***************************************************************** 01/11/02 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 10.10 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POLICY 1 US: What is the potential for alternative power in Idaho? 2 Burma announces nuclear plans NUCLEAR REACTORS 3 US: Coast Guard Sets Security Zone Around Maine Yankee 4 Deals to prevent Chernobyl-style disaster collapse 5 Glitch shuts Temelin again 6 Czech nuclear plant switched off hours after output increased to 7 US: NRC Renews License for Hatch Nuclear Power Plant 8 US: TVA forms plan to keep units going: Public hearing set Thursday 9 US: Nuclear watchdog warns aging NB Power plant needs more resources 10 US: San Onofre officials confident about security NUCLEAR SAFETY 11 US: N-plant neighbors want radiation pills 12 US: FedEx Shipped a High Radiation Package Without Knowledge 13 US: Arizona seeking to increase stockpile of anti-radiation pills 14 Louisiana investigates radiation-leaking container shipped from 15 US: Irradiated package sickens at least 11 workers, official says 16 US: Group selected to study radium levels in water NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE US: PLEASE SEE YUCCA SPECIAL ADDITION FOR MORE ON YUCCA MT. 17 US: NIRS BLASTS DOE FOR YUCCA MOUNTAIN DECISION 18 US: Bush to propose doubling budget next year for cleaning up brownf 19 US: Ombudsman sues EPA to halt internal shakeup 20 US: Bush OKs $1.2B Industry Cleanup Bill 21 Sellafield terror threat warning 22 US: Saturday exercise tests response for accident with transuranic w 23 Uranium sales tax may get repealed - 24 US: Governor Kenny C. Guinn's Statement Regarding Secretary Spencer NUCLEAR WEAPONS 25 US: How America abandoned true defense 26 North Korea cites Washington Post on US plan to launch nuclear 27 Bush angers Russians by reneging on nuclear deal 28 The outrage continues 29 US: U.S. Wants to Store Warheads 30 Protesters in Vladivostok Demand Pasko's Release 31 Russia wants warheads destroyed 32 US: Pentagon reveals US nuclear strategy 33 Malaysia fears nuclear threat in India-Pakistan tension US DEPT. OF ENERGY 34 5 Oak Ridge lab workers exposed to radiation 35 Cantwell, Wyden seek full funding for Hanford cleanup 36 DOE says Carson not qualified for jobs OTHER NUCLEAR 37 IAEA Daily Press Review Date 2002-01-10 Number 7 ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 What is the potential for alternative power in Idaho? 01/09/02 by Adam Harris There is ongoing public discussion of alternative energy programs as a way for the U.S. to decrease dependence on countries supplying fossil fuels. Idaho's U.S. Senators Crapo and Craig are currently advocating further development of nuclear and wind-generated power. According to sources at the State Department of Energy, the chances of these alternatives being developed for Idaho consumers are slim. Idaho Power is the dominant power utility in Idaho and in the past has blocked efforts to utilize alternative energy sources. If a new nuclear power plant were built here or INEEL expanded, it is not certain that power consumers in this state would benefit by way of lower power rates. It is possible that the only benefit to Idahoans would be in the form of new jobs and revenues or taxes from power sales to other states. The energy shortage problem the country now faces was anticipated by Congress over 20 years ago. In 1978 Congress passed the Public Utility Regulator Policies Act (PURPA) during the Arab oil embargo. The purpose was to make the United States more energy independent by forcing the electric utilities to purchase electricity produced by Qualifying Facilities (QFs). To be granted the QF designation, the facility must generate electricity with a renewable source of energy such as hydro, wind, bio-waste or solar. It also covers energy generated from a fossil fuel if it uses the co-generation process. PURPA provided that the electric utility must pay a QF source the same price it normally would have to pay for electricity from its own sources. Under PURPA, the electric utility company would benefit by having diverse sources of extremely reliable power generation. They also would benefit by having many small generator inputs closer to the loads, creating more reliable electric grids. The rate payers would benefit because the QFs have to compete with the utility company to prove that their costs are no higher than the utilities’ cost. The whole system would work more efficiently. Finally, the economy would benefit because of the increased value the small power plants would add to the farms and factories. While PURPA sounds like a solution to controlling monopolistic power companies, the act fell short when it came to implementation. States' rights came into play when state Public Utilities Commissions (PUCs) were given the responsibility for determining the ground rules for making PURPA effective. Idaho’s Public Utilities Commission initially responded very positively to the responsibility. They did exactly what Congress hoped by setting up rules that would encourage alternative energy entrepreneurs to invest money in facilities to generate power without the use of fossil fuels. The PUC also required the power companies to enter into 20-year contracts with QFs at the avoided-cost rate (the rate of savings the utility companies make by not having to acquire the power on their own). Idaho was one of the leading states in QF power development in the 1980s. Scores of hydro plants on pre-existing canal systems aided the agricultural industry. Potato processing plants using energy from potato waste that would have otherwise been lost generated electricity and aided the economy of southwestern Idaho. Boise and Pocatello converted waste bio-gas from their sewage treatment plants into electricity, which helped lower taxes. While the PURPA-encouraged projects were prospering and producing energy at an average rate of 61 mills per kwh, Idaho Power was also adding new projects to bring electricity on line in places such as Cascade, North Valmy and Mt. Home. Idaho Power’s cost? An average of 88 mills per kwh, 44 percent higher than the alternatives. Idaho Power then passed on the cost of this expensive generation of power to the rate payers. How did Idaho Power defend their comparatively inefficient generation of power? By spreading the word that the QF sources were much more costly to run. The facts don't support this. Everything was going very well for developing new power sources until 1995. In that year, for some reason as yet unexplained, the Idaho PUC changed the rules. All of the incentives for investing in new plants were modified. Instead of 20-year contracts, the term was reduced to five. Published rates for any time beyond the contract were eliminated. Standard contract rates and terms for projects over one million watts were eliminated. A hypothetical unrealistic project was invented for use in calculating costs. Meanwhile, the PUC guaranteed Idaho Power the right to charge up to 223 mills for the power generated by the new Mt. Home gas facility. The Public Utilities Commissioners are appointed by the Governor. They report to the Legislature. The PUC is designed to represent the public, not the corporations. Idaho Power recently has proposed that the PUC reduce how much energy Idaho Power is required to buy from QF sources. If the PUC grants this request, once again it will be allowing Idaho Power to circumvent the intention of Congress and the Public Utility Regulator Policies Act. ©2001 MyWebPal.com. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy ***************************************************************** 2 Burma announces nuclear plans BBC News | ASIA-PACIFIC | 11 January, 2002, [Win Aung (L) and Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra] Win Aung (L): Project is in its initial stages By BBC Burma analyst Larry Jagan in Bangkok Burma has announced it plans to join the nuclear club. The Burmese Foreign Minister, Win Aung, told the BBC his country was committed to developing a nuclear research facility for medical purposes and possibly to generate nuclear power. But it would be some time before a nuclear reactor was actually built in Burma he said. In recent weeks there have been numerous reports that Russia has signed a deal with Burma to supply a reactor. The Burmese authorities have admitted more than 200 technicians have received nuclear training in Moscow in the last 12 months. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna has officially asked Moscow to provide details of any deal they have done with Rangoon. Safety standards Win Aung said no deal had yet been signed but initial research had been done and Burma is keen to explore the use of nuclear energy. He said many other countries in the world are using nuclear power. Given Burma's chronic energy shortage, there is little wonder they might want to experiment with nuclear power. IAEA officials said Rangoon told them last September of plans to acquire a nuclear research reactor and asked for help to secure one. Two months later the IAEA sent an inspection team to Burma to assess the country's preparedness to use and maintain a nuclear reactor safely. The team concluded that the safety standards in place were well below the minimum the body would regard as acceptable. Burma has yet to respond to the IAEA report, but nuclear officials in Vienna fear this means that Burma plans to proceed with their nuclear ambitions without the necessary attention to safety. Asian concern But nuclear experts say that even if the military government wanted to build a nuclear reactor, it is likely to be several years before this happens. In the meantime many countries, especially in the Asian region, will be concerned about the prospect of a nuclear Burma. Diplomats in Rangoon say authorities have trouble maintain existing electricity generators let alone a nuclear reactor. ***************************************************************** 3 Coast Guard Sets Security Zone Around Maine Yankee Lincoln County News By Greg Foster The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a temporary final rule for a marine exclusion zone around Maine Yankee in an effort to safeguard the plant from a possible terrorist attack, according to a Coast Guard spokesman. Effective as of Dec. 10, the restricted area includes all land and waters around Bailey Point and Foxfire Island, a major concern to people in the area who would like to see the spent nuclear fuel out of the state and recognize the danger. “We were there before because we’ve always been aware of the potential of someone purposefully doing something destructive, but now our involvement has been elevated and increased significantly,” said Lt. J.G. Tony Soliz, operations officer for U.S. Coast Guard, Portland. “It enables us to maintain a heightened proactive posture.” The information from the Federal Register makes it clear that the Coast Guard regards the power plant among facilities that need to be protected from terrorism. In its report, it stated, “Due to the catastrophic effect an exposure to radiation from the nuclear material stored at the plant would have on the surrounding area, this rule-making is urgently required to prevent potential future terrorist strikes.” For a long time, there has been a Coast Guard partnership with Maine Yankee and other facilities, including Bath Iron Works and the Seabrook, N.H. nuclear power plant, but now with a formal security zone in place there is a heightened awareness, Soliz said. It is not the first time, however, that Maine Yankee has had an exclusion zone, but it is the first time that the Coast Guard has initiated one. “It gives us the authority to assist Maine Yankee if a violation does occur,” said Lt. J.G. Wade Gough, chief of the Coast Guard’s Waterways Safety Branch, Maine Safety Office, Portland. “It is an added protection and buffer zone. We will be randomly patrolling.” However, both Gough and Soliz indicated that although there would be monitoring of the area, there is much reliance on a partnership with such agencies as the Maine Marine Patrol, in particular, as well as other state, local and federal authorities, such as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Coast Guard participation in the enforcement of the new zone will come principally from the Boothbay Harbor Coast Guard station, which currently has no ice-breaking cutter for the area, according to Gough. Violation of the zone would have to be more than by a lobsterman, for instance, inadvertently boating in the zone, because he may or may not be aware of the restriction. However, if after some enforcement agency, the Coast Guard, marine patrol or the other authorities, informs him he is in unauthorized waters and he fails to comply, he could be subject to civil and/or criminal action. The civil penalty can be up to $25,000, and a criminal penalty could be up to ten years in prison and up to a $250,000, Soliz said. The news of the ruling going into effect came as music to the ears of the Friends of the Coast nuclear activist group, which has been pushing for just that and for a National Guard presence at the plant as well. “We’re really glad the Coast Guard is taking an interest. We just want to be sure it’s going to be enforced,” said Ray Shadis, spokesman for the group. “The question is how effective is it going to be.” Shadis has been persistent in applying pressure for both Coast Guard and National Guard protection. “Maine Yankee doesn’t care and the state doesn’t care,” he said. Soliz emphasized that the Coast Guard will be on the alert for any possible threats. “It is something we’re monitoring and will take any necessary precautions to enhance the security of the facility and surrounding area.” So far people in the area have yet to know about the rule, however. Several people related to the waterfront contacted early this week were unaware of the exclusion zone, even though according to the information from the Federal Register, the community was to be alerted and signs put up regarding the zone. Shadis said he also called members of the fishing community who were all unaware of the Coast Guard rule. The responsibility for informing the area lies with Maine Yankee, according to Lt. J.G. Gough. As far as feedback goes, he said that the Coast Guard receives input about the ruling and how effective people feel it is. Maine Yankee plans to put up signage along the shore, as well as possibly with the water itself, according to Maine Yankee spokesperson Catherine Ferdinand. As yet, however, there are not signs warning possible unauthorized presence in the land or water around Bailey Point and Foxfire Island, but she said a security chief has been consulting with the Coast Guard about it and there should be some soon, along with possible newspaper notices. “We’re authorized as patrol representatives,” Ferdinand said concerning vigilance of the area by means of plant security. “So the Coast Guard does delegate authority.” If there are clam or worm diggers in the area, plant security could conceivably use blow horns to ward them off the property, she said. If there were a potential problem, the plant would notify the Coast Guard. The current ruling is effective through June 15 but will be subject to review before then to evaluate it and determine whether to continue it or possibly to make it a permanent zone. Before the zone could become a permanent designation, it would have to go through a process of information gathering, including impact study. The Coast Guard initially has determined that enforcement of the zone will not substantially affect the economy of the community, with the possible exception of a few clam and worm diggers. According to the Federal Register, the temporary final rule is not regarded as a “significant regulatory action” because of its limited impact on the economy and other reasons, such as ample room for vessels to navigate around the zones in the Back River. The Coast Guard Group Portland is responsible for the coast from Port Clyde to the Massachusetts border, according to Soliz. Five days before the zone rule went into effect at Maine Yankee, the Coast Guard also initiated one for security of the Seabrook plant, which is still in operation. For Maine Yankee, exclusion zone are not new, since the company initiated one in the summer of 2000 when the steam generators were to be shipped out, but this time there is a sense of greater concern, especially in light of Sept. 11 and the United States war against terrorism. Vol. 127 - No. 2 Lincoln County News © 2001 ***************************************************************** 4 Deals to prevent Chernobyl-style disaster collapse New Scientist 15:40 11 January 02 Fred Pearce Western Europe's efforts to prevent another Chernobyl-style nuclear disaster among its eastern neighbours are foundering. Two deals under which the European Union promised to finance technical help on safety in return for early reactor closures have collapsed. Bulgaria has just announced a four-year delay in shutting two old Soviet nuclear reactors built in 1980 and 1982 at the country's Kozloduy nuclear power plant. Meanwhile Armenian ministers have told New Scientist that its Metsamor nuclear plant, operating in an earthquake zone west of the capital Yerevan, will not shut in 2004 as promised. Back in 1993, Bulgarian agreed a deal with the EU under which the two Chernobyl-type VVER reactors at Kozloduy would shut in 1998. The EU offered 24 million Euros of technical assistance in return. When this promise was not kept, a new closure date of 2006 was set, this time in return for a further 200 million Euros for technical modernisation, safety projects and decommissioning. But now energy minister Milko Kovachev, speaking ahead of a safety assessment by the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency, says the reactors can carry on "until 2008 and 2010 respectively". The EU, which is currently considering an application by Bulgaria to join the union, may not agree. Earthquake risk Soviet engineers shut Armenia's Metsamor plant in 1989 because of safety fears following an earthquake. After independence, Armenia restarted one of the reactors in 1995 to cope with massive energy shortages. But three years later, in return for cash to finance safety improvements, Armenia promised the EU that it would close the reactor by the end of 2004. Now, in a recent interview with New Scientist, deputy energy minister Areg Galstyan insists that there will be no closure without new energy supplies being in place first - for which Armenia has no money. "It could continue until 2013," he said. Galstyan said the plant was shut in 1989 for "psychological" reasons, to assuage public fear. "There was no need to shut it," he stated. Meanwhile, the plant director Suren Azatyan says that in the past five years, he has complied with international requests for safety improvements. These have included building a second supply of water for the reactors' cooling system in case the first is damaged by an earthquake. But the EU's advisers, ENCONET Consulting of Vienna, report other safety concerns. There is no rigorous safety assessment of the plant, it says. Waste management is "based on an unsuitable design" and storage capacity for liquid waste is "practically exhausted", with much of it "stored in improper (corroded) containers on the roof". 15:40 11 January 02 Copyright Reed Business Information Ltd. ***************************************************************** 5 Glitch shuts Temelin again Prague Business Journal - Article 11th Jan 2002, 8:54 Czech nuclear power plant Temelin reached 100 percent capacity for the first time in its history on Friday, only to be shut down hours later by another in a series of technical glitches. The new Soviet-designed plant has strained relations with nuclear-free neighbour Austria, which wants it decommissioned on the grounds it is unsafe. The plant´s spokesman Milan Nebesar told Reuters the fault appeared in an electrical generator in the non-nuclear part of the station and posed no threat to nuclear safety. He said technicians were investigating the problem. Temelin, a main asset of power company CEZ, has been gradually raising output at the Soviet-made 1,000 megawatt reactor, built just 60km from the Austrian border, since launching it late last year. The station has two Soviet-designed VVER 1,000 reactors and a U.S. control system. The plant´s second reactor is still under construction. The Czech have been saying Temelin is a state-of-the art project and is absolutely safe despite a number of delays, project changes and glitches in test operations. The International Atomic Energy Agency has also said the station is safe to operate. The Czechs have also pledged to boost the plant´s safety in order to end an Austrian bid to block talks on the Czech Republic´s accession to the European Union. Czech AM Prague Business Journal ***************************************************************** 6 Czech nuclear plant switched off hours after output increased to 100 per cent BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Jan 11, 2002 Text of report by Czech radio on 11 January Only a few hours after the reactor of the Temelin [nuclear power plant] first block had reached 100-per-cent output it was switched off by the control system. According to the nuclear plant spokesman, Milan Nebesar, this was caused by an imbalance in the regulation of voltage on a generator which is in the secondary, that is the non-nuclear part of the block. Nebesar said that the staff were currently assessing the cause of the switch off and after return to a 100-per cent output they would continue tests for this phase of power switch on. Source: Czech Radio 1 - Radiozurnal, Prague, in Czech 1100 gmt 11 Jan 02 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material ***************************************************************** 7 NRC Renews License for Hatch Nuclear Power Plant NRC: Press Release - 2002 - 4 - U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, DC 20555-001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov [opa@nrc.gov] Public Affairs Web Site No. 02-004 January 11, 2002 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has renewed the operating license of the Edwin I. Hatch nuclear power plant, Units 1 and 2, near Baxley, Georgia, for an additional 20 years. The plant is operated by Southern Nuclear Operating Company. The Commission approved the license extension following a review of staff recommendations. Southern Nuclear Operating Co. submitted an application to the NRC on February 29, 2000, to renew the licenses for Hatch Unit 1, which expires on August 6, 2014, and Unit 2, which expires on June 13, 2018. The NRC conducted extensive environmental and safety reviews of the license renewal application in accordance with Parts 51 and 54 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, respectively. The NRC's environmental review, under Part 51, is described in a site-specific supplement to the NRC's "Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants," (NUREG-1437, Supplement 4). In the Final Environmental Impact Statement, issued on May 31, the staff concluded that there were no impacts that would preclude renewal of the license for environmental reasons. In its "Safety Evaluation Report Related to the License Renewal Application of Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Power Plants, Units 1 and 2, " (NUREG-1803) issued on October 5, the staff concluded that there were no safety concerns that would preclude license renewal, because the licensee had demonstrated the capability to manage the effects of plant aging. In addition, the NRC conducted inspections of the plant to verify information submitted by the licensee. On November 16, the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards -- an independent body of technical experts which advises the Commission -- issued its recommendation that the operating license for Hatch Units 1 and 2, be renewed. That recommendation is contained in the "Report on the Safety Aspects of the License Renewal Application for Edwin I. Hatch Units 1 and 2." Copies of these documents and others relating to the license renewal will be available at: the NRC Public Document Room at the agency's One White Flint North Building, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland; telephone 1-800-397-4209 or (301) 415-4737. NRC renewed the operating licenses for both units of the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant near Lusby, Md., for an additional 20 years on March 23, 2000; for the three units of the Oconee Nuclear Station near Seneca, S.C., for an additional 20 years on May 23, 2000; and for Arkansas Nuclear One, Unit 1, near Russellville, Ar., for an additional 20 years on June 20, 2001. The agency is currently reviewing license renewal applications for Turkey Point Units 3 and 4, near Florida City, Fl.; Surry Units 1 and 2, near Surry, Va.; North Anna Units 1 and 2, near Mineral, Va.; McGuire Units 1 and 2, near Cornelius, N.C., Catawba Units 1 and 2, near Clover, S.C. and St. Lucie Units 1 and 2 near Ft. Pierce, Fl., and Peach Bottom Units 1 and 2 near Delta, Pa. ***************************************************************** 8 TVA forms plan to keep units going: Public hearing set Thursday By Dennis Sherer Staff Writer January 11, 2002 The Tennessee Valley Authority wants to hear from Shoals residents about extending the operating license for Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant near Athens. TVA will conduct a public hearing at 6 p.m. Thursday in Decatur to get feedback about the plan. "We will take the comments from this meeting and other sources and use them as part of the input for preparing a final supplemental environmental impact statement on a license extension," Browns Ferry spokes-man Craig Beasley said. "The TVA board will use that supplement to our environmental impact statement in deciding whether to seek a renewal of the operating license for Browns Ferry." The operating license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for Unit 1 at Browns Ferry expires in 2013. The Unit 2 license expires in 2014, with the Unit 3 license ending in 2016. The original licenses from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for Browns Ferry were for 40 years. TVA is considering asking for the regulatory commission to extend the operating license for each reactor by 20 years. Other utilities throughout the nation are seeking similar extensions of the operating licenses for their nuclear reactors. As part of its request for the license extensions, TVA had to research the possible environmental impacts of keeping the reactors operating beyond their original life expectancy. The supplemental environmental impact statement also examines the potential impact of restarting Unit 1, which has not produced electrical power since 1985. Also Thursday, residents can view a draft of the supplemental environmental impact statement and share comments with TVA. A final version of the statement will be prepared later this year. At a meeting in Decatur last March to discuss preparation of the statement, a majority of participants supported extending the operating licenses. However, some people expressed concern that it will be too costly and pose a threat to the environment. Jack Hilliard, general manager of Florence Utilities, expressed support at the meeting for the extension. "We need the power. We don't need to be losing any power plants. In fact, we need to be bringing more units on line," Hilliard said in March. Stephen Smith, executive director the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy in Knoxville, Tenn., was among those expressing concern. "Clearly, these reactors were designed for 40-year lives. They were not designed for a 60-year life cycle," Smith said. TVA officials said engineers have learned since the licenses were issued reactors can operate safely for longer than 40 years. Dennis Sherer can be reached at [dennis.sherer@timesdaily.com] or 740-5746. Copyright © 2002 TimesDaily | Privacy Statement ***************************************************************** 9 Nuclear watchdog warns aging NB Power plant needs more resources Broken-Reactor, CHRIS MORRIS FREDERICTON (CP) - New Brunswick's troubled nuclear power reactor needs more money and staff to ensure safe operation, says Canada's nuclear safety watchdog. A report by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, obtained Thursday by provincial NDP Leader Elizabeth Weir, warns that Atlantic Canada's only nuclear power plant has experienced a deterioration in the training and qualification of staff. The commission lays blame for the problems with NB Power, a provincial Crown corporation that owns and operates Lepreau, located on the shores of the Bay of Fundy. "Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission staff believe that progress is being hampered by the lack of adequate resources in NB Power," states the report. Weir told the legislature the commission raises troubling questions about the safety of the 20-year-old reactor, which is currently shut down because of mechanical problems. "Lepreau has been down for 17 of the last 30 days," Weir said. "We've been told by the government these are just minor problems and yet the nuclear safety commission . . . says it has serious concerns. "We need straightforward answers." Lepreau's operating budget is about $100 million a year - a figure that doesn't include the roughly $8 million a year it costs to buy fuel for the plant. When the plant is operating at 80 per cent capacity over a year, NB Power makes enough to cover Lepreau's costs and pay down some of its debt. Energy Minister Jeannot Volpe, who earlier in the week compared Lepreau to a car in need of occasional repairs, defended NB Power and Lepreau's safety record. However, he admitted the utility was unable to meet a November deadline set by the safety commission for quality-assurance improvements. A new deadline of Jan. 31 has been ordered by the commission. "Ms. Weir has been selective," Volpe said. "When you look at the whole report, it's clear there have been major improvements in the past few years." Volpe dodged questions about whether NB Power needs more money to provide adequate resources to run the plant's complex Candu reactor. He said staffing is the responsibility of NB Power, not government. But Weir said the buck stops with the government. "This is a Crown corporation and he's the minister responsible," she said. "People are very concerned. We're not talking about loose change here. So far the latest shutdown has cost NB Power $11 million and counting for replacement power." It costs the utility about $500,000 a day to buy power to replace Lepreau's output. The nuclear plant supplies about 30 per cent of New Brunswick's energy needs when it's in full operation. The commission states that despite some concerns, Lepreau is being run safely. However, the commission is preparing a comprehensive review of the plant that will be ready prior to Lepreau's next licence renewal in the fall. "The clock is ticking and we'll see what happens," said Weir. The future of the aging nuclear plant is up in the air. NB Power is considering a bid from a British energy company to buy the plant. The utility is also laying the groundwork for possible approval of a major refurbishment of Lepreau that would cost close to $1 billion and extend the life of the plant another 30 years. © The Canadian Press, 2002 ***************************************************************** 10 San Onofre officials confident about security Orange County Register - Local January 11, 2002 By JESSICA PERALTA and CHRIS KNAP Officials at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station say security at the plant is so tight the possibility of a breach is almost nonexistent. "We do have a very well- armed, a very well-trained and very well-staffed securities division," said plant spokesman Ray Golden. "We consider every employee to be a potential threat, and as such we monitor everyone's activities as they're on the site." David Reza, fired from his job as a pipefitter at the plant, was charged Wednesday with two counts of threatening supervisors at San Onofre, nine counts of weapons violations, and two counts of possessing cocaine and a smoking device. Reza is accused of threatening a former co-worker off the grounds Jan. 4. The Laguna Niguel resident had worked at the plant off and on since 1984. He was fired in 1995, Golden said. In July 1998, Reza was reinstated in the paint shop, outside the protected area where the plant is housed. In mid-December 2001, Reza was fired again. Prospective employees undergo an extensive background check, including fingerprint analysis by the FBI, a psychological examination, drug and alcohol testing, and detailed review of personal references, Golden said. In addition, employees' activities at the plant are frequently monitored. The plant is under 24-hour surveillance, guarded by supervisors, closed-circuit cameras and metal detectors, among other things. But some nuclear experts question whether the measures are enough. "Nuclear power-plant security really hasn't been changed to reflect the growing terrorist threats around the world," said David Lochbaum, a nuclear- safety engineer who works for the Union of Concerned Scientists, a national nuclear-safety group. The UCS complained in a letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in November that the psychological profiling - known as the Behavior Observation Program - was completely ineffective. "We looked at the records over a five-year period. Plant owners found numerous cases, about 1 percent of employees, where people had run afoul of the drug and alcohol screens. But there is never ever a report of somebody running afoul of the psychological testing," Lochbaum said. "We feel that program is not working." Staff writer Joel Zlotnik contributed to this report. The Orange County Register ***************************************************************** 11 N-plant neighbors want radiation pills Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2002 08:04:28 -0800 N-plant neighbors want radiation pills By JACK KASKEY Staff Writer, (609) 272-7213, E-Mail Barbara Bailine lives about nine miles north of the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant in Lacey Township, so she wants to be ready for the worst. The worst, she says, would be an accident or terrorist attack that releases enough radiation to spread cancer across southern New Jersey. Although nuclear power plants are robust structures, some experts say the highly radioactive bundles of spent fuel at New Jersey's nuclear plants are vulnerable to attack by a suicide bomber. "If you have people ready to give up their lives for a cause, you better be prepared for the worst," Bailine said. "I feel like I'm living on the side of a volcano." So the Pine Beach resident purchased potassium iodide. Taken immediately after a radiation release, the over-the-counter pill prevents radiation from accumulating in the thyroid, where it can cause cancer. Thyroid cancer is the biggest short-term cancer risk caused by breathing airborne radiation or eating food or milk contaminated by radiation. New Jersey officials on Wednesday may decide to follow Bailine's example when a secret committee decides whether to stockpile enough potassium iodide to protect everyone living near the state's two nuclear power plants. The committee also must grapple with the issue of how to distribute the pills. New Jersey's former health commissioner, Christine Grant, recommended in August that the state stockpile 900,000 potassium iodide pills. That's enough to give two days' protection to the estimated 450,000 residents and summer tourists who could be within 10 miles of nuclear plants in Salem and Ocean counties. Because Ocean County has so many tourists, Grant recommended that the state distribute the pills after a radiation release, rather than giving them out in advance. Post-Sept. 11 urgency To date, the recommendations have not been implemented, but there has been a national push to stockpile potassium iodide since Sept. 11. On Dec. 10, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued new instructions for administering potassium iodide after a radiation release. The FDA recommendation notes that after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident, children in countries downwind of the radiation have been developing thyroid cancer at 10 to 100 times the normal rate. The exception is Poland, where quick distribution of potassium iodide prevented any increase in childhood thyroid cancers, according to the FDA. On Dec. 20, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced it will buy potassium iodide for any state that requests it, on a first-come first-served basis. "Obviously, Sept. 11 added some urgency to get this moving ahead," NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said. "Vermont has already expressed great interest." Tennessee, Arizona and Alabama purchased their own stockpiles years ago. The pills would be provided only to those within 10 miles of a plant because people near an accident would be exposed to more radiation and have less time to evacuate than people further away, Sheehan said. People as far as 50 miles from a plant could be affected by a nuclear accident, depending on which way the way the wind blows, and federal law requires states to make emergency plans for people that far away. No public input When New Jersey's radiological emergency committee discusses the potassium iodide issue this week, no one from the public will be permitted to observe, said Dennis McGowan, a spokesman for the state Division of Health and Senior Services. The meeting includes health, emergency management and environmental officials, as well as nuclear utility representatives, but it is closed to the public, he said. However, any decisions made Wednesday must be finalized by the Health Department, said John Haggerty, a spokesman for the state Office of Emergency Management. Ruth Fisher, a resident of South Dennis in Cape May County, was upset to learn that the nuclear utilities will help decide whether residents get potassium iodide, while the public will not. "One of my grandchildren might survive if the unthinkable happened, and I want to do anything that might help them," said Fisher, who has been lobbying local officials to stockpile potassium iodide for a year. Plants vulnerable Dave Lochbaum, a nuclear safety engineer who has worked at the Salem and Hope Creek nuclear plants, detailed the vulnerability of the state's nuclear plants in a Jan. 7 letter to the NRC. Spent fuel at Oyster Creek in Ocean County and Hope Creek in Salem County is stored above ground, making it particularly vulnerable to an air or ground assault that could drain cooling water, wrote Lochbaum, who now works for the Union of Concerned Scientists in Washington, D.C. "The uncovered and uncooled irradiated fuel in the spent-fuel pool could then overheat and release large amounts of radioactivity into the atmosphere," Lochbaum wrote. In addition, a fire large enough to prevent the safe shutdown of a plant could be started at any of the state's nuclear-generating stations by crashing a fuel-filled airplane or by saboteurs with inside knowledge, he wrote. The nuclear industry, however, maintains that any attack would not lead to a major radiation release. "We do believe that nuclear plants are the strongest physical assets of any kind of infrastructure in this country," said Mitchell Singer, a spokesman for the Nuclear Energy Institute, an industry group. He also cautioned that iodide pills will not make a person invulnerable against all the effects of radiation. "One of the things we've always stressed is that in a nuclear emergency, evacuation is the safest precaution," Singer said. Still, demand for potassium iodide is rising, particularly near nuclear plants. At the Medicine Shoppe in Lacey Township, for instance, requests for potassium iodide have increased fivefold in the months since Sept. 11, pharmacist Tom Kelley said. To satisfy the demand, Kelley said he stocked the shelves this month with potassium iodide for the first time in five years. Ocean County resident Bailine already has purchased enough pills to protect herself, her sister, mother and brother-in-law, as well as her nephew, his wife, a friend and her cats and dogs. If the worst happens, she wants to be heading out of town, not making a run to the drug store for potassium iodide. "I figure that's a hell of a time to be looking for it," she said. ***************************************************************** 12 FedEx Shipped a High Radiation Package Without Knowledge January 10, 2002 By MATTHEW L. WALD WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 — FedEx unwittingly carried a package from Paris to New Orleans last week that was emitting so much radiation that the recipient, a company that packages radiation sources for industrial testing, has been unable to get near enough to measure it directly. But FedEx officials said the fact that the container passed undetected through the company's system did not indicate a security risk, because the shipper and the recipient were known to FedEx, allowing easy approval of the shipment. If terrorists had tried to ship radioactive material they would have failed, the company said, because extra precautions would have been taken in the case of an unknown shipper or recipient. FedEx never monitored the radiation while the shipment was in its custody. The recipient, the Source Production and Equipment Company, notified FedEx of the radiation after a FedEx truck delivered the 300-pound package to the company's factory in St. Rose, La. The company told FedEx in an initial estimate that the dose at the surface was 10 rem per hour. If that is correct, a person exposed to the radiation would exceed the annual limit for exposure in half an hour, and within a few hours would show effects from radiation poisoning. At the Texas office of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Chuck Cain, the acting director of the materials branch, said that "this event could have had very serious consequences."But Mr. Cain added that it did not appear that anyone had absorbed a large dose. The package contained Iridium- 172, which is used for industrial radiography. The radioactive material is put behind a heavy piece of metal, and by measuring what comes through the other side, technicians can look for cracks or other flaws. The shipper was a Swedish manufacturer, Studsvik. Scott A. Mugnow, director of safety at FedEx, said the pilots on the plane that carried the shipment were equipped with badges that measure radiation, and that when those were processed they did not show significant exposure. But other workers who handled the shipment did not have such badges. FedEx is trying to calculate their exposure. Mr. Mugnow would not describe how a package from an unknown shipper would have been treated differently. The president of the Source Production did not return phone calls over two days. Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company | Privacy Information ***************************************************************** 13 Arizona seeking to increase stockpile of anti-radiation pills azcentral.com - Foster Klug Associated Press Jan. 10, 2002 11:50:00 For at least the past decade, Arizona has been stockpiling anti-radiation pills that would help protect about 3,000 emergency workers and local residents during a nuclear emergency. Officials are now considering augmenting that supply with a grant from the federal government. But state and federal officials warn that potassium iodide, or KI - which only protects one organ, the thyroid, from certain kinds of radiation exposure - isn't a cure-all. "Some people give the impression that these pills could be used for all the problems of exposure," said Aubrey Godwin, director of the Arizona Radiation Regulatory Agency. "It's only one of the things in our arsenal to reduce exposure for people. The best thing is not to let them be exposed in the first place." Because the population around the Palo Verde nuclear power plant in Wintersburg is so small, state and county emergency management agencies have bought potassium iodide without federal help since at least 1992, Godwin said. Palo Verde, the largest of the country's 104 nuclear power plants, has also stockpiled its own supply since it began operation in 1986, said Sheri Foote, a spokeswoman for Arizona Public Service, the plant's largest parent company. Together, the state and APS have enough pills for plant workers, law enforcement directing evacuations, and people living within 10 miles of the plant. Two other states - Alabama and Tennessee - also stockpile the drug for distribution to the general public, said Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokeswoman Rosetta Virgilio. NRC recently set aside $800,000 to fund KI stockpiles in other states. Virgilio said NRC has received no requests to date. Arizona officials were currently considering the offer, Godwin said. Activists have long pushed for a ready supply of KI in states with nuclear plants. And last week, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials announced they were storing the drug and expect to have 7 million doses by year's end. On Dec. 10, the Food and Drug Administration also announced changes in its 19-year-old guidelines on KI dosage based on recent research from the April 1986 nuclear disaster at Chernobyl, Ukraine. In subsequent years, the number of thyroid cancer cases among Ukrainian children rose as much as 100-fold over pre-Chernobyl levels, according to the FDA's Web site. Some, however, said the state's nuclear emergency plan should emphasize prevention and evacuation. "Potassium iodide is really only a supplement to these actions," said Virgilio. "But it still seems to be a prudent thing to use." The drug's effectiveness has been debated since 1979 when it was sent to Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island after a reactor accident. The pills were traditionally used as an expectorant and potassium supplement, said Gordon Marrs, a pharmacist in Avondale, about 25 miles from Palo Verde. The drug protects the thyroid gland, one of the most radiation-sensitive parts of the body, from absorbing cancer-causing iodine produced during nuclear energy generation. But it doesn't shield other body parts. Marrs said his pharmacy doesn't stock the drug. "There's not much of a demand for it," he said. "If a mass of people are exposed to radiation, thyroid cancer is the least of their concerns." ***************************************************************** 14 Louisiana investigates radiation-leaking container shipped from Sweden The Nando Times: January 11, 2002 1:21 a.m. Copyright © 2002 AP Online By DOUG SIMPSON, Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (January 10, 2002 2:47 p.m. EST) - A steel container that leaked dangerous levels of radiation after arriving from Sweden will be stored behind a lead-and-concrete shield while authorities investigate the cause of the leak, state officials said Thursday. The package, which emitted radiation levels at least five times higher than U.S. regulations allow, was shipped to a company that packages radiation sources for industrial use. Authorities said it was unlikely anyone was harmed by the leak. Preliminary calculations showed those who came in contact with the package would have been exposed to radiation similar to a CAT scan, said Michael Henry, senior environmental scientist at the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. "I don't think anyone was exposed to anything that will be harmful to health. At least there's no indication of that as of yet," Henry said. The leak was discovered Jan. 2 by workers from St. Rose-based Source Production and Equipment Co. who retrieved the container from the New Orleans airport. The package had been transported from Stockholm to Memphis by FedEx, whose crew members wear devices that constantly monitor radiation levels. The devices showed normal levels during the trip, said Sandra Munoz, a company spokeswoman. "The radiation was discovered after it left our possession," Munoz said. Henry said the leak probably began sometime after the container arrived in Memphis. FedEx hired a trucking company to drive the package from Memphis to New Orleans. Munoz would not reveal the name of the company, citing a confidentiality policy. The Swedish company that shipped the package, Studsvik, said radiation levels were tested in Stockholm and Paris and found to be normal. Studsvik is developing a plan to safely open the container and determine the cause of the leak, Henry said. The package was sending out about 1 roentgen per hour of radiation at a distance of 20 feet away, five times the amount allowed under U.S. regulations, he said. He said pellets of the radioactive material, Iridium-192, probably moved from a shielded part of the container to an area that allowed radiation to leak. Studsvik has been prohibited from shipping Iridium-192 since the discovery. Iridium-192 is sold to testing laboratories, which use it in radiography to check welded joints in structures such as oil pipelines and bridges. Copyright © 2002 Nando Media ***************************************************************** 15 Irradiated package sickens at least 11 workers, official says Anchorage Daily News | Friday, January 11, 2002 By CHRISTOPHER NEWTON, Associated Press WASHINGTON (January 11, 5:25 a.m. AST) - A package that was irradiated as part of the government's anti-anthrax screening gave off a noxious gas Thursday when it was opened at the Commerce Department, sickening at least 11 workers, a fire official said. The workers complained of nausea, breathing problems and throat irritation, and two were admitted to a hospital in undetermined condition, D.C. Fire Department spokesman Alan Etter said. The FBI and hazardous-materials workers were dispatched to the scene and blocked off 14th Street in front of the Commerce Department during the evening rush hour. The building is situated at 14th and Constitution Avenue, a block from the Ellipse. Etter said a package of copy paper tightly wrapped in plastic gave off a noxious gas when it was opened. He said health officials believe the irradiation process can cause paper to give off hydrocarbons that are harmful when concentrated. Gas was held inside the package at the Commerce Department because it was tightly wrapped, Etter said. Two women who work on the fifth floor of the building called 911 at about 3:45 p.m., after they began to have trouble breathing. The women, who were not identified, were taken to the hospital. As an investigation was under way, other workers began to call emergency officials to report that they had some of the same symptoms. Etter said irradiated mail has made people sick at least five times in Washington over the past several weeks. "People respond differently to this based on their current health condition," he said. "We don't know how serious it can get." Thursday's incident was the first indication that the screening for anthrax spores or other biological agents in mail could cause health problems. Postal officials have said only that the process could damage such perishables as film and medication. Officials have been irradiating mail to all federal buildings in the aftermath of the anthrax scare in which two letters tainted with the bacteria were sent to Capitol Hill. Etter said Commerce officials would have to decide whether to allow workers into the room Friday. A department spokeswoman did not return a message left on her answering machine late Thursday night. The Anchorage Daily News [http://www.adn.com] ***************************************************************** 16 Group selected to study radium levels in water The Hawk Eye Newspaper [http://www.thehawkeye.com] January 11, 2002 By David Grimes Hawk Eye correspondent MONMOUTH, Ill. -- The city of Monmouth has selected The Farnsworth Group, an engineering firm out of Bloomington, Ill., to work with the city in putting together a study plan for dealing with the city's radium levels in its water. The City Council authorized Mayor Jack Reitman to sign a letter of intent to comply with a federal EPA mandate last fall. Communities throughout the state of Illinois whose local water supplies contain contaminant levels that exceed 5 pico curies per liter for combined radium levels and 15 pico curies per liter for gross alpha particle levels were asked to get their numbers in compliance within 30 days. Once an engineering firm is hired, the affected communities have 180 days to put together a plan for correcting the problem. A number of options are available for Monmouth, including drilling shallow wells in order to combine water with that from Monmouth's five deep wells, a reverse osmosis filtration system being constructed, or the city opting to tap into Galesburg's water line, with a treatment plant located in Monmouth. The Hawk Eye 800 S. Main St., Burlington Iowa 52601 319-754-8461 Front Desk · 319-754-6824 FAX · 1-800-397-1708 Toll Free ***************************************************************** 17 NIRS BLASTS DOE FOR YUCCA MOUNTAIN DECISION Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2002 08:05:57 -0800 National environmental, public interest, and safe energy organizations blasted Energy Secretary Spence Abraham's recommendation today that Yucca Mountain, Nevada be developed into the country's repository for high-level atomic waste. Citing intense earthquake and volcanic activity at the site, the risks of transporting the highly radioactive wastes cross-country, as well as the proposed dump's huge and still rising costs, the groups charged that Abraham's recommendation is based on politics, not science. "Yucca Mountain is smack dab in the middle of one of the most active earthquake zones in the country," said Michael Mariotte, director of Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS), the information and networking center for citizens and environmental organizations concerned about nuclear power, radioactive waste, radiation, and sustainable energy issues. "The dozens of fault lines that crisscross the proposed dumpsite have fractured the rock, creating pathways that would eventually leak deadly radiation into the drinking water supply below," Mariotte said. In the past 25 years alone, well over 600 earthquakes of 2.5 or greater on the Richter Scale have struck within 50 miles of Yucca Mountain. In 1992, a 5.6 quake cracked walls, shattered windows, and did a million dollars damage to the Department of Energy (DOE ) field office studying the site. A 1999 quake derailed a train on a railway that could be used to haul nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain. "Abraham and DOE have completely ignored the risks of accidents or terrorist attacks upon nuclear waste shipments that could spew deadly radiation into the environment," said Kevin Kamps, nuclear waste specialist at NIRS. "Each and every atomic waste train and truck passing through major urban population centers and the agricultural heartland would be a potential terrorist target. Such risks represent radioactive Russian roulette on our roads and rails," said Kamps. DOE studies show that the Yucca Mountain Project would require decades to transport many tens of thousands of high-level atomic waste train and truck shipments through 45 States past the homes, schools, and workplaces of 50 million Americans. DOE calculated that a severe accident releasing radiation in a rural area would contaminate 42 square miles, costing $620 million and taking 15 months to clean up. "DOE has already wasted over $5 billion on the Yucca Mountain boondoggle, and plans on wasting over $50 billion more if this dump goes forward," said Diane D'Arrigo, NIRS Radioactive Waste Project director. "It would be wise to cut our losses now, and start looking for some real answers to the nuclear waste dilemma." With Yucca's future costs predicted to top $60 billion and only $10 billion currently in the Nuclear Waste Fund supplied by nuclear utility ratepayers, the looming shortfall of tens of billions of dollars would have to be picked up by taxpayers. Meanwhile, in December 2001, a U.S. General Accounting Office investigation found 293 items that need further scientific work before a determination on the Yucca site could be made. The GAO predicted it could take four years to complete that work. But the Energy Department made its decision less than a month later. "Abraham's recommendation has nothing to do with sound science and everything to do with corrupt politics," said Mary Olson of NIRS Southeast office in Asheville, North Carolina. "Yucca Mountain is the Bush Administration's false 'solution' to the nuclear waste problem which they'll now try to use to advocate the building of a new generation of nuclear reactors," said Olson. On May 16, 2001 President George W. Bush presented his Administration's National Energy Policy, the product of a controversial task force headed by Vice President Dick Cheney. With Energy Secretary Abraham and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Todd Whitman standing beside him, Bush called for the construction of new nuclear power reactors for the first time in decades. Bush called upon his Cabinet officials to expedite the repository approval process. EPA released its Yucca Mountain regulations just three weeks later. Several environmental groups have sued EPA, charging that the regulations are much too weak and threaten public health and safety. "The Bush Administration's National Energy Policy is built upon secretive meetings between Dick Cheney and energy CEO's," said Mariotte. "The decision to move ahead with Yucca Mountain and build new reactors is just as bankrupt as Enron." Yucca Mountain is legally limited to accepting a maximum of 70,000 tons of high-level radioactive waste. Operating current reactors for decades into the future will generate more waste than Yucca would be allowed to hold. Building new reactors would add to that waste surplus. A second repository would be needed. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act requires that second repository be located in the Eastern United States. "What is our alternative to Yucca Mountain?" asked Kamps. "Simple, stop making nuclear waste in the first place. Phase out nuclear power and replace it with ready to go conservation, efficiency, and renewable energy sources. Wind turbines aren't terrorist targets like nuclear power plants, and don't generate forever deadly atomic garbage. The nuclear waste that already exists is certainly a problem, but Yucca Mountain is certainly not the answer." Abraham's recommendation sends the Yucca Mountain decision to the White House. If President Bush approves Yucca Mountain, the State of Nevada has pledged to veto. The decision would then go to the U.S. Congress, where Assistant Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada has vowed to attempt to block it in the Senate. Even if approved by Congress, the State of Nevada and environmental groups have vowed to battle it in the Courts. Three lawsuits against the Yucca Mountain repository are already under way. --30- ***************************************************************** 18 Bush to propose doubling budget next year for cleaning up brownfields http://www.contracostatimes.com Published Friday, January 11, 2002 By John Heilprin ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration will propose doubling spending next year on cleaning up abandoned industrial sites in urban areas, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday. Administrator Christie Whitman said the administration's budget proposal for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1 will seek $102 million more than the $98 million Congress appropriated this year for cleaning up so-called brownfields. "This is something Congress was trying to get for 10 years," Whitman told The Associated Press. "The president made a commitment and we're trying to get it done." Congress in December approved a five-year program awarding up to $250 million a year to state and local governments and Indian tribes for cleaning up some 450,000 polluted industrial sites. President Bush plans to sign that legislation into law during a visit Friday to Conshohocken, Pa. Whitman said the administration may propose spending the full $250 million in fiscal 2004. So far the government has handed out $2 million of the $98 million available this year, said Linda Garczynski, director of the EPA brownfields program. Ten recipients ranging from nonprofit groups to local governments such as the District of Columbia are getting $200,000 each for a brownfields job training pilot program. The EPA has received more than 100 applications from states and other entities seeking money to assess the extent of pollution on individual brownfield sites. Thirty-two of those will be awarded money. The agency also has gotten more than 40 applications for money to help secure loans for cleanups, and 20 to 25 of those requests will be granted, Garczynski said. The money is handed out based on how many sites are involved, the severity of problems and the impact the project might have on a community, among other factors, she said. On the Net: EPA: [http://www.epa.gov/brownfields] ContraCostaTimes.com ***************************************************************** 19 Ombudsman sues EPA to halt internal shakeup Denver Post.com By The Associated Press Friday, January 11, 2002 - WASHINGTON - The Environmental Protection Agency's hazardous waste ombudsman sued Thursday to prevent the Bush administration from reshuffling his congressionally established office. Robert Martin, who handles complaints by citizens on waste and Superfund matters, asked the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to block EPA Administrator Christie Whitman from transferring the ombudsman's office to the EPA's Inspector General's Office. Martin contends the move would weaken his independence within the agency. He said in court papers the action was being taken because he has been an outspoken critic of corporations' influence in Superfund cases. Martin spearheaded efforts to rid a south Denver neighborhood of radioactive waste left buried at the Shattuck Chemical Co. plant. Without a favorable court ruling, he said, the agency will move him, his secretary and a geologist from two large office suites into cramped quarters next week. Whitman said in announcing the change on Nov. 27 that Martin's relocation would enhance his credibility by putting him within the inspector general's office, which is independent from the rest of the EPA. But Martin, who has ruffled feathers among Republicans in Congress and the former Clinton White House, said the move effectively abolishes his authority. A watchdog group, the Government Accountability Project, joined him in the lawsuit. All contents Copyright 2001 The Denver Post or other copyright ***************************************************************** 20 Bush OKs $1.2B Industry Cleanup Bill Las Vegas SUN January 11, 2002 CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa.- President Bush signed legislation Friday to clean up thousands of polluted industrial sites, a measure he lauded as evidence of what happens "when people decide to cooperate, not bicker" in Congress. Bush traveled to Conshohocken to sign the bill, a five-year plan to provide up to $250 million a year to states, local governments and Indian tribes to clean up the sites, known as brownfields. "We are returning common sense to our cleanup program," Bush said. "We will protect innocent small-business owners and employees from unfair lawsuits and focus our efforts instead on actually cleaning up contaminated sites. "Environmental protection and economic growth can go on together," he said. The president cited the brownfields bill as an example of bipartisanship, in which elected officials say, "I'm proud of my political party. But I'm more proud of my country. And I want ... to do what's right for America first, not my political party." Bush signed the bill at the Millennium Corporate Center, which stands on 30 acres that once was a contaminated site. Before redevelopment, the land - which sits on the banks of the Schuylkill River and once held a steel plant - was closed off by chain-link fences and littered with abandoned tires and industrial trash. Friday's trip was the seventh time Bush has visited Pennsylvania since taking office a year ago. It was his second journey this week away from Washington for a bill signing; Tuesday, the president went to Ohio to sign education legislation into law. Outside of the bill being signed, the Bush administration plans to double spending next year on brownfields cleanup. Christie Whiteman, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, said Thursday that Bush, in his 2003 budget proposal, will seek $102 million more than the $98 million Congress appropriated this year. "This is something Congress was trying to get for 10 years," Whitman told The Associated Press. "The president made a commitment and we're trying to get it done." After raising the spending level to $200 million, Whitman said, the administration may propose spending $250 million in fiscal 2004. So far the government has handed out $2 million of the $98 million available this year, said Linda Garczynski, director of the EPA brownfields program. Ten recipients, ranging from nonprofit groups to local governments such as the District of Columbia, are getting $200,000 each for a brownfields job training pilot program. The EPA has received more than 100 applications from states and other entities seeking money to assess the extent of pollution on individual brownfield sites. Thirty-two of those will be awarded money. The agency also has gotten more than 40 applications for money to help secure loans for cleanups, and 20 to 25 of those requests will be granted, Garczynski said. The money is handed out based on how many sites are involved, the severity of problems and the impact the project might have on a community, among other factors, she said. On the Net: EPA: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields [http://www.epa.gov/brownfields] Trust for Public Land: http://www.tpl.org [http://www.tpl.org] All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 21 Sellafield terror threat warning BBC News | UK POLITICS | 11 January, 2002, Highly radioactive material is stored at Sellafield A terrorist attack on the Sellafield nuclear plant would lay most of Northern England to waste, according to a new report. We know of no specific threat to the Sellafield site British Nuclear Fuels An area hundreds of miles square could be made uninhabitable by radioactive fallout, warns the US-based academic behind the report. But the findings, which have been handed to the Commons defence committee, were branded "alarmist" by Sellafield's operator British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL). According to the report's author, Gordon Thompson of the Institute for Resource and Security Studies in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the buildings could not withstand an impact from a passenger jet. The main threat, it is claimed, comes from a part of the Sellafield plant storing high level radioactive waste, which dates back to the 1950s. The highly radioactive material in the buildings has to be constantly cooled and stirred to prevent a chain reaction, Dr Thompson claims. 'No secret' A spokesman for British Nuclear Fuels said Dr Thompson was a "well known opponent of the nuclear industry" who had "never had his claims about the releases from these buildings independently verified." He said it was "no secret" that highly radioactive material was stored at Sellafield but BNFL was in the process of reducing its stocks. Security at the plant was paramount but there was no evidence that terrorists were planning an attack. "We know of no specific threat to the Sellafield site," he told BBC News Online. Irish opposition Nevertheless, Dr Thompson's report is likely to fuel the arguments of the Irish government, which is bitterly opposed to plans to build a new reprocessing plant at Sellafield. The Dublin administration had wanted the UK to block the £470m mixed-oxide (Mox) fuel development just across the sea, claiming it would break international laws on sea pollution. It also claimed the BNFL plant posed safety and security risks, which have been heightened since 11 September. But a United Nations maritime tribunal rejected the challenge to the plant, which will turn useless plutonium and uranium into a powerful energy source. Safety assurances Last week, John Clarke, BNFL's head of environment, health, safety and quality at Sellafield, attempted to reassure the Irish at a special conference on security. Dealing with the storage of highly active liquid (HAL) waste, Mr Clarke said: "We have now considered what the full impact of a deliberate commercial aircraft crash and the fire that would ensue would be on the HAL facility." He said BNFL had re-examined its safety arrangements and was satisfied that storage facilities would remain intact. "Our emergency arrangements would work to mitigate the offsite impact of any radiological release that might result from such an attack," said Mr Clarke. Sabotage threat Dr Thompson also claims Sellafield is vulnerable to sabotage of the cooling equipment which keeps the material stable. One scenario could see a large-scale release of radioactive waste into the Irish Sea, making fishing waters in Western Scotland unusable. But his concerns were dismissed as unfounded by BNFL. The Ministry of Defence is understood to have plans in place to deal with terrorist action at Sellafield. It has declined to comment on security matters. ***************************************************************** 22 Saturday exercise tests response for accident with transuranic waste Pahrump Valley Times By:January 11, 2002 State agencies, emergency response teams and public safety officials will assess readiness for responding to an accident involving transuranic waste during an exercise held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The exercise will be held just north of Lathrop Wells, off U.S. 95 on the access for to the Nevada Test Site. The exercise is part of a two-year effort to prepare for planned shipments of transuranic waste from the NTS to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, N.M. WIPP is a disposal facility for plutonium contaminated wastes from Dept. of Energy clean up activities at weapons production facilities. The waste was originally transported to the test site from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory east of Oakland. It is comprised primarily of protective clothing and miscellaneous equipment that has been contaminated with small amounts of plutonium and other man-made radioactive elements, according to the Nevada Dept. of Public Safety. The Nevada Division of Emergency Management, the Nevada Highway Patrol, the Nevada State Health Division, the Nevada Dept. of Transportation, the Nye County Sheriff's Office, local fire and rescue personnel, medical personnel and others. The exercise will simulate an accident involving a truck transporting transuranic waste and will test the capabilities of response personnel in dealing with the incident. No radiological materials will be used during the exercise. ©Pahrump Valley Times 2002 ***************************************************************** 23 Uranium sales tax may get repealed - The Paducah Sun Paducah, Kentucky Friday, January 11, 2002 By Bill Bartleman bbartleman@paducahsun.com--270.575.8650 FRANKFORT, Ky.--Kentucky lawmakers are considering a bill to exempt the sale of enriched uranium produced at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant from the state's 6 percent sales tax. The measure will be debated as USEC Inc., which operates the plant, considers a $13 million project to accelerate its plan to move its shipping operations from the closed enrichment plant in Piketon, Ohio, to Paducah. At present, uranium enriched in Paducah is shipped to Piketon where it is prepared for final sale and shipment for companies that use it to fuel nuclear power plants. Ohio exempts the sales from its tax. If the operation is moved to Paducah, the sales would be subject to Kentucky tax laws. While the tax exemption is not the key to making the decision, USEC spokeswoman Elizabeth Stuckle said it would be taken into consideration. She did not know how much the exemption would save its customers. "We have been studying for some time several cost-saving possibilities for the company, and one of those has been the economic and logistical advantages of accelerating the move of transportation and shipping to Paducah," she said, noting the original timetable was to make the change in 2004 or 2005. She said the study will be completed in several weeks. Such a move would potentially save the company millions by eliminating about 400 jobs in Piketon and significantly reducing transportations costs. Upgrading the Paducah plant would cost about $13 million and could be completed early next year. State lawmakers representing McCracken County were briefed on the need for the tax exemption on Thursday by John Cooper, a Frankfort and Washington, D.C., lobbyist; Paducah Mayor Bill Paxton, McCracken Judge-Executive Danny Orazine and Ken Wheeler, head of an informal committee that is promoting economic development opportunities related to the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant. In 2000, USEC closed the Piketon enrichment plant as part of a cost-cutting initiative. However, it continued operating its shipment facility at Piketon because Paducah was not equipped to perform that task. Stuckle said moving the operation to Paducah would create only a small number of jobs. Those currently working to ship material to Piketon would be transferred to the new shipment facility. Stuckle said USEC wants to have the ability to ship from Paducah, even if the shipments continue from Piketon for a few years. USEC officials will meet next week with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to begin discussing the procedure for upgrading the Paducah plant to ship the finished material to its customers. The potential of accelerating the transfer operation to Paducah has drawn protest from U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, who represents Piketon in Congress. He has asked President Bush to block USEC from eliminating the 400 jobs. ***************************************************************** 24 Governor Kenny C. Guinn's Statement Regarding Secretary Spencer Abraham's Announcement FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE: January 10, 2002 CONTACT: Greg Bortolin PHONE: 775-684-5670 FAX: 775-684-7198 "At 11:05 a.m. this morning, I received a telephone call from Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham informing me of his decision to put the nuke waste dump in Nevada." "I told him that I am damn disappointed in this decision and to expect my veto. I explained to him we will fight it in the Congress, in the Oval Office, in every regulatory body we can - we'll take all of our arguments to the courts. This fight is far from over." "I also told him that on behalf of all Nevadans, I am outraged that he is allowing politics to override sound science." "At the conclusion of the call I told the Secretary that I think this decision stinks, the whole process stinks and we'll see him in court." ***************************************************************** 25 How America abandoned true defense WorldNetDaily: JANUARY 9 2002 Elizabeth Farah documents shameful lack of citizen protection © 2002 WorldNetDaily.com "Upon the first warning: Stay clear of all windows … Loosen necktie, unbutton coat and any other restrictive clothing," read a bygone era's popular poster warning of nuclear attack. "Remove glasses, empty pockets of all sharp objects such as pens, pencils, etc. Immediately upon seeing the brilliant flash of nuclear explosion, bend over and place your head firmly between your legs. Then kiss your butt goodbye." That cynical advice is even more appropriate for Americans today -- since the last vestiges of the nation's fledgling civil defense system have been purposely destroyed and abandoned by the federal government. Would shelters -- like America once had all over the country -- actually allow millions to escape the ravages of nuclear attack? Without a doubt. In Sunday's edition of WorldNetDaily, co-founder and Senior Editor Elizabeth Farah – whose groundbreaking reporting on civil defense is featured in the January edition of WND's Whistleblower magazine, an issue titled "AMERICA DEFENSELESS" -- tells interviewer Geoff Metcalf how America intentionally abandoned the life-saving civil defense program it once had started. In the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, many residents survived the initial blasts with few if any injuries. But two weeks later, those seemingly unhurt civilians were dying of what were recorded as the "uncanny effects" of the bombs -- radiation poisoning. "Many literally crawled out of the wreck of their homes relatively uninjured," explained Army expert Philip Morrison to a Senate committee months later. "But they died anyway. They died from a further effect … of radium-like rays emitted in great number from the bomb at the instant of the explosion. This radiation affects the blood-forming tissues in the bone marrow. … The blood does not coagulate, but oozes in many spots through the unbroken skin, and internally seeps into the cavities of the body." This is the prescribed form of death for millions of Americans when the nation is attacked with nuclear weapons. There's no choice, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide – except for government officials. The federal government has maintained a system of shelters for key government personnel and their families. Read the entire interview with Elizabeth Farah in Sunday's edition of WorldNetDaily. © 2002 WorldNetDaily.com, Inc. ***************************************************************** 26 North Korea cites Washington Post on US plan to launch nuclear test BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Jan 11, 2002 Text of report by North Korean radio on 10 January According to a report from Washington, the Bush administration of the United States is plotting to resume underground nuclear tests in order to maintain and reinforce its strategic nuclear arsenal. Concerning this, on 8 January, the US Washington Post disclosed that the Bush administration is planning to propose the possibility of resuming underground nuclear tests when it submits its extensive plan on strategic nuclear [weapons] to Congress. The paper added that the United States would certainly evoke strong protests from other countries around the world if the United States were to decide on resuming underground nuclear tests. Source: Central Broadcasting Station, Pyongyang, in Korean 2100 gmt 10 Jan 02 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material ***************************************************************** 27 Bush angers Russians by reneging on nuclear deal Irish Newspapers - NewsIssue Date: Fri January 11th 02 CHINA will have 100 long-range nuclear missiles aimed at the United States by 2015, according to American intelligence analysts. Many of the warheads, whose number would represent a five-fold increase on China's current capability, would be mobile and hard to target. The CIA analysis comes as Washington's nuclear policy was under withering fire from Moscow and disarmament experts for failing to live up to President Bush's promises. Mr Bush was accused of deceiving the public after the CIA disclosed that most of the 4,000 nuclear warheads he said he wanted to axe would not be destroyed after all, but kept in storage. Officials clearly hope that the intelligence report predicting China's build-up, released immediately after the Pentagon's disclosure that the US will not be discarding its own warheads, will help Mr Bush to deflect criticism at home. Similar assessments have in the past been used to justify the billions of dollars spent on the 'Son of Star Wars' US defence shield. ( The Times, London) Roland Watson and Michael Binyon © Copyright Unison ***************************************************************** 28 The outrage continues 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 outrage over the conviction and imprisonment of Grigory Pasko continues as common Russians in various parts of the country gather in protests against the court ruling. Jon Gauslaa, 2002-01-11 09:28 On December 25 2001, the court of the Russian Pacific Fleet found Grigory Pasko guilty of high treason in the form of espionage for having possessed notes taken at a meeting of the Council of the Pacific Fleet that he attended on September 11, 1997. The verdict that shocked the nation Although the hand-written notes that were found at Pasko's flat on November 20, 1997 were not passed over to anybody, the court believed that Pasko kept them at his flat with theintention to hand them over to Tadashi Okano, correspondent of the Japanese newspaper "Asashi", later. The ruling is not even close to establish that Pasko had the said intention, but still Pasko was sentenced to four year of hard labour. The sentence did not only shock supporters of Pasko abroad as well as in Russia. It "shocked the whole nation", is the expression used by the news web-site http://www.gazeta.ru recently. Observers presume that when passing the sentence the court was under strong pressure from the FSB that brought the case against Pasko, or from circles within the Pacific Fleet. Such an assumption may be fortified by the fact that the arguments given in the ruling in order to establish Pasko's guilt mostly consists of insignificant phrases, illogical reasoning and a poor evaluation of the law as well as of the evidence of the case. In contrast the other parts of the verdict, in which Pasko is acquitted on nine various charges, seems solid both when it comes to the evaluation of the facts and the law-application. Thus, one might be tempted to draw the conclusion that the 'condemning' part of the verdict is written under duress. The return of 'iron-Felix'? Pasko's lawyers have appealed the verdict, and are confident that their client will be fully acquitted by the Supreme Court. Awaiting the hearing of the appeal case they have, with the support of the speaker of the upper house of the Russian Parliament, Sergei Mironov, called for Pasko's immediate release. The prosecution, on its part believes that four year is too lenient, and demands 12 years for Pasko in its appeal. On a new conference today held in connection with the 280th anniversary of the Russian Prosecution, Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov, said that cases like Pasko's should be decided by the courts and not by the level of public noise made in connection with the cases. The latter remark had a clear connection with the fact that there lately have been arranged protest rallys all over Russia against the Pasko-decision. On January 7, four people were briefly detained after taking part in a rally outside the FSB's headquarters at Moscow's Lubyanka Square. According to Interfax news agency they were ordered to appear before a city court. At the rally protesters moved through the Square carrying mock barbed wire, and placards reading "Who's next" and "Is Felix back?" The latter referred to the infamous 'Iron' Felix Dzerzhinsky, who in 1917 founded the FSB's predecessor, the Cheka, later to be known as the KGB. Sergei Mitrokhin, deputy leader of the Yabloko party, called for more attention to be given to the case and pleaded with the Russian leaders to 'restore justice', Interfax reported. "Try corrupt admirals, not journalists" One leader who has heard the said call is Sergei Mironov, who is expected to discuss the case with President Vladimir Putin the forthcoming weekend. He publicly denounced the ruling on January 9. -- As a citizen of Russia, I think the man has been convicted for no good reason, Mironov said at a press conference St. Petersburg. Yesterday dozens of Pasko's supporters gathered outside the FSB-building in Vladivostok to demand his release. The group unfurled a large yellow banner proclaiming "Try Corrupt Admirals, not Journalists" and remained outside the building for one hour. An FSB-spokesman characterised the protest as a "well-organised political action in no way related to justice". Throughout the current week, protests against the conviction and imprisonment of Pasko has also been held in a number of other Russian cities, including Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Birobijan, Volgodonsk, Novocherkassk, Rostov on Don, Kalach on Don, Yaroslavl and Nishni Novgorod. A number of similar actions are planned to take place in the forthcoming weeks. On January 25, the birthday of famous Russian poet and singer Vladimir Visotski, concerts and performances in memory of freedom speech in Russia and in support of Grigory Pasko will be held in several Russian cities. * Grigory Pasko was arrested on November 20, 1997. At the end of a six-month trial in the Pacific Fleet Court in Vladivostok he was acquitted of treason through espionage on July 20, 1999, but pronounced guilty of abusing his official position. Amnesty International monitored the case closely, and expressed serious concerns about the fairness of that trial, and about the impartiality and independence of the court. Pasko was sentenced to a three-year imprisonment for misusing his position, but was released on a general amnesty. Both sides appealed the 1999-verdict. In November 2000, the Military Collegium of the Russian Supreme Court cancelled the verdict, and sent the case back for a new trial at the Pacific Fleet Court. After several postponements, the trial started again on July 11, 2001. It ended on December 25, with Pasko being convicted to four years of hard labour. Amnesty International adopted Pasko as a prisoner of conscience on January 7, 2002, saying that the prosecution of Pasko appears to be "motivated by political reprisal for exposing the practice of dumping nuclear waste". 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 ***************************************************************** 29 U.S. Wants to Store Warheads Friday, Jan. 11, 2002. Page 3 By Megan Twohey Staff Writer The Pentagon said the United States plans to store, not destroy, warheads removed from missiles as it downsizes the country's nuclear arsenal under a pledge to Russia. The Foreign Ministry on Thursday responded by demanding that the arsenal cuts be "irreversible" and not just made on paper. U.S. Assistant Defense Secretary J.D. Crouch said Wednesday that the United States will slash, as promised, two-thirds of its operationally deployed warheads within a decade. But it "will maintain the force structure and the warheads that we take off these systems as part of a responsive force," he told a news conference in Washington, according to news reports. He was outlining the Pentagon's Nuclear Posture Review, a new U.S. security strategy for a post-Cold War era, as prepared for Congress. Crouch said he could not say how many warheads would be stored. "There have been no final decisions made at this point on what the size of our responsive capability would be," he said. U.S. President George W. Bush promised President Vladimir Putin in November that the United States would cut its warheads to 1,700 to 2,200. Russia, which pledged to reduce its warheads from 6,000 to 1,500, is calling for a formal agreement on the arms cuts. Washington has voiced reluctance. "Russian-American agreements on further reductions in nuclear arsenals should be, first, radical -- only 1,500 to 2,200 weapons; second, controllable; and third, irreversible, so that strategic offensive weapons aren't just reduced on paper," Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko said Thursday, The Associated Press reported. Crouch indicated that the White House was still not interested in a treaty. "We are trying to achieve these reductions without having to wait for Cold War arms-control treaties," he said. Russian-American consultations on strategic offensive arms reductions are to take place in Washington next Tuesday and Wednesday, a U.S. Embassy spokesman said. The issue of what to do with nuclear weapons removed from duty has dominated U.S.-Russian arms control talks since the 1970s. This week's statements signal that there will be tough bargaining ahead. Crouch outlined some of the nuclear warhead cuts that would be made, including 500 from the 50 Peacekeeper ICBMs, each of which carries 10 warheads; 800 from the 96 missiles carried on four Trident submarines that have been designated for decommissioning; and 1,000 from the removal of two warheads from each of 500 Minuteman III ICBMs. But if the United States puts those warheads into reserve, the cuts will be rendered meaningless, analysts said. "The cuts offered in the NPR are a mirage," said Ian Davis, director of the British American Security Information Council, a think tank in London. "The Pentagon isn't recommending genuine reductions at all. Placing nuclear weapons into storage allows the United States to sustain its current level of lethality, just in a different place." That is bad news for Russia, which cannot afford to keep its nuclear weapons in active duty no matter what the United States ends up doing, said Alexander Konovalov, president of the Institute for Strategic Assessments. "There is going to be an imbalance of power," Konovalov said. "Instead of having to manufacture new warheads, the U.S. will be able to deploy warheads from storage in a matter of weeks." In defense of plans to store rather than destroy warheads, Crouch said that he assumed that Russia would do the same. But that's unlikely because Russia lacks the cash to do so, Konovalov said. Russia is unlikely to make much more of a fuss about the U.S. plan, said Sergei Markov, director of the Institute for Political Studies. "Russia understands that its relationship with the U.S. is still in a transition period," he said. "It's more concerned about getting cooperation on broader security issues, like Russia's decision-making role in NATO." Markov predicted that Russia will stay mum about other parts of the U.S. defense review, including its recommendation to reduce the time necessary to prepare its nuclear test sites, a first step toward resuming nuclear testing. It currently takes two years to prepare a site for nuclear testing. The decisions outlined in the review are not necessarily final, Crouch said. "There's actually a lot of implementation that will have to be done. ... It's an ongoing process," he said. www.moscowtimes.ru ***************************************************************** 30 Protesters in Vladivostok Demand Pasko's Release Friday, Jan. 11, 2002. Page 3 Itar-Tass Police detaining an unruly man at the rally Thursday at the FSB offices in Vladivostok. VLADIVOSTOK, Far East -- Dozens of protesters gathered in Vladivostok on Thursday to demand the release of journalist Grigory Pasko, jailed last month on charges of high treason. In St. Petersburg, Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov added to the criticism of the military court verdict, describing as groundless Pasko's conviction for telling Japan about the navy dumping toxic waste in the Sea of Japan. Demonstrators gathered outside the Vladivostok offices of the Federal Security Service holding posters reading: "We Want Truth About the Nuclear Crimes of the Pacific Fleet" and "Bring to Trial Corrupt Admirals, Not Journalists." The FSB brought the case against Pasko. "I think a precedent will be created. Some positive decision must be taken," Pasko's wife, Galina, bundled up against sub-freezing temperatures, told RTR television. "Justice must triumph." Officials from the U.S. Consulate General in Vladivostok also attended the protest. "This is a case of freedom of speech and expression," said diplomat Alexander Hamilton, speaking in Russian. "America is concerned with the future of Russia in general because after Sept. 11 we became not only friends, but almost like allies." After a 40-minute rally, the protest -- organized by several local environmental watchdogs working together for Pasko's cause -- moved on to other offices involved in the case, such as the military court and the prosecutor's office. The FSB denounced the protest as a "well-organized political action in no way related to justice." The military court found Pasko guilty of passing military secrets to Japan, sentencing him to four years in a high-security jail. He will appeal against the verdict. The military prosecutor's office has also appealed, saying Pasko's four-year jail term was too lenient. Mironov on Wednesday reiterated criticism of the case that he first made in late December. "As a citizen of Russia, I think the man has been convicted for no good reason," Mironov said. "If a military secret affects hundreds of thousands of people, or even millions, and affects the health of their children, I don't think there should be any punishment for violating such a secret." Pasko's defense was built on a law stipulating that information about environmental dangers could not be classified. Human rights groups have also spoken against the verdict. Amnesty International this week called for his release and said his prosecution appeared "motivated by political reprisal for exposing the practice of dumping nuclear waste." Four protesters were detained at a rally against the verdict at FSB headquarters in Moscow on Monday. (Reuters, AP) www.moscowtimes.ru/ ***************************************************************** 31 Russia wants warheads destroyed Orange County Register - Nation & World Bush's plan to store nuclear arms that are not in service comes under Kremlin fire. January 11, 2002 MOSCOW -- Russia on Thursday strongly criticized Bush administration plans to store rather than destroy decommissioned nuclear warheads, suggesting they would undermine the credibility of any new arms-control accord aimed at eliminating thousands of nuclear weapons. Russia's Foreign Ministry said the cuts must be "irreversible" when the United States fulfills President George W. Bush's promise to reduce its operational nuclear warheads by two-thirds, to 1,700-2,200, by 2012. The latest statements from both sides signal tough bargaining when U.S. and Russian diplomats meet in Washington next week. The Russian statement followed the results of a "nuclear posture review" by the Bush administration. An assistant secretary of defense, J.D. Crouch, told a Pentagon briefing that the United States would hold in reserve a substantial number of warheads as a "responsive capability." Arms-control experts say the U.S. reserve of nuclear weapons currently numbers several thousand warheads beyond the 6,000 in active service. Russia maintains a much smaller reserve, officials there say. Also, that reserve is expected to shrink as Moscow diverts resources to upgrade conventional forces. The testiness of the tone of Russia's statement Thursday indicated the depth of feeling that Washington is seeking to orchestrate a long-term advantage in nuclear weaponry, especially after Bush's decision last month to withdraw from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972. The Orange County Register ***************************************************************** 32 Pentagon reveals US nuclear strategy BBC News | AMERICAS | 10 January, 2002, 05:03 GMT Defence officials in the United States have been outlining America's revised nuclear defence strategy. Under the plan, the Nuclear Posture Review, the United States' nuclear arsenal will be reduced over the next 10 years by two-thirds, to around 2,000 warheads. That reflects the figures discussed by President Bush and his Russian counterpart, President Putin, last year. Officials said many of the deactivated warheads will not be destroyed, but remain in storage in case of emergency. The new plan does not rule out the testing of nuclear weapons, but the US Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, said there was no intention at the moment to break a 10-year suspension of testing. ***************************************************************** 33 Malaysia fears nuclear threat in India-Pakistan tension KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 11 (AFP) - Malaysia on Friday pressed nuclear-capable rivals India and Pakistan to seek a solution to their escalating tensions at the negotiating table and avoid at any cost a war. "Pakistan and India must avoid conflict at all cost as any military conflict will have major consequences," Defence Minister Najib Razak was quoted by the official Bernama news agency as saying. "Any conflict poses the possibility of the use of nuclear weapons," and this could lead to catastrophic damage in the region, he said. Malaysia was using all political and diplomatic channels to prevent the conflict between the two countries from turning into a full-scale war, he added. The two nuclear rivals have been locked in an increasingly bitter diplomatic war since a deadly attack on New Delhi's parliament in December which India blames on Pakistan based militant groups. New Delhi also blames Islamabad and its Inter Service Intelligence agency for aiding and abetting "cross-border terrorism" in the divided Muslim-majority Kashmir. Pakistan denies this charge but says it gives "moral and political" support to what it terms the Kashmiri's "freedom struggle". Both sides have massed troops along their common borders causing a tense military stand-off. Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad last month urged both countries to resolve their differences by dialogue, not military action. "As two neighbouring countries, they should sit down and talk," the premier said. "I don't like the use of military action to solve any problem, and both neighbouring countries should go to the negotiating table and discuss this issue." Copyright © 2001 AFP. All rights reserved. All information ***************************************************************** 34 5 Oak Ridge lab workers exposed to radiation Augusta Georgia: Technology: Web posted Friday, January 11, 2002 By Frank Munger Scripps Howard News Service OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - Five workers were unwittingly exposed to radiation during late-December testing for a physics experiment at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, lab officials have confirmed. The laboratory is still evaluating the exposures, but preliminary estimates are that each of the workers received a maximum radiation dose of about 300 millirems - roughly the equivalent of 30 chest X-rays or three dental X-rays. Dr. James Roberto, an associate director of ORNL, said the radiation did not pose a health threat but added, "Any unintended exposure is unacceptable." An investigation is under way to determine how and why the radiation exposures occurred at ORNL's Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility. The incident did not occur in the main accelerator facility, but in another room where researchers were testing a new experimental machine called an "electron cyclotron resonance source." He said research participants did not anticipate radiation being released during low-power testing. But, he said, "some of those electrons were hitting the walls of the chamber in a place where it was not expected, causing the radiation." The radiation was in the form of low-energy X-rays, Roberto said. The problem was identified during a Dec. 26 test operation, but the machine had been operated at low power on two previous occasions, he said. All told, five people - ranging from a graduate student to the senior leader of a lab research group - were involved, Roberto said. The new machine is currently out of operation, pending the results of the investigation. 1996 - 2002 The Augusta Chronicle. ***************************************************************** 35 Cantwell, Wyden seek full funding for Hanford cleanup This story was published Thu, Jan 10, 2002 By John Stang Herald staff writer Two Northwest senators have staked out their stances on next year's Hanford budget, asking President Bush to fully fund Hanford's cleanup. U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., sent a letter to Bush, asking him to request enough money for fiscal 2003 to cover all of the Department of Energy's nationwide legal environmental cleanup obligations, including those at Hanford. The pair belong to the Senate's Energy and Natural Resources Committee, a key debating ground for nuclear cleanup plans. Their letter mirrors a similar one that U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., sent the administration in late November that pushed for fully funding Hanford's cleanup. The Cantwell-Wyden request is in an effort to avoid a repeat of last year's nuclear cleanup budget battle. The administration, including Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, wanted to cut DOE's nationwide and Hanford cleanup budgets. The administration and Abraham proposed a nationwide nuclear cleanup budget of $5.74 billion, including $1.4 billion for Hanford in fiscal 2002, which began Oct. 1. DOE's proposed Hanford budget was about $400,000 less than the site needed to meet legal obligations in 2002. Abraham and the administration half-heartedly resisted Congress' attempts to increase the cleanup budgets. Congress eventually appropriated $6.48 billion for nationwide cleanup, including $1.818 billion to Hanford, which DOE later trimmed to $1.776 billion. The administration is expected to unveil its fiscal 2003 budget request to Congress in late February. "It is our sincere hope that, unlike last year, the administration's budget for (fiscal) 2003 will be sufficient to meet the federal government's commitment to clean up our nation's nuclear waste sites in a fashion that is consistent with existing state and federal laws," the Cantwell-Wyden letter says. On Wednesday, Cantwell said a key X factor in future DOE cleanup budgets is the agency's "top-to-bottom" review of how its cleanup programs can be accomplished quicker and cheaper. The review's draft report is expected to become public later this month. A final report likely won't be done until after late February's unveiling of the administration 2003 budget. Cantwell said she and Wyden don't want cleanup work delayed as the administration considers the report and acts on its recommendations. She said Hanford's cleanup has stalled too many times, and that delay would add "hundred of millions of dollars" to costs and slow momentum. Copyright 2002 Tri-City Herald. All ***************************************************************** 36 DOE says Carson not qualified for jobs Oak Ridger Online --> Story last updated at 11:04 a.m. on Friday, January 11, 2002 by Paul Parson Oak Ridger staff KNOXVILLE -- A former Oak Ridge Department of Energy official testified Thursday that it was "highly unlikely" whistleblower Joe Carson would have been chosen for one of two jobs he applied for within the federal agency's local field office. Carson and his attorney, Loring Justice, were trying to show that Carson's attempts to report safety and security violations within DOE contributed to his not getting one of three local jobs. He was assigned to a safety oversight role in Oak Ridge by DOE headquarters at the time. Corey Cruz, who briefly served as the assistant manager for defense programs in Oak Ridge, was responsible for filling two of those positions in 2000. Although Carson wasn't interviewed for the two division director positions, Cruz said it was doubtful he would have been hired. Cruz said his determination was based on a recent comparison he made between Carson's qualifications and those of the people chosen for the jobs. Cruz was the last person to testify in the two-day U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board hearing at the John J. Duncan Federal Building. Attorneys for Carson and DOE now have until Feb. 5 to provide written closing arguments to Judge Margaret Cunningham, who presided over the hearing. On Wednesday, Robert Poe, assistant manager for Environment, Safety, Health and Emergency Management for DOE's Oak Ridge Operations office, testified that Carson would not have been selected for another job he applied for. Carson's legal battle with DOE has been going on since the early 1990s. He says his whistleblower actions resulted in a lowering of his usual performance rating and his removal from surveillance responsibilities, among other things. In April 1999, the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board ruled that DOE's actions were reprisal for Carson's whistleblowing. The board later rejected an appeal by DOE and ordered that Carson be given an Oak Ridge job. Paul Parson can be contacted at (865) 220-5533 or [pparson@oakridger.com] . All Contents ©Copyright The Oak Ridger ***************************************************************** 37 IAEA Daily Press Review Date 2002-01-10 Number 7 1. Non-proliferation Op-ed piece by former deputy chairman of UNSCOM examines challenges any new weapon inspections system in Iraq may face. According to US intelligence report, China could increase its nuclear warheads that could reach US, from about 20 to 100 in next 15 years. Bush administration faces widespread criticism over new Pentagon proposals to remove nuclear warheads from 'active duty' without actually destroying them. (FT; NYT; WP - 9, 10/1) China; Iraq; UN; United States of America; United States of America 2. Nuclear power Austrian governing Freedom Party accuses Czech Republic of covering up number of alleged incidents at Temelin NPP. French NPPs generate 76.2% of nation's 2001 electricity. Debate by decision-makers over EC's Green Paper on energy supply security may be delayed further six months; and public's need to see solution for management of nuclear waste is key to any future role for nuclear in secure European energy supplies, according to Green Paper. According to report, first commercial Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PMBR) nearing approval in South Africa may revive nuclear power. (apa; NW; TEC - 9, 10/1) Austria; Czech Republic; European Commission; France; South Africa 3. Nuclear safety EC adopts 51-million-euro programme to promote nuclear safety in Russia and Ukraine. (NW - 10/1) Russian Federation; Ukraine 4. Radiation, health More on recent radiation accident in Georgia: US and Georgian doctors find no symptoms of radiation sickness in villagers; IAEA experts to monitor operations related to transportation of source to storage place. Nuclear authorities from three countries trying to track source of radiation leakage from iridium-192 pellets shipped Dec. 27 from Sweden to the US via France. Lithuania's Radiation Safety Centre releases new educational publications to educate public about ionizing radiation, proper use of sources of radiation and actions to take in event of nuclear or radiation event. (BBC; NW - 10/1) France; Georgia; IAEA; Lithuania; Sweden; United States of America 5. Radwaste, fuel Terrorist attack on Sellafield could render north of England uninhabitable and release 100 times the radioactivity produced by Chernobyl nuclear accident, House of Commons defence committee was told. (G - 10/1) United Kingdom ***************************************************************** NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: *****************************************************************