***************************************************************** 02/09/02 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 10.35 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POLICY 1 Ridge reschedules trip to test site 2 US: Nuke Power Research Gets Budget boost; Critics Want Renewable Fu 3 Japan: New grants eyed for nuclear plants 4 Bulgaria: New system to monitor nuclear plant's operation 5 US: The Senate view on energy, in brief 6 US: Nuke Power Research Gets Budget boost; Critics Want Renewable 7 US: Feds Outline Plan to Safeguard NukesNews Home NUCLEAR REACTORS 8 Millions of Chernobyl victims still suffering 9 Japan nuclear plant blaze injures two 10 AU: Hot dot missing at Lucas Heights - 11 Fire breaks out at nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan 12 Shutdown at controversial Czech reactor "serious", regulatory 13 Ukraine: Rivne nuclear reactor halves output for repairs 14 Nuclear reactor shut down in eastern Ukraine due to 15 US: Indian Point Opposition Grows NUCLEAR SAFETY 16 UK: Nuclear fallout doubled DNA mutations 17 Japan: 2 workers exposed to radiation in nuke plant blaze 18 Study shows atom bomb tests caused genetic anomalies 19 Japan: Fire at N-power plant, 2 workers exposed to radiation 20 US: Ohio: Agencies supporting nuclear pill NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 21 US: Bush Hears Arguments Against Nevada Nuclear Waste Dump 22 US: County and City Urge Public to Contact President Bush 23 Nuclear Industry Experts Join Management And Board Of ATI Nuklear AG 24 US: Don't be so quick to dump at Yucca Mountain 25 Chelyabinsk environmentalists vs Russian government 26 US: Nevada bridles at N-store plan 27 Russian cargo handlers to send radioactive scrap back to Japan 28 Radioactive metal seized on Russian-Chinese border to be buried 29 Russia: Pilot uranium processing plant to be commissioned in southern 30 US: Agency says it will get the waste out (idaho) 31 US: Missouri officials keeping close eye on Yucca Mountain nuclear w 32 Uranium Enrichment Newsletter: February 2002 33 US: Nevada Moves to Shut Off Water to Proposed Federal Nuclear Dump 34 US: Don't be so quick to dump at Yucca Mountain 35 US: Nevadans urged to weigh in with Bush 36 US: Officials send care package to Yucca Mountain proponent who 37 US: NUCLEAR WASTE SHIPMENTS: Report: Department not fully prepared NUCLEAR WEAPONS 38 Healing Our World Commentary: The Great Deception 39 US: Nuclear-Weapons Ban Would Fight Terrorism: Doctors 40 US: Nukes, made less loose 41 North Korea Cancels Trip by 4 Experts From the U.S. 42 Ireland: Editorial: An Irishman's Diary 43 Europe stunned by jailing of Pasko US DEPT. OF ENERGY 44 Jameson takes over Fernald cleanup - 45 Senators: Flats cleanup by '06 46 Companies in court fight over federal site cleanup contract 47 Secretary of Energy Addresses Future of Nuclear Nonproliferation in OTHER NUCLEAR 48 Continued review of routines for shipment of radioactive isotopes ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 Ridge reschedules trip to test site Saturday, February 09, 2002 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal WASHINGTON Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge has rescheduled a trip to the Nevada Test Site for Feb. 20, the office of Sen. Harry Reid announced Friday. Ridge will be flown by helicopter to the test site for an aerial tour. He also will visit the Phoenix training site, a mothballed nuclear rocket development plant used to train National Guard units and rescue personnel in responding to incidents involving chemical, biological and radioactive elements. "It will be the same of everything before it got set aside," Reid spokesman Nathan Naylor said of the rescheduled visit. Ridge was scheduled for a test site tour Jan. 9, but called off the trip to remain in Washington for budget talks with White House officials. Reid, D-Nev., and other Nevada officials will accompany Ridge, Naylor said. LAS VEGAS This story is located at: http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2002/Feb-09-Sat-2002/news/18064093.html [http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2002/Feb-09-Sat-2002/news/18064093.html] ***************************************************************** 2 Nuke Power Research Gets Budget boost; Critics Want Renewable Funding E Publishing ( February 07, 2002 ) While the Energy Department's overall FY '03 budget request for nuclear power is 15 percent lower than what it received in 2002, the industry is praising the $34 million added to help research the next generation of nuclear reactors. Meanwhile, nuclear opponents are quick to point that renewable energy did not receive nearly that much aid, with some programs even receiving cuts. DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology (NE) FY '03 request of $251 million is about 15 percent lower than the $294 million it was allocated for FY '02. Research and development programs overall were cut, with the Nuclear Energy Plant Optimization and the Advanced Nuclear Medicine Initiative program getting no requests, but the Nuclear Energy Technologies line item has a $46.5 million request, $34 million more than last year. The Nuclear Power 2010 program outlined in DOE's budget request will focus on "resolving the technical, institutional and regulatory barriers to the deployment and operation of new nuclear power plants by 2010 that could increase domestic electricity supply capability," according to DOE's budget. NE's goal is to increase the average capacity of existing nuclear power plants from 90 to 92 percent by the end of 2004, initiate a new nuclear power plant construction project and develop a conceptual design for a nuclear energy system that addresses the technology issues holding back the resource's expansion worldwide. Right now there are 103 commercial reactors that provide 20 percent of the country's electricity. The industry stresses the resource's emission-free production as part of reducing air pollution while its critics look at dangers associated with high levels of radiation in the event of an accident and the lingering problems of what to do with spent nuclear fuel. The Nuclear Energy Institute, the nuclear industry's policy group, praised the additional funds, saying that it "welcomed a Bush administration budget proposal that recognizes nuclear power's unique role as an expandable, emission-free source of baseload electricity." "This shows commitment on part of the administration for nuclear power," said Mitch Singer, NEI spokesman. Singer said the industry will fight to get funding back for the NEPO program as well. "It's an initiative to boost the output of our existing fleet and we think it's an important program." According to DOE's budget summary, the Nuclear Power 2010 program is a "joint government/industry cost-shared activity" that aims to have new regulatory processes in place to initiate private sector construction of new nuclear plants by 2005, with construction and startup completed by 2010. The Bush energy task force report, issued last May, also called for an expansion of nuclear energy use. Nuclear critics say the industry does not need new research funding and that the money should be used in other areas. "We feel it is a mature technology and we shouldn't be using federal funding for research into the next generation of reactors," said Christopher Sherry, research director for the Safe Energy Communication Council. Sherry objected to the "significant boost" in the nuke programs while renewable energy R funding was cut in biomass, geothermal and solar energy programs. Although wind, hydrogen and hydropower did see some increases, Sherry said he would like to see more money go for renewables and less for nuclear research. "Nuclear power presents an enormous problem for this country and it seems ridiculous that the president's budget proposed to build new nuclear reactors when we have the technology for renewables," said Anna Aurilio, legislative director for the Public Interest Research Group. "No one is having to worry about how to dispose of waste from a wind turbine." Critics have also paid increased attention to security problems at nuclear facilities due to the threats terrorist attacks and reports of failing marks on security drills. Identical bills introduced late last year, S. 1746 and H.R. 3382, both seek stronger federal laws and oversight on nuclear power plant security. The DOE nuclear energy budget makes no mention of security issues. "DOE must have missed Sept. 11," said Jim Riccio, Greenpeace nuclear analyst. "Al Qaeda has targeted nuclear power plants, yet we are going to build a new generation of them." Riccio also stressed that money should be transferred to renewable research. "No one has made a threat against windmills or a solar plant," he said. Go to the FY '03 Budget and Appropriations Special Report to see budget figures for selected line items. -- Suzanne Struglinski To see more of Environment and Energy Daily, or to subscribe online, please visit http://www.eenews.net © 2002 E Publishing. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 3 New grants eyed for nuclear plants Saturday, February 9, 2002 The government and the ruling coalition are weighing plans to allocate new public subsidies for construction of nuclear plants, sources familiar with the plan said. The program would form part of the nation's efforts to combat global warming, the sources said. Subsidizing construction of new nuclear plants by public utilities emerged as an option after Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told the Diet on Monday that the government plans to promote nuclear power as a carbon dioxide-free energy alternative. The sources said government officials and ruling coalition politicians involved with the formation of energy policy have launched an internal study. The government already subsidizes local authorities that host nuclear plants. The subsidy idea, however, would probably face tough opposition from within the government itself as public opinion is divided on the merits of nuclear power. Japan is committed to cut its emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases under the 1991 Kyoto Protocol on global warming, with the government believing that more nuclear plants must be built for the commitment to be fulfilled. Under the government's current long-term energy plan, 10 to 13 nuclear reactors will be built by fiscal 2010. The pace of construction has been stymied, however, as an increasing number of communities have voiced opposition toward hosting a nuclear plant in their vicinity. Japan currently has 52 operating nuclear reactors. The Japan Times: Feb. 9, 2002 (C) All rights reserved ***************************************************************** 4 Bulgaria: New system to monitor nuclear plant's operation launched BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Feb 8, 2002 Vratsa, 8 February: Interior Ministry Chief Secretary Boyko Borisov on Friday [8 February] inaugurated the first video system for emergency and disaster management in this country. The control centre is based at the Vratsa Regional Directorate of the Interior, and terminals are available at the Kozloduy nuclear power plant, the central administration of the Interior Ministry and the Council of Ministers. "This is one more step in upgrading the nuclear plant's operational safety, which supports our ambition to prove that the facility operates normally, safely and trouble-free," Borisov said. The system has stationary and mobile cameras which are connected to computers and control panels and can detect any attempt at a terrorist attack or whatever irregularity might occur, Borisov said. The control centre provides real-time videophone connections between the nuclear plant and all system components. Video and sound signals are received from 16 anchor points. It took the plant and the Interior Ministry half a year to build the network. The project cost 370,000 dollars, including 315,000 dollars for a digital telephone exchange, 34,000 dollars for a Kozloduy-Vratsa-Sofia high-speed transmission line and 20,000 dollars for computer equipment. The project was funded by the nuclear plant, Siemens Bulgaria, IBM Bulgaria, Sagem, the Vratsa-based subsidiary of the Bulgarian Telecommunications Company, the Vratsa Municipality and Sofia-based Telecommunication Systems... Source: BTA web site, Sofia, in English 8 Feb 02 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. ***************************************************************** 5 The Senate view on energy, in brief Caller.com: Politics By RYAN ALESSI Developing a national energy policy has been more than a year in the making for President Bush and Congress. The Senate version of the policy is still in the works and will be debated starting next week (Feb. 13 or 14). Here's a sketch of 10 key components of the plan: - Natural gas: With demand for the fuel on the rise, both the House and Senate want to build a natural-gas pipeline to bring the trillions of cubic feet of gas down from Alaska's North Slope, which was first developed for oil a decade ago. - Coal: The plan includes millions of dollars in clean coal technology research. Coal, which generates 52 percent of the nation's power, also churns out the most so-called "greenhouse gases" of any energy source. - Nuclear power: Though it won't be part of the energy bill, Congress must decide whether to approve a nuclear waste site at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. The Senate also will debate extending an insurance policy for nuclear power plants that makes the government responsible for any damages of more than $9.5 billion in the event of a nuclear accident. - Oil: A final plan will likely include tax credits to help independent oil drillers and incentives for companies to drill deeper into sites to reach the harder-to-get oil. Some drilling on public lands also is likely to get approved. But the Senate is bracing for a major battle between Republicans who want to drill in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and Democrats who don't. - Renewable power sources: They generate just a sliver of U.S. power, but both the House and Senate are pushing to pass incentives for companies to invest more in wind, solar, geothermal and biomass electricity generators. Some also want to see the government mandate that 10 percent of the nation's power be generated by renewable sources. - Energy efficiency: One of the hottest arguments will focus on raising fuel-efficiency standards of vehicles - particularly light trucks and sport utility vehicles. With the House and now the Senate unable to come to a consensus about how far those standards should be raised, this provision puts the Senate bill in jeopardy. - Conservation: The Bush administration and Congress have pledged to increase funding for programs that seal up drafty old houses owned by low-income Americans. The Energy Star program also encourages manufacturers to build less wasteful appliances. - Biofuels: Congress wants to provide tax credits for companies that develop and use diesel made from biological chemicals like ethanol, a type of alcohol. Ethanol, mostly produced from corn waste, is also being used as a gasoline additive. - Electricity system: The Senate, like the House, supports the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's proposal to create a national transmission system. Critics say centralizing the nation's power lines could make it easier for terrorists to attack. - New technology research: Congress, coupled with Department of Energy programs, will fund a host of research development projects from fuel-cell-powered vehicles to advanced deep-drilling systems. (Contact Ryan Alessi at AlessiR(at)shns.com or online at http://www.shns.com) February 8, 2002 [http://www.scripps.com] ©2002 Caller-Times Publishing Co. A ***************************************************************** 6 Nuke Power Research Gets Budget boost; Critics Want Renewable Funding E&E Publishing ( February 07, 2002 ) While the Energy Department's overall FY '03 budget request for nuclear power is 15 percent lower than what it received in 2002, the industry is praising the $34 million added to help research the next generation of nuclear reactors. Meanwhile, nuclear opponents are quick to point that renewable energy did not receive nearly that much aid, with some programs even receiving cuts. DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology (NE) FY '03 request of $251 million is about 15 percent lower than the $294 million it was allocated for FY '02. Research and development programs overall were cut, with the Nuclear Energy Plant Optimization and the Advanced Nuclear Medicine Initiative program getting no requests, but the Nuclear Energy Technologies line item has a $46.5 million request, $34 million more than last year. The Nuclear Power 2010 program outlined in DOE's budget request will focus on "resolving the technical, institutional and regulatory barriers to the deployment and operation of new nuclear power plants by 2010 that could increase domestic electricity supply capability," according to DOE's budget. NE's goal is to increase the average capacity of existing nuclear power plants from 90 to 92 percent by the end of 2004, initiate a new nuclear power plant construction project and develop a conceptual design for a nuclear energy system that addresses the technology issues holding back the resource's expansion worldwide. Right now there are 103 commercial reactors that provide 20 percent of the country's electricity. The industry stresses the resource's emission-free production as part of reducing air pollution while its critics look at dangers associated with high levels of radiation in the event of an accident and the lingering problems of what to do with spent nuclear fuel. The Nuclear Energy Institute, the nuclear industry's policy group, praised the additional funds, saying that it "welcomed a Bush administration budget proposal that recognizes nuclear power's unique role as an expandable, emission-free source of baseload electricity." "This shows commitment on part of the administration for nuclear power," said Mitch Singer, NEI spokesman. Singer said the industry will fight to get funding back for the NEPO program as well. "It's an initiative to boost the output of our existing fleet and we think it's an important program." According to DOE's budget summary, the Nuclear Power 2010 program is a "joint government/industry cost-shared activity" that aims to have new regulatory processes in place to initiate private sector construction of new nuclear plants by 2005, with construction and startup completed by 2010. The Bush energy task force report, issued last May, also called for an expansion of nuclear energy use. Nuclear critics say the industry does not need new research funding and that the money should be used in other areas. "We feel it is a mature technology and we shouldn't be using federal funding for research into the next generation of reactors," said Christopher Sherry, research director for the Safe Energy Communication Council. Sherry objected to the "significant boost" in the nuke programs while renewable energy R&D funding was cut in biomass, geothermal and solar energy programs. Although wind, hydrogen and hydropower did see some increases, Sherry said he would like to see more money go for renewables and less for nuclear research. "Nuclear power presents an enormous problem for this country and it seems ridiculous that the president's budget proposed to build new nuclear reactors when we have the technology for renewables," said Anna Aurilio, legislative director for the Public Interest Research Group. "No one is having to worry about how to dispose of waste from a wind turbine." Critics have also paid increased attention to security problems at nuclear facilities due to the threats terrorist attacks and reports of failing marks on security drills. Identical bills introduced late last year, S. 1746 and H.R. 3382, both seek stronger federal laws and oversight on nuclear power plant security. The DOE nuclear energy budget makes no mention of security issues. "DOE must have missed Sept. 11," said Jim Riccio, Greenpeace nuclear analyst. "Al Qaeda has targeted nuclear power plants, yet we are going to build a new generation of them." Riccio also stressed that money should be transferred to renewable research. "No one has made a threat against windmills or a solar plant," he said. Go to the FY '03 Budget and Appropriations Special Report to see budget figures for selected line items. -- Suzanne Struglinski To see more of Environment and Energy Daily, or to subscribe online, please visit http://www.eenews.net © 2002 E&E Publishing. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 7 Feds Outline Plan to Safeguard NukesNews Home - Yahoo! White House | AP Cabinet & State | AP Fri Feb 8, 4:49 PM ET By H. JOSEF HEBERT, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - The Bush administration will accelerate efforts to keep nuclear material from terrorists, especially in helping Russia safeguard its nuclear stocks, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham (news - web sites) said Friday. Abraham said that a yearlong review of the government's nuclear nonproliferation programs has made clear that the threat of nuclear materials getting into the wrong hands is greater today than ever. The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon (news - web sites) on Sept. 11 "put an enormous exclamation point" on the need to protect nuclear materials and spend more money on nuclear nonproliferation, especially in Russia, said Abraham. "I don't believe I have any higher priority," Abraham said in remarks prepared for a speech Friday to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council. Earlier this week, the administration proposed, as part of its fiscal 2003 budget, spending nearly $1.2 billion for Energy Department nuclear nonproliferation programs, a 50 percent increase over what Congress originally approved for this year. After the Sept. 11 attacks, Congress tacked on another $226 million for nuclear material protection, bringing the amount to just over $1 billion for this year. "This is a major reversal and it's a welcomed one," said William Hoehn, director of the Russia-American Nuclear Advisory Council, a private advocacy group on security issues involving the two nations. Only a year ago, the Bush administration proposed slashing the same programs by $100 million, prompting outcries from nuclear nonproliferation advocacy groups. Congress rejected most of those cuts. In his remarks, Abraham said that his department will accelerate the program to help Russia improve the security at its nuclear weapons material sites and consolidate nuclear stockpiles. "This is where the rubber meets the road and the results speak for themselves," said Abraham, adding that the security improvements are now expected to be completed by 2008, two years ahead of schedule. He also singled out expanding a U.S.-Russia program to help former nuclear scientists and engineers find civilian, commercial jobs or use their expertise in anti-terrorism programs. The goal of the program is to eventually provide civilian jobs for more than 30,000 Russian weapons scientists, engineers and technicians. "By employing these scientists for peaceful, viably commercial purposes, we dramatically reduce the talent pool available to those states that would employ these individuals for their own evil ends," said Abraham. The administration had not always thought that way. A year ago, it proposed virtually eliminating the program to help scientists who once worked on nuclear weapons jobs, maintaining the program was not working well. Abraham also cited the administration's agreement with Russia to dispose of 34 tons of excess plutonium in each country. He recently announced a plan to process the plutonium into mixed oxide for use in commercial power reactors. Russia will do the same to its plutonium. In embracing more help for Russia, Abraham said, "We have not undertaken these programs out of charity. They are clearly in our national interest." "The theft of only a very small quantity of highly enriched uranium or plutonium ... would be enough for a crude but utterly devastating nuclear weapon," said Abraham. Since the early 1990s there have been almost 200 documented attempts to acquire nuclear materials, he said, and today the threat "is frankly more harrowing than it was a decade ago." A year ago, a bipartisan commission called the need to help Russia protect its nuclear material one of the top U.S. national security priorities. The panel, headed by former GOP Sen. Howard Baker of Tennessee and Lloyd Cutler, former White House counsel in the Clinton administration, said $30 billion over 10 years would be needed to do the job right. Copyright © 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The ***************************************************************** 8 Millions of Chernobyl victims still suffering CDI Russia Weekly #192 - Russia, Ukraine, Chernobyl Victims, Belarus 7 February 2002 Sixteen years after the Chernobyl nuclear accident thousands of people are still living in contaminated areas and millions of people are still in need of international assistance, according to a United Nations report. The study by four UN agencies calls for "an entirely new approach" to help those in a state of "chronic dependency" in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. According to the report those most affected by the disaster have difficulty getting jobs, cannot support themselves financially and suffer drastic health problems - with many developing thyroid cancer. The explosion and fire at Chernobyl's No 4 reactor in April 1986 was the world's worst nuclear accident - it contaminated vast areas of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia and sent a radioactive cloud across Europe. Danger zone The UN report says that while much has been done to reduce the contamination more than seven million people in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia are still suffering the effects. Nuclear contamination remains in 23% of Belarus, 5% of Ukraine and 1.5% of Russia, according to the study which was carried out in 2001. Despite the danger, between 100,000 and 200,000 people either remained near Chernobyl or have returned to live inside the 30-kilometre (19-mile) zone that is still highly radioactive. In theory, people are banned from being in the area. Psychological damage At least 8,000 people have died, most from radiation-related diseases. About 2,000 people have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer and between 8,000 and 10,000 cases are expected to develop over the next 10 years, the report said. The most highly contaminated areas were evacuated, but according to the report this too took its toll - causing psychological problems for those moved. "The psycho-social welfare of people who stayed in their homes is better than that of those who were relocated," the study found. The report calls for a complete change in how aid is delivered to the area - shifting the emphasis from short term relief to long term recovery. Kenzo Oshima, head of the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said: "We must not turn our back on the government and people of the most affected countries after a decade and a half of assistance. We must not leave the job half done." Taking control The report calls for help in finding people jobs, fostering small businesses and reviving agriculture in the areas most affected by the disaster. "Populations in Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine would continue to experience general decline unless significant new measures are adopted to address health, the environment and unemployment," it said. "Focusing on their needs and helping them take control of their destinies must be a priority," the report added. Four and a half million people are still receiving government relief which is putting an enormous strain on national budgets, especially in Belarus and Ukraine. Over the past 10 years Belarus has spent more than $1bn on victims of the accident, while last year alone Ukraine spent $100m. CENTER FOR DEFENSE INFORMATION 1779 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20036-2109 Ph: (202) 332-0600 · Fax: (202) 462-4559 [info@cdi.org] ***************************************************************** 9 Japan nuclear plant blaze injures two CNN.com - - February 9, 2002 TOKYO, Japan -- A fire at a nuclear power facility in Japan has left two plant workers injured, but officials say no radiation leaked from the building. The fire at the Onagawa Nuclear Power Station some 70 miles northeast of Tokyo was quickly extinguished a spokesman for the plant's operators said. He said all three of the facilities nuclear reactors were continuing to operate as normal. According to officials the fire broke out when two workers conducting a routine inspection close to the basement of one of the reactors accidentally punctured a spray can that set alight a plastic sheet. The two men received minor burns to their faces and one is reported to be undergoing examination for radiation exposure. Officials in the nearby city if Oshika said monitors in the area had not indicated any abnormally high levels of radioactivity. Japan, which has few natural fuel resources, relies heavily on nuclear power to supply its energy needs. © 2002 Cable News Network LP, LLLP. ***************************************************************** 10 AU: Hot dot missing at Lucas Heights - smh.com.au - National February 9, 2002 + By Richard Macey It's no bigger than a match head, and experts insist it is harmless, but the radioactive device that vanished from a building on the site of the Lucas Heights nuclear reactor has triggered a bureaucratic meltdown. On January 10, workers at the Australian Radiopharmaceuticals and Industrials (ARI) building realised that the tiny piece of radioactive americium-241 was missing. A search was immediately launched but a month later there is still no trace of the device, which is used by industry to measure the thickness of extremely fine materials, such as sticky tape. The controversy is not what the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation needed ahead of the construction of its long awaited replacement reactor. But the incident has attracted the attention of the independent regulator, the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency, and the Minister for Science, Peter McGauran. "It should not have happened," the angry minister told the Herald, adding that he had directed ANSTO to tighten controls over radioactive material. Meanwhile, the regulator, told by Lucas Heights of the loss, has launched an inquiry. The ARI's director, Stuart Carr, said the object was encased inside a ceramic capsule which was, in turn, inside a stainless steel tube about 3 centimetres long and five centimetres wide. "It is not radioactive to touch," he said. Anyone holding the tube would be exposed to radiation close to everyday background levels. "It was noticed missing on January 10 ... There is a search going on in the immediate work area and it has been broadened out into less likely areas." Dr Carr said that although searchers were looking outside the two-level building where the device had been held, he was confident the americium-241 was still inside. "We have interviewed a lot of people," he said, adding that the search would continue until it was found. Dr Carr noted that americium-241 is used in smoke detectors in thousands of Australian homes. "There is no radiation safety or health issue if it is lost." Asked why it was important to find such a harmless object, he said: "We account for everything we have got and we are under close monitoring." Anyone finding the cylinder should leave it alone and call the ARI on 9717 3111 or the Environment Protection Authority on 131 555. ***************************************************************** 11 Fire breaks out at nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan ; Two injured ASSOCIATED PRESS TOKYO, Feb. 8 — Two workers were exposed to a small amount of radiation and suffered minor burns Saturday when a fire broke out at a nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan, a plant official said. The fire, in the basement of a reactor at Onagawa Nuclear Power Station, began when two workers accidentally punctured a spray can that set alight a plastic sheet during an inspection, said Atsushi Ishii, spokesman for Tohoku Electric Power Co., which runs the plant. The flames were put out before they could spread and there was no danger of radioactivity spilling outside the building, Ishii said. All three plant reactors were operating normally, he said. The two workers suffered minor burns on their faces and hands and were exposed to a small amount of radioactive dust that landed on their faces, plant spokesman Kazumi Sasaki said. But they quickly wiped it off with a wet cloth and the exposure was negligible, he said. Six other workers inside the reactor room were unaffected, Sasaki said. The amount of radioactivity in the area was slightly higher at the time because of the inspection, Sasaki said. Sasaki declined to detail the inspection but said the spray tested the surface condition of metal parts. Fueled by uranium, the Onagawa plant began operating in July 1995. It straddles Onagawa and Oshika cities in Miyagi state and is located about 230 miles northeast of Tokyo. Tsugio Suda, an Oshika city official, said monitors in the area indicated no abnormally high radioactivity levels. Resource-poor Japan depends on nuclear power for about 30 percent of its electricity needs. Recent accidents and cover-ups, however, have made many Japanese uneasy about nuclear power. Japan's worst nuclear accident killed two workers and exposed hundreds of others to radiation at Tokaimura, 70 miles northeast of Tokyo, in September 1999. © 2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may ***************************************************************** 12 Shutdown at controversial Czech reactor "serious", regulatory agency admits BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Feb 9, 2002 Text of report by Czech Radio on 9 February [Announcer] The State Nuclear Safety Office [SUJB] has described Thursday's safety shutdown at the Temelin nuclear plant [in southern Bohemia] as serious. SUJB Chairwoman Dana Drabova said this to "Radiozurnal" today; she added, however, that there was no radiation leak during the incident and that nuclear safety was not jeopardized. She said that the cause of the shutdown was simple - it occurred following a technical fault affecting a switch on the plant's generator, that is on the piece of the plant's equipment that produces power. Drabova admitted that the safety shutdown must be treated as serious from the technical point of view: [Announcer] As soon as safety mechanisms in the plant's primary circuit are activated, the matter must be treated as serious, naturally. It is necessary to ensure that the whole matter is thoroughly investigated in order to find our why this incident occurred in the first place. The plant's operator must take extra safety precautions to prevent the occurrence of such incidents in the future. The technical fault did not affect the nuclear part of the plant. Nevertheless, the incident did affect the plant's primary circuit to some extent, because safety mechanisms in the primary circuit were activated. [Announcer] Temelin's reactor has already suffered three automatic shutdowns since it was re-activated. Source: Czech Radio1 - Radiozurnal, Prague, in Czech 1000 gmt 9 Feb 02 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. ***************************************************************** 13 Ukraine: Rivne nuclear reactor halves output for repairs BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Feb 9, 2002 Kiev, 9 February: Output of the Rivne nuclear plant's No 2 generating set was halved at 0039 today [2239 gmt 8 February] for repairs, UNIAN has been told in the State Nuclear Control Committee's information centre. The reactor's output was reduced from full capacity to 215 MW after one of the two turbine generators was halted to repair a transformer. The reduction in the reactor's output had been agreed with the country's energy control service. [Passage omitted: known facts] Source: UNIAN news agency, Kiev, in Ukrainian 0926 gmt 9 Feb 02 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. ***************************************************************** 14 Nuclear reactor shut down in eastern Ukraine due to malfunction BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Feb 8, 2002 Text of report by Ukrainian news agency UNIAN Kiev, 8 February: The Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant's generating set No 6 has been shut down due to a malfunction. The generating set was disconnected from the national power grid at 2032 [1832 gmt] yesterday, the Ukrainian Emergencies Ministry reported. It was halted automatically by the safety module following a power failure in the emergency command console. The set is expected to be back in operation by 1600 [1400 gmt] today after the defect has been fixed. Currently 10 out of 13 generating sets are operational at Ukraine's four nuclear power plants. The Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant's generating sets No 6 and No 4 and the generating set No 3 in Rivne are under repair. Source: UNIAN news agency, Kiev, in Ukrainian 0720 gmt 8 Feb 02 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. All Material Subject to ***************************************************************** 15 Indian Point Opposition Grows Newsday.com - City group campaigns for plant's shutdown By Kathleen Kerr STAFF WRITER February 9, 2002 Fears that a terrorist attack on Westchester's Indian Point nuclear plant could send dangerous radiation drifting over New York City has triggered a grass roots movement aimed at shutting down the facility. Activists want to persuade Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the City Council to call for Indian Point's shutdown. They plan a five-borough campaign to win support from residents and community boards. And training sessions for people who want to help battle the plant are under way. Already, members of the NYC Campaign to Close Indian Point have held meetings in Manhattan and the Bronx, and plan to address Queens Community Board 1 on Feb. 19. The group is an offshoot of its sister organization in Westchester. The NYC Campaign to Close Indian Point - composed of nuclear opponents and members of the environmentally aware Green Party - met Thursday night at Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village. Their message: A serious accident at Indian Point could spew cancer-causing radiation over 20 million people who live within a 50-mile radius of the plant. Midtown Manhattan is about 20 miles from the plant. Efforts to close the plant escalated after Sept. 11 and when the CIA and FBI warned that interviews with al-Qaida prisoners point to the possibility of an attack on a nuclear facility. Coordinating the city-based effort to close Indian Point is Elizabeth Shanklin of Riverdale, chairwoman of the Bronx Green Party. "We hope to awaken New Yorkers to the fact that our lives are threatened," Shanklin said. Alex Mathiessen, director of Riverkeeper, an environmental group based in Garrison, said: "The challenge is you first have to make New Yorkers aware that it has a nuclear power plant a mere 20 miles from its border. Winds prevail mostly from the north and blow towards New York City." Joseph Mangano, national director of the Radiation and Public Health Project, a not-for-profit group, told the 60-odd people at Thursday's meeting that he's planning to collect baby teeth from city residents to test for the presence of Strontium-90, a radioactive product. Mangano said his group has found a correlation among elevated Strontium-90 levels in baby teeth, radiation exposure and cancer. James Steets, a spokesman for Entergy Corp., which operates the plant, disputed the group's dire warnings when reached after the meeting. "Whatever worst-case scenario would not result in significant radiation exposure in New York City," Steets said. "Our plant is currently safe in its design." Copyright © 2002, Newsday, Inc. Copyright © Newsday, Inc. Produced by Newsday Electronic Publishing. ***************************************************************** 16 Nuclear fallout doubled DNA mutations BBC News | HEALTH | 8 February, 2002, The mushroom cloud from a nuclear bomb explosion Exposure to radioactive fallout from nuclear weapons tests in the Soviet Union almost doubled the risk of inherited gene mutations in people living nearby, scientists have found. The population around the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in Kazakhstan was exposed to high levels of fresh radioactive fallout from four surface explosions between 1949 and 1956. Blood DNA from three generations of families living near the Semipalatinsk site was compared with 20 families living in Taldy Kurgan, a rural district of Kazakhstan by an international team of researchers. They looked at genetic mutations in the germline, which is the collection of genes parents pass on to their offspring. Family history The team found people exposed to fallout had an eight-fold increased risk of mutation in the inherited genes compared to the rural group. This study does show that there is an effect on genetic mutation Maj Hulten, University of Warwick: Their children had a five-fold increased risk. And the study showed there was a increased risk for children born to older parents, who had had higher exposure to the radioactive fallout. Although the genetic mutations seen by the researchers did not have any physical manifestations, the team say the study does show the ability of high-strength radioactivity to affect DNA. The scientists, writing in the journal Science, said the Moscow treaty in 1963 banning nuclear weapons tests in the atmosphere had been "effective in reducing genetic risk to the affected population". Test history Maj Hulten, professor of medical genetics at the University of Warwick, who worked on the research, said: "This study does show that there is an effect on genetic mutation. "It also would mean that in some other forms [radiation] could hit genes which have relevance for development." She added that the genetic material which has been collected from the families provides a "biobank" which further research can be carried out on in the future. William Morgan, director of the Radiation Oncology Research Laboratory at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore told Science the findings could contribute to the current debate about how people can be protected from chronic low-dose radiation. ***************************************************************** 17 2 workers exposed to radiation in nuke plant blaze Mainichi Interactive - Top News ISHINOMAKI, Miyagi -- Two workers were exposed to a small amount of radiation and two others suffered slight burns in a fire that broke out at a nuclear power plant Saturday, its operator said. The workers, whose faces were exposed to radiation, were washed and treated immediately and the accident is not expected to adversely affect their health, Tohoku Electric Power Co. officials said. The two who suffered burns received treatment at a local hospital. No radioactive materials leaked from the No. 2 reactor at Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant where the accident occurred. The fire started on a basement floor at about 9:40 a.m. where workers were squashing cans and burning a plastic seat. The local fire department is investigating the cause of the fire. The reactor was not in operation at the time of the accident as it has been undergoing a regular inspection since December last year. (Mainichi Shimbun, Feb. 9, 2002) (c) 2002 The Mainichi Newspapers Co. Under the copyright law of ***************************************************************** 18 Study shows atom bomb tests caused genetic anomalies / Soviet radiation results surprise U.S. scientists David Perlman, Chronicle Science Editor [dperlman@sfchronicle.com] Friday, February 8, 2002 Radioactive fallout from Soviet atom bomb tests caused genetic mutations in families living nearby, researchers have discovered, but they found no sign that those changes caused harmful health effects in the children of the parents they studied. The first clear evidence that long-term exposure to high doses of radiation could damage human genetic material is surprising, American scientists say, because no such mutations were found in Japanese survivors of America's atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Soviet scientists tested nuclear weapons during and after World War II near Semipalatinsk, a desert region in what is now the independent nation of Kazakstan. In a report published today in the journal Science, a research team from Britain, Kazakstan and Finland described results of DNA tests on the members of 40 Soviet families who had received high doses of radiation in fallout from four major Soviet bomb tests between 1949 and 1956. The results were compared with mutation rates in genetic material from a control group of 28 families living in a more rural area of Kazakstan who had not been exposed to radiation. All the families were matched by birth date, occupation and ethnic origin -- but not for exposure to viral diseases or other possible causes of genetic changes. Family members who had been adults at the time of the bomb tests showed a mutation rate that was 80 percent higher than the control group, and in the children of the exposed adults the DNA mutation rate was 50 percent higher. The changes did not show up in any known genes, but rather in repeated small sequences of genetic material known as "minisatellites" whose function as parts of the human genome is unknown and often referred to as "junk DNA." The researchers found no evidence of unexpected inherited ailments in the children, but they noted that the numbers they studied were much too small for any significant disease findings. According to Dr. Sheldon Wolff, former director of the Radiation Biology and Environmental Health Laboratory at the University of California at San Francisco, a Japanese-American team is now developing a large-scale inquiry into possible genetic mutations among Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors and their offspring. Wolff is the former research director of the Radiation Effects Research Foundation, which will conduct the research in Japan. After World War II, he said, scientists looked for inherited illnesses and birth defects in the children of the Japanese atomic bomb survivors but found no clear evidence. The new study of the Kazakstani families, he said, is significant but leaves many questions unanswered because so many other possible environmental and disease factors could not be sorted out by the researchers. Dr. William F. Morgan, a radiation oncologist at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said the mutations discovered in the Kazakstani families are "of no known biological significance," but are consistent with animal studies showing that genetic mutations caused by long-term exposure to radiation can be passed on to new generations. The study team in Kazakstan was headed by Dr. Yuri E. Dubrova of the University of Leicester in England and Rakhmet Bersimbaev of the Kazak State University in Almaty. E-mail David Perlman at dperlman@sfchronicle.com [dperlman@sfchronicle.com] . ©2002 San Francisco Chronicle   Page A - 14 ***************************************************************** 19 Fire at N-power plant, 2 workers exposed to radiation KYODO NEWS SENDAI, Feb. 9, Kyodo - A small fire broke out at Onagawa Nuclear Power Station in Miyagi Prefecture in northeastern Japan on Saturday morning, injuring two workers and exposing them to a small dose of radiation, before it was quickly extinguished, Tohoku Electric Power Co. officials said. The officials said the radiation exposure will not have an impact on the health of the workers and added that the amount leaked was so low it was not detected by a radiation dosimeter. No radioactive material was leaked outside the facility, they said. The two workers also suffered slight burns to their faces. The fire occurred around 9:35 a.m. at a radiation controlled area in the basement of the No. 2 reactor at the plant run by the power company. The fire started when the two male workers, aged 24 and 36, accidentally ignited a piece of plastic sheet while they were trying to move about 30 spray cans during a regular inspection. The spray cans were used in the inspection, the officials said, adding the sheet was the only items burned. Workers at the plant immediately took measures to remove radiation in the area. The company and police are investigating the cause of the fire. According to the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry's Nuclear and Industry Safety Agency, radioactive material was on the faces of the workers and was immediately removed. The agency said the case cannot be technically categorized as one of radiation exposure since the level of radiation was extremely low. The 825,000-kilowatt boiled-water reactor, which straddles the towns of Onagawa and Oshika in the prefecture, has been under regular inspection since Dec. 21 with operation of the reactor suspended. It started operations in July 1995. 2001 Kyodo News (c) Established 1945. ***************************************************************** 20 Ohio: Agencies supporting nuclear pill The News-Herald Dino DiSanto Staff WriterFebruary 08, 2002 Two Lake County agencies are supporting the stockpiling of potassium iodide pills for people living within 10 miles of the Perry Nuclear Power Plant. Lake County commissioners are leaning toward supporting that distribution, but want to wait before making a final decision. The commissioners want to see the final draft of the state's plan on how to distribute the pills and the outcome of a March 8 public hearing. The Ohio Department of Health has decided to hold a public hearing at Lakeland Community College in Kirtland. The hearing will be the first chance for residents to comment on the proposal of whether to distribute the pills, better known as KI, to people in parts of Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties. On Thursday, Lake County Health Commissioner Joel Lucia and Lake County Emergency Management Agency Director Robert Archer publicly supported the stockpiling of the pills. "Most people agree that it is a pretty good idea," Archer said. "But what worries people is not the philosophy, but the mechanics of the distribution." However, Lucia was disappointed that the state has been quiet about the distribution of the pills. "I just don't understand why the governor, the health department or the Ohio General Assembly can't come out and say, 'We believe you should make KI available,' " Lucia said. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which oversees the United States' 103 nuclear reactors, signed a $1 million contract last week to buy up to 6 million doses of the drug. The drug could help prevent thyroid cancer if taken within a couple of hours of a terrorist attack on a nuclear power plant. One tablet is believed to protect an adult's thyroid gland for about 24 hours from the radioactive iodine that could be released in a reactor accident or disaster. The drug does not protect against other illnesses caused by radiation. Since the Sept. 11 attacks, people living near nuclear plants have called for distribution of the drug, and some people have bought their own. In December, the NRC contacted 34 states with nuclear reactors or those within 10-mile emergency planning zones, asking if they were interested in receiving protective doses of the drug. Ohio has not indicated whether it was interested in joining the program. County commissioners, however, want to wait and see how the state plans on distributing the pills. So far, the state is leaning toward distributing the pills at regional locations. This means in case of an accident, people would have to go to a certain place to pick up the pills. Some residents have complained that everyone should be given the pills in advance to stockpile in their homes. FirstEnergy Corp., the Akron-based company that owns the North Perry Village plant, said it will support whatever the county decides. However, Todd M. Schneider, spokesman for the company, said before any decision is made, several factors need to be discussed. "Agreeing to provide KI is only the first step," he said. "There needs to be an education program on its correct use and it needs to be reviewed how it will be prescribed." The company, though, still thinks the best thing to do in case of an accident is to follow the emergency evacuation plan that has been in place since 1988. ©The News-Herald 2002 ***************************************************************** 21 Bush Hears Arguments Against Nevada Nuclear Waste Dump Environment News Service: WASHINGTON, DC, February 8, 2002 (ENS) - A bipartisan group of top elected Nevada officials made their case against the Yucca Mountain geologic nuclear waste repository to President George W. Bush in the Oval Office Thursday afternoon. [Bush] President George W. Bush in the Oval Office (Photo by Eric Draper courtesy The White House) Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn and Senator John Ensign, both Republicans, and Senator Harry Reid, a Democrat, met for 25 minutes with the President and several of his top advisors. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, who was not present at the meeting, has notified Nevada that on February 10 "based on sound science and compelling national interest" he will recommend to President Bush that the site 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas is scientifically suitable to receive the nation's high level nuclear waste. The waste must be safely contained for at least 10,000 years. In the Oval Office, the governor spoke first, outlining Nevada's lawsuit in federal court against Energy Department science, sources said. Senator Ensign briefed the President on possible alternatives to entombing the waste in casks, such as transmutation, that are being ignored by the Energy Department. Senator Reid made the case against transporting nuclear waste and spent nuclear fuel now stored at 131 sites in 39 states by road and rail to Nevada, in view of terrorist threats. During their meeting, the President gave no indication whether he would approve a recommendation or not, according to Governor Guinn. But the President's budget proposal to Congress, released Monday, says, "Should the site be formally designated this year, current plans call for the repository to open in 2010. The Budget provides sufficient funding that deadline." "If the site is designated," the Budget states, "the Administration will seek additional funding to begin construction of essential transportation facilities and infrastructure within Nevada, and provide a long-term management and financing plan for the entire licensing and construction effort. The Administration is committed to ensuring the environmentally sound and safe disposal of the nation’s radioactive waste." [Guinn] Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn on Capitol Hill (Photo courtesy U.S. House Bush Hears Arguments Against Nevada Nuclear Waste Dump of Representatives) Governor Guinn said Bush promised him during the election campaign that his Yucca Mountain decision would rest on sound science. But several independent assessments released in the past 30 days have said that scientific testing at Yucca Mountain shows problems with the containment of the radioactive waste. In the White House meeting, and in a letter to Secretary Abraham on Monday, Governor Guinn pointed out that a January 24 report from the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (TRB) concluded that the technical basis for DOE’s repository performance estimates at Yucca Mountain is “weak to moderate at this time.” The review board is an independent agency tasked with assessment of the suitability of Yucca Mountain. "Contentious meetings between the TRB and DOE [Department of Energy] in Nevada last week only further underscored the lack of any credible evidence supporting the suitability of Yucca Mountain for nuclear waste disposal," Guinn wrote. “We wouldn’t dream of settling for weak to moderate techniques from a surgeon trying to save someone’s life or a pilot trying to land a plane,” Senator Reid said. “I can’t believe that the administration would settle for weak to moderate science as the basis for this decision. I once again call on President Bush to keep his word that he will let sound science prevail in the designation on a nuclear waste repository.” “When we talk about one of the deadliest materials on our planet, sound science should mean strong science not weak science,” Senator Ensign said. [Yucca] Yucca Mountain, Nevada, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas (Photo courtesy DOE Yucca Mountain Project [http://www.ymp.gov] ) Another report critical of burying high level nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain was issued December 21, 2002 by the General Accounting Office (GAO), the investigative branch of Congress. This report said Secretary Abraham's recommendation to the President "may be premature," and questioned "the prudence and practicality of making such a recommendation at this time." With his letter to Secretary Abraham, Governor Guinn enclosed a "critically important" sworn affidavit by Dr. John Bartlett, who previously ran DOE’s Yucca Mountain project as director of the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management. Dr. Bartlett concluded that the Yucca Mountain site is "unsuitable for nuclear waste disposal," the governor wrote. "Even more troubling, he attests that DOE has itself reached this conclusion. He attended the recent TRB meetings in Nevada and observed further indications along these lines." In his affidavit, Dr. Bartlett says the DOE has "strayed from the mandates of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act," and from its original scientific mission, by abandoning geologic isolation at Yucca Mountain in favor of manufactured contrivances. "Given Dr. Bartlett’s stature and experience in this field, it is hard to imagine a more powerful indictment of the actual science at Yucca Mountain," Guinn wrote. [Abraham] Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham (Photo courtesy DOE) Guinn urged Secretary Abraham not to recommend Yucca Mountain to the President at this time, but "to join with Nevada in requesting the court to expedite review of the merits of our case, and to be guided by the court’s decision." Meanwhile, the state of Nevada has notified the Energy Department that it will cut off water to the Yucca Mountain site on April 9. In a letter to Scott Wade, an Energy Department environment, safety and health official in North Las Vegas, State Engineer Hugh Ricci denied the DOE's request for an extension of their permit to withdraw water from state aquifers because it is not in the state's interest. The Energy Department was using the water for site characterization tests, but these ended January 10, when Abraham notified Nevada that he would recommend the site positively to the President in 30 days. The use of Nevada water to build the Yucca Mountain repository, if it is eventually approved, is now the subject of a series of court actions and appeals before U.S. District Judge Roger Hunt. If the President makes a recommendation to the Congress, Nevada has 60 days to disapprove the site. Governor Guinn has announced his intention to disapprove Yucca Mountain. If disapproved, the Congress has 90 days of continuous session to enact legislation overriding a disapproval. If the Congress overrides the state’s disapproval, the secretary is required to submit a license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) within 90 days after the site recommendation is effective. These time frames provide about 150 to 240 days, or about five to eight months, from the time the President recommends the site until DOE submits a license application. [test] Deep beneath Yucca Mountain, Nevada, a technician tests its suitability to contain high level nuclear waste. (Photo courtesy YMP) The General Accounting Office report questions the ability of the Energy Department to submit an acceptable application to the NRC within the time frames established by law. The DOE will need several years to resolve 293 specific technical issues, the GAO said, including how water would flow through the repository area to the underlying groundwater and the durability of waste containers to last for thousands of years. In February 2001, DOE hired Bechtel SAIC Company, LLC (Bechtel), to manage the Yucca Mountain site assessment program and required the contractor to reassess the remaining technical work and the estimated schedule and cost to complete this work. In September 2001 Bechtel reported that the work required to submit a license application, assuming expected funding levels, would put the DOE in a position to submit a license application in January 2006. In its December 2001 report, the GAO warned that the Energy Department "is unlikely to achieve its goal of opening a repository at Yucca Mountain by 2010 and currently does not have a reliable estimate of when, and at what cost, such a repository can be opened." The urgency driving this process is as much financial as it is concerned with public safety. Courts in 18 cases brought by power utilities are currently assessing the amount of damages that the Energy Department owes the nuclear power plant owners for delaying the disposal of their wastes by at least 12 years past a court ordered disposal date of January 31, 1998. Estimates of the potential damages vary widely, from the DOE’s estimate of about $2 billion to the nuclear industry’s estimate of $50 billion. Nuclear power plant owners are currently holding about 40,000 metric tons of spent fuel in temporary storage at 72 plant sites in 36 states. In addition, the DOE estimates that it has over 100 million gallons of highly radioactive waste and 2,500 metric tons of spent fuel from the development of nuclear weapons and from research activities in temporary storage. Because these wastes contain radioactive elements that remain active for hundreds of thousands of years, the GAO said, the permanent isolation of the wastes is "critical for safeguarding public health, cleaning up DOE’s nuclear facilities, and providing a reasonable basis for increasing the number of nuclear power plants." ***************************************************************** 22 County and City Urge Public to Contact President Bush February 7, 2002 Contacts: Clark County: Carolyn Boyle 455-5186 Gwen Castaldi, 455-3546 City of Las Vegas: Erik Pappa 229-6501, 271-3030 Chairman Herrera, Mayor Goodman Urge Public to Contact President Bush Nevadans, Others Asked to Let President Know of Opposition President George W. Bush is expected to make a decision regarding the recommendation of Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham to bury the nation’s high-level nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, as early as Monday, February 11, 2002. Las Vegas Mayor Oscar B. Goodman and Clark County Commission Chairman Dario Herrera will hold a press conference Friday, February 8, at 10:30 a.m. in the City Council Chambers. Goodman and Herrera intend to urge the public to contact President Bush by telephone, fax, and e-mail to encourage the President to reject Abraham’s recommendation. Commissioner Herrera stated, "This decision is imminent, and it is imperative that Nevada residents make their voices heard loud and clear." Members of the public are urged to contact President Bush at the White House: e-mail: president@whitehouse.gov [president@whitehouse.gov] White House Comment Line: (202) 456-1111; or fax: (202) 456-2461 Goodman, an outspoken critic of the Yucca Mountain Project and the approval process stated, "We need to do an all-out blitz so the President fully understands the true effect of his decision on people in Nevada and across the country. " ### [http://www.co.clark.nv.us] ***************************************************************** 23 Nuclear Industry Experts Join Management And Board Of ATI Nuklear AG Yahoo! - Friday February 8, 6:00 am Eastern Time Press Release SOURCE: Advanced Technology Industries, Inc. BERLIN--(INTERNET WIRE)--Feb 8, 2002 -- Advanced Technology Industries, Inc. (OTCBB: [http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/q?d=t&s=avdi.ob] - news) announced that it has completed of the formation of ATI Nuklear AG ("AG"), which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Advanced Technology Industries, Inc. ("ATI"). AG has been formed to consolidate all of ATI's nuclear waste remediation technologies and services. The focus of the company is on nuclear waste remediation throughout Europe, Russia and the countries of the Former Soviet Union. AG is actively engaged in numerous projects and nuclear waste remediation applications. Several noted nuclear industry experts have recently been appointed to the management team and board of directors of the AG. Dr. Juergen P. Lempert has joined AG as its Chief Executive Officer. Prof. Alexander Kaul and Dr. Norbert Eickelpasch have joined the AG board. Prof. Kaul will serve as Chairman of the AG. Joining them on the board will be Mr. Hans-Joachim Skrobanek, President of Advanced Technology Industries, Inc. Additionally, Mr. James G. Burritt has joined as Senior Vice President of AG. Dr. Lempert, a noted nuclear industry expert with over 29 years of industry experience in the nuclear remediation field, will be responsible for overseeing all of the AG's daily operations, strategic planning and product development programs. He has previously held positions with Deutsche Gesellschaft zum Bau und Betrieb von Endlagern fur Abfallstoffe mbh ("DBE") and Brown Boveri Reaktor GmbH. While serving as Managing Director of DBE, Dr. Lempert was responsible for all German deep geological repository projects for high, intermediate, and low level radioactive waste. This included overseeing all research and development, technical issues and operations of 650 employees in the headquarters and three additional sites. Dr. Lempert previously served as Vice President of the German Nuclear Fuel Cycle Association, founding board member of EDRAM (Presidents of the waste management companies and agencies in Europe, US, Canada) and Board member of CASSIOPEE, Association of European Companies to assist Eastern countries in waste management. Prof. Alexander Kaul has joined AG as Chairman of the company's Board of Directors. Prof. Kaul previously served from 1989-1999 as the President of the German Federal Office for Radiation Protections (Bundesamt fur Strahlenschutz). This Federal Ministry is responsible for the administration of all Federal nuclear agencies in Germany. Prof. Kaul was also responsible for over 700 employees in four departments comprised of Radiation Hygiene, Radiation Protection, Nuclear Safety, Nuclear Waste Management and Transport, and most recently served as guest scientist of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Braunschweig, where he lectures in radiation protection at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. Prof. Kaul was a Member and Chairman of Committee 2 of the International Commission on Radiological Protection and Chairman of the delegation of the Federal Republic of Germany at the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) until 1999. He served as President of UNSCEAR in 1997 and 1998. He also served as a member of the Expert Group on the EURATOM Basic Safety Standards of the Commission of the European Communities, former President of the German Society for Medical Physics and former President of the International Organization for Medical Physics. He has been appointed by the German Federal Health Office (Bundesgesundheitsamt) as head of the Institute for Radiation Hygiene (Institut für Strahlenhygiene). Dr. Norbert Eickelpasch joins AG as a member of the board. Prior to joining the AG board, he served as a private consultant for Nukem Corp. and the Germany government nuclear research centers in Karlsruhe and Rossendorf, Germany. Additionally, Dr. Eickelpasch served as General Manager for decommissioning of the VAK-BWR near Frankfurt (the first reactor in Germany), generally considered the most progressive decommissioning project in Europe. His previous career activities include assignments with AEG Frankfurt in the Department of Nuclear Energy, where he was responsible for the physical and thermodynamic design of BWR´s in cooperation with General Electric in San José, California; Technischer Überwachungsverein Bayern, with responsibilities for conducting audits of safety analysis of nuclear power plants in Germany, the Netherlands and Italy; and Nuclear Power Plants Gundremmingen, where he was employed as manager of the technical department. His responsibilities included overseeing radiation protection and health physics, emergency planning, radiochemistry, waste disposal, fuel cycle design, management and supervision, fuel and core components procurement, quality assurance, licensing procedures, emergency planning, public relations, management of unit A decommissioning. Dr. Eickelpasch is a member of numerous committees of the German Radiation Protection Commission. Mr. James G. Burritt joins ATI Nuklear as Senior Vice President, bringing 38 years of experience in the nuclear industry. Prior to joining ATI Nuklear, Mr. Burritt was an independent consultant on organizational and project management and program evaluation, specializing in the nuclear and maritime fields. His experience includes operation, maintenance, construction, repair of nuclear ships and facilities, and management of projects and organizations. Mr. Burritt has presented papers at two NATO forums in Russia on how to resolve the safe decommissioning of the Russian nuclear submarine fleets. Mr. Burritt is considered an expert in matters of Russian nuclear submarines. He has worked extensively with the Ministry of Atomic Energy of the Russian Federation ("MINATOM"), the RF Ministry of Defense and other Russian Federation agencies during more than 25 trips to Russia in recent years. Mr. Burritt was a career Naval Officer, achieving the rank of Captain. He served in a variety of shipboard and engineering assignments including command of the Naval Ship Systems Engineering Station, a 1700 person in-service engineering and test and evaluation facility, and serving as Nuclear Repair Officer at a naval shipyard. The above news release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are based on assumptions that management believes are reasonable based on currently available information, and include statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of Advanced Technology Industries, Inc., ATI Nuklear AG, and their respective managements. Prospective investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and are subject to a wide range of business risks, external factors and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. Advanced Technology Industries, Inc. and ATI Nuklear AG assume no obligation to update the information contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Contact: Contact: Hans-Joachim Skrobanek Company: Advanced Technology Industries, Inc. Voice: 011-49-30-201-7780 ***************************************************************** 24 Don't be so quick to dump at Yucca Mountain Letters to the Editor 02/08/02 Frankie Sue Del Papa Carson City, Nev. It is disheartening to see The Plain Dealer (Feb. 4) so read ily adopt the nuclear industry's "security" arguments about the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump in Nevada. This project will not enhance nuclear security because Yucca Mountain will not be ready to accept all of this fuel for decades, and plants will continue to operate and generate waste, many on renewed licenses. It will take about 100,000 shipments through the nation's cities, including those in Ohio, to get the waste to Yucca Mountain. There, it will be stored above ground for at least 100 years. Far from reducing security risks, moving forward with Yucca Mountain will create a massive new target in Nevada and thousands of mobile targets in everyone's back yard. Billions of dollars of studies have proved one stark fact: The Yucca Mountain site is geologically unfit. There are many sound alternatives. Some of those involve technologies now under development at national laboratories and other salt-based repositories, or the Energy Department taking title to the spent fuel and managing it on site in dry-storage casks that can safely last hundreds of years. It would be far more responsible for our government to leave this fuel safely stored where it is until one of these alternatives matures. It will have to be stored on site anyway for the next several decades. by Frankie Sue Del Papa Carson City, Nev. Del Papa is Nevada's attorney general. © 2002 The Plain Dealer. Used with permission. » Send This Page | » © 2002 cleveland.com. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 25 Chelyabinsk environmentalists vs Russian government Reprocessing at Mayak The Mayak plant (South Urals) reprocesses fuel deriving from civilian and naval PWR type reactors. Envirogroups say radioactive waste from Hungary has been illegally stored at the Mayak combine in Chelyabinsk County for four years. Rashid Alimov, 2002-02-08 05:04 The Supreme Court considered a complaint filed by environmentalists from Chelyabinsk on February 6th. They contest a governmental decree, issued in 1998, which allowed reprocessing and dumping at the Mayak combine of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from the Hungarian Paks nuclear power plant. Return of the radioactive waste, produced after reprocessing of the Hungarian SNF, was not stipulated in the decree. But the legislation, which was in force at the time this governmental decree, N1483-r, was published, prohibited imports of nuclear materials for storage in Russia. Radwaste, remaining after spent fuel reprocessing, was to be returned to the country of origin. The new law “On Environmental Protection”, signed by President Putin in January 2002, allows imports of spent nuclear fuel, but declares “priority [for Russia] of the right to return the radioactive waste, generated after the reprocessing [of SNF] into the country of its origin.” But, in spite of these legal regulations, several shipments from Hungary to the Mayak plant took place in 1998 and 1999. Later, the Balkan crisis complicated the route of the trains with nuclear materials, and the shipments were halted. Nowadays all the waste, produced during the reprocessing of the Paks NPP originated spent fuel, is stored at the Mayak. Waiting until February 26th? The complaint was lodged by the envirogroups from Chelyabinsk-based organisations — Pravosoznaniye (The Sense of Justice) and The Movement for Nuclear Safety, Andrey Talevlin and Natalia Mironova. They demand nullifying of the governmental decree, as violating the Constitution since the moment of its pronouncement. “The radwaste must be sent from the Mayak back home, to the Paks NPP, Hungary,” the environmentalists say. The court session scheduled for February 6th was postponed, because the representatives of the government could not say for sure, whether the environmental evaluation, required by the Law, had taken place, before the documents were put on the Prime Minister’s desk. We expect, that the court’s decision would be pronounced at the next session, on February 26th,” Andrey Talevlin said to Bellona Web. Soviet nuclear inheritance The representatives of the Russian government say, while preparing the decree, they followed the agreement between the USSR and the People's Republic of Hungary. The agreement regulated participation of Soviet specialists at building of the Paks NPP, operating on four units with VVER-440/213 type reactors. It also stipulated Russia's obligations to conduct repairs of the nuclear plant. But this agreement does not require Russia to store on its territory the radwaste, generated during reprocessing of the spent fuel, generated at this nuclear plant,” Andrey Talevlin comments the document of the Soviet past. The governmental decree N1483-r has never been published. The environmentalists learned the very fact of its existence accidentally during the legal proceedings against the Mayak combine. In this trial, started in May 2001, they demand that Mayak must stop dumping liquid radioactive wastes into the Karachay Lake and other ponds. The claimants say that the situation with the radioactive contamination at Mayak and the neighbouring territories is very difficult. Vast areas in Chelyabinsk County, nearly 168,000 hectares, are contaminated with radionuclides. Storing the radioactive waste at the territory of Chelyabinsk County aggravates the damage, brought to the environment by the Mayak plant, and violates human rights of the people, living there, the activists say. Publisher: Bellona Foundation, President: Frederic Hauge Information: info@bellona.no, Technical contact: webmaster@bellona.no Telephone: +47 23 23 46 00 Telefax: +47 22 38 38 62 * P.O.Box 2141 Grunerlokka, 0505 Oslo, Norway ***************************************************************** 26 Nevada bridles at N-store plan By Nancy Dunne in Washington Published: February 8 2002 18:45 | Last Updated: February 8 2002 18:52 The US Energy Department will soon send to the White House a controversial plan to store radioactive nuclear wastes at the edge of a bomb test site in Yucca Mountain, Nevada. President George W. Bush is expected to grant the project speedy approval. After 20 years of delay and $8bn spent, energy and security concerns are now driving the proposal through the bureaucracy with the speed of a bullet train. In October, the Energy Department went through 30 public hearings in Nevada, where the plan was heavily criticised. On January 10 Spencer Abraham, the energy secretary, said he would recommend the plan to the White House after 30 days. Mr Abraham said the site was essential for national security since it moved the threat of terrorist attacks away from population areas to one centralised, defendable location. It is also necessary to ensure continued nuclear power production, he said. Mr Bush on Thursday met Nevada state officials, who urged him to consider safety concerns before approving the plan. Other opponents are drawing supporters around the country by raising concerns about the safety of transporting spent fuel by train or even specially constructed trucks. They criticise the science behind the site selection, warn that the wastes could contaminate ground water, and fume that Nevada is being used as "the national septic system" - while having no nuclear power plants of its own. The nuclear energy industry regards the establishment of the Yucca depository as essential to its development. Utilities have already won a suit against the federal government for failing to create a central storage site by 1998, as promised. "Electric utilities and rate payers paid the government over $16bn for their part of the contract, and half of that has been frittered away," said John O'Neill, an industry lawyer. Meanwhile, the Energy Department is liable for the billions of dollars it will cost for temporary expanded spent fuel storage space it has built at nuclear plant sites. "Twenty years ago we were the world leader in nuclear technology including nuclear waste disposal," said Mr O'Neill. "Now we're behind France, the UK, Sweden and even Finland, and we're a joke in Europe." Kenny Guinn, the Nevada governor and a Republican, has announced his intention to veto the Yucca proposal. State attorneys are preparing briefs to sue the federal government. Once the state rejects the plan, it will move to Congress, where it must be approved by a simple majority. The key obstacle there could be Harry Reid, the Senate whip and a Nevada Democrat. ***************************************************************** 27 Russian cargo handlers to send radioactive scrap back to Japan BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Feb 8, 2002 Text of report in English by Russian news agency ITAR-TASS Vladivostok, 8 February: Specialists of a local company, Primtechnopolis, are now packing radioactive objects received from Japan and due to be returned to their country of origin. More than half of the objects have already been packed in polythene bags placed in wooden boxes which fill 20-feet containers that are now held in the port territory. The Japanese hauliers are obliged to take the load out of Russia, but in February their representative asked for more time to take additional precautionary measures. A ship from Japan will only sail to Russia's Maritime Territory after all the objects are securely packed. The process is expected to last at least a fortnight. The radioactive non-ferrous scrap metal - 346 tonnes - was brought to the Russian port of Nakhodka from Japan's port of Kashima aboard the Grace-1 vessel on 3 December, 2001. It was to be taken to China by lorries. But radiation control in the Russian port revealed that 52 aircraft engines and a multitude of small fragments emitted radiation that exceeded the natural background level by 100-150 times. Source: ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in English 0823 gmt 8 Feb 02 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. ***************************************************************** 28 Radioactive metal seized on Russian-Chinese border to be buried BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Feb 7, 2002 Text of report in English by Russian news agency ITAR-TASS Vladivostok, 7 February: A load of radioactive ferrous and nonferrous scrap metal seized by Russian customs officers at the railway station of Grodekovo, Maritime territory, two days ago, has been shipped to a burial site in Khabarovsk territory. A source in the press service of the Far Eastern customs administration told ITAR-TASS on Thursday [7 February] that an inspection of a China-bound freight train two days ago showed that the scrap metal it was carrying was emitting radiation that registered a level that exceeded the natural radiation background 200 times. The dangerous scrap metal had been shipped by an incorporated company based in the village of Pokrovka to a trade and industrial company operating in the city of Dongjuing [untraced - possibly Dongxing or Dongyang, both of which are in Heilongjiang province], Heilongjiang province. The source in the press service of the Far Eastern customs administration said the local law enforcers will work to clarify the origin of the radioactive metals shipped by the Russian company. Source: ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in English 1457 gmt 7 Feb 02 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. ***************************************************************** 29 Pilot uranium processing plant to be commissioned in southern Kazakhstan BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Feb 8, 2002 Shymkent [southern Kazakhstan], 1 February. Mining industry enterprises in South Kazakhstan Region (SKR) produced output worth 31,828m tenge [210m dollars] in 2001, 15.6 per cent up on 2000, the head of the production department of the Region's industry department, Mushit Khairudinov, told Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency. [Passage omitted: list of enterprises] Last year output's increase was achieved thanks to an expansion of production of zinc oxide, barytes and lead concentrate at the mining and concentration complex Yuzhpolimetal [Southern poly metal] closed joint-stock company [CJSC], Khairudinov said. He said this company had produced 42,600 tonnes of barytes concentrate in 2001 worth 5,624m tenge [31m dollars]. Extraction of monobarytes ore was also begun in the region by Barite Oil Kentau CJSC last summer. Khairudinov considers that there should be no fall in output in the SKR's mining industry this year, indeed, it even may be increased. He said that Teriskey Ltd would start extracting gold, silver and talcum in first quarter of 2002. [Passage omitted: Teriskey has licenses to develop a number of fields] Besides this, he said that a pilot plant to process uranium concentrate with a capacity of 100 tonnes of uranium a year, built by the French-Kazakh Katko joint venture, was scheduled to be accepted for commissioning by the state commission in February or March. [Passage omitted: reserves of bauxite, iron, uranium, lead, zinc and coal are valued at at 238.5 bn dollars] Investments of about 1.9bn dollars are needed to develop prospected deposits and cary out geological prospecting work, transferring forecast resources into industrial categories and going on to develop them, Khairudinov said. The mining industry accounted for 3.1 per cent of the SKR's production in 2001. Source: Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, Almaty, in Russian 1345 gmt 1 Feb 02 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. All Material Subject to ***************************************************************** 30 Agency says it will get the waste out (idaho) The Times-News Online -- Twin Falls, Idaho Saturday, February 9, 2002 Twin Falls, Idaho By Jennifer Sandmann Times-News writer TWIN FALLS -- The federal government plans to clean up nuclear waste and other toxic contamination at Idaho's nuclear lab and doesn't plan to close it, state and federal officials said Thursday. Magic Valley residents can hear more about the Department of Energy's "accelerated" cleanup plan Wednesday in Twin Falls. The region's congressional delegation and Gov. Dirk Kempthorne say the plan could reduce the lab's cleanup budget. The proposal, included in the Department of Energy budget proposal, requires congressional approval. The agency's 2003 budget proposal released this week raised questions about the DOE's intentions concerning the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory near Idaho Falls. The budget stated INEEL receives substantial cleanup money but is unable to complete projects on time and within budget. It proposed accelerating a 2050 cleanup deadline and "closing the lab." In a court agreement with the state, the department said it would remove specific types of nuclear waste from Idaho by 2035 and have other nuclear waste ready to remove. The year 2050 noted in the agency's budget proposal raised questions about whether the department planned to meet the 2035 deadline. Agency spokesman Tim Jackson at INEEL, and Kathleen Trever, director of the state program monitoring INEEL cleanup, agreed that the mention of 2050 referred to cleanup wrapup. Both Jackson and Trever said that by 2050 the department must have decommissioned nuclear waste facilities and cleaned up groundwater contamination at the site. The 2035 waste removal deadline still stands, they said. Department of Energy Under Secretary Robert Card, in a letter sent to Idaho officials Wednesday, said the agency is on its way toward meeting INEEL cleanup deadlines and working out a disputed agreement with the state. The federal government and the state disagree on the future of plutonium-contaminated waste buried at the site. Trever says it must be removed based on former Gov. Phil Batt's agreement. The department says it is not covered. The agency has missed deadlines on a project to dig up one acre of the buried waste in an area called Pit 9. Pit 9 is supposed to guide buried waste cleanup. The department haphazardly dumped plutonium-contaminated waste in unlined pits and trenches in the 1950s and 1960s. The waste was buried above the Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer, the sole source of drinking water for some 200,000 people in southern Idaho. In a conference call with Idaho reporters Thursday, U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, said Pit 9 was a failure but that he disagreed with the department's assessment that INEEL cleanup has been ineffective. Pit 9 was a nearly impossible project, he said. How to protect workers is one of the issues to be solved, he said. Otherwise, he said, INEEL has met deadlines. "I'm not going to call them inefficient except in one instance which got them all of the attention," Craig said. It's Idaho's and the department's goal, he said, to get the waste off the aquifer. But the agency has said that stabilizing the waste and leaving it in the ground is one consideration and that it doesn't need to finish Pit 9 to decide how to handle the buried waste. Card's letter to Idaho officials said wording in the budget document led to "unfortunate" interpretations that INEEL was slated for closure. "This is simply not true," Card's letter said. On the contrary, Card said, the department is studying enhancing INEEL's nuclear mission with the construction of an advanced technology prototype power reactor. Times-News writer Jennifer Sandmann can be reached at 733-0931, Ext. 237, or jsandmann@magicvalley.com. Copyright © 2002, Magic Valley Newspapers ***************************************************************** 31 Missouri officials keeping close eye on Yucca Mountain nuclear waste decision News Tribune - 02/08/02 ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Officials in Missouri are waiting anxiously for a Bush administration decision on whether to build a nuclear waste storage facility under Yucca Mountain in the Nevada desert. They fear it could lead to thousands of tons of waste traversing the state on Interstate 70. "We feel it is extremely likely that if Yucca Mountain is up and operating that it will entail use of I-70 for many of these cross-country shipments," said Dru Buntin, of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. "The folks that live along these particular routes ought to be aware and ought to have some input in the decision." Officials in Nevada spent Thursday at the White House, making a last-minute plea to President Bush. They don't want him to approve construction of the facility until safety issues are resolved. Last month, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham endorsed the site. He has until Saturday to make a formal recommendation to the president. If it is approved, the site would become home to about 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste created in reactors across the country. That waste is currently stored at 131 different sites in 39 states. To get to Nevada from sites on the East Coast, federal officials could use I-70. They have yet to tell Missouri officials just how much of the waste could end up passing through St. Louis. "They haven't told us how many shipments it's going to be, and I don't think that's by accident," Buntin said. A spokesman for the Department of Energy, Joe Davis, said it is premature to talk about the number or frequency of the prospective shipments. "We can do this safely," Davis said. "In fact, we would only transport it if we can do it safely, and we believe we can." Officials in Nevada can block a presidential decision to build the facility, but Congress can then overrule their decision. AP stories ©Copyright 2002 Associated Press. ***************************************************************** 32 Uranium Enrichment Newsletter: February 2002 The Uranium Enrichment Project publishes a monthly online newsletter summarizing developments within the US uranium enrichment establishment. The newsletter is compiled by Mary Byrd Davis, who can be contacted at francenuc@francenuc.org . 1. Oak Ridge 2. Paducah 3. Portsmouth 4. US Department of Energy 5. United States Enrichment Corporation 6. Urenco 7. Russia 8. Depleted uranium I. OAK RIDGE History of K-25 R. P. Prince and A. Milton Stanley have published an article in the Journal of East Tennessee History that traces the origin of the name K-25. The "K" stood originally for the Kellex Corporation, a subsidiary of the M.W. Kellogg Company created to design the gaseous diffusion plant. The number "25" was a code name for uranium 235 during World War II. The historians think that "K-25" was used for the first time in a Kellex technical report in March 1943, before the site of the first US gaseous diffusion plant had been determined. (Richard D. Smyser, Oak Ridger, 1/16/02) Extension of incineration? The US Department of Energy (DOE) is considering extending operation of the incinerator at K-25. During the past few years DOE officials have stated that use of the incinerator would end with the close of the 2003 fiscal year. Helen Belencan, head of DOE’s national low-level waste program, will make a recommendation early this year as to whether to change this date; DOE is likely to make a decision before the end of the year. The incinerator is DOE’s only facility for burning mixed waste (radioactive waste with hazardous chemicals). The State of Tennessee has not yet approved DOE’s burn plan for 2002. (Frank Munger, Knoxville News-Sentinel, 1/2/02) Beryllium testing A new laboratory to analyze blood samples for beryllium disease was unveiled at Oak Ridge January 16. The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, which will use the laboratory, is in charge of DOE’s national program to test workers for the illness. People who have been exposed to beryllium need to be tested every few years, whether or not they have been exposed since their last test. The Institute can analyze the blood from 3000 workers a year, but that does not meet the demand, Dr. Donna Cragle, chief of epidemiology at the institute reports. (Frank Munger, Knoxville News-Sentinel, 1/17/02) II. PADUCAH Cleanup contract Bechtel Jacobs has awarded Weskem a $22 million contract to remove from Paducah and transport to a Nevada disposal site, 29,000 tons of scrap metal. The project is scheduled to begin in June and to last about four years. Nickel ingots are not covered by the contract, since they are valuable and may be recycled. USEC was among the four firms that bid for the work. ( Joe Walker, Paducah Sun, 1/5/02) Expenditure for security DOE will spend twice as much on security at the Paducah plant as it had planned, before September 11, to spend. The budget has been increased from approximately $2.4 million to more than $4.8 million. Most of the additional money will be used for labor. Security changes at the plant include broadening the security perimeter, adding a checkpoint, placing barriers at perimeter roads, and closing a road. (Joe Walker, The Paducah Sun, 1/10/02) Uranium sales tax The Kentucky legislature has before it a bill to exempt uranium enriched at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant from the state’s 6% sales tax. The legislation is designed to encourage USEC to move its transfer and shipping operation from the Portsmouth plant to Paducah, a change that USEC is considering making. Ohio does not charge USEC sales tax. (Bill Bartleman, Paducah Sun, 1/11/02) III. PORTSMOUTH Storage cell DOE’s fiscal year 2000 budget included $2 million for study of construction of a disposal cell for low-level waste at the Portsmouth plant. The study is being carried out by Bechtel Jacobs, which should complete it in June. The cell would store only waste generated by the Portsmouth site, Walter Perry of DOE is reported as saying. (Rami Yoakum, Chillicothe Gazette, 1/26/02) Safety violations J. E. Dyer, regional administrator for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), has sent J. Morris Brown of USEC, a letter with a Notice of Violation. Dyer states that "the NRC has determined that violations of NRC requirements occurred." "A greater than safe mass deposit in piping associated with shutdown Cell 31-5-8" accumulated, and the dry air buffer in the involved piping was not maintained. The violations were classed as Severity Level III, because criticality control was not met. The NRC considers a base civil penalty of $60,000 for a Severity Level III problem, Dyer stated. However, the problem has been corrected, and the agency has decided not to propose a civil penalty in this case, to encourage prompt correction of violations and to recognize "the absence of previous escalated enforcement action." (Letter from J.E. Dyer to J. Morris Brown, 1/17/02) A new nuclear power plant? The Ohio legislature is considering a bill that would set up a Nuclear Energy Study Committee as a joint legislative committee "to examine the feasibility and desirability of an expanded role for nuclear energy to meet the future energy needs of Ohio and, if the committee determines it necessary and appropriate, to identify specific policies that this state should undertake to remove barriers to or provide incentives for such an expanded role" (HB 414). Twelve consumer and environmental organizations, including Portsmouth/Piketon Residents for Environmental Safety and Security (PRESS), announced their opposition to the bill January 29. (HB 414; Press release from Advocates for Consumers and the Environment, 1/29/02) "Sources" have said that "a power plant may be envisioned" for 340 acres of land at the Portsmouth site that DOE may shortly transfer to the Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative (Sodi) for industrial use. (Jonathan Riskind, Columbus Dispatch, 1/30/02) Questions on land transfer DOE has found traces of chemical and radioactive contaminants on 340 acres of land that the department is preparing to transfer to the non-profit Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative (Sodi) for a nominal fee. Among them are xylene; heavy metals including mercury; and plutonium and neptunium. Testing has been conducted in two phases. The second phase, the results of which were announced January 29, found lower levels of contamination than did the first phase. In view of the tests, Sodi is not certain whether it wants to receive the land. Sodi intends to look to the Ohio EPA and its own analysis for guidance (Van Rose, Pike County News Watchman, 1/20/02; Jonathan Riskind, Columbus Dispatch, 1/30/02) DOE has retracted the fist version of the report, and only the second version is available at the DOE’s Environmental Information Center (740-289-3317), the Center’s librarian told us. Annual environmental report DOE has announced the availability of the Portsmouth Annual Environmental Report for 2000. Copies can be obtained from DOE’s Environmental Information Center at Piketon (740-289-3317). At the center of a novel The thriller Collateral Damage by H. R. Hertzberg, a Denver attorney, centers in an attempt to sabotage the Portsmouth enrichment plant. Few details about the plant are given. In fact, much of the story takes place in South Africa. The plot is based on the assumption that maintaining a domestic supply of enriched uranium is of tremendous importance to the US administration. The reader may wonder to what extent the current administration would agree with this assumption. The second edition of the book was published by the National Writers Press in Aurora, Colorado in 2001. IV. US DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (DOE) Top to bottom review Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham visited DOE’s Fernald site January 31 to announce the results of the agency’s top-to-bottom review of its Environmental Management Program. DOE will dedicate $800 million of its $6.7 billion request for cleanup funds in fiscal year 2003 to an "Expedited Cleanup Account." Money from the "Expedited Account" will go to sites that have reached an agreement with DOE on an expedited cleanup schedule. Details of DOE’s cleanup plans were to be announced February 4. (DOE, News release, 1/31/02) V. UNITED STATES URANIUM ENRICHMENT CORPORATION (USEC) Dumping and countervailing duties The US International Trade Commission ruled January 22 that imports of low-enriched uranium from Europe "have materially injured and/or threaten to materially injure USEC Inc." The Commission will transmit its ruling to the US Department of Commerce February 4. The department will then issue final antidumping and countervailing duty orders. The total duties will be 32.10% for Eurodif and 2.23% for Urenco. Pascal Lamy, European Trade Commissioner, has protested the ruling and warned that the European Union could challenge it at the World Trade Organization. (USEC Press Release, 1/22/02; Europe Information Service, European Report, 1/26/02) USEC and Arthur Anderson and Enron An article in the Washington Post January 28 indicates that USEC is among fourteen Washington area companies audited by Arthur Anderson that will continue to use Anderson’s services. Charles Yulish, USEC spokesperson, told the Post that Anderson is "like the federal government." "They come in and they are tough. You show them your books." In June 2000 USEC entered into an agreement with Enron whereby USEC’s US customers were given the option of purchasing enrichment services and products from USEC with electricity. Customers would furnish Enron with electricity, and Enron would pay USEC the contracted price for the service or product and sell the electricity. (USEC Press release, 6/27/00) Second quarter financial report In its second quarter, ending December 31, 2001, USEC earned $9.5 million or $.12 per share; in the second quarter of its preceding fiscal year, USEC had earned $20.9 million or $.26 per share. Nevertheless, USEC experienced a 38% increase in volume of sales of SWU, in the second quarter of 2002 compared with the corresponding quarter in 2001. Revenue was $560.1 million in the second quarter of 2001, compared to $387.1 million the previous year. (USEC, Press release, 1/23/02) Ratings January 25 Standard & Poor’s (S&P) placed on CreditWatch its ratings of USEC Inc. S&P is concerned about the status of USEC’s negotiations with Russia on implementation of the HEU accord and about the contamination of much of USEC’s stockpile of natural uranium. S&P lists USEC’s corporate credit rating at BB+, below investor grade.(Platt’s Nuclear News Flashes, 1/25/02) Importation of depleted uranium hexafluoride Martin J. Virgilio, Director of NRC’s Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, wrote to J. Morris Brown, USEC’s vice president for operations, January 18, to state the licensing requirements for the importation of depleted uranium hexafluoride (DUF6). A license would necessitate an amendment to USEC’s gaseous diffusion plant certificates that would state an acceptable means of disposing of the waste and provide assurance of the availability of funds for that purpose. DUF6 "would be classified as waste since there is not a clear foreseeable use." The designation could be changed if USEC finds a "useful purpose for the material consistent with NRC requirements." USEC had requested clarification of regulations on the importation to the United States of this material. The company wants to import DUF6 from an Asian customer. (Letter from Martin J. Virgilio to J. Morris Brown, 1/18/02; Platt’s Nuclear News Flashes, 1/29/02) VI. URENCO US plans Urenco has formally informed the NRC that it plans "’to apply for and obtain a license to build and operate an enrichment facility in the US.’" In a December letter to William Travers, director of operations at the NRC, Pat Upson, Urenco’s managing director, said that Urenco and its partners would begin site selection in early 2002 and probably file an application for a license in the last half of the year. Urenco has not yet announced the names of the partners; but has stated that the group that put forward the Louisiana Energy Services project in the 1990s will be the basis of the new partnership. Cogéma, however, will apparently be excluded. (Mark Hibbs, NuclearFuel, 12/24/01; Platt’s Nuclear News Flashes, 1/4/02) VII. RUSSIA Negotiations USEC and Techsnabexport, executive agents for implementation of the US-Russian high enriched uranium accord, have failed to agree on a price for blended down Russian uranium in 2002 and beyond. USEC reportedly wants to pay 15 percent less than it did in 2001. The Russians say that they are unable to accept this decrease. Officials of the Russian Atomic Energy Ministry have announced that the negotiations will continue but, as of January 31, did not know when or where this would occur. The contract that determined pricing expired at the end of 2001. (RosBusinessConsulting Database, 1/22/02; Vedomosti, 1/31/02) VIII. DEPLETED URANIUM Conversion DOE has asked the three finalists in the bidding to convert depleted uranium hexafluoride at the enrichment plants to more stable material to extend their bids through February 28. The department had stated that it would announce the successful bidder January 15. Officials of the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers (PACE) International say that the delay is in large measure the result of disagreement between the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and DOE over how many plants to build. DOE wants two, as Congress specified; OMB wanted none and then switched to one. Reportedly, if only one plant is built, it is likely to be at Paducah, which has approximately two thirds of the depleted material (see UEN, Jan. 2002). (Joe Walker, The Paducah Sun, 1/26/02) ***************************************************************** 33 Nevada Moves to Shut Off Water to Proposed Federal Nuclear Dump FOXNews.com Friday, February 08, 2002 LAS VEGAS — Nevada again wants to shut off water to the site where the federal government wants to bury the nation's radioactive waste. State Engineer Hugh Ricci has notified the Energy Department that he will not extend for five years a permit letting the federal agency draw water for the Yucca Mountain nuclear repository site. The current permit expires April 9. A similar move spawned a federal lawsuit in 2000. The case is pending before U.S. District Judge Roger Hunt in Las Vegas. Bob Loux, Nevada Nuclear Projects Agency chief and the state's top appointed official working against the project, said Friday that Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham's Jan. 10 declaration that Yucca Mountain is a suitable site for the nuclear dump made additional study — and a water permit — unnecessary. "They can't have it both ways," Loux said Friday. "Or, they can postpone the decision." He referred to Abraham's expected recommendation to President Bush, which could be made this weekend. Bush did not indicate during a Thursday meeting with Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn and Nevada's senators, Republican John Ensign and Democrat Harry Reid, how or when he will decide whether to give the Yucca Mountain project the go-ahead. Water has been used in suitability studies and to help tunneling operations at the site of the proposed national nuclear waste repository, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Yucca Mountain project officials have said the site still needs water for sanitary facilities and dust control. Gayle Fisher, Energy Department spokeswoman in Las Vegas, declined to comment Friday on the water issue, citing the lawsuit. On Thursday, Ricci notified Scott Wade, an Energy Department official in North Las Vegas, that providing water to the site for a nuclear waste repository is not in the state's interest. Ricci's predecessor took the same position in March 2000, prompting the federal government to sue the state for water rights. Nevada elected officials, who say state residents overwhelmingly oppose the Yucca Mountain repository plan, have vowed to fight the project on legal, political and public opinion fronts. Fox News Network, LLC 2002. All rights reserved. All market data ***************************************************************** 34 Don't be so quick to dump at Yucca Mountain » More From The Plain Dealer Letters to the Editor 02/08/02 Frankie Sue Del Papa Carson City, Nev. It is disheartening to see The Plain Dealer (Feb. 4) so read ily adopt the nuclear industry's "security" arguments about the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump in Nevada. This project will not enhance nuclear security because Yucca Mountain will not be ready to accept all of this fuel for decades, and plants will continue to operate and generate waste, many on renewed licenses. It will take about 100,000 shipments through the nation's cities, including those in Ohio, to get the waste to Yucca Mountain. There, it will be stored above ground for at least 100 years. Far from reducing security risks, moving forward with Yucca Mountain will create a massive new target in Nevada and thousands of mobile targets in everyone's back yard. Billions of dollars of studies have proved one stark fact: The Yucca Mountain site is geologically unfit. There are many sound alternatives. Some of those involve technologies now under development at national laboratories and other salt-based repositories, or the Energy Department taking title to the spent fuel and managing it on site in dry-storage casks that can safely last hundreds of years. It would be far more responsible for our government to leave this fuel safely stored where it is until one of these alternatives matures. It will have to be stored on site anyway for the next several decades. by Frankie Sue Del Papa Carson City, Nev. Del Papa is Nevada's attorney general. © 2002 The Plain Dealer. Used with permission. © 2002 cleveland.com. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 35 Nevadans urged to weigh in with Bush • President Bush's e-mail: [president@whitehouse.gov] • White House comment line: (202) 456-1111 • President's fax number: (202) 456-2461 Saturday, February 09, 2002 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal By JAN MOLLER REVIEW-JOURNAL Anticipating a quick verdict from President Bush on the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, three local officials on Friday urged Nevadans to voice their opposition to the project with faxes, e-mails and phone calls to the White House. Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, Clark County Commission Chairman Dario Herrera and North Las Vegas Mayor Michael Montandon said they want the president to hear not only from elected officials, but from citizens who might be affected by nuclear waste coming to Nevada. "We're not going to let Washington trample on us," Goodman said. "This is not just our problem; it's the nation's problem." The news conference was organized by Herrera, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for the newly created 3rd Congressional District and has indicated he plans to make partisan hay by injecting himself into the highly charged issue. Herrera alluded to remarks made by House Majority Leader Richard Armey of Texas during a recent fund-raising visit to Las Vegas. "He said this was going to be governed by power politics, not science," Herrera said. Armey, like other Republican leaders in the House, has been a supporter of the project. Goodman agreed that the issue has been dominated by politics and called Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham a "fathead" for his decision last month to recommend the site as scientifically suitable for storing 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste. Sen. Jon Porter, R-Henderson, Herrera's probable opponent, said he believes state leaders should unite in their opposition to the project. "Both houses (of Congress) will be acting upon this," Porter said. "I believe that Nevada residents are wise to the partisan bickering and are tired of it. They want us to work together." Gov. Kenny Guinn joined Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and John Ensign, R-Nev., for a 25-minute meeting with Bush on Thursday, urging the president to reject Abraham's recommendation. If Bush accepts Abraham's recommendation, Guinn will have 60 days to issue a veto, which then could be overridden by a majority vote in each house of Congress. webmaster@lvrj.com Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal, 1997 - ***************************************************************** 36 Officials send care package to Yucca Mountain proponent who suggested tourism boycott Saturday, February 09, 2002 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal Friendly Fire By GLENN PUIT REVIEW-JOURNAL If the showgirl headdress doesn't fit on John Sununu's head, maybe the "Danke Shoen" tune from the Wayne Newton CD will get his attention. A little more than a month after Sununu floated the idea of a tourism boycott in Nevada because of the state's opposition to the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, tourism officials shot back Friday, mailing a tourism care package to the Yucca Mountain supporter. Inside the package is the CD, the headdress -- even a Liberace magnet -- all of which are aimed at reminding Sununu that Southern Nevada is more than just a place to store spent nuclear fuel rods. "It is a way to gently poke fun at him for his self-righteous comments," said Rob Powers, spokesman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which orchestrated the mailing. In a January interview with the Review-Journal, Sununu questioned Nevada's patriotism regarding Yucca Mountain, about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, saying the state's opposition to the repository is against the nation's best interests. "If Nevada is not willing to do its part in what is part of a national plan for homeland security ... maybe Americans ought to vacation somewhere else," Sununu suggested. It was not clear Friday if Sununu will be amused by the tourism care package. He did not respond to a request seeking comment. What was clear, though, was that tourism officials were not holding back in their efforts to ridicule Sununu's comments. The convention authority even hired an Elvis impersonator and a Las Vegas showgirl to mail the care package from the Sunset Road post office on Friday morning. "Not too cool," Elvis impersonator Brendan Paul said of Sununu as he prepared to mail off the package. "We want to send this priority," he told window clerk Felicia Basilio. Accompanying the package was a letter to Sununu, advising him to "take a break in more sunny surroundings." "Is life as a Beltway power broker getting you down?" the letter reads. "Is the cold and gloomy D.C. weather making you an unhappy camper?" "Maybe we can help," read the letter, which is signed by "Las Vegas." Inside the box were a bevy of Las Vegas goodies, including boxing gloves, a Circus-Circus clown bag and a Golden Nugget place mat. "Open it up, play, try things on, take a bite," the letter reads. Powers said the package was also sent with timing in mind. On Thursday, Gov. Kenny Guinn and Nevada's two U.S. senators lobbied President Bush to block the Yucca Mountain Project. webmaster@lvrj.com Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal, 1997 - ***************************************************************** 37 NUCLEAR WASTE SHIPMENTS: Report: Department not fully prepared Saturday, February 09, 2002 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal Department of Transportation to appoint administrator By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- The Department of Transportation is preparing to designate an administrator as a focal point for nuclear waste after auditors warned the department is not prepared for forecasted shipments to a planned repository in Nevada. The department's inspector general's office reported in a Jan. 10 memo that the DOT "needs to take steps to be fully prepared as the Department of Energy ramps up its program for transferring nuclear waste from temporary storage to permanent storage." "At this time DOT is not fully prepared for the forecasted increase in shipments" to Yucca Mountain if built and also to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico, said Alexis Stefani, an assistant inspector general for auditing. Stefani issued a nine-page report following a 10-month review of nuclear waste-related activities conducted by the Federal Railroad Administration, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Federal Highway Administration, and meetings with Energy Department and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff. Transportation agencies "are concerned there is no focal point within DOT with sufficient authority to deal timely and effectively with budget, resources, regulatory, coordination, infrastructure, routing, environmental and safety issues that may arise," she said. DOT administrators agreed with the report and said they would designate an office for the function by April. Department spokesman Ben Langer said Friday that a decision on a point of contact has not yet been made, nor have the position's requirements been determined. The memo was made public by Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., who along with other Nevada leaders is challenging the safety of transporting thousands of tons of nuclear waste from commercial power plants across the country. Referring to the memo, Berkley sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta asking his views on what improvements must be made to highways and railways to handle increased shipments and whether those costs have been factored into Yucca Mountain cost projections. She also asked Mineta to report on whether shipment canisters would be secure against a possible terrorist attack. Federal highway and rail agencies and the U.S. Coast Guard currently inspect toxic waste and nuclear waste shipments for safety. The Research and Special Programs Administration oversees safety programs for hazardous and radioactive material. Stefani said the DOT needs to be ready for sharp increases in shipments that lie ahead. The Energy Department has forecast that shipments of plutonium-tainted transuranic waste to New Mexico will increase from about 112 in 2000 and 330 in 2001 to more than 1,300 in 2005. Likewise, Stefani noted, the Energy Department predicts "a sharp increase" in high-level radioactive waste shipments beginning in 2010, "assuming DOE opens its candidate permanent repository for such waste as scheduled." The Energy Department is working to get Yucca Mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, approved for development as a nuclear waste repository over the strong objections of Nevada's elected leaders. According to the Energy Department, about 300 shipments of nuclear waste, mostly spent fuel from nuclear utilities, would be sent to Yucca Mountain in 2010, its projected first year of operation. Shipments would increase to nearly 1,700 shipments annually in 2015. Overall, the inspector noted, the Energy Department forecasts 49,800 shipments of waste to a repository under a scenario where most nuclear material would be moved by truck. Under a mostly rail scenario, there would be 13,400 shipments. The Energy Department has yet to determine its transportation strategy, a point Nevada leaders are pressing as a reason President Bush should delay a decision on Yucca Mountain. Nevadans have challenged the safety of moving highly radioactive materials through cities. Nuclear industry officials maintain such fear is groundless. Stefani recommended the Transportation Department upgrade to "senior-level coordination" with the Energy Department on nuclear waste. In a response, DOT Administrator Melissa J. Allen agreed. She pointed out, however, that "hurdles remain" for the Energy Department on Yucca Mountain "that could cause that (2010) date to slip." Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal, 1997 - 2002 ***************************************************************** 38 Healing Our World Commentary: The Great Deception Environment News Service: By Jackie Alan Giuliano, Ph.D. The Great Deception For the good times come and go, but at least there’s rain; So this won’t be barren ground when September rolls around. So watch the field behind the plow turn to straight dark rows Put another season’s promise in the ground. -- Stan Rogers (American singer and songwriter; 1949–1983. From his song, “The Field Behind the Plow") Each day, millions of people around the world work hard to make a living. Some work long hours at jobs that require back breaking physical exertion, leaving them little time and energy for personal or family activities. They are trying to earn a living wage as best they can to feed and clothe themselves and their families. [worker] A laborer washes demolition debris at Fernald Environmental Management Project, a former uranium processing facility in Ohio. (Photo courtesy Fernald [http://www.fernald.gov/AboutFernald/about.htm] ) Most of these folks do not get up in the morning with the intention of harming the Earth, making people and animals sick, or taking the future away from our children. Yet that often ends up being the result of their activities as employers and politicians try their best to convince people that their work is helping the economy, providing jobs, or keeping their countries strong. This rhetoric has resulted in making the workers of the world accomplices in what may be the greatest deception of our time. The reality is that most work being done today by the majority of people involves extracting precious resources from the Earth to make goods that we could easily live without. That work is also generating millions of tons of toxic substances every day that are pouring into our lakes, rivers, oceans, soil, and bodies. The average woman and man is often well aware of some of the consequences of their actions. But how can they be expected to make informed choices when their bosses tell them everything is fine, their government tells them that regulations keep businesses honest, and doctors keep recommending drugs to solve problems that lifestyle changes could cure? The plight of the people of New York City is the most recent, pathetic example of this phenomena. In the days following the September 11th tragedies, EPA spokesperson Bonnie Bellows told ABC news that EPA officials "really don't detect any real danger" in air and dust tests and that there were "very low" levels of asbestos. Non-government scientists knew that this was nonsense and that the air around the ruin of the World Trade Center was filled with millions of pounds of pulverized, toxic materials that were now airborne. [Ground Zero] Ground Zero, site of World Trade Center terrorist strikes, photographed 10 days after the disaster on September 21, 2001. (Photo by Michael Rieger courtesy Federal Emergency Management Agency [http://www.fema.gov] ) In a "Healing Our World" commentary published in the days after the attacks, I reported that, “Gases and smoke from the fire and explosions are also highly toxic, containing dioxins, PCBs, volatile organic compounds, jet fuel, and many other toxic compounds from the building materials and offices. These irritants can trigger breathing spasms, asthma attacks, and untold future problems for those who inhale them." "The 2,000 degree fire that resulted when the jets that hit the World Trade Center towers exploded may also have created many combinations of toxic materials of unknown effect.” All this has been denied by the Bush administration. Once again, science and technology fail us and common sense is ignored. Rather than issue advisories that people not be outside in the area of the disaster without breathing protection, yet more studies are being undertaken. In the meantime, rescue workers, residents of the area, and folks on the street are at risk. The “New York Times” summed it up well in their January 11, 2002 article, “Studies Will Take Sept. 11's Measure in Health Effects.” The newspaper said, “The blast of dust and smoke — and the toxic substances, fibers and ash that blew through New York in the days afterward — is without precedent in medical literature, which means that there are no studies to fall back on for guidance on whether to be alarmed or reassured.” The Associated Press reported a few weeks ago that, “As many as 500 firefighters who worked at the World Trade Center site are on leave for respiratory problems and other rescue-related injuries," and a union leader warned Friday that the ailments could force many of them into retirement. An independent laboratory found 555 times the safe level of asbestos in the air of one man’s apartment near the area. Samples from his bathroom vent showed dangerous levels of fiberglass. [monitoring] EPA air monitoring of the World Trade Center disaster site (Photo courtesy EPA [http://www.epa.gov/natloc/epahome012902/wtc/epa-osha010302.htm] ) Many folks who work downtown are reporting very similar symptoms - nosebleeds, a continuous hacking cough, bronchial infections, and sore throats. Four New York Port Authority police officers were reassigned when elevated levels of mercury were found in their blood. And the list goes on and on. Even before September 11th, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimated that more than 32 million workers are exposed to harmful substances from more than 3.5 million workplaces every year. Each day, our jobs wreak havoc throughout our planet. Regular readers of this column will have seen this list before, but it bears repeating. Each day on this Earth: + 180 sq. miles of tropical forests are cleared + 73 tons of topsoil are eroded + 78 million tons of heat trapping carbon dioxide are added to the atmosphere + 1,800 tons of ozone depleting chlorofluorocarbons are added to the atmosphere. And in the United States alone, we: + use 313 million gallons of fuel - enough to drain 26 tractor-trailer trucks every minute + take 18 million tons of raw materials from the Earth + use 6.8 billion gallons of drinking water to flush toilets + throw one million bushels of litter out of car windows + saw up 100 million board feet of wood + use 250,000 tons of steel + use 187,000 tons of paper So, we have to ask ourselves the question, “What are we working for?” The answer must be more than “just for tomorrow.” Given that most of our bosses and political leaders work only to increase their wealth for today, we must conclude that we have to take back our health and our future. If our work is damaging to our souls and to our planet, then something must change. If you are working in an industry or in a job that is unhealthy for your spirit as well as your Earth, then begin looking for a new job now. If you don’t feel that is possible and you need or want to stay, then organize with other co-workers and decide to make a difference. It is vitally important that we do our best to align our hearts with our jobs. The old idea that from 9 to 5 you belong to someone else never was workable and is too damaging to even consider. We have all felt the pain and personal damage that comes from working at something we hate or that we know is wrong. And you know what? When you align your work with what is truly in your heart, you will find that your new choice will benefit the Earth and our children’s future. I don’t fear that any mentally sound person will intentionally choose the accumulation of wealth or to inflict pain as a profession. Those goals cannot truly rest in one’s heart but are distractions and denials that shield us from our true spirit. As our world fills with toxic pollutants that are being found in the bloodstream of even indigenous people far from civilization and in nearly every woman’s breastmilk, we can no longer wait. We must ignore the rationalizations of our industrial and political leaders whose hearts are blinded by their quest for personal wealth and power at any cost. Let’s take back our world. The Great Deception that has worked to render us powerless for so long must end. With a shifting of priorities and an unblocked heart and spirit, you and I can end it. Let’s dust off those resumes, fire our bosses, and take back the workplace. The Earth is our home, not a commodity, and our health is not for sale. RESOURCES 1. See the full “New York Times” article about the pending health studies at: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/11/nyregion/11LAB.html [http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/11/nyregion/11LAB.html] You will have to sign up, but using their archive is free. 2. A “Washington Post” article detailed some of the health effects of September 11th. 3. Get help looking for a profession that feeds your soul with the help of the book, “Mindfulness and Meaningful Work,” by Matthew Fox. See an excerpt at: http://www.universalmind.com/matfox.htm [http://www.universalmind.com/matfox.htm] 4. Learn about ways to craft a new dream from Island Press. Their website, “Redefining the American Dream,” is at: http://www.islandpress.com/ecocompass/dream.html [http://www.islandpress.com/ecocompass/dream.html] 5. Visit the Center for a New American Dream for help at: http://www.newdream.org/ [http://www.newdream.org/] 6. It may seem strange to consider, but the ancient Chinese art of Feng Shui can help. Through techniques that show you how to make your home a representation of your life, you will get help bringing your dreams and aspirations into focus. Feng Shui has methods that can help you bring your dreams to life. For a pretty good explanation, visit: http://www.wofs.com/fsuk4.htm [http://www.wofs.com/fsuk4.htm] 7. Business and political leaders have banded together to rob the Earth more effectively and to bring the Great Deception to small towns. Read about their efforts and learn how to combat them at: http://www.publiceye.org/magazine/v07n2/wiseuse.html [http://www.publiceye.org/magazine/v07n2/wiseuse.html] 8. Find out who your Congressional representatives are and e-mail them. Tell them that they had better start thinking about our global future – or they are out! If you know your Zip code, you can find them at: http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ziptoit.html [http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ziptoit.html] {Jackie Alan Giuliano, Ph.D. is a writer and teacher in Seattle. He can be found watching his son learn to crawl and thinking about what the boy will do for a living. Please send your thoughts, comments, and visions to him at: jackie@healingourworld.com [jackie@healingourworld.com] and visit his web site at: http://www.healingourworld.com [http://www.healingourworld.com] } ***************************************************************** 39 Nuclear-Weapons Ban Would Fight Terrorism: Doctors Reuters Wire | 02/08/2002 | [http://www.aberdeennews.com] [Aberdeennews Photos] Knight Ridder Washington Bureau Making sense of Washington and the world. [http://www.krwashington.com] Posted on Fri, Feb. 08, 2002 NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - With the threat of nuclear terrorism more real than ever, some US physicians argue that the only way to deal with it is to abolish nuclear weapons and gain international control over weapons materials. In the February 9th issue of the British Medical Journal, three doctors estimate that if a nuclear weapon exploded in a New York City port, the blast would immediately kill 52,000 and more than 200,000 would die of radioactive fallout or radiation sickness. And a ``goal-line defense'' is not enough to prevent such a catastrophe, according to Dr. Ira Helfand, chief of emergency medicine at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, Massachusetts. ``The way to stop nuclear terrorism isn't exclusively through increased security measures,'' Helfand told Reuters Health. According to Helfand and his colleagues--all members of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War and Physicians for Social Responsibility--''as long as there are stockpiles of nuclear weapons in the world, the possibility of nuclear terrorism remains.'' They note that there is ``clear evidence'' that various terrorist groups have been trying for years to obtain nuclear materials, particularly from the stockpiles of the former Soviet Union. The efforts of the al-Qaeda network--whose members have reportedly tried to buy nuclear materials or complete weapons from several countries--are ``particularly worrying,'' Helfand and colleagues point out. They call on the US and other Western states to expand efforts to help Russia secure its large nuclear arsenal, and urge that more attention go toward Pakistan's and India's arsenals and toward preventing further nuclear proliferation. ``The ultimate solution is elimination of nuclear weapons,'' Helfand said. But in the short term, he added, ``a dramatic strengthening of threat-reduction initiatives'' is needed to stabilize the arsenals in Russia, India and Pakistan. ``Unfortunately,'' Helfand added, ``these initiatives are terribly underfunded compared with other aspects of the US defense budget.'' SOURCE: British Medical Journal 2002;324:356-357. ***************************************************************** 40 Nukes, made less loose February 9, 2002 National Post The most sensible argument against George W. Bush's national missile defence proposal has always been that rogue states and terrorist groups would not need a missile to attack the United States with a weapon of mass destruction: They might simply steal a nuclear weapon, or build one using stolen uranium or plutonium, and send it to Brooklyn Harbor in a shipping container. A single bomb would take out everything between Flatbush Avenue and Governors Island. This argument has always been unconvincing for the same reason homeowners find it sensible to lock their doors even if their windows are unbarred: Some protection is better than none. But in the light of Mr. Bush's proposed 2003 Budget, which provides increased funding for programs aimed at safeguarding loose nukes, the shipping-crate argument against missile defence seems even less plausible. Russia possesses over 1,000 tonnes of bomb-grade plutonium and uranium, only half of it contained in weapons. In the nations of the former Soviet Union, authorities have several times broken up conspiracies to smuggle nuclear material. Two years ago, for instance, police in Georgia seized almost a kilogram of highly enriched uranium. That is a significant quantity: A terrorist would need only 25 kilograms of uranium, or eight kilograms of plutonium, to make a bomb. It is hardly inconceivable that one of Russia's many powerful, well-connected organized crime syndicates would be able to successfully play the role of middleman. Washington has set up programs to help Russia build secure facilities and surveillance systems to protect its radioactive material. But in the past, Congress has balked at providing adequate funding. In the wake of Sept. 11, however, all lawmakers have a proper appreciation of the urgency of such programs, and will presumably have little interest in obstructing them. Mr. Bush's proposed 2003 Budget would not only maintain existing programs, but expand them. He has allocated US$549-million to secure and destroy weapons of mass destruction; US$235-million to destroy fissile materials; and US$101-million for programs to engage former Soviet weapons scientists in peaceful projects -- to ensure they do not, for want of employment, put their expertise at the service of rogue nations. In a speech delivered two years ago, General Anthony C. Zinni, a former Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Central Command, lamented that "my son is likely to see a weapon of mass destruction event. Another Pearl Harbor will occur somewhere in the world where Americans are gathered, when a nasty bug or gas or nuke is released it will forever change him and his institutions." Thanks in part to Mr. Bush's increased support for programs designed to keep weapons of mass destruction out of the hands of terrorist groups and rogue nations, Mr. Zinni's prediction may prove wrong. All civilized people will hope so. Copyright © 2002 National Post Online ***************************************************************** 41 North Korea Cancels Trip by 4 Experts From the U.S. February 9, 2002 By MICHAEL R. GORDON WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 — Reacting to President Bush's charge in his State of the Union address that it was part of an "axis of evil," North Korea today backed away from an initiative it had quietly begun for opening a dialogue with influential American experts. In recent months, North Korea had encouraged a visit by former American ambassadors to South Korea. The move was widely seen as North Korea's way to keep up its channels of communication with the United States despite its frosty relationship with the Bush administration. But today North Korea's Mission to the United Nations informed the group that the visit was off. "I am sure it happened because of the State of the Union address," said William H. Gleysteen, one of the four former ambassadors who was to make the trip. "They probably found it very offensive." Stephen Bosworth, the dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Medford, Mass., and another of the former ambassadors, agreed that North Korea canceled the trip because it "did not want to send a modestly positive signal right now." Mr. Bush's address and his repeated denunciations of North Korea have ignited an intense debate about the best way to discourage North Korea's missile sales, limit its military potential and defuse tensions on the Korean peninsula. Even before the speech, the administration had taken a particularly tough stand toward North Korea. While the Clinton administration had tried to negotiate a deal that would have ended North Korea's missile sales and production, the Bush administration broadened the list of demands to include the speeding up of nuclear inspections and conventional arms. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell has emphasized his willingness to begin talks at any time. But North Korea has reacted negatively to the stiffened American demands. The White House insists that the "axis of evil" language was needed to put North Korea on notice that Washington would not tolerate the expansion of its programs to develop weapons of mass destruction. But the tough oratory has created serious political problems for South Korea, which Mr. Bush is scheduled to visit on Feb. 19. The tense relations between North Korea and the United States have been a major worry for South Korea's president, Kim Dae Jung, whose "sunshine policy" has encouraged closer ties with North Korea. Mr. Bush's address has also drawn a sharply negative reaction from much of the South Korean public. Against this backdrop, the scheduled visit by the four former ambassadors had attracted enormous interest in South Korea, where it was seen a potentially hopeful sign. In addition to Mr. Gleysteen and Mr. Bosworth, the group was to have included the former ambassadors Donald Gregg and Richard Walker. Robert Scalapino, a Korea expert and professor emeritus at the University of California, had played a major role in organizing the trip and was also scheduled to go. Mr. Scalapino said in a telephone interview that North Korean officials quietly proposed the visit in recent months. The State Department was aware of the visit, but the former ambassadors were not carrying a message from the Bush administration or negotiating on its behalf. But today, North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations, Pak Gil Yon, indicated that he had received instructions from Pyongyang canceling the trip. He did not link the cancellation to the State of the Union address, but Mr. Scalapino said it was clear that it was the reason. Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company | Privacy Information ***************************************************************** 42 Ireland: Editorial: An Irishman's Diary Irish Times; Feb 9, 2002 Connoisseurs of the tangled relationship between broadcasters and politicians had a field day last autumn when Marian Finucane's interview with Joe Jacob about Ireland's emergency plan in case of nuclear attack left the hapless junior Minister, and his Government, floundering in political fallout. Such matters were organised differently in the past - and, from the government's point of view, rather more efficiently. Today, it's the politician who gets into trouble; then, it was the broadcaster. And 40 years ago it was a government minister who edited - or tried to edit - the offending programme, and, when he failed to get it changed, succeeded in getting it banned. There's a fascinating case history of this in a recent release from the Department of Arts, Culture, Gaeltacht and the Islands, now available for study in the National Archives. The date of the file itself speaks volumes: it was in October 1960, just before the passage of the Broadcasting Act and the establishment of RTE in its modern form. Serried ranks In one corner was the freelance broadcaster Prionsias Mac Aonghusa; in the other were the serried ranks of the Department of Defence, the Civil Defence organisation, and the Minister for Defence himself, the redoubtable Kevin Boland, who died only recently. The radio programme concerned was one which had been prepared by Mr Mac Aonghusa, on civil defence. It included, among other things, statements by both the Minister and by President de Valera. The Department of Defence memorandum on the affair basically argued that Proinsias Mac Aonghusa reneged on a promise he had made to allow the Department and its officials to hear the programme before he submitted it to Radio Eireann. As they eventually did hear it before the planned broadcast, this probably wasn't the major objection. What they were really upset about was the editing, and in particular the introduction, which began with the sound of the explosion of a nuclear bomb. This idea, as it happened, had been suggested by no less a person than R.A.S. Crawford of the Civil Defence organisation, whose graphic description of what would happen if a nuclear bomb fell on O'Connell Bridge followed these dramatic sound effects. Even before they heard the edited programme, however, Department officials had been ringing alarm bells. When one of Mr Mac Aonghusa's technical assistants had visited the Department to record Kevin Boland's statement, he had brought with him, at the Department's request, tapes of the interviews Mr Mac Aonghusa had done earlier with Mr Crawford and with the Director of Civil Defence, Mr S.O Faith. Turned editor When he heard these tapes, Mr Boland turned into programme editor, and 'stressed that it was essential that the part of Mr O Faith's recording which referred to the fact that it is possible that bombs may not be dropped on our country at all be included prominently in the programme'. The memorandum continued: 'He \ also stated that it was essential to include the reference by Mr O Faith to the fact that even if bombs are dropped on this country, present-day means of delivery are not yet of sufficient accuracy to ensure that, even in the case of deliberate attack, a bomb would in fact be dropped on the centre of the city: it might fall on any part of the city or suburbs or indeed on any part of the country and in such case the loss of life and destruction would probably be reduced considerably.' By now, thoroughly alert, Department officials were wheeling out their big guns. When they phoned Mr Nac Aonghusa to ask if they could hear the completed programme, he told them, according to the memorandum, that Radio Eireann had needed it with a hurry and that it was now with the station, where no doubt they could listen to it if necessary. On October 22nd, civil servants from the Department, along with Crawford and O Faith, went along to hear the tape, which was scheduled for transmission two days later. What they heard alarmed them mightily. Not only had the parts of the interviews which Boland had deemed essential been excluded or minimised, but the broadcaster's linking passages gave rise to further offence. His introduction, the civil servants observed, had 'without quoting any specific authority, overstressed the point of view (admittedly held fairly widespreadly), that no effective Civil Defence action is possible in a future nuclear war'. Worse again, 'his second interpolation could be interpreted to mean that the governments of the United States, Russia and Britain are perpetrating a colossal hoax on their own people in organising Civil Defence. From the point of view of international relationships alone this comment could be regarded as offensive.' 'Certain discussions' Now was the time for the coup de grace. The following day, arrangements were made for Boland himself to hear the tape. The Departmental memo recounts the denouement in efficient, anodyne prose. 'Mr Mac Aonghusa came into the studio before the feature was broadcast, having been asked to be present by Radio Eireann officials. He left before the broadcast started at the request of the Acting Director, Radio Eireann, who indicated that certain official discussions might have to take place afterwards. 'Having heard the broadcast An tAire stated that he could not agree to its being broadcast in its present form. It made the matter all the worse in An tAire's opinion that An tUachtaran and he himself had been included in such a programme and that it would be concluded by listeners that An tUachtaran and himself agreed with the views and interpolations of Mr Mac Aonghusa. 'The Acting Director, Radio Eireann, then directed that the feature would not be broadcast on 23 Deireadh Fomhair, 1960 as had been arranged.' Ah, those were the days! Anyone interested in all the fun and games can find them in file 2001/78/28. ***************************************************************** 43 Europe stunned by jailing of Pasko The Pasko Case Gregory Pasko, an investigative journalist who worked for the Pacific Fleet's newspaper, was arrested on 20 November 1997 by the FSB and charged with high treason for his writing about the nuclear safety issues in the Russian Pacific Fleet. The European Parliament adopts resolution on the Pasko case and freedom of speech in Russia. Igor Kudrik, 2002-02-08 08:41 The European Parliament is deeply concerned and stunned by the jailing of Grigory Pasko, a military reporter convicted for high treason in Vladivostok, the Russian Far East, on December 25th 2001. In the resolution adopted on February 8th, the European Parliament members says that Grigory Pasko and his lawyer deny charges, stressing that the trials were punishment for Pasko’s reports on environmental abuses by the Russian navy. The parliament also refers to the statement that the verdict was passed under open pressure from the Federal Security Service (FSB) and was based on false evidence fabricated by that agency. The Parliament reminds that under the Russian law on media ‘any journalist has the right to search, ask, receive and circulate information.’ Whereas according to the Russian Constitution, withholding information with respect to the environment or to catastrophes endangering human life is a criminal offence. The Parliament also says in the resolution that the conviction of Grigory Pasko seems to involve several violations of the standards drawn up in the European Convention on Human Rights. Russia has ratified the Convention and is obliged to follow its provisions. The lawmakers of the EU further call on Russia’s prosecutor-general, Vladimir Ustinov, to speed up procedures for the revision of the judgement of the court in Vladivostok. They further call on the Russian authorities to ensure that Pasko’s appeal of the verdict, which seeks a full acquittal, is heard swiftly and is handled in accordance with the general principles of the rule of law. TV-6 jinxed, FSB propaganda on state television The resolution is also calling on the Russian authorities to adhere to the principles of the freedom of speech in the example of TV-6 closure — the last remaining independent national TV-channel in Russia. TV-6 journalists were working on a comprehensive report on the Pasko case, but channel broadcast was shut down a couple of weeks ago on the financial pretext. In the meantime, the Kremlin-controlled national TV, ORT, broadcast in primetime a program on February 7th, which intention was to present Pasko as a Japanese spy. The program’s participants were mainly FSB’s officers. The message sent was that Pasko received a fair trial and deserves the punishment. * Grigory Pasko was arrested on November 20, 1997. He was acquitted by the Pacific Fleet Court in Vladivostok of treason through espionage on July 20, 1999, but sentenced to a three-year imprisonment for misusing his position and released on a general amnesty. Both sides appealed the verdict. In November 2000 the Military Supreme Court cancelled the verdict, and sent the case back for a new trial at the Pacific Fleet Court. The re-trial started on July 11, 2001 and ended on December 25, with Pasko being convicted to four years of hard labour for treason and taken into custody. The verdict is appealed again by both the defence and the prosecution. Publisher: Bellona Foundation, President: Frederic Hauge Information: info@bellona.no, Technical contact: webmaster@bellona.no Telephone: +47 23 23 46 00 Telefax: +47 22 38 38 62 * P.O.Box 2141 Grunerlokka, 0505 Oslo, Norway Menu ***************************************************************** 44 Jameson takes over Fernald cleanup - 2002-02-06 - Cincinnati Business Courier Saturday, Feb 8, 2002 Fluor Fernald President Woodrow "Jamie" Jameson has officially taken over for retiring Chairman and CEO John Bradburne at the cleanup site of the former Fernald uranium processing facility. The move completes a succession process that began in August 2001, when Jameson took over day-to-day operations at the 136-acre site, located in Crosby Township, about 18 miles northwest of Cincinnati. Jameson is a 30-year construction veteran with Fluor and, prior to joining the Fernald project, served as Midwest regional manager for Fluor Daniel in Chicago. He also worked as a supervisor on the Alaskan Pipeline Marine Terminal. Demolition of Plant 6, a former metals fabrication plant at Fernald, was completed in January, and four more structures remain to be demolished by 2004. It is estimated that the cleanup will be complete in 2006 and the site will be returned to a natural state of trees, grass and wetlands. 2002 American City Business Journals Inc. ***************************************************************** 45 Senators: Flats cleanup by '06 Denver Post.com Colo. lawmakers win Bush's backing on flight Bill McAllister bmcallister@denverpost.com] Denver Post Washington Bureau Chief --> Sunday, February 10, 2002 - Sens. Ben Nighthorse Campbell and Wayne Allard said Friday they had won President Bush's personal commitment to press ahead with the promised cleanup of the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant by 2006. "He's aware of it and knows we have a long way to go," Campbell said after flying aboard Air Force One with the president from Washington to Denver, where Bush addressed the National Cattlemen's Beef Association convention. "He's commited to cleaning it up," added Campbell, a Republican from Ignacio. "I brought it up with the president, and he's going to look into the matter," said Allard, a fellow Republican from Loveland. The federal government has long promised to clean up the highly contaminated site, but persistent rumors have suggested that the Energy Department might break that promise. Those rumors gained ground with the president's proposed fiscal 2003 budget last week, which suggested that the date might slip. But Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham sought to assure Allard on Thursday that the reference was out of date and that officials remain committed to the 2006 date. The senators have been concerned because Energy has been unable to say where about 2 metric tons of plutonium will be disposed. Allard, who has made keeping the cleanup on track a major part of his re-election campaign, said he plans to meet with Energy officials this week to discuss the issue. The three-hour flight from Andrews Air Force Base to Denver gave the senators an opportunity to take the issue to the top, and they did. It was the only Colorado-specific issue they raised, Campbell said. Rocky Flats made plutonium triggers for nuclear bombs for more than 40 years. It closed in 1989 at the end of the Cold War, but cleaning up the toxic waste left on the site has been a major political issue. Congress recently approved legislation that will designate the land as a wildlife refuge after the cleanup is completed. All contents Copyright 2002 The Denver Post or other copyright ***************************************************************** 46 Companies in court fight over federal site cleanup contract NJ.com - NewsFlash More Jersey/Metro News The Associated Press 2/8/02 7:17 PM CINCINNATI (AP) -- A New Jersey company the government hired in 1999 to handle a radioactive waste cleanup project is suing the site's main cleanup contractor for additional money. Foster Wheeler Environmental Corp., of Livingston, N.J., said it should be paid an unspecified additional amount of money because Fluor Fernald Inc. caused delays and provided inaccurate information that greatly increased its costs and time needed to do its job. Foster Wheeler left the project last year. The company has been paid $28 million in federal funds so far for its work in cleaning up the U.S. Department of Energy's 1,050-acre Fernald site 18 miles northwest of Cincinnati, Fluor Fernald spokesman Jeff Wagner said Friday. The companies have been negotiating about how much additional money Foster Wheeler is owed, Wagner said. "It's just a matter of determining between the parties what the price tag is for the work they did," Wagner said. Foster Wheeler's lawyers filed the lawsuit Thursday in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati. Judge S. Arthur Spiegel could schedule a trial date later. The Energy Department hired Foster Wheeler in March 1999 for one of the most challenging cleanup jobs at the Fernald site. The project involves removing tons of radium-bearing, World War II-era radioactive wastes from two concrete silos and treating the sludge before it is shipped to a disposal site near Las Vegas. The schedule calls for the wastes to be removed from the silos starting in spring 2004 in a process that could last a year, Wagner said. The Energy Department has been involved in the negotiations between the two companies because they involve contract issues. The government does not expect the dispute to cost taxpayers any additional money, Energy Department spokesman Ken Morgan said Friday. "It's their expense, unless someone could demonstrate that the Department of Energy's actions caused the expense. And that would be pretty difficult," Morgan said. "We'll have to see how this plays out." Foster Wheeler left the cleanup site last year by mutual agreement with Fluor Fernald, which has been handling the silo project since then, Wagner said. The silo wastes resulted from the government's World War II project to develop the atomic bomb. Most of Fernald's other wastes are from its nearly 40-year history of processing uranium for nuclear weapons. Federal officials are pressing to have the entire cleanup at Fernald done in 2006. Copyright 2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. © 2002 New Jersey Online. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 47 Secretary of Energy Addresses Future of Nuclear Nonproliferation in Los Angeles energy.gov - Headquarters' Press Release RELEASE DATE: February 8, 2002 WASHINGTON, DC -- Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham spoke to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council Luncheon today regarding future policy directions of nuclear nonproliferation. After extensive reassessments of nonproliferation programs and threats, Secretary Abraham set the stage for the next step in nuclear nonproliferation. Following are Secretary Abraham's prepared remarks: Good afternoon. I am honored to be with you today. In standing here I follow to the rostrum more than a few distinguished speakers over the years, not the least being my boss, President George W. Bush. When President Bush appeared here last May, he addressed several of the pressing issues of the day - tax cuts, free trade, and one of my particular interests, energy security. Just two weeks earlier the Administration had proposed our National Energy Policy, a roadmap for achieving energy security for the 21st Century. And energy has been at the top of the president's list of priorities since Inauguration Day. So it was natural that he should have focused on these topics. President Bush talked about the need for new conservation efforts; he stressed the importance of boosting domestic production of energy; and he noted the necessity for modernizing an increasingly outdated energy infrastructure. The topics he covered were ones the public would think of as being central to what the Department of Energy is all about - namely, energy. Indeed, because of its title, most of the attention my Department receives tends to be related to traditional domestic energy issues that relate to energy supply. Mention DOE and you think about electricity grids and gas pumps, hydroelectric dams and coal mines. And, on that front, the state of California contributed mightily to my inbox since the day I took office. But what I want to discuss with you today are duties my Department has that don't receive as much attention as they should, though their importance can't be overstated. I'm speaking of the Department of Energy's national security responsibilities. By overseeing our nation's nuclear weapons capability and stockpile, as well as many of the nation's non-proliferation efforts abroad, the Department of Energy performs essential national security missions. It's the latter of these topics - nuclear nonproliferation - that I would like to address today. Our nuclear nonproliferation programs are about preventing, detecting, and reversing the spread of weapons of mass destruction, while improving nuclear security worldwide. A large part of our nonproliferation effort focuses on securing nuclear materials in the former Soviet Union. I don't believe I have any higher priority as Secretary than to significantly improve the reach and effectiveness of our programs in this area. That means making major progress toward ensuring that Russian weapons and nuclear material are protected from theft; that Russian plutonium production is ended, that excess Russian nuclear material is converted to reactor fuel rather than weapons; that the United States continues to lead international efforts to control proliferation, and that still more advanced technological tools are developed to detect and prevent proliferation and terrorism. By my lights, if we can continue to make real progress on this agenda, then my tenure as Secretary will have been a success, no matter what else I accomplish. Let me begin by discussing a bit of the history of our nation's nonproliferation activities. I hope that doing so will supply some context when I discuss the new directions on which we are embarking. The death of the Soviet Union a decade ago didn't just end the Cold War and break up an empire. It left over 40,000 nuclear weapons as orphans, along with a vast quantity of unprotected nuclear materials. It also left thousands of scientists and engineers from the former Soviet nuclear weapons complex faced with declining - or disappearing - paychecks. Complicating this grave situation was the fact that some of these weapons and materials were in places that were no longer part of Russia. And even those weapons and materials that could be found in the new Russia were no longer well secured; in the economic and political chaos that followed the collapse of communism, this new nation lacked the means to protect them effectively. The United States recognized the importance of dealing with this challenge. Under the leadership of my former Senate colleagues Sam Nunn, Richard Lugar, and Pete Domenici, we established the Cooperative Threat Reduction program and its counterpart at the Department of Energy. Since then, working with Russia's new leaders, the United States has safeguarded warheads, assisted in dismantling strategic weapons, and taken a number of other important steps to prevent Russian weapons and materials from posing new threats to us and to our allies. We have not undertaken these programs out of charity, but because they are clearly in our national security interest. The theft of only a very small quantity of high-enriched Uranium or Plutonium, the deadly ingredients needed to fashion a nuclear device, would be enough for a crude but potentially devastating nuclear weapon. That's why extra dedication and vigilance and determination are required to see that these materials don't fall into the wrong hands. The situation has shifted somewhat since we embarked on this course a decade ago. Other factors have arisen to create a new sort of vulnerability today. The threats to our safety and security have worsened. For instance, there are simply more people interested in acquiring deadly materials, be they rogue states like Iraq, or terrorists like Osama bin Laden. We know of almost 200 documented attempts to acquire illicit nuclear materials over this period - and that's just the known cases. So, as the United States takes its first steps into the 21st Century, we are facing a situation we think is, frankly, more harrowing than it was a decade ago. Some credit must go to the previous Administration for shining a light on some of these issues. Just ten days before President Bush assumed the Oval Office, a bipartisan task force led by former Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker and former White House Counsel Lloyd Cutler delivered a report - put together after nearly a year of study - assessing DOE's nonproliferation programs in Russia. Among the most critical things facing the new Bush Administration was this conclusion from the Baker-Cutler report: "The most urgent unmet national security threat to the United States today is the danger that weapons of mass destruction or weapons-usable material in Russia could be stolen and sold to terrorists or hostile nation states and used against American troops abroad or citizens at home. This threat is a clear and present danger to the international community as well as to American lives and liberties." For that reason, and because of concerns of his own, the President immediately launched a comprehensive review of our nonproliferation programs, particularly emphasizing those with Russia. We wanted to compare their effectiveness and applicability today versus when they were developed. Working with National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, and Secretary of State Colin Powell, we undertook an exhaustive evaluation to see what was working, where everything stood, and what needed to be reconfigured. This was the first systematic, disciplined nonproliferation policy review in a decade. We were nearing the end of this review when something occurred to put an enormous exclamation point on the work we were doing. I am referring, of course, to September 11. In the days afterward, when it was revealed that behind the attacks was a network of terrorists, international purveyors of horror and destruction, dedicated to killing Americans simply for being Americans… there was one matter on everyone's mind: What if they had nuclear weapons? There was little question that these terrorists would use nuclear weapons if they could acquire them. A movement that glories in wholesale slaughter could have no greater ambition than procuring nuclear weapons for use against innocent Americans and our allies. At a time when much of the world was paralyzed by the horror of what had happened, this Administration was quick to respond. President Bush sent me to Vienna on September 17 to represent America at a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the international body that serves as the global focal point for nuclear cooperation. Much of its work is dedicated to nonproliferation. At the top of our agenda that day was what we could do to help prevent a nuclear 9-11. In my remarks to the IAEA, I made clear that the United States fully supported a more robust physical and export controls over nuclear materials, greater accountability, and a greater acceptance of responsibility to ensure nuclear materials are used, stored and disposed of safely. I also made clear that we expected all nations to do their part. Because after September 11th, there are no excuses left. In the weeks and months that followed, one development in particular arose that gives me optimism that our efforts would succeed. And that is the even closer ties between our nation and the Russian Federation forged by President Bush and President Putin. It was obvious to the world that these leaders developed a deep bond after 9-11, particularly during their summit in Crawford, Texas. This friendship between our countries' leaders heralds a positive new friendship for our nations. In a joint statement, the two signified that a new international framework must hold for the 21st century, one of strategic partnership. "Our countries are embarked on a new relationship," they said. "The United States and Russia have overcome the legacy of the Cold War. Neither country regards the other as an enemy or threat. …. We affirm our determination to meet the threats to peace in the 21st Century. Among these threats are terrorism … [and] proliferation of weapons of mass destruction." They had special words to say about nonproliferation matters: "Both sides agree that urgent attention must continue to be given to improving the physical protection and accounting of nuclear materials of all possessor states, and preventing illicit nuclear trafficking." Shortly thereafter, I was sent to Russia by President Bush to work on expanding and accelerating the cooperation efforts cemented earlier by the two presidents. My partner in this effort is Russian Minister of Atomic Energy Alexander Rumyantsev. Our relationship embodies the new spirit of cooperation of which our presidents spoke so eloquently. In Moscow, Minister Rumyantsev and I announced an agreement for an expanded and accelerated U.S.-Russian effort to strengthen the protection of nuclear material. As a result of this agreement we expect to improve by years the time when Russian nuclear materials are protected by comprehensive security features. We also agreed to work together to enhance the international nuclear weapons nonproliferation regime and to improve measures on nuclear materials' physical protection. The Minister and I are personally engaged in supervising this new agreement on a day-to-day basis, in order to ensure that bureaucratic obstacles and any residual Cold War suspicions are overcome quickly. While in Moscow I also met with the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov. The United States has been working for years with the Russian Navy to improve the security of their nuclear warheads; Admiral Kuroyedov and I discussed how to accelerate this work as well. If one good thing can come out of the tragedy of September 11, it's that our nation is now working more closely with Moscow on issues of national security - ours as well as theirs - than we have done at any time in the post-Soviet era. On my way back to the United States, I once more stopped in Vienna to brief the IAEA on these recent developments for international cooperation. I pledged on behalf of the United States that we would contribute financial support to further IAEA's efforts. And I called for the international community to revise and strengthen the Convention for the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, which we view as an urgent matter. Subsequently, our Administration finalized our internal reviews of nonproliferation programs with Russia. I'm pleased today to initiate for the first time a public discussion of the results of that review. Accelerating our efforts to secure nuclear materials; re-orienting technical research and development; reworking our nuclear safety programs to have a global reach - these are just some of the steps we're taking as a result of our reviews. I'd like to discuss each briefly. I can't over-emphasize the importance of our research and development initiatives to staying steps ahead of those who would harm us, or our friends and allies. Detecting anthrax and other biological agents in hours, not days; deploying a biological detection capability at the Salt Lake City Olympics; applying new detection technologies to chemical and biological agents - these activities are at the heart of our mission. We're accelerating our Material Protection, Control and Accounting program, a unique initiative that provides "low-tech, high payoff" solutions to the problem of under-secured nuclear materials in Russia. This is a program that is already a success story, with security upgrades completed or underway on 600 metric tons of weapons-usable material; hundreds of trucks and railcars in Russia made more secure through hardening and other measures; and material consolidated at fewer locations, making it less vulnerable to sabotage or terrorist attacks. This is truly where the rubber meets the road, and the results speak for themselves. We are now planning to complete that program by 2008 - two years ahead of schedule. We're working with Russia to strengthen its borders, for example by installing radiation detection equipment at transit and border sites throughout Russia, to better prevent smuggling of sensitive materials outside of that country. And we're working to consolidate sensitive materials at fewer sites throughout Russia, thereby reducing its vulnerability to theft or sabotage. And by employing these scientists for peaceful, viably commercial purposes, we dramatically reduce the talent pool available to those states that would employ these individuals for their own evil ends. And, finally, let me note one of the most important decisions we have made with respect to our relationship with Russia. After considerable study, we have reaffirmed plans to dispose of 34 metric tons of Russian surplus weapons grade plutonium (as well as 34 tons of American plutonium) by turning the material into mixed oxide fuel - or MOX fuel - for use in nuclear reactors. Some challenged this program because of the cost of U.S. disposal. We've cut the U.S. costs by revising our plans. Compared to the program we inherited, we will save almost two billion dollars and advance the program's completion by three years. Russia has been unwilling to proceed with its own disposal without a firm U.S. commitment to comparable reduction. Now we have that commitment, reaffirmed at the highest level of our government and fully funded in our new budget. We are now working with Russia to improve the efficiency of the Russian program and are working with our allies to ensure adequate international support. As a result of these efforts, Russia will eliminate enough plutonium to make over 4,200 nuclear weapons. I don't want to give the idea that our programs are only about Russia, however. DOE's initiatives have a worldwide reach. We're securing materials in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Uzbekestan. We're working closely with the IAEA, as I mentioned. And I'm pleased with the progress we're making. An example of our progress can be found in our announcement last week that the government of Kazakhstan and the Department of Energy have entered into a new agreement on a project at Kazakhstan's Ulba Metallurgical Plant to recover low-enriched uranium for use in civil power reactors. This project will benefit not only Kazakhstan, but U.S. industry as well. All this adds up to a series of initiatives that have enormous value on their own, but taken together form a cohesive and effective response to today's pressing threats. It's an effort with which I'm extremely proud to be associated. Funding for the Future In hearing me lay out such an ambitious new plan of action, you might ask if the proof is in the pudding. By "pudding," I mean our budget. I'm happy to tell you that the President's budget is totally consistent with this expanded, accelerated, comprehensive approach. We requested almost $1.2 billion in FY 2003 for nonproliferation and related activities, the highest amount at which these programs have ever been funded and one-third higher than the last budget of the previous administration. Within that total amount, we are asking for $800 million to support our nonproliferation programs with Russia, an increase of $115 million … 17 percent above the Fiscal Year 2002 appropriated level. In addition, we reversed the past decline in research and development, allocating over a quarter of a billion dollars to technology for countering proliferation and terrorism. All this follows on the heels of a significant FY '02 supplemental - over $220 million - for research and development, materials security, and other key programs. It's for no small reason that I am confident that the Department can meet the ambitious agenda I laid out at the beginning of my talk. This is a budget that reflects the President's total commitment to do what it takes to make our country secure, and is fully consistent with the President's Homeland Security initiatives. I'm glad that DOE will be able to continue to do its part, and to do so in such an effective, fully supported fashion. Conclusion Earlier I said my mission in this office was to effectively advance, maintain, and if possible expand the effectiveness of the nuclear nonproliferation program. I strongly believe we are well on our way to achieving our goals. I believe there is a growing consensus in Congress that will ensure the support necessary to achieve success. And I believe, in Russia, we have an equally committed partner. The nature of the war on terrorism is such that it is often difficult to pinpoint success or highlight good news. In the arena of nuclear non-proliferation, we have much work to do and huge challenges before us. But through the leadership of President Bush, the support of Congress, and the cooperation of Russia, we are making progress that can be justly described as good news. I'd like to leave you with a remark that John F. Kennedy was prepared to deliver in Dallas on November 22, 1963. In the last few months I have been struck by how these words are as applicable today - if not more so - than they were in the fall of 1963. And they are words that have special resonance for us as we forge ahead with our mission to keep dangerous nuclear materials out of the hands of the most dangerous people: "America today is stronger than ever before. Our adversaries have not abandoned their ambitions, our dangers have not diminished, our vigilance cannot be relaxed. But now we have the military, the scientific, and the economic strength to do whatever must be done for the preservation and promotion of freedom….We in this country, in this generation, are - by destiny rather than choice - the watchmen on the walls of world freedom." President Kennedy never got to utter these words that day. But it is no less true today that we are again called by destiny to be the watchmen on the walls of world freedom. And, as before, it is essential that we not shy from that challenge. Media Contact: Jeanne Lopatto, 202-586-4940 Release No. PR-02-022 ***************************************************************** 48 Continued review of routines for shipment of radioactive isotopes BIT: As announced earlier, a shipment from Studsvik containing Iridium-192 displayed an increased level of radiation when measured by the recipient in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the US. The container has now been opened in the presence of Studsvik’s personnel and inspectors from the Swedish Radiation Protection Institute. The inspection of the container revealed that two of the three inner containers with Iridium-192 were open and the radiation was therefore able to penetrate the outer container’s radiation shielding. Inspection of the transport package shows that Studsvik was faulty in handling the radioactive material, due to the fact that the inner containers for the shipment from Studsvik were not sealed in the proper manner. Studsvik also determined that a similar incident occurred in an earlier shipment, but without increased radiation being detected. This occurrence has resulted in Studsvik initiating a continuing overview of work routines and quality system in conjunction with the shipment and handling of radioactive elements. This work will be carried out in close cooperation with the authorities involved. It is the company’s ambition that new, stricter routines will be initiated in the near future. Restrictions on Iridium-192 shipments remain until it is ensured that transportation can be made in a fully secured manner. "Studsvik is eager to retain its stamp as a quality supplier. This incident emphasizes the importance of continuous quality assurance efforts and an increased level of ambition," says Sten-Olof Andersson, President of Studsvik Nuclear AB: For further information, please contact Sten-Olof Andersson, President of Studsvik Nuclear AB, phone +46 155 22 15 20 or +46 709 67 71 20 Facts about Studsvik Studsvik is a high-tech company, focusing on the nuclear power industry and nuclear medicine. Business is conducted through four Strategic Business Units (SBUs): Nuclear Technology, Waste & Decommissioning, Industrial Services and Nuclear Medicine Nuclear Technology offers products and services related to nuclear power plant operation. These include the testing and analysis of nuclear fuel and materials, computer codes for reactor operation, and consulting. Activities are dependent on Studsvik’s nuclear reactors and specialist laboratories, located outside Nyköping. Waste & Decommissioning Waste & Decommissioning treats low and intermediate level waste from nuclear reactors and provides services for the dismantling of nuclear facilities. European operations focus on the treatment of low level waste in Studsvik’s incineration and melting facilities located outside Nyköping. US operations, conducted at Studsvik’s facilities in Erwin, Tennessee, include volume and weight reduction of ion-exchange resins from commercial nuclear power plants in the USA.e Industrial Services Industrial Services mainly provides services to the nuclear power industry and also offers services to other industries. Operations include decontamination, health physics/personal dosimetry, chemical cleaning and dismantling of nuclear facilities as well as process cleaning. Activities have historically been concentrated to Sweden. However, since the German company, SINA, was acquired in 1998, the German business accounts for more than a half of the SBU’s income. Nuclear Medicine Nuclear Medicine provides a number of nuclear-related products and methods for medical use. The range includes a method for the treatment of brain tumors and a number of radioisotopes. 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