuclear weapons plant. The workers allege that after they complained about safety hazards, they were transferred out of challenging jobs in a contaminated building where they were eligible for overtime pay. Kaiser-Hill officials said the transfers were simply part of ongoing work reorganization at the cleanup site. They declined to discuss the case in detail, but they said they expect the judge to uphold the findings of an initial investigation, which did not support the workers' allegations. A federal administrative law judge with the Department of Labor will hear the case in a Denver courtroom Monday. The hearing is scheduled to last two weeks, after which judge Jeffrey Tureck will recommend a decision to the Labor Secretary. Betty Devers, David Martin, Joey Miller, Tracey Rittenbach, Dallas Sherman and Shirley Voorhies have almost 75 combined years of experience at Rocky Flats. All were specialists in decontamination and demolition work, and all were working in Building 771 until early last year. Rittenbach and Miller are the only two with less than a decade of experience at the federal site. In 2001, the six were suddenly transferred to new, less challenging jobs, Rittenbach said. For nearly a full year, Rittenbach said, he was "pushing brooms and sorting files," despite his certification for specialized decontamination work. The others were also reassigned to jobs in which they were ineligible for overtime, worth as much as $2,000 per month, according to documents filed by their lawyer, Todd McNamara of Denver. "We were not close ... the six of us, until this," Sherman said. "Then we found out we all seemed to have something in common, and the common thread was that we all complained a lot about safety." Sherman, 56, has worked at Rocky Flats for nearly 20 years. He said he worried that Kaiser-Hill managers were more interested in earning bonuses for finishing jobs ahead of time than keeping workers safe. "Through incentives, they drive this thing to the point where they're taking unnecessary chances with their employees," he said. "They don't want to do anything that's going to slow down a performance measure." During the summer of 2000, Sherman and two other workers were in a highly contaminated area, cutting into an old "back trap," a safety system that had been contaminated with plutonium and other contaminants. The material sparked, a condition that could indicate an extremely serious release of radioactivity. "We were concerned that we were getting zapped," Sherman said, but he was told to stay in the area and finish the job. Devers complained that exposed pipes in the ceilings of several rooms were improperly sealed, according to the claim documents. The overhead pipes were contaminated and could easily expose workers, Devers told Kaiser-Hill managers. Miller said he worried about a portable air conditioner, installed in a dangerous configuration near the door of a highly radioactive room. "Alarms were going off in there two to three times a day," Miller said. "We didn't know if the air conditioner was contaminated itself, or just messed up the airflow. But we brought it to their attention." He was ignored, he said. Eleven workers in the area later discovered they'd received internal doses of radioactivity. At times, the workers said they had to fight to get access to protective respirators and clothing. They said they felt their bosses consistently ignored worker concerns as well as standard safety procedures. "They educate us on these procedures, they tell us they'll fire us if we don't follow them ... then they bypass them," Rittenbach said. Managers told the workers they had been moved because their expertise was needed elsewhere and the number of workers in 771 was being reduced. "But they had seven new hires within a month, none of them with as much (decontamination and decommissioning) experience as us," Miller said. One of the new workers soon cut himself accidentally, receiving an internal dose of radiation. "That was one of the 'highly qualified' people they brought in to replace us," Miller said. He and his colleagues seek lost overtime wages and reimbursement of their legal costs. John Corsi, spokesman for Kaiser-Hill, said he doesn't think the workers will prevail. "This case was brought before the U.S. Department of Labor, and they thoroughly investigated it last year," Corsi said. "There was no evidence they were illegally transferred. ... Now, the workers have the right to appeal that decision, and we're confident that the result will the same." A spokeswoman for the Labor Department said it's not appropriate to call the lawsuit an appeal. Before any lawsuit can be filed, the department must launch an initial investigation, Sue Hensley said. It's not unusual for judges to overturn the findings of investigations, she said, though that happens less than 50 percent of the time. After the administrative judge's finding, either party can appeal to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Kaiser-Hill will initially pay legal costs out of its own pocket, Corsi said. "But if the case holds up as we think, then it's reimbursable because the case had no merit. If it did prove we were in the wrong, we have to pay for it." Contact Katy Human at (303) 473-1364 or humank@thedailycamera.com. April 7, 2002 Copyright 2002 The Daily Camera. All rights reserved. Any ***************************************************************** 41 Terror rejuvenates New Mexico weapons labs MetroWest Daily News.c o m - LOCAL NEWS By Sue Major Holmes / Associated Press Sunday, April 7, 2002 LOS ALAMOS, N.M. - With the demise of the Soviet Union, America's nuclear weapons laboratories lost much of their mission. The United States and Russia agreed to cut back stocks of nuclear warheads and ratchet down the targeting of each others' cities. They even stopped testing new bombs. But after Sept. 11, the Department of Energy's aging weapons labs - Los Alamos National Laboratory is almost 60 years old - got a new vocation: developing counterterrorism gear. The two New Mexico weapons labs, Los Alamos and Sandia, have embarked on projects including collar cameras for rescue dogs, explosive-sniffing robots and anthrax-killing foam. Now it appears their old expertise, nuclear bombs, may also be returning to vogue. The U.S. military has asked Sandia and Los Alamos to design a new bunker-busting nuclear bomb, one that can destroy underground command-and-control centers or stockpiles of chemical or biological weapons. The Bush administration's new Nuclear Posture Review, leaked to the news media in February, fingered Russia, China, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea and Syria as countries that could conceivably be targets for such new nukes. For the two weapons labs in New Mexico, the first impetus to jump into anti-terror technology stems from an attack closer to home. After the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing - in which two Americans were convicted and one executed - lab scientists began girding for the possibility that terrorists might someday build, buy or steal a nuclear bomb. Government logic postulated that scientists who design America's bombs know the best way to detect nuclear or other hazardous materials and somehow prevent a terrorist-mounted nuclear assault. The labs' scientists have hatched several anti-terrorism projects, including: -- A device that physically dismantled and preserved evidence of a bomb that authorities say airplane passenger Richard Reid carried in his shoe in December. -- A method of pinpointing genetic strains of anthrax and other deadly germs through DNA analysis. -- An anthrax-killing foam used to decontaminate buildings in Washington, D.C. and New York. -- Tiny cameras on rescue dogs' collars used in search missions in the wreckage of the World Trade Center. -- The Sand Dragon Robot, a wheeled metal device fitted with an explosives-sniffing sensor. -- Air monitors at the Salt Lake City Olympics that checked for signs of a bioterrorist pathogen. -- An early warning computer network for public health officials to spot trends in infectious diseases. New Mexico's two weapons laboratories each enjoy $1.6 billion budgets and provide a combined total of some 14,000 jobs - big numbers in one of the poorest states in the country. For people here, the war on terrorism has meant employment. Sandia hired more than 600 people last year and officials expect to add a similar number this year. Los Alamos is expected to hire 1,000 this year. The Bush administration's push in counterterrorism is already showing up in lab budgets. This year, Los Alamos has about $100 million for research and development into such technology. Los Alamos director John Browne expects that to increase to $116 million in fiscal year 2003. Research on "bunker-busting" nuclear bombs is expected to bring $15 million a year for three years to the two New Mexico labs and the nation's third weapons lab, Lawrence Livermore in California. Los Alamos began in 1943 as a top-secret project to develop the world's first atomic bomb. Sandia, its design and engineering stepchild, traces its beginnings to a bunch of engineers in prefab buildings surrounded by junked World War II planes in the Albuquerque desert. It became a separate lab in 1949. © Copyright by the MetroWest Daily News and Herald ***************************************************************** 42 Isotope discovery sends BNFL workers home 04/08/02 Oak Ridger Online --> Story last updated at 10:33 a.m. on Monday, April 8, 2002 by Paul Parson Oak Ridger staff The discovery of what officials believe to be radioactive transuranic isotopes at the Oak Ridge K-25 site has left 120 BNFL Inc. employees temporarily off work. Norman Hammitt, a BNFL spokesman, confirmed this morning that the workers were sent home last Monday and are not expected back to work for a couple of weeks when the situation has been remedied. "It was a precautionary measure," Hammitt said regarding why the workers were sent home. "No one has been injured. No one has picked up any contamination." Hammitt said preliminary lab evidence indicated that transuranic isotopes were present in piping and other components of Building K-31 where the workers were dealing with fissile materials. Transuranic means heavier than uranium, the heaviest naturally occurring element. Transuranic isotopes, which have a half-life greater than 20 years, are the result of the Department of Energy's nuclear weapons work. "You're talking about some contaminated material," Hammitt said. He said further lab tests will be done on the discovered isotopes before they are removed. Based on safety-related concerns, DOE halted work at K-25 involving fissile materials, or uranium, in early November. As a result, BNFL threatened to suspend around 350 of the 900 workers involved in its three-building K-25 cleanup project. Those safety issues were reportedly remedied, and BNFL was given approval less than a month later from DOE to resume work with fissile materials operations. BNFL, the U.S. subsidiary of British Nuclear Fuels, employs around 900 workers in Oak Ridge. The company signed a six-year contract with DOE in August 1997 to work on buildings K-33, which totals 2.8 million square feet; K-29, 586,880 square feet; and K-31, 1.4 million square feet. Paul Parson can be contacted at (865) 220-5533 or [pparson@oakridger.com] . [http://www.oakridger.com/dailydouble] All Contents ©Copyright The Oak Ridger ***************************************************************** 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: *****************************************************************