***************************************************************** 01/18/02 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 10.17 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POLICY 1 US: GAO gauging Congress' support for court fight 2 Nuclear power costly path for Finland, expert says 3 Austrian president for closer cooperation with neighbours on 4 Boss of nuclear equipment plant murdered in Russian closed city 5 Finland Bucks the Trend on Nuclear Power NUCLEAR REACTORS 6 US: NRC Staff to Hold Regulatory Conference With Txu Electric 7 US: NRC Chief Criticizes Guard Proposal 8 Zeman refuses minister's move over Temelin plant 9 US: Pol Rips Plan for Nuke Evac 10 Anti-nuclear Austrians look to past for Temelin hope 11 US: NRC to Meet with New Jersey Company to Discuss Site Cleanup Plan NUCLEAR SAFETY 12 US: Expert recommends antiradiation pills NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 13 UK: Nuclear dumping leak sparks concern 14 US: Armey visit spurs call for boycott 15 US: `No thrill on blue Yucca hill 16 US: Yes to nukes, no to waste and to hell with the Shoshones 17 US: Quit dawdling on nuclear waste 18 UK: Concerns raised over off-shore nuclear waste 19 Norway: Environment Minister wants ban on transport of nuclear waste 20 US: Abraham asked to recuse himself 21 US: Parliamentary expert hired to help battle nuke dump 22 US: DOE to Provide $12 Million to Support an Increase in Waste 23 US: NRC Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste to Meet in Rockville, 24 US: Governor, senator, commissioners attack DOE decision NUCLEAR WEAPONS 25 Somalia, Nuclear Unilateralism, Pakistan's Military 26 US: Star Wars: Protecting Globalization from Above 27 US: Customs authorities fear 'nuke-in-a-box' 28 Russia: State OKs $2.5Bln Arms Budget 29 Uranium seized in Belarus US DEPT. OF ENERGY 30 Study attacks DOE monitoring of radioactive water ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 GAO gauging Congress' support for court fight USA: January 18, 2002 WASHINGTON - The head of the U.S. Congress' investigative arm said this week he is trying to gauge congressional support for a possible court showdown with the White House over its refusal to give details of how it formulated its energy policy. Comptroller General David Walker also said he would not drop his probe of the White House energy task force that wrote the policy and its contacts with industry - including Enron Corp. - simply because he formerly was a high-ranking official with Enron's auditor, Andersen. He never did any work for Enron, Walker told Reuters in an interview. But he said if there is ever a request for the General Accounting Office he heads to specifically probe something related to Andersen, he would recuse himself from that matter. Walker said he felt he had a strong case for a court fight with the Bush administration over the energy task force's records, but was trying to determine "how much interest there is in Congress in getting this information." "We need to satisfy ourselves that we are seeking something that Congress really wants," said Walker, whose office is the audit arm of Congress. He said he would decide by the second week of February whether to take the White House to court. Walker began his pursuit of the Bush administration's energy task force last spring at the request of Rep. Henry Waxman of California and Rep. John Dingell of Michigan, both Democrats. They complained that environmentalists had been largely shut out of the group's closed-door sessions. Citing the right of Congress to oversee the executive branch, Walker began in May to try to get the names of industry executives the energy task force met, and what they discussed, as well as the cost of the project. But while the administration last week acknowledged six meetings with Enron representatives, it has largely rebuffed Walker's requests for other information about the energy task force, leaving him to mull a courtroom battle while having few publicly declared congressional backers. DORGAN, OTHERS MAY GET INVOLVED Senate sources said this week that several senators including Byron Dorgan, Democrat of North Dakota, are thinking about conveying public support for the GAO's quest to pry loose information about the White House energy task force. A spokeswoman for Dingell said she thought there was more support for a lawsuit than was apparent. "Many people are supportive of this information coming to light," she said. "Court is not the first solution we would choose, but if that is what it takes to bring openness to this task force, then we will be supportive of the GAO's action," she added. The energy task force was headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, and the policy it produced urged more oil and gas drilling and a revived nuclear power program. Waxman, in a letter to Cheney this week, said his staff had found at least 17 policies in the White House energy plan that were advocated by Enron or that benefited Enron, the energy-trading giant which was still riding high on Wall Street last spring but collapsed in the autumn and filed for bankruptcy on Dec. 2. WALKER SEVERED ALL TIES WITH ANDERSEN Walker worked for Andersen before becoming Comptroller General in November 1998, but not on Enron accounts, he said. He had been a partner and global managing director of Arthur Andersen LLP's human capital services practice and a member of the board of Arthur Andersen Financial Advisors. "I have severed all ties with Andersen," he said. "I have no financial relationship, no relationship whatsoever, I don't get a pension, I don't get benefits." "Still, in the unlikely event that GAO would be asked to do work specifically analyzing what Arthur Andersen did in connection with Enron, just for appearance reasons, I would recuse myself from that type of request," he said. Maryland Democratic Sen. Paul Sarbanes on Tuesday asked the GAO to investigate the adequacy of laws on financial reporting and employee retirement funds in company stock in the wake of the Enron meltdown. Walker said he intended to invite high-level experts to a forum in February to talk about systemic issues that need to be addressed, such as auditing, pensions and regulatory oversight, "in order to minimize the possibility that anything like an Enron would occur again." Story by Susan Cornwell REUTERS NEWS SERVICE ***************************************************************** 2 Nuclear power costly path for Finland, expert says FINLAND: January 18, 2002 HELSINKI - Finland may end up footing a bigger-than-expected bill if it opts to build more nuclear power capacity, a British expert said a day before the government is expected to back plans to construct Finland's fifth reactor. Finland already has four reactors at two installations, and the government is expected yesterday to decide to send to parliament an application for a new unit, making it the only West European country to consider expanding nuclear capacity. The issue will be a major political test for the five-party coalition of Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen as cabinet members are divided over the plan, and parties have given their representatives freedom to vote their conscience on it. Energy group Teollisuuden Voima (TVO), which has applied for the permit to build the new unit, has estimated building costs at 1.7-2.5 billion euros ($1.50 billion) depending on generator capacity, and said it would fund most of the project with debt. "The economic and technical record of the Finnish nuclear industry is much better than that of the UK. But nuclear plants are bought on an international market, and there is no reason to think costs in Finland would be dramatically lower," nuclear power researcher Stephen Thomas told a news conference. He said Britain, the only other country to have attempted boosting nuclear energy capacity in a liberalised electricity market, had found it uneconomical and uncompetitive versus other forms of energy. In Britain the privatisation of the energy sector caused investors to view nuclear plant investments as relatively high-risk, to demand a higher rate of real return on capital and faster debt pay-back schedules, Thomas said. "(In an open market) if something goes wrong, it's the tax-payers and the electricity consumers that end up footing the bill. It's not the big companies," Thomas said. He added that because most reactors now on offer are either outdated or have only been drafted on paper and lack regulatory approval, Finland could also have to pay hefty model development costs on top of the initial bid price. A TVO spokeswoman said its application was based on 20 years of experience in operating nulear plants, and while the company had not asked for vendors' price estimates, its estimate was based on global reactor price comparisons. Thomas said that currently only Pacific Rim countries where companies still enjoy the benefits of monopolised energy markets - China, Korea and Taiwan - are placing nuclear plant orders. REUTERS NEWS SERVICE ***************************************************************** 3 Austrian president for closer cooperation with neighbours on nuclear safety BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Jan 17, 2002 At the New Year's reception for the diplomatic corps in Vienna, Austrian President Thomas Klestil called for "maximum safety" in the operation of nuclear power plants. "Therefore, I count on the preparedness of our neighbours in central and eastern Europe to cooperate even more closely in the field of nuclear safety. Especially dangerous nuclear power plants should be shut down as quickly as possible," Klestil stated before the foreign ambassadors accredited in Vienna. Austria had resolved to do without nuclear energy and supported all efforts for a "general phase-out" of nuclear energy, he said... Source: Wiener Zeitung, Vienna, in German 17 Jan 02 p 5 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter ***************************************************************** 4 Boss of nuclear equipment plant murdered in Russian closed city BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Jan 18, 2002 The head of a nuclear equipment plant in the closed town of Tomsk-7 in central Siberia was murdered on 17 January, RIA news agency reported 18 January. Quoting the Tomsk Region Prosecutor's Office, the agency said Anatoliy Maksimenko, the general director of the Prommekhanomontazh works, was shot dead outside his apartment in the town at 0500 gmt on 17 January. The news was not released for 24 hours because Seversk (Tomsk-7) is a closed city, the agency said. Prommekhanomontazh was founded in 1949 to design, produce and assemble specialized equipment for the Russian Atomic Energy Ministry. In recent years it has branched out into civil engineering contracts with foreign companies. A murder investigation involving the police and the Federal Security Service is underway. "It is not excluded in Tomsk that Maksimenko's murder was connected with his professional activity", RIA said. ITAR-TASS news agency reported on 17 January that a regional conference on security at nuclear facilities had just been held at another plant - the chemical works - in the same town of Seversk (Tomsk-7). The ITAR-TASS report said the US Energy Department had been made 10m dollars of funds available to improve nuclear safety in the region in the past six years. Source: RIA news agency, Moscow, in Russian 0635 gmt 18 Jan 02; ITAR-TASS news agency, in English, 0948 gmt 17 Jan 02 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter ***************************************************************** 5 Finland Bucks the Trend on Nuclear Power Environment News Service: HELSINKI, Finland, January 17, 2002 (ENS) - The Finnish cabinet breathed new life into Europe's nuclear industry today, voting 10 to six in favor of constructing a fifth nuclear power plant. A parliamentary vote, due this spring, is needed to ratify the decision. Strong opposition is anticipated, including from elements of the government's five party coalition, which includes the Green Party. [plant] The Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant is on Olkiluoto Island in Eurajoki, a municipality on the west coast of Finland where a long term nuclear waste disposal facility may be located. (Photos courtesy [http://www.tvo.fi/eng/index2.html] ) The government's decision marks a dramatic departure from the current trend in Europe. No new nuclear capacity has come into operation for decades, and national governments, including Belgium, Sweden and Germany, have active plans to phase out all existing reactors. Environmentalists are keeping up the pressure, painting nuclear power generation as an outdated and unsustainable industry. According to the Finnish government, however, more nuclear power is the most cost effective option "for central government finances and the national economy." Finnish energy firm Teollisuuden Voima Oy (TVO) would build the nuclear plant if it is approved. The government says it will also help to stabilize electricity prices against a picture of rising demand and limited scope for boosting hydropower, and will enable Finland to replace current coal fired power stations and so reduce carbon dioxide emissions linked to global warming. Finland is having trouble in meeting its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol. It must not permit greenhouse gas emissions to rise above 1990 levels, but they have soared by 29.6 percent since 1990, one of the largest increases in the world. [Monkare] Finnish Industry Minister Sinikka Mönkäre (Photo courtesy Office of the Minister) Following today's decision, Finnish Industry Minister Sinikka Mönkäre stressed that the government was not interested solely in nuclear power. Great efforts were being made to support growth in renewable energy and to promote energy conservation, Mönkäre told journalists. Europe's nuclear industry association Foratom welcomed the announcement. The decision "will hopefully serve as a reminder to EU policy makers that a fully diversified energy mix is really the only way forward," said its secretary general. "That means using all our available options, without making any exclusions for purely political reasons." But the international environmental group Greenpeace slammed the decision, reiterating a threat to hit with protests the project's industrial backers, which include forest product company UPM-Kymmene, and paper and packaging manufacturer Stora Enso. "Products of the Finnish telecommunications and paper industries are darkened by the nuclear shadow, said Greenpeace spokesman Tobias Muenchmeyer. "It is our duty to make people in Germany and other EU countries aware of this fact." The Finnish cabinet also agreed "in principle" on the method of storing spent nuclear fuel from the new plant. Parliamentary ratification is needed for this decision, too. Finland's first permanent storage facility, to be located on the country's west coast, is due to begin operating in about 2020. [http://www.ends.co.uk] {Published in cooperation with ENDS Environment Daily, Europe's choice for environmental news. Environmental Data Services Ltd, London. Email: [envdaily@ends.co.uk] } [news@ens-news.com] ***************************************************************** 6 NRC Staff to Hold Regulatory Conference With Txu Electric NRC: Press Release Region IV - 2002 - 1 - U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region IV 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 400, Arlington TX 76011 Public Affairs Web Site No. IV-02-001 January 17, 2002 CONTACT: Breck Henderson Phone: 817-860-8128 Cellular: 817-917-1227 e-mail: bwh@nrc.gov [bwh@nrc.gov] The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold a regulatory conference with officials of TXU Electric, operator of the Comanche Peak nuclear power plant near Glen Rose, Texas, on Wednesday, January 23. The meeting, which is open to public observation, will begin at 1 p.m. in NRC Region IV offices in Arlington, Texas. NRC officials in Arlington will be available after the meeting to answer questions. Conferees will discuss an inspection finding with a preliminary significance determination of "white" involving the performance of checks for radioactivity on low-level waste items before they are released from certain areas designated as "radiologically controlled areas." The items released were clothing and maintenance equipment. A "white" finding is defined as a regulatory problem with low to moderate safety significance. The NRC evaluates regulatory performance at commercial nuclear power plants with a color coded significance determination process which classifies regulatory findings as being in one of four color categories: green, white, yellow, or red in increasing order of safety significance. Not performing proper checks for radioactivity before release of items from radiologically controlled areas is an apparent violation of NRC requirements that is related to this preliminary "white" finding. The apparent violation is being considered for enforcement action. No decision on the apparent violation, any enforcement action, or the final significance determination of the inspection finding will be made at the conference. Those decisions will be made later by NRC officials. ***************************************************************** 7 NRC Chief Criticizes Guard Proposal WorldNews: The Associated Press, Thu 17 Jan 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) Federalizing guard forces at nuclear power plants as some senators have proposed would create new problems and not increase security, the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Thursday. NRC Chairman Richard Meserve said the commission strongly opposes legislation introduced in the Senate that would replace private security forces at nuclear power plants with federal guards. ``We don't see that there is a problem'' with the current guards. ``These are people that take their jobs very seriously,'' said Meserve when asked about the legislation after a luncheon speech at the National Press Club. The nuclear industry contends a federal force would weaken security, not strengthen it, and has urged Congress instead to give guards wider authority, including a green light to use deadly force when necessary. The more than 5,000 security guards who protect the 103 nuclear power reactors in 31 states — many of them former military or police officers — currently are armed, but many states restrict what weapons they may carry and whether they may use deadly force. Federalizing guard forces could create a conflict, Meserve said, since the NRC might be required to become a security agency at the same time as it regulates the plants and their security operations. ``We don't see the current system creating a problem,'' he said. In his remarks, Meserve said the nuclear industry has been on high alert since Sept. 11, but ``there have been no specific, credible threats of a terrorist attack on nuclear power plants.'' ``The physical protection at nuclear power plants is very strong,'' said Meserve, and plant employees must pass background checks, an FBI check and psychological testing. But after the speech, Meserve, acknowledged that prior to Sept. 11, nuclear reactor operators frequently gave newly hired workers free access to power plants before all the security clearances — particularly criminal background checks — had been completed. ``This is the kind of issue we're examining very closely now,'' he said in a discussion with reporters. The NRC tightened the requirements after Sept. 11, he said, and told operators to keep employees out of vital areas of a plant and require them to have an escort until all background checks are finished — including the FBI security check, which usually takes the longest. The legislation to federalize security guards at nuclear power plants was introduced by Democratic Sens. Harry Reid of Nevada, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and independent Sen. James Jeffords of Vermont, chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee that has jurisdiction over the NRC. Copyright 2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 8 Zeman refuses minister's move over Temelin plant The Prague Post Online Gregr's symbolic resignation attacked By Michael Mainville STAFF WRITER When Industry and Trade Minister Miroslav Gregr offered to resign early this month, few believed the government would abandon its most senior member. In fact, Gregr's attempt to resign lasted only long enough for Prime Minister Milos Zeman to reject it. On Jan. 8, Gregr, 72, fulfilled a 3-year-old promise to quit if the controversial Temelin nuclear power plant exceeded its 98.6 billion Kc ($2.8 billion) budget and was not operational by the end of 2001. The plant's costs have stayed in line with expectations, but technical glitches delayed a fuel shipment until the end of January, putting the project a month behind schedule. Zeman, who had already said he would refuse Gregr's resignation, did just that. He also praised Gregr as one of his most capable ministers. Zeman's Jan. 9 announcement that Gregr would stay on led opposition politicians to call the affair a farce. "Mr. Gregr obviously wasn't serious at all," said Karel Kuhnl, leader of the center-right Quad Coalition, among the favorites in June's national elections. "His so-called resignation was merely an effort to play a political game before the election." Gregr, one of Temelin's most ardent supporters, told journalists in May 1999 that he would step aside if the south Bohemia plant failed to meet budget and deadline expectations. A hybrid of Soviet technology and Western upgrades, Temelin was originally expected to be operational by 1992, eight years after construction began. In 1993, then-Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus promised to complete the power plant in 1995, but the project was plagued by technical problems and political opposition from environmentalists and nuclear-free Austria -- whose northern border is only 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the plant. Government spokesman Libor Roucek said that a month-long delay was hardly reason enough for Zeman to accept Gregr's resignation. "The Temelin project has been a success," he said. "Mr. Gregr has done a much better job with the plant than any of his predecessors." Roucek said Gregr has also proven to be one of the Cabinet's most successful ministers since Zeman came to power in 1998, citing increasing foreign investment as one example. "The prime minister doesn't see any reason why [Gregr] should leave office," Roucek said. Kuhnl scoffed at that assertion. "If Gregr is the most successful minister in Cabinet, that's a very poor reflection on the whole government." Kuhnl said Gregr's "Big Bang" revitalization program -- which calls for 265 billion Kc in state investment into industry -- smacks of Communist-era central planning and is doomed to failure. He also attacked Gregr for his management of the privatization of state energy producer CEZ, a process that has been marked by accusations of bias and a lack of transparency. The tender was cancelled on Jan. 9. If Gregr was serious about quitting, Kuhnl said, he should have resigned to President Vaclav Havel, who is constitutionally responsible for appointing and dismissing Cabinet ministers. Political analysts said Gregr's move was politically astute -- allowing him to save face without any real consequences. "This was only a political gesture, so he could be seen as a man who keeps his word," Charles University political scientist Zdenek Zboril said, adding there was no chance Zeman would accept the resignation. "[Gregr] has a good record and is partly responsible for the growing economy, so it was important to the prime minister that he be there until the end of the term." Michael Mainville's e-mail address is [mmainville@praguepost.cz] [http://www.sorent.cz] Related Web Sites ***************************************************************** 9 Pol Rips Plan for Nuke Evac New York Daily News Online | News and Views | City Beat | From: News and Views | City Beat | Thursday, January 17, 2002 Pol Rips Plan for Nuke Evac By JIM FITZGERALD The Associated Press County executives in the emergency zone around the Indian Point nuclear power plants ignored reality — and the wishes of many residents — when they signed off on a "flawed, unrealistic" evacuation plan, a state assemblyman charged yesterday. "The plan simply cannot be said to protect the health and safety of the people," said Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, a Westchester Democrat who heads a committee examining the evacuation plan. The long-criticized plan has attracted closer scrutiny since the attacks on the World Trade Center raised fears of an airborne terrorist assault on the nuclear plants. Critics say there are too many people and too few roads away from Indian Point. The two nuclear plants are in the Westchester village of Buchanan, 35 miles north of midtown Manhattan. Many say it is unlikely that bus drivers assigned to take school children out of a contaminated area would really venture in, or that parents would follow instructions to stay out of the area and let the government evacuate their children. Evacuation plans are a key requirement for any nuclear plant. Brodsky said that in New York, the county executives who have territory within 10 miles of the plant are asked to make sure that there is a plan in place. The state then uses those assurances in reporting its readiness to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The process attracted little attention before Sept. 11. Now many activists, some hoping to force the closing of the plants, are trying to prove there is no workable evacuation plan. Brodsky and environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had asked the county executives — Westchester's Andrew Spano, Rockland's Scott Vanderhoef, Putnam's Robert Bondi and Orange's Edward Diana — to talk with them before signing off. In addition, Westchester Legislator Thomas Abinanti had asked Spano to hold off. But the county executives agreed Tuesday to declare to the state that they have an evacuation plan designed to protect the public. "If you want to close down the plant, have a debate," Spano spokeswoman Susan Tolchin said yesterday. "Don't use the response plan as a pawn in your efforts to close down the plant." In a unanimous vote Tuesday night, the Rockland Legislature resolved to ask the federal government to close the power plant, saying it is vulnerable to a terrorist attack and the evacuation plan isn't adequate. More than 20 municipalities have signed similar resolutions, and the Westchester County Legislature is considering one. Brodsky said he would try to persuade Gov. Pataki and FEMA that the plan is inadequate and would also look into the possibility of court action. ***************************************************************** 10 Anti-nuclear Austrians look to past for Temelin hope Wednesday January 16, 03:48 AM By Tom Armitage ZWENTENDORF, Austria (Reuters) - On the banks of the Danube, around 30 km (18 miles) west of Vienna, stands what locals call the world's safest nuclear power plant -- safe, because it has never been used. Surrounded by wasteland and hemmed in by rusting security fencing, the Zwentendorf reactor has remained eerily silent since it was mothballed in 1978, when Austrians voted by a tiny majority against nuclear power in a referendum. Many Austrians hope to achieve the same fate for the controversial Czech Temelin nuclear plant, located 60 km (37 miles) from the Austrian border, which most believe is unsafe. But for the moment their only means of expressing concern is to sign a non-legally binding petition launched on Monday by Joerg Haider's far-right Freedom Party, demanding that Austria veto the Czech Republic's entry into the EU unless the plant is closed. In a poll published in NEWS magazine, 59 percent of respondents said they wanted Temelin closed. Austria's conservative Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, no fan of Temelin, says the petition launched by his coalition partners is pointless, populist and will achieve nothing. No sovereign government will bow to pressure from abroad and more will be achieved through patient diplomacy with Prague, Schuessel argues. Anti-nuclear groups which might normally be expected to support such a petition are not doing so, saying the issue has been hijacked by Haider's party in a bid to curry favour with voters. "This is just an attempt to try and get more votes in the next election," Greenpeace anti-nuclear spokesman Erwin Mayer told Reuters. "They don't really believe in a veto." Although Greenpeace has long called for the closure of Temelin, it is refusing to support the Freedom Party's petition. The people of Zwentendorf, still relieved they were spared the anxiety of having a nuclear plant on their doorsteps, appear divided over whether there is any point in signing the petition. "I don't think much of the petition," said Hermann Kuehtreiber, Zwentendorf's Social Democratic mayor. "It would only really be effective if it was against all power stations in all EU candidate countries." Others agreed. "You just don't know how dangerous it is or what you are supposed to think," a waitress, who declined to give her name, told Reuters. "People are just being whipped up into a frenzy here just like they were with the launch of the euro." Zwentendorf would have been the Alpine nation's first nuclear reactor with a capacity of around 700 MW. Instead it became a symbol for what the anti-nuclear lobby could achieve. "There is nothing else like it on earth," Kuehtreiber told Reuters. "Its the least dangerous nuclear power station in the world." Austria decided in the late 1960s to start a nuclear energy programme. Work on Zwentendorf began in 1972 and the plant was due to generate about 10 percent of the country's electricity. But the popular mood swung against nuclear power during the 1970s. In 1978, Socialist Chancellor Bruno Kreisky yielded to pressure to call a referendum which, to the government's surprise, was won by the anti-nuclear lobby by the narrowest of margins -- less than 20,000 votes. The vote marked the end of Austria's atomic energy programme. Unlike Temelin, which was briefly cranked up to full output for the first time on Friday only to be shut down by another in a series of technical glitches, Zwentendorf was never even equipped with fuel rods. More than 20 years after its fate was sealed, Zwentendorf power station is trying to forge a new role as an entertainment venue. Last summer, its red and white striped chimney stack and stark walls formed the background for an open-air rave called "nuke". "We tried to turn it into a museum," Kuehtreiber said. "But we've also held events there and used the power station as a kind of backdrop. People really seemed to like that." Copyright © 2002 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 11 NRC to Meet with New Jersey Company to Discuss Site Cleanup Plans NRC: Press Release Region I - 2002 - 4 - U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region I 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa. 19406 Public Affairs Web Site No. I-02-004 January 18, 2002 CONTACT: Diane Screnci (610) 337-5330/ e-mail: dps@nrc.gov [opa3@nrc.gov] Neil A. Sheehan (610) 337-5331/ e-mail: nas@nrc.gov [nas@nrc.gov] Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials will meet with representatives of Heritage Minerals, Inc., on Tuesday, January 22, to discuss the company's plans to complete the decommissioning of a site it owns in Lakehurst, N.J. The meeting, which begins at 10:30 a.m., will be held in the Public Meeting Room at the NRC Region I office, 475 Allendale Road, in King of Prussia, Pa. It will be open to the public for observation. Located off Route 70, the site was used at one time for the mining and processing of local monazite ores to extract heavy minerals. ASARCO, Inc., began operation at the site in 1973, followed by Heritage Minerals, which ceased processing operations in August 1990. The processing of the ores resulted in a waste pile containing natural thorium and uranium in sufficient quantities to require an NRC license. Most of the material has now been shipped off-site. Heritage Minerals is in the process of finalizing plans for the removal of any remaining materials and to ensure that the site is adequately cleaned up. ***************************************************************** 12 Expert recommends antiradiation pills [St. Petersburg Times Online: News of the Tampa Bay area] A Nuclear Regulatory Commission director tries to reassure the public at a forum on the Crystal River plant. By ALEX LEARY, Times Staff Writer © St. Petersburg Times published January 18, 2002 CRYSTAL RIVER -- A top nuclear official on Thursday urged the state to accept radiation-blocking pills that could be used in a disaster. Nils J. Diaz, one of five directors of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said the use of potassium iodide is a "prudent measure." He scoffed at criticism that the tablets would make some residents hesitant to evacuate in the case of a terrorist attack on a nuclear plant or the accidental release of radiation. "What, do you think people are dumb?" Diaz said, addressing a packed crowd at Crystal River City Hall, a few miles from Florida Power's nuclear plant on U.S. 19. Two of the region's legislative representatives pledged to fight for the pills, which have proved effective in preventing thyroid cancer. "My constituents want the right to have the choice," said state Rep. Nancy Argenziano, R-Crystal River. "They are not going to hold up the bottle of pills and say, "Now let's go watch the meltdown.' " State officials long have resisted the idea of distributing the pills, also known as KI, to the general public, opting instead to maintain small stockpiles for emergency workers. That position seemed firm earlier this week, with several officials saying the state would likely pass on the NRC's offer to provide pills to people living near nuclear plants. But in recent days, the state said it would not rush into a decision, leaving open the possibility that KI would be made available to the estimated 230,000 people who live within 10 miles of Florida's three nuclear plants. Potassium iodide is a proven but controversial substance. It was effective against thyroid cancer after the Chernobyl accident in 1986 and is widely available in Europe today. KI works by saturating the thyroid and blocking radioactive iodine. But KI protects against only one of many radioactive isotopes that could be released in an accident, and some critics say it would provide a false sense of security and complicate efforts to evacuate the area. Opponents say there are logistical concerns as well, such as whether the pills would be stored in homes or in a central location. If the state rejects the offer, people may turn to the Internet, where the pills can be bought for a quarter or less each. Harvey Roberts, 65, a retired engineer who lives in nearby Lecanto, said he logged on this week to find one supplier was sold out. "It minimizes the risk," Roberts said. Diaz's statements on KI came during a larger discussion on the safety of nuclear power plants. About 70 people, many of them associated with local government and Florida Power, packed the meeting room. Diaz, a former University of Florida professor, called the plants the strongest industrial facilities in the world. "There have been no credible threats -- not even small threats -- to a nuclear facility," he said, saying many of the fears are overstated. He drew on the Chernobyl accident to illustrate his point. In the immediate aftermath, 31 people died, many of them emergency workers. The following year there were no deaths. All told, he said, about 1,800 children became sick. But that could have been avoided. Officials did not evacuate parts of the region until days after the accident and did not prevent people from eating and drinking contaminated food, Diaz said, adding that the United States knows better. Florida Power faced significant criticism for turning down National Guard protection offered by the state in November. The utility said existing security, backed by the Citrus County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Coast Guard, was adequate. Several residents at Thursday's forum questioned that assurance, but Diaz and other officials backed the utility. "It was the right decision for this plant," said Steve Lauer, director of statewide antiterrorism measures. ***************************************************************** 13 Nuclear dumping leak sparks concern BBC News | SCI/TECH | 17 January, 2002 [Corroding nuclear waste dump on seabed Greenpeace/Newman] Nuclear waste drums found by Greenpeace By Alex Kirby BBC News Online environment correspondent UK Government documents show that waters off south-west England were used as a radioactive waste dump. They detail the dumping of civil and military waste between 1965 and the early 1980s. In one incident the crew of a dumping vessel were exposed to radiation. A local politician has asked the government whether it is monitoring the waste, and whether it can retrieve it. The documents, released by the Public Records Office, show the waste was dumped about 250 miles (400 km) west of Land's End in Cornwall. The site chosen was 2,000 metres deep, in international waters. But there is concern that some consignments may have ended up elsewhere. All at sea A Cornish MP, Andrew George, the Liberal Democrat member for St Ives, said some of the waste was high-level and included plutonium, which has a half-life of 24,100 years. He said the documents also showed one trip had had problems. Nuclear fuel ship: Safe from attack? Mr George said: "The archives show that there was at least one incident, in 1969, when a full flask cracked and contaminated the MV Topaz. "Its crew were exposed to radiation. The archives also contain reports of vessels becoming lost due to navigation problems. "The planning was careful, but it appears that the dumping was sub-contracted to mariners with little experience in dumping such potentially dangerous substances. "Evidence recorded by Greenpeace in the Hurd Deep showed how quickly barrels can become corroded and disintegrate. "There is no suggestion of any present threat to marine or human life. But it is important that the government gives reassurances that no waste is unaccounted for. "I would also welcome reassurances from it that this and other nuclear dump sites are being monitored." The Hurd Deep lies in UK territorial waters west of the Channel Islands and close to the French coast. Eighteen months ago Greenpeace filmed a number of corroded barrels dumped there between 1950 and 1963. A total of 28,500 barrels were disposed of in the Deep. 'Nothing new' Mr George told BBC News Online: "In the 1970s local fishermen suspected that the dumping was happening, but so far as I know this is the first official confirmation. "There is evidence in the documents themselves that there was difficulty in locating the actual dump site on some occasions." [Corroded nuclear waste barrel on seabed Greenpeace/Newman] A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) told BBC News Online: "This material has been available in all sorts of ways at least since 1984. "The UK dumped radioactive waste at a number of north-east Atlantic sites from 1949 to 1982, when it was banned. "The dumping was always done at depths of not less than 1,900 metres." Different world Another Liberal Democrat, Malcolm Bruce MP, said relying heavily on nuclear power in the future would be an unwise step for any government to take. He said: "Since 11 September the risk of terrorist attacks on nuclear installations must be put in a different order. "We have to recognise that we're in a new era. Perhaps you can protect a nuclear plant like Sellafield against attack, but if you're sending fuel shipments 12,000 miles across the world, the risk is unacceptable." ***************************************************************** 14 Armey visit spurs call for boycott Las Vegas SUN January 17, 2002 House majority leader makes campaign swing for local GOP By Erin Neff When House Majority Leader Dick Armey strolls into town today to raise money for the GOP, he'll also see plenty of Democrats. Armey, R-Texas, arrives in Las Vegas this evening for a fund-raiser at Tournament Hills in Summerlin and plans to spend time meeting with Republican congressional hopefuls Jon Porter and Lynette Boggs McDonald. But Democrats are urging Porter and Boggs McDonald to boycott his visit because of Armey's advocacy for a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain. In a letter sent Wednesday to both Porter and Boggs McDonald, state Democratic Party Chairman Terry Care urged a boycott and asked them to discourage local supporters from attending the fund-raiser. "By standing beside Mr. Armey at this event, you send a tacit signal to the rest of the country that Nevada stands with the very people who want to send 77,000 tons of the world's most poisonous substance into our community," Care wrote. Care's letter details Armey's various votes in Congress to ship nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain, and also quotes House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., praising Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham for his recommendation of Yucca Mountain. Gov. Kenny Guinn said he'll be at the event and hopes no one from his party stays away over the Yucca Mountain issue. He chided Democrats for going on the attack. "I think they're making a mistake when they try to make this a partisan issue," he said. "This is a Nevada issue, and it's against 39 other states who have nuclear spent fuel and want to move it to Nevada." He said there's plenty of blame to go around. "It was a Democrat who introduced the (Yucca Mountain) bill, and it was a Democratic president over the last eight years who spent billions of dollars moving forward, and we're not complaining about that." Boggs McDonald isn't shying away from Armey at all. In fact, her campaign on Wednesday trumpeted news of Armey's endorsement of Boggs McDonald and invited reporters to a press conference Friday announcing the endorsement. "Like all Nevadans, Lynette is strongly opposed to Yucca Mountain," said Boggs McDonald's campaign manager Tim Mooney. "There's a lot of issues that she can talk to Dick Armey about. "How much better to be someone in communication with (House) leadership and to be someone who will be a national star the day she gets to Washington," Mooney added, referring to Boggs McDonald's bid to be the nation's first black Republican congresswoman. Boggs McDonald, who is running against Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., is so undaunted by the recent criticism from Democrats that she also announced Wednesday receiving campaign contributions from Hastert. Her campaign will report raising $250,000 in 2001 -- allegedly the most by any Republican challenging a Democrat in Congress nationwide, Mooney said. But Democrats aren't standing idly by. Tonight they plan to protest Armey's $500 a person fund-raiser with a weapon they call "Yucca Man." Porter's campaign could not be reached. Sun reporter Jeff German contributed to this story. All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 15 `No thrill on blue Yucca hill Las Vegas City Life Saturday, January 19, 2002 By Heidi Walters Close your eyes and picture this: a vastness of unnaturally bright-blue, genetically engineered yucca plants flooding the Mojave Desert landscape. Now open your eyes and answer truthfully: Do you like this vision? If so, you deserve high-level nuclear waste in your backyard. OK, nobody deserves nuclear waste. But in the off (?) chance that we get stuck with the stuff at Yucca Mountain, we're going to need to come up with some pretty clever ideas for warning future intelligent life-forms thousands of years into the future what we've put there. They might not speak English. And blue yuccas were the best-of-show-winning concept that UCLA architecture graduate student Ashok Sukumaran came up with in local arts promoter Joshua Abbey's "Universal Warning Sign: Yucca Mountain" international design competition. Abbey says the contest, sponsored by his Desert Space Foundation, the Marjorie Barrick Museum, the City of Las Vegas Arts Commission and Citizen Alert, was aimed at engaging "the interest of the arts communities along the transportation routes" that the 77,000 tons of nuclear waste would travel to reach Yucca Mountain. "That includes St. Louis, Denver, Salt Lake City and Sacramento." But the entries - 150 total - came from all over, even from as far away as Pakistan. Twenty-five winning designs will be shown at an exhibition that opens next month. Abbey says he thinks what captivated the judges about Sukumaran's blue yucca concept was the idea of "one mutated life form acting as a guard over another mutation [nuclear waste]." The (terrifying) idea is, the bright-blue yuccas would be able to reproduce and spread over the land, "like the radiation will spread" if there's a leak or accident, Abbey says. Also at the exhibition will be old warning signs from the Nevada Test Site, donated by the Department of Energy. "The beauty of the Test Site signs is they illustrate the difficulty of making a sign that lasts in perpetuity," Abbey says. "They're from the 1950s and have deteriorated to where some aren't even legible." He says the contest submissions illustrate the problem well - better than they offer a solution. "I don't think any of them could really sustain themselves over the next 10,000 years," he says. The exhibition runs Feb. 1 through March 9 at the Marjorie Barrick Museum on the UNLV campus, with a reception at 6 p.m. on Feb. 1. Copyright 2002 Las Vegas City Life ***************************************************************** 16 Yes to nukes, no to waste and to hell with the Shoshones Las Vegas City Life Saturday, January 19, 2002 By Heidi Walters With all the hyper hubbub that's erupted since U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham announced he was going to recommend Yucca Mountain as a fine place to dump the nation's high-level nuclear waste, you'd think Nevada's delegation didn't see it coming. Ah, well - "Nothing wrong with a little righteous anger," says Lisa Gue, who follows the Yucca Mountain battle for the Washington, D.C.-based consumer watchdog group Public Citizen. But, along those same lines, it also doesn't hurt to be aware of some little niggling inconsistencies and quirks in Nevada's nuclear politics. For instance, nuclear testing. Last week, reports surfaced in Washington that a highly classified study, the Nuclear Posture Review, suggests the United States should speed up its ability to resume nuclear testing (which would necessitate President Bush ending the nuclear testing moratorium in place since 1992). While Massachusetts Rep. Ed Markey immediately began seeking congressional signatures on a letter to Bush opposing the resumption of nuclear testing, Nevada's delegation didn't exactly rise up in arms against the notion. Well, Rep. Shelley Berkley does say she's "generally opposed to the resumption of nuclear weapons testing." She says the stockpile stewardship program (subcritical tests) already in place "has been doing very well." "In my opinion, Nevada has done enough for national defense over the past 50 years," Berkley says. While Sen. Harry Reid also says the stockpile stewardship is working well, he and Sen. John Ensign told the Las Vegas Review-Journal last week they would consider supporting resumed testing if safety and defense necessitated it. Bob Schaeffer, of the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability, also thinks this is inconsistent policy. "A major reason to oppose Yucca Mountain is the inherent risk to human health and the environment," Schaeffer says. "Nuclear testing, even a confined underground test, creates a de facto nuclear waste dump beneath the Test Site. Every test creates exactly what they're opposing at Yucca Mountain!" Which proves once again that the Yucca battle has been a purely political game. And comments from Bob Loux, of Nevada's Agency for Nuclear Projects, do nothing to change this perception. Rather, they appear to show that Nevada is just as guilty of the political game as the Department of Energy, despite Nevada delegates' insistence that the Yucca decision be made based on "sound science." "I think Nevadans make some distinction between being called on to protect the nation [by allowing nuclear testing here], vs. being a lackey for the nuclear power industry [by accepting its waste]," Loux says. "I don't see an inconsistency, myself." Gue says another inconsistency with Nevada's anti-Yucca stance is the fact that, already, low-level nuclear waste is being stored at the Nevada Test Site. But perhaps the most "glaring hypocrisy," she says, is Reid's treatment of the Western Shoshone Indian Nation with his Western Shoshone Claims Distribution bill (expected to be reintroduced this year). For decades, the United States has been trying to force the Western Shoshone to take payments in exchange for forfeiting its treaty-acknowledged right to millions of acres of traditional land in Nevada (including the Test Site land and Yucca Mountain). The Western Shoshone's traditional government will have none of it, and it disputes the legality of a claim filed by one of its bands, the Te-Moak, in 1951. (The band later pulled away from the claim, as well). The claims payment, held in "trust" by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, amounts to a pittance - not even enough for each Shoshone to buy a decent used car. But money isn't the issue - the land itself is integral to what it means to be "Western Shoshone," and no amount of cash can replace that, they say. Which is also why the Western Shoshone don't want nuclear testing and waste on their land. That poisons it. The United States' actions constitute "tyranny of the majority" and environmental racism, say UNLV professor Craig Walton and others. Western Shoshone Secretary of State Ian Zabarte says the nuclear activities of the United States in Nevada clearly violate the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley. "The United States said [in that treaty] it wants 'peace and friendship' with us," Zabarte says. "But it's not friendly to violate treaties and destroy the land and good health of another friendly nation. That's not how friendly nation's treat each other." He says the Shoshone want to be able to regulate the United States' actions on Shoshone land. "I don't know how long the United States plans to exist, but our people have been here thousands of years and plan to be here thousands more," he says. "[But] we live in a state of heightened anxiety." Fallout from nuclear tests already has damaged the health of Shoshone people living downwind of the Test Site. "From our perspective, there is no benefit [from nuclear testing or waste]. The reality is, we're being violated. And we understand now that we cannot continue to put ourselves at risk for the benefit of the United States." Western Shoshone Chief Raymond Yowell says that in order for the United States to put the nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain, it has to prove it owns the land. "And they can't do that," Yowell says. Which is why Reid's eagerness to push through the claims bill and distribute the money perplexes fellow anti-dump activists. Gue says if Reid were, instead, to acknowledge the Western Shoshone's land right (instead of trying to prove the land belongs to the United States), that "could be the key to stopping the nuclear waste dump." "It would at least stall the Yucca Mountain Project, or kill it altogether," she says. "The Nevada delegation [is] missing an opportunity." Copyright 2002 Las Vegas City Life ***************************************************************** 17 Quit dawdling on nuclear waste Chicago Tribune | Published January 18, 2002 For nearly 20 years, plans to build a national nuclear waste repository have been hobbled not by facts, logic or funds, but by politics: Witness the crucial--and wrongheaded--votes by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) against a central nuclear storage in 1997 and 2000, despite the science and the interests of his own state. Congress likely will vote on this again in the next few months, and today the risk of terrorism makes a central and secure nuclear waste repository all the more urgent. That alone ought to persuade Durbin to rethink his position. A safe and well-guarded depository is needed for thousands of tons of spent fuel from some 80 nuclear reactors nationwide. Illinois has the largest number of nuclear power plants and the most nuclear waste. The shuttered ComEd plant at Zion, north of Chicago and 120 yards from Lake Michigan, holds 2.7 million pounds of spent fuel rods. All told, nearly 4,500 metric tons of nuclear waste in Illinois awaits permanent storage. After nearly 20 years and $7 billion of study and tests, the federal government has selected a facility 1,000 feet below ground in Yucca Mountain, Nev. It abuts an Air Force base and the Nevada Test Site, where more than 900 nuclear weapons have been tested. The closest population center is Las Vegas, about 100 miles away. On Jan. 10, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham officially recommended to President Bush that Yucca Mountain be selected as the storage facility. The Nevada members of Congress have vowed to fight that. But Congress must think of the greater good and proceed with the project. Congress voted two years ago to move nuclear waste to Nevada once the storage facility received a federal license. President Clinton vetoed the bill, a decision based mostly on Democratic Party political calculations in Nevada. A move to override the veto failed in the Senate by just two votes. Durbin voted against Yucca Mountain. Critics are right that the safety of Yucca Mountain cannot be absolutely guaranteed. Neither can the transportation of it to Nevada. An estimated 75 percent of the shipments will go through Illinois. But this is a matter of relative risk. One centralized, permanent storage site would be far safer, and far easier to protect, than sites scattered throughout the country. The small risk in transporting the waste--it will be hauled in steel and concrete containers--is far preferable to the risk of further deterioration of temporary storage sites, many of which are nearing capacity. The risk of terrorist attacks against scattered nuclear power plants and local storage facilities only adds to the urgency to build a permanent and secure storage place. President Bush should sign off on Secretary Abrams' recommendation. Congress--with strong support from the Illinois delegation--should act swiftly to get this moving. Even in the best of scenarios, Yucca Mountain won't be ready for operations for another 10 years. By then the government will have spent nearly 30 years debating what to do. The nation, and Illinois, cannot wait any longer. Copyright © 2002, Chicago Tribune ***************************************************************** 18 NATIONAL NEWS: Concerns raised over off-shore nuclear waste Financial Times; Jan 18, 2002 By ROSEMARY BENNETT Ministers came under pressure yesterday to disclose government information about off-shore nuclear waste dumps and the condition of the stores. The Public Record Office disclosed details about previously secret large-scale dumping of civilian and military nuclear waste about 250 miles west of Land's End, between 1965 and the early 1980s. Andrew George, Liberal Democrat MP for St Ives, said the archives show that there was at least one incident in 1969 when a full flask cracked and contaminated the MV Topaz, a merchant vessel charged with disposing of the waste. The crew was exposed to radiation after one of the barrels was pierced. He said while the planning was careful, it appeared that the dumping was sub-contracted to mariners with little experience in handling dangerous substances and mistakes were made. Mr George also drew on research by Greenpeace, the environmental group, on nuclear waste of a similar age dumped by the government near the Channel Islands. "Evidence recorded by Greenpeace last year in the Hurd Deep, off the coast of France, showed how quickly barrels can become corroded and disintegrate," he said. Video footage showed corroded, cracked and disintegrating containers, the remnants of 28,500 barrels dumped between 1950 and 1963. Mr George said now that the disclosure had been made the government should give reassurances that no waste was unaccounted for. "I would also welcome reassurances from the government that this and other nuclear dump sites are being monitored," he said. He has tabled parliamentary questions to Patricia Hewitt, trade and industry secretary, asking what information the government has on the dumps off the Cornish coast and whether any monitoring is taking place. Mr George has also asked what estimate the government has made on the minimum length of time the isotopes will remain radioactive. The government will unveil the results of Downing Street's own energy review shortly. It is expected to propose an expansion of renewables but leave open the option of nuclear energy. However, initial work in the review suggests the report will be less upbeat about nuclear energy than the industry hoped, and may disappoint those hoping for a nuclear revival. Copyright: The Financial Times Limited 1995-1998 ***************************************************************** 19 Norway: Environment Minister wants ban on transport of nuclear waste The Norway Post - Doorway to Norway 17. Januar 2002 Environment Miister Boerge Brende wants a ban on the transport of nuclear waste along the Norwegian coast. Japan and Russia announced plans for such transport last year. Brende says such transport is very risky, and that the consequensesof an accident would be serious. Last year, Japan's nuclear industry and the Russian government announced plans for transporting high grade nuclear waste by ship, from Europe to Japan, along the Norwegian coast, NRK reports. The Japanese nuclear industry wants to transport so-called HLW-waste from the cracking of plutonium in France and Great Britain, according to the Danish news agency Ritzau. The plan calls for the ships to take the Arctic lane, along the coast of Norway, past the Murmansk, along the coast of Siberia to Japan. A Russian nuclear driven ice-breaker will precede each freighter, according to Greenpeace. The environmental organization Bellona supports Brende's desire to ban the transport. (NRK/Norway Post) Rolleiv Solholm ***************************************************************** 20 Abraham asked to recuse himself Las Vegas SUN Today: January 18, 2002 at 9:43:11 PST Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group, is urging Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham to recuse himself from a decision on a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain because the secretary has taken campaign contributions from the nuclear industry. Abraham is expected to recommend Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, as the nation's high-level nuclear waste repository. From 1995 through Sept. 30 records show Abraham accepted $82,728 from nuclear interests, according to an analysis by Public Citizen's Congress Watch. Federal Election Commission data show that in 1999-2000 Abraham received $9,000 from Florida Power and Light, $5,000 each from Southern Company and DTE Energy, and $3,000 from PECO, now Exelon, as well as $4,000 from the Nuclear Energy Institute, the nuclear industry's lobbying association. All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 21 Parliamentary expert hired to help battle nuke dump Las Vegas SUN Today: January 18, 2002 at 9:45:06 PST LAS VEGAS SUN Robert Dove, a former Senate parliamentarian, has been hired by Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn to help in the state's effort to stop a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain. Dove, an expert on congressional procedure, is being paid $3,000 a month to serve as the state's parliamentary expert, the Washington journal Roll Call reported Thursday. Bob Loux, executive director of the Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects, confirmed that Dove had been hired by the state's Washington attorney. All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 22 DOE to Provide $12 Million to Support an Increase in Waste Shipments to Waste Isolation Pilot Plant RELEASE DATE: January 17, 2002 WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Department of Energy today announced that it is committing an additional $12 million to significantly increase shipments of transuranic waste (TRU) to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, N.M. The additional funds will allow the Department to increase the weekly shipments to WIPP by nearly 50 percent beginning in May. "This marks a new phase in WIPP operations," Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said. "Increasing shipments will help us clean up the environment at our facilities more quickly, and also ensures that we can act on our commitments to safely ship transuranic waste out of the state of Idaho and to close Rocky Flats as soon as possible." The increase in shipments supports the Department's plan to ship 3100 cubic meters of transuranic waste out of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory by Dec. 31, 2002, as required by the Idaho Settlement Agreement. The $12 million in additional money will also allow for an increase in the number of shipments necessary to meet the 2006 closure goal for the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site in Colorado and to accelerate removal of transuranic waste from the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The increase is a first step in the Department's aggressive goal of safely disposing of 100,000 drums of TRU at WIPP over its operating life of 35 years. The supplemental funds will be used to hire more waste management operators at WIPP to process the increased shipments, to purchase necessary materials and equipment for handling the extra waste, and to pay the additional transportation costs (e.g., increased miles). As with all nuclear waste shipments, the Department will conduct safety and security inspections and track and monitor the shipment during transit. Since opening WIPP on March 26, 1999, the Department has made 500 shipments of waste and permanently disposed of more than 13,900 55-gallon drums of defense-generated transuranic radioactive waste left from the research and production of nuclear weapons. Transuranic waste consists of clothing, tools, rags, debris, residues, and other disposable items contaminated with radioactive elements, primarily plutonium. Funding for this increase reflects a reallocation in money within the FY 2002 appropriations. No new money is being used for this effort. For more information about WIPP, call 1-800-336-9477, or visit the WIPP Web site at [http://www.wipp.carlsbad.nm.us] . Media Contact: Dolline Hatchett, 202/586-5806 Joe Davis, 202/586-4940 Release No. PR-02-004 ***************************************************************** 23 NRC Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste to Meet in Rockville, Maryland, on February 7 - 8 NRC: Press Release - 2002 - 7 - 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. 02-007 January 18, 2002 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste (ACNW) has scheduled a meeting on February 7-8 in Rockville, Maryland, to discuss, among other items, the committee's annual research report to the Commission. The meeting, which is open to the public, will be held in Room T-2B1 of the agency's Two White Flint North building, at 11545 Rockville Pike. It will begin at 8:30 a.m. each day. A complete agenda is attached. For additional information or schedule changes, contact Howard Larson at 301-415-6805. ACNW AGENDA Thursday, February 7 8:30 - 9:40 A.M.: Opening Statement/Planning and Procedures (Open) - The Chairman will open the meeting with brief remarks. The Committee will then review items under consideration at this meeting and consider topics proposed for future ACNW meetings. 10:00 - 12:00 Noon: Meeting with EDO and the Office Directors of NRR, NMSS, and RES (Open) - The Committee will hold discussions with the NRC Executive Director for Operations (EDO), and Directors of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR), Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES), and Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) on items of mutual interest. Members of the ACRS will also participate in this discussion. 1:00 - 2:00 P.M.: Update on Igneous Activity including PA Analyses (Open) - The staff will provide an update on the igneous activity key technical issues, including the related performance assessment analyses. 2:00 - 6:00 P.M.: Preparation for Meeting with the NRC Commissioners (Open) - The next meeting with the NRC Commissioners is scheduled to be held in the Commissioners' Conference Room, One White Flint North on March 20. The Committee will review its proposed presentations. Friday, February 8, 2002 8:30 - 8:35 A.M.: Opening Remarks by the ACNW Chairman (Open) - The ACNW Chairman will make opening remarks regarding the conduct of the meeting. 8:35 - 10:15 A.M.: Annual Research Report to the Commission (Open) - The Committee will discuss its annual report to the Commission on waste-related research. 10:30 - 12:00 Noon: Preparation of ACNW Reports (Open) - The Committee will discuss proposed reports on the following topics: Proposed Amendment to 10 CFR Part 63 Update on Igneous Activity including PA Analyses Annual Research Report to the Commission Key Technical Issue Status (tentative) 1:30 - 3:30 P.M.: Preparation for Meeting with the Commissioners (Open) - The Committee will continue its discussion of preparations noted previously. 3:30 - 5:00 P.M.: Preparation of ACNW Reports (Open) - The Committee will continue its discussion of proposed ACNW reports. 5:00 - 6:00 P.M.: Miscellaneous (Open) - The Committee will discuss matters related to the conduct of Committee activities and matters and specific issues that were not completed during previous meetings, as time and availability of information permit. ***************************************************************** 24 Governor, senator, commissioners attack DOE decision Laughlin Nevada Times January 18, 2002 Dump 'stinks' Jan. 16, 2002 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Before the first caissons laden with the nation’s most dangerous radioactive waste can begin rolling along toward southeastern Nevada, governments surrounding Yucca Mountain are firing a barrage of protest at the U.S. Department of Energy and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham. According to Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn, Abraham informed him of his decision to recommend Yucca Mountain, about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, in a Jan. 10 telephone call. “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,” Guinn reported in a statement posted to the state’s web site. U.S. Senator Harry Reid, (D-Nev.), the Clark County Board of Commissioners and, at the opposite end of Needles Highway, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors weighed in with condemnations of their own. The DOE web site posted a confirming letter from Abraham to Guinn, citing “... my intention to recommend to the president approval of the Yucca Mountain site for the development of a nuclear waste repository.” That recommendation, Abraham continued, will come no sooner than 30 days from Jan. 10 and will include a comprehensive statement of the basis for the recommendation. “First, and most important, that recommendation will include the basis for and documentation supporting my belief that the science behind this project is sound and that the site is technically suitable for this purpose,” the secretary’s letter reads. “Second, there are compelling national interests that require us to complete the siting process and move forward with the development of a repository, as Congress mandated almost 20 years ago.” Senator Reid called the decision hasty and dangerous and cited a “growing mountain of evidence that the site is unsuitable and that this site recommendation is premature.” He went on to offer hope from President Bush: “... Secretary Abraham’s decision is not and should not be the final decision on Yucca Mountain,” the senator said. “President Bush would have to agree with the flawed report. “After he receives the secretary’s report, President Bush has an opportunity to cut through the bureaucratic pseudo-science, see this project for the sham that it is, and do the right thing for America and Nevada by changing course.” Clark County Commissioners Dario Herrera (chair) and Myrna Williams made similar accusations: faulting the secretary for putting politics ahead of science in selecting the site. The pair cited studies revealing that “transportation of high-level nuclear waste through Clark County poses a significant threat to residents, businesses and visitors and remains a national concern, especially with respect to terrorism threats.” Transportation is also the chief concern of officials in neighboring San Bernardino County, Calif. A statement from the board of supervisors reads, in part: “The (county) is on the record in opposition to the selection of Yucca Mountain ... as a national repository for nuclear waste because it would require the transportation of highly hazardous materials through the county. “As the county understands it, not only would waste generated in California be hauled through San Bernardino County, but waste generated anywhere in the United States would take a route through (the county) in order to avoid metropolitan Las Vegas, Nev. The county believes the (DOE) has not adequately addressed the risk posed to communities along the nuclear waste route. “The board of supervisors took formal actions in opposition to Yucca Mountain and the transport of nuclear waste through the county on Jan. 12, 2000 and again on July 11, 2001. “The board of supervisors will determine what, if any, further action to take ...” Gov. Guinn was more direct in stating his plan of action. Describing his telephone conversation with Abraham, the governor said: “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.” ©2001 MyWebPal.com. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy ***************************************************************** 25 Somalia, Nuclear Unilateralism, Pakistan's Military Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2002 23:21:28 -0600 (CST) ************************************************************************ Click http://www.fpif.org/progresp/volume6/v6n02.html to view an HTML-formatted version of this issue of Progressive Response. ************************************************************************ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Progressive Response 18 January 2002 Vol. 6, No. 2 Editor: Tom Barry ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Progressive Response (PR) is a weekly service of Foreign Policy in Focus (FPIF)--a "Think Tank Without Walls." A joint project of the Interhemispheric Resource Center and the Institute for Policy Studies, FPIF is an international network of analysts and activists dedicated to "making the U.S. a more responsible global leader and partner by advancing citizen movements and agendas." We encourage responses to the opinions expressed in the PR and may print them in the "Letters and Comments" section. For more information on FPIF and joining our network, please consider visiting the FPIF website at http://www.fpif.org/, or email to share your thoughts with us. Tom Barry, editor of Progressive Response, is a senior analyst with the Interhemispheric Resource Center (IRC) (online at www.irc-online.org) and codirector of Foreign Policy In Focus. He can be contacted at . **** We Count on Your Support **** ------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Updates and Out-Takes *** SOMALIA AS MILITARY TARGET *** By Stephen Zunes *** SOMALIA: ERRORS OF FACT AND ANALYSIS *** By Ken Menkhaus *** ROADMAP TO UNILATERALIST NUCLEAR POLICY *** By Michelle Ciarrocca *** NEW SELF-DETERMINATION ANALYSIS FROM FPIF *** II. Outside the U.S. *** FIGHTING TERRORISM, UNDERMINING DEMOCRACY IN PAKISTAN *** By Najum Mushtaq III. Letters and Comments *** THE TERRORISM TRIANGLE *** *** SURPRISED *** *** LEFTIST RUBBISH ABOUT INDIA *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Updates and Out-Takes *** SOMALIA AS MILITARY TARGET *** By Stephen Zunes (Editor's Note: Excerpted from a new FPIF Global Affairs Commentary, posted in its entirety at: http://www.fpif.org/commentary/2002/0201somalia.html .) The east African nation of Somalia is being mentioned with increasing frequency as a possible next target in the U.S.-led war against international terrorism. Somalia is a failed state--with what passes for the central government controlling little more than a section of the national capital of Mogadishu, a separatist government in the north, and rival warlords and clan leaders controlling most the remainder of the country. U.S. officials believe that cells of the Al-Qaeda terrorist network may have taken advantage of the absence of governmental authority to set up operation. Before the U.S. attacks that impoverished country, however, it is important to recognize how Somalia became a possible haven for the followers of Osama bin Laden and what might result if America goes to war. In November 1992, the outgoing Bush administration sent 30,000 U.S. troops--primarily Marines and Army Rangers--to Somalia, in what was described as a humanitarian mission to assist in the distribution of relief supplies that were being intercepted by armed militias without reaching the civilian populations in need. The United Nations Security Council endorsed the initiative the following month. Many Somalis and some relief organizations were grateful for the American role. Many others expressed skepticism, noting that the famine had actually peaked that summer and the security situation was also gradually improving. As U.S. troops began arriving, the chaos limiting food shipments was constrained to a small area, with most other parts of the country functioning as relatively peaceful fiefdoms. Most food was getting through and the loss from theft was only slightly higher than elsewhere in Africa. In some cases, U.S. forces essentially dumped food on local markets, hurting indigenous farmers and creating greater food shortages over the longer term. In any case, few Somalis were involved in the decisions during this crucial period. Most importantly for the U.S., large numbers of Somalis saw the American forces as representatives of the government that had been the major outside supporter of the hated former dictatorship. Such a foreign presence in a country that had been free from colonial rule for only a little more than three decades led to growing resentment. Contributing to these concerns was the fact that the U.S. troops arriving in Somalia were elite combat forces, and were not trained for such humanitarian missions. (Author and journalist David Halberstrom quotes the U.S. Defense Secretary telling an associate, "We're sending the Rangers to Somalia. We are not going to be able to control them. They are like overtrained pit bulls. No one controls them.") Shootings at U.S. military roadblocks became increasingly commonplace, and Somalis witnessed scenes of mostly white American forces harassing and shooting black countrymen. In addition, the U.S. role escalated to include attempts at disarming some of the warlords, resulting in armed engagements, often in crowded urban neighborhoods. This "mission creep" resulted in American casualties, creating growing dissent at home in what had originally been a widely supported foreign policy initiative. The thousands of M-16 rifles sent, courtesy of the American taxpayer, to Barre's armed forces were now in the hands of rival militiamen who had not only used them to kill their fellow countrymen and to disrupt the distribution of relief supplies, but were now using them against American troops. Within the U.S. ranks, soldiers were heard repeating the slogan, "The only good Somali is a dead Somali." It had become apparent that the U.S. had badly underestimated the resistance. In May 1993, the U.S. transferred the failing mission to the UN. This was the first time the world body had combined peacekeeping, peace enforcement, and humanitarian assistance, as well as the first time the UN had intervened without a formal invitation by a host government (because there wasn't any.) Within Somalia there was little trust of the United Nations, particularly since the UN Secretary General at that time was Boutros Boutros-Ghali, a major supporter of Barre when he led Egypt's foreign ministry. Even though the UN was technically in control, U.S. forces went on increasingly aggressive forays, including a major battle in Mogadishu that resulted in the deaths of 18 Marines and hundreds of Somali civilians, dramatized in the highly fictionalized thriller Black Hawk Down. The U.S.-led UN forces had become yet another faction in the multisided conflict. Largely retreating to fixed position, the primary American mission soon became protecting its own forces. With mounting criticism on Capitol Hill from both the left and the right, President Bill Clinton withdrew American troops in March 1994. The UN took its last peacekeeping forces out one year later. The U.S. intervention in Somalia is now widely considered to have been a fiasco. It is largely responsible for the subsequent U.S. hesitation around such so-called humanitarian intervention (outside of high-altitude bombing.) It was the major factor in the tragic U.S. refusal to intervene--either unilaterally or through the UN--to prevent the genocide in Rwanda during the spring of 1994. Most likely, the Somalia intervention was an another ill-advised assertion of well-meaning liberal internationalism in U.S. foreign policy. But there may have been other factors prompting the American decision to intervene as well: perhaps as a rationalization for increased military spending despite the end of the cold war, perhaps as an effort to mollify the Islamic world for American overkill in the war against Iraq and the inaction against the massacres of Muslims in Bosnia, and/or perhaps as a preemptive operation against possible Islamic extremists rising out of the chaos. If the latter was the goal, it may have backfired. Islamic radicals were able to find some willing recruits among the Somalis, already upset by the U.S. support for Barre, now with additional anger at the impact of direct U.S. military intervention in their country. In subsequent years, there has been only marginal progress toward establishing any kind of widely recognized national government. Somalia is still divided into fiefdoms run by clan leaders and warlords, though there is rarely any serious fighting. Some officials in the current Bush administration believe that Al-Qaeda has established an important network or cells within this factious country. If this is indeed the case, it begs the question as to how the U.S. should respond. It is possible that U.S. forces could obtain highly accurate intelligence that would allow them to pinpoint and take out the cells without once again becoming embroiled in messy urban counterinsurgency warfare, like that of 1993-94, or relying on air strikes in heavily populated areas, resulting in large-scale civilian casualties. Based on recent history, however, this is rather doubtful. The result of renewed U.S. military intervention in Somalia, then, could be yet another debacle that would only encourage the extremist forces America is trying to destroy. (Stephen Zunes is a senior analyst with Foreign Policy In Focus (online at www.fpif.org) and associate professor of Politics and chair of the Peace & Justice Studies Program at the University of San Francisco.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- *** SOMALIA: ERRORS OF FACT AND ANALYSIS *** By Ken Menkhaus Among the most common and potentially dangerous errors of fact and analysis about Somalia include the following: **Somalia's Islamist movement, al-Ittihad, is synonymous with al-Qaeda. This is wildly wrong. Al-Ittihad is a small, relatively weak organization, with a mainly domestic agenda. Some individual members have had links to al-Qaeda which merit close scrutiny, but the group as a whole is in no way a subsidiary of al-Qaeda. **Somalia's Transitional National Government (TNG) is a front for al-Ittihad. The TNG is not the Somali equivalent of the Taliban government. It is extremely weak, controlling only half of the city of Mogadishu, and while it has some al-Ittihad members in its parliament, it is by no means a front for Islamists. An attack against the TNG would be a serious error. **Somalia is home to terrorist bases and camps. This is the rationale for considering a bombing campaign there. But Somalia's al-Ittihad movement abandoned the few towns and rural outposts it once controlled, and has since integrated into local communities as teachers, health workers, and businessmen. Bombing abandoned outposts would be a pointless exercise in rearranging rocks. **Somalia will be a likely safe haven for fleeing al-Qaeda members. On the surface, this concern has merit. Somalia is a collapsed state with no functional central government; global outlaws there could presumably escape the reach of law. In reality, Somalia is a lousy refuge for non-Somali radicals. Foreigners cannot operate in secrecy in Somalia; everyone knows who you are and what you're doing, and the Somalis would be delighted to hand over a non-Somali. (Dr. Ken Menkhaus is associate professor of political science at Davidson College, NC. He is a specialist on the Horn of Africa and has served as a consultant to the UN and the U.S. government.) Also see: Warlordism and the War on Terror By Ken Menkhaus http://www.fpif.org/commentary/0112quidproquo.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------- *** ROADMAP TO UNILATERALIST NUCLEAR POLICY *** By Michelle Ciarrocca (Editor's Note: Excerpted from a new FPIF Global Affairs Commentary, available in its entirety at: http://www.fpif.org/commentary/2002/0201nuke.html .) In the past year and a half, we've heard George W. Bush talk about the need to move beyond the cold war paradigm of U.S. security policy. Specifically, Bush repeatedly discussed reducing the number of nuclear weapons in the U.S. arsenal to "the lowest possible number consistent with our national security" and taking these weapons off hair-trigger alert. In mid-November, Bush reiterated that position in meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin saying, "We are talking about reducing and destroying the number of warheads to get down to specific levels." The congressionally mandated Nuclear Posture Review (NPR, not to be confused, even for a second with "National Public Radio"), released last week, was an opportunity for President Bush and his team to do just that. The NPR is suppose to provide a framework for formulating a U.S. nuclear strategy for the post-cold war world--something the Clinton administration failed to do with its own nuclear review in 1994. However, much like the Defense Department's Quadrennial Defense Review, which was described by Senator Carl Levin as "full of decisions deferred," ambiguity prevails. Assistant Defense Secretary J.D. Crouch held a special briefing with reporters on Wednesday, January 9, 2002 to highlight portions of the classified review delivered to Congress that same day. How does this new approach change U.S. nuclear strategy? In short, the review's recommendations could push the U.S. into a more dangerous security environment than at the height of the Soviet/American rivalry. As predicted last year, much of the Bush administration's nuclear review echoes an earlier report released by the National Institute for Public Policy (NIPP). The NIPP report was directed by Dr. Keith Payne, whose main claim to fame is coauthoring a 1980s essay on nuclear war entitled "Victory Is Possible." Bush National Security Council staffers Robert Joseph and Stephen Hadley were involved in the production of the NIPP study, as was William Schneider, an informal adviser and ideological soul mate of Donald Rumsfeld. (See Bill Hartung's "Bush's Nuclear Doctrine: From MAD to NUTS?" http://www.fpif.org/commentary/0012nuclear.html.) In general, the NIPP report calls future security threats to the U.S. unknown and unpredictable. Therefore, the report concludes that the U.S. must maintain its nuclear arsenal, as well as the ability to design, build, and test new nuclear weapons. The report asserts that conventional weapons are inadequate replacements for nuclear weapons because they do not have the same "destructive power." As a solution the report recommends the development of "low-yield, precision-guided nuclear weapons"--in other words, a nuclear weapon the U.S. can actually use. Not surprisingly, the NIPP panel frowns on arms control treaties because "U.S. policymakers today cannot know the strategic environment of 2005, let alone 2010 or 2020. There is no basis for expecting that the conditions that may permit deep nuclear reductions today will continue in the future." Explaining the administration's nuclear policy, Assistant Defense Secretary Crouch said, "I think one of the things that came out of the NPR is that there is not a single solution to the problem of weapons of mass destruction. It is not entirely a military problem; it also is a diplomatic problem. It is also a problem that will involve other aspects of national power," Crouch said. By and large, however, the Bush administration has chosen to deal with weapons of mass destruction militarily--not politically. The Nuclear Posture Review is the roadmap to a unilateralist U.S. nuclear policy. The review makes no mention of the U.S. commitment under Article VI of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to take concrete steps toward eliminating its nuclear arsenal, a commitment that was reaffirmed at the 2000 NPT review conference. The U.S. and 186 other countries came to a global consensus on nuclear disarmament, declaring it the "only absolute guarantee against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons." The U.S. must lead the way toward this goal. (Michelle Ciarrocca is an analyst with the Arms Trade Resource Center at the World Policy Institute.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- *** NEW SELF-DETERMINATION ANALYSIS FROM FPIF *** *KOSOVO CONFLICT PROFILE By Fred Abrahams http://www.selfdetermine.org/conflicts/kosovo.html The newly elected Kosovo parliament should work closely with UNMIK to facilitate the return of the Serb and Roma population. The international community should make it clear that an independent Kosovo state will never be accepted until certain democratic standards are attained. *U.S. TAKES ANTITERRORISM WAR TO THE PHILIPPINES By John Gershman http://www.selfdetermine.org/crisiswatch/0201philippine.html The danger of growing U.S. involvement in the military campaign against the Abu Sayyaf is that it displaces attention from the much broader struggles for effective development and political self-determination on the part of other Muslim Filipino political groups. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- II. Outside the U.S. (Editor's Note: FPIF has a new component called "Outside the U.S.," which aims to bring non-U.S. voices into the U.S. policy debate and to foster dialog between Northern and Southern actors in global affairs issues. Please visit our Outside the U.S. page for other non-U.S. perspectives on global affairs and for information about submissions at: http://www.fpif.org/outside/index.html.) *** FIGHTING TERRORISM, UNDERMINING DEMOCRACY IN PAKISTAN *** By Najum Mushtaq (Editor's Note: Excerpted from a new FPIF Outside the U.S. commentary, posted in full at: http://www.fpif.org/outside/commentary/2002/0201pakistan.html .) The Pakistani public, by and large, appreciates the many pressures under which General Musharraf must operate. For us, it is a familiar story of a Pakistani military ruler parroting a script written in Washington. All of the previous military rulers--Field Marshal Ayub Khan, and Generals Yahya Khan and Zia ul-Haq--thrived in power because of their alignment with the United States. With the cold war long over and the war on terrorism in vogue, seeking U.S. support makes more sense than ever. Pakistanis, in general, are convinced that the United States makes or breaks Pakistani governments and that the military does Washington's bidding. As long as the United States backs Musharraf, few will challenge his hold on power, and on the home front there appear to be no serious challenges to his rule. The military's control over state institutions and the country's resources is virtually unchallenged. The norm of military supremacy over civilian authority is well established. Public resistance to the military's ascendancy is conspicuous by its absence. The much-feared backlash to General Musharraf's decisions to back the U.S. war in Afghanistan and crack down on jihadi militant groups operating in Kashmir has not happened and does not look like it will occur very soon, if at all. A mutiny by the Islamists in the military, a favorite scenario among those who take military rhetoric at face value, has no historical precedent, nor does one seem imminent. These so-called "errant" elements within the military establishment may not be as widespread or resourceful as feared, not least because of discreet pruning of Islamist officers since the October 1999 coup that brought Musharraf to power. The military as an institution is well entrenched and in firm control of the state machinery. Many long years of direct military rule have diminished its mystique and charisma, but not its ability to curb dissent or crush any threat to its rule. So it won't be surprising if General Musharraf comes out on top and unscathed in this confrontation with the religious extremists. But if Musharraf actively pursues his stated aim of turning Pakistan into a modern, progressive, and tolerant society, he will find the military itself standing in the way. The institution has grown in mammoth proportions at the expense of development in other sectors. It is precisely because of how the military has run this country over the years that Pakistani political culture remains weak and civil society virtually non-existent. When all is said and done, the fate of Pakistan will eventually hinge upon the question of military reform. Can the military submit itself to popular will and abide by the notion of civilian supremacy? If an elected civilian government had taken the recent decisions on Afghanistan and Kashmir, would the military have supported it? Will it ever forego its self-assumed right to rule without the consent of the people? Shouldn't General Musharraf also redefine the role of the military? General Musharraf has already made it clear that he plans to stay on as president indefinitely. It will be a pity if the United States, in pursuit of its short-term objectives in the "war on terrorism," repeats the errors of the cold war and again provides unqualified support for undemocratic forces in Pakistan. History, however, suggests it is likely. (Najum Mushtaq is an assistant editor at the News in Rawalpindi/Islamabad.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- III. Letters and Comments *** THE TERRORISM TRIANGLE *** Excellent article. Thank you. In the very first paragraph of section 4 (entitled "Attacking Root Causes") in FPIF's four-part policy framework "A New Agenda to Counter Terrorism" http://www.fpif.org/justice/tobedone.html you state that "because terrorism is a political act, a preventive strategy must address its political roots." This is certainly true. I submit that in so doing we uncover a paradigm that seems to be shared by the countries that provide the kinds of social, economic, and political opportunities for terrorism organizations to take widespread root. The paradigm looks like a triangle: Education, by developing human capacity, enables people to participate in Economic Growth. And, by bringing about a more informed citizenry, Education also strengthens civil society. We know also that economic growth enables more citizens to become stake-holders in the market and economic system. This triangular relationship between Education, Economic Growth, and Civil Society reflects a deeper relationship between people's capacity, people's access to capital, and people's voice (influence on policy). In countries where these links are broken--or are tenuous--(i.e. where an increase in people's capacity does not result in an increase in their means, or where economic groups are disenfranchised, or where "education gaps" thwart citizens' opportunities to participate) conditions seem to be quite conducive to exploitation by terror organizations. Such countries range from Afghanistan to Angola, Pakistan to Haiti, Somalia to Chechnya. Again, thank you for a most informative article. - Bertrand Laurent Civil Society Specialist & Development Strategist The Africa-America Institute ------------------------------------------------------------------------- *** SURPRISED *** I have hardly ever seen an article by an Indian which is not biased and arrogant. This article, "India's Policy of Brinksmanship" http://www.fpif.org/outside/commentary/2002/0201kashmir.html is very unusual in this sense as it is based on the concepts of equal rights and justice. - Ameer Hassan ------------------------------------------------------------------------- *** LEFTIST RUBBISH ABOUT INDIA *** The author, Mr. Achin Vanaik, could hardly be called an "independent journalist." His accounts in "India's Politics of Brinksmanship on Kashmir" http://www.fpif.org/outside/commentary/2002/0201kashmir.html are factually false and illogical. His bias against India's ruling BJP could not be more evident than the following unsubstantiated and baseless assertions. He writes: "The BJP, which leads the current coalition government, has long been determined to transform the Indian polity and society into a more authoritarian and anti-secular direction." Patently false. Has the author read BJP's party constitution, election manifestos, or any of the major speeches by BJP leaders? BJP is as unequivocally committed to a secular, democratic India as any in India's body politic. What BJP opposes is a soft state of apologists who, as their main political agenda, pander to minorities and win elections through divide and rule of India's electorate. BJP rejects such shameful "vote bank" politics and NOT the secular democratic ethos. As a matter of fact, the only period of "authoritarianism" in India's commendable democratic history came under the so-called pseudo-secularist Congress party which has a history of "sleeping" with the leftists and the communists. The author then asserts: "This government (BJP-led coalition) has used the developments since September 11 and December 13 to curb civil liberties, harass its domestic opponents, further communalize the Indian education system, spread anti-Muslim and anti-Pakistan sentiments, and promote a more belligerent and aggressive elite nationalism in keeping with its general political ideology." Without a doubt, this author lives in a fantasy world that only a communist apologist of India has the capacity to conjure up. Or, under the guise of "independent journalist" of some leftist Nehruvian think tank, he is deliberately deceiving the readers and perpetuating falsehood. Another example. The author claims: "What's more, it (BJP) has diverted attention away from its political failure in Kashmir. The Kashmiri population has been alienated not only by the brutalities inflicted by Pakistan-supported terrorist groups but also by the terrorist repressions carried out by the Indian armed forces in the region." What rubbish. Kashmir problem and Pakistani intransigence is decades old. That's a fact. For almost all of this period, right up to 1998, the so-called Hindu nationalists of BJP was out, and left-leaning secularist Congress was in power. Criticize and denounce India's politics by all means. But at least get your facts straight. Shouldn't you? - Tarun K. 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Click on https://secure.webburner.net/fpif/donate/index.html to support FPIF online, or for information about making contributions over the phone or through the mail. ***** We Count on Your Support. Thank you. ***** ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Progressive Response aims to provide timely analysis and opinion about U.S. foreign policy issues. The content does not necessarily reflect the institutional positions of either the Interhemispheric Resource Center or the Institute for Policy Studies. We're working to make the Progressive Response informative and useful, so let us know how we're doing, via email to . Please put "Progressive Response" in the subject line. Please feel free to cross-post the Progressive Response elsewhere. We apologize for any duplicate copies you may receive. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Progressive Response, go to: http://www.fpif.org/progresp/index.html and follow the instructions. To subscribe directly, send a blank message to: newusfp-subscribe@lists.zianet.com To unsubscribe, send a blank message to: newusfp-unsubscribe@lists.zianet.com ***************************************************************** 26 Star Wars: Protecting Globalization from Above Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2002 23:22:18 -0600 (CST) WHAT'S NEW ON CORPWATCH Holding Corporations Accountable January 18, 2002 MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX Star Wars: Protecting Globalization from Above http://www.corpwatch.org/issues/PID.jsp?articleid=1333 Bush's revived Star Wars program got a boost after 9-11. He's asking for $8.3 billion for a missile program from Congress, and the big defense contractors are hoping to make a fortune. Veteran journalist Karl Grossman, who has covered the military space program for years, looks at the shifting forces for and against missile defense since the 9-11 attacks. He examines the ties between the "Big Four" defense contractors and Bush Administration, and the campaign contributions these companies have made. TAKE ACTION Tell Shell to Stop Polluting Curacao http://www.corpwatch.org/action/PAA.jsp?articleid=1340 A Shell refinery on the island of Curacao (Netherlands Antilles), near the coast of Venezuela, is causing health threats to nearby poor neighborhoods and the entire island. A series of recent alerts and pleas for help have been received. People are asked to send letters and faxes to the following persons demanding that the refinery be brought up to European standards. IN THE NEWS http://www.corpwatch.org/news/PNR.jsp * USA: VP Tried to Aid Enron in India * India: Dam Being Built on Backs of Poor, Critics Say * USA: Bush Bans Unions at Justice Department * USA: Bush Faces Flak Over Links to Defense Contractor * Argentina: Food Emergency as Gov't Looks into Capital Flight * USA: Washington Pressures EU to Drop GMO Labeling BULLETIN BOARD http://www.corpwatch.org/bulletins/PBR.jsp * Coalition Fights NAFTA * Union Wants WTO to Hold Guatemala Liable for Maquila Abuses CORPWATCH IS HIRING! CLIMATE JUSTICE COORDINATOR Based in San Francisco's Presidio, CorpWatch works to hold corporations accountable to human rights, environmental justice and labor rights, locally and globally. CorpWatch's Climate Justice Initiative aims to broaden the constituency of people working on climate change in the US and globally. The initiative works to give rightful ownership of the climate change issue to communities most impacted by climate change and the fossil fuel industry. CorpWatch works closely with domestic and international networks to make connections between climate change and people's everyday lives, and placing corporations at the center of the problem. A combination of popular education tools, coalition building, public events, media advocacy, strategy meetings and political analysis are used to meet the initiative's goals. For a full job description, requirements and information on how to apply see: http://www.corpwatch.org/misc/PFR.jsp?freestyleid=CJCampaigner Please pass the word on. ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: rich@pencil.math.missouri.edu EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://igc.topica.com/u/?aVxikF.aVxtHr Or send an email to: corp-watchers-unsubscribe@igc.topica.com T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================ ***************************************************************** 27 Customs authorities fear 'nuke-in-a-box' | The Winston Salem Journal - Journal Now Fri, Jan 18, 2002 Cargo inspection at foreign ports urged By Gil Klein MEDIA GENERAL NEWS SERVICE WASHINGTON Trying to thwart what authorities call a "nuke-in-a-box" terrorist attack, the head of the U.S. Customs Service said yesterday that authorities want to inspect cargo containers bound for the United States before the containers leave foreign ports. "One of the most lethal terrorist scenarios is the use of ocean-going containers to smuggle terrorists or weapons of mass destruction into the country," said Customs Commissioner Robert C. Bonner. "It's almost unthinkable the kind of carnage it could cause. And the risks are so great to the international global trading system that we can't afford not to do something." Osama bin Laden makes no secret of his desire to get nuclear weapons and cripple the U.S. and world economy, Bonner said. One nuclear explosion from a bomb hidden in a shipping container would not only destroy the surrounding city but also stop world trade for months, he said. Almost half of all of the containers coming to the United States by sea come from 10 foreign ports in Asia and Europe, Bonner said. The U.S. government needs to work with foreign governments that control these megaports to build a container security system. "The ideal thing would be to form small multinational teams" at each of these ports, he said. If the top 10 ports go along with the plan, he said, others most likely would follow. About 5.7 million containers, each the size of a truck trailer, arrive at U.S. ports each year. Another 11.2 million come across the U.S. border by truck and train from Canada and Mexico. Transporting cargo by container has become so common worldwide that disrupting the system would devastate the world economy, said Bonner, who presented his plan at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington research group. An explosion in one port would force shippers around the world to stop container shipments, bringing commerce and manufacturing to a standstill, he said. Even before Sept. 11, terrorism experts warned that containers could be used by terrorists to hide an explosive, even a nuclear bomb, that could be detonated by remote control when the ship arrived in a U.S. port. The containers could even be used to transport the terrorists themselves past immigration and customs agents. Last October, Italian authorities found a suspected al-Qaida operative locked inside a shipping container bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia, Bonner said. A bed and a toilet were inside the container, along with airport maps, airport security passes and an airplane mechanic's certificate. Bonner said that it is not necessary to inspect all of the containers. Customs agents are confident that they know what is in 98 percent of U.S.-bound containers through a tracking system. But the other 2 percent are considered high-risk containers that need to be checked. Already it is possible to screen the containers quickly with X-ray and gamma-ray scanners, he said. That equipment is in place, but more is needed. Electronic seals can be put on the containers to alert customs agents of unauthorized entry. About half of the nation's customs agents are carrying hand-held radiation detectors that resemble cell phones. Bonner demonstrated one that began beeping when it came close to a small amount of radioactive material. "I feel very good that these are out there," Bonner said of the device attached to his belt. "They are very good at finding a nuke-in-the-box here. But it might be a day late and a dollar short." Once the nuclear device had arrived at its destination, it could be exploded, he said. The defense perimeter needs to be pushed back to the ports of origin so that suspicious containers are X-rayed and checked for radioactive material before they are shipped to the United States. "We should know all about what is in the containers before they leave Rotterdam, not when they arrive in Newark," Bonner said. Customs agents are trained to worry about incoming cargo, not outgoing shipments, he said. He called for customs agents worldwide to work together to protect against terrorism. © Winston-Salem Journal. The Winston-Salem Journal is a ***************************************************************** 28 Russia: State OKs $2.5Bln Arms Budget Friday, Jan. 18, 2002. Page 5 By Lyuba Pronina [mcpron@imedia.ru] Staff Writer The Cabinet on Thursday approved a plan to dramatically boost spending on arms, upgrades and research in 2002, Russia's top defense industry official said Thursday. Deputy Prime Minister and Industry, Science and Technology Minister Ilya Klebanov said the procurement plan tops last year's expenditures by nearly 40 percent, Interfax reported. The 40 percent figure corresponds to remarks made last year by Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, who said the 2002 procurement budget would likely increase by 27 billion to 79 billion rubles ($850 million to $2.5 billion). This year's entire national defense budget is 284.18 billion rubles. Klebanov said the priorities are developing a next-generation fighter and new nuclear submarine, as well as new technologies in communications and conventional weapons, media reported. Klebanov has said that research and development will account for 42 percent of the total budget and that new technologies would be introduced into the armed forces in 2005 to 2007. He also said there will be a "serious increase" in the amount earmarked for modernizing hardware currently used by the military. Under Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, Russia is shifting its procurement strategy away from strategic nuclear forces and toward conventional arms. Previously, the nuclear forces consumed as much as 90 percent of the procurement budget, according to analysts. Konstantin Makiyenko, the deputy head of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, an independent think tank, said modernization and research should be priorities and that Russia should concentrate on developing a new fighter, unmanned craft and radars. Makiyenko said the navy should take a back seat to the air force and elite units like paratroopers and special forces because it does not meet the "existing threats," referring to Chechnya. He criticized Klebanov's idea of creating a new nuclear submarine, which would be an improvement on the Gepard submarine the navy received late last year with much pomp, as expensive and untimely. Marat Kenzhetayev from the Center for Arms Control at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology said the focus of spending, given that Russia is not currently engaged in any large-scale conflicts, should be on aviation, small arms and communication systems. The industry's biggest event of the year is the multibillion-dollar tender to develop a new fighter, which is being hotly contested by Sukhoi and MiG. The winner is expected to be announced by the end of March. In the meantime, experts say the current fleet of Sukhois and MiGs needs to be upgraded. The air force is working together with IAPO, an Irkutsk plant in the Sukhoi group, to turn its fleet of Su-27s and Su-30s into multipurpose jets. The air force is also in the process of upgrading its fleet of helicopters by installing systems that allow them to operate at night and in all kinds of weather. Despite the state's increased procurement budget, Russia's defense budget is just a shadow of its former Soviet self, leaving the industry to rely on exports for most of its revenues. Last year the defense industry posted a decade-high $4.4 billion in export revenues. http://www.themoscowtimes.com ***************************************************************** 29 Uranium seized in Belarus BBC News | EUROPE | 17 January, 2002, 14:17 GMT Uranium seized in Belarus The security services in Belarus say they have foiled a criminal plot to sell uranium. Reports on state television said that six people were detained after the security services infiltrated a group trying to sell 1.5 kilogrammes of the radioactive material for $250,000 dollars. The security services said that a preliminary expert examination of a sample of the material indicated that it came from the fuel of a nuclear reactor. Belarus has no nuclear power plants and correspondents say the material may have come from neighbouring Ukraine, Lithuania or Russia. They say that trafficking in radioactive material in central and eastern Europe has proliferated since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the slackening of controls over nuclear installations. ***************************************************************** 30 Study attacks DOE monitoring of radioactive water Las Vegas SUN Today: January 18, 2002 at 9:43:11 PST By Mary Manning The Department of Energy is failing to monitor ground water contaminated with radiation as a result of underground nuclear experiments, according to a study released Thursday. The study sponsored by Citizen Alert, an environmental organization that strongly opposes a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, focuses on Pahute Mesa in the northwest corner of the Nevada Test Site. The mesa was the site of 82 underground nuclear blasts from 1957 through 1992, some of them equal to a million tons of TNT. "We do not claim to have produced 'the truth' with respect to the early-warning network scenario, but we claim to have sufficient evidence to support the argument that DOE has never tried to characterize, and therefore, to understand, the contamination from about 82 underground detonations beneath Pahute Mesa," the report said. The Test Site's boundary is 17 miles northeast of Oasis Valley. In 1993 a DOE report said water contaminated with radiation could reach the valley in 30 years. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., who has called for a cleanup of contaminated ground water at the site, said the DOE has not considered the combined radiation produced from the weapons tests and waste buried at the proposed Yucca Mountain repository. "This underlines in a dramatic way the dangers of storing high-level nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain," Berkley spokesman Michael O'Donovan said Thursday. Hydrologist and report author Dennis Weber of the Harry Reid Environmental Research Center says the DOE has failed to sample 268 underground bomb cavities to determine how far and how fast radiation is moving in the ground water. "Information from a single plume could tell the DOE whether the contamination is wide, narrow or scattered," he said. Since the DOE would know the date of the experiment, it could track how fast the radiation is moving, he said. It was the second report in two weeks that has been critical of DOE efforts to dig a series of wells that would warn people in nearby rural communities when contaminated water leaves the Test Site. Scientists for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Institute for Regulatory Science on Jan. 9 said the DOE hasn't collected enough information to sufficiently track ground water contamination. The DOE had no comment on the latest study, spokesman Kevin Rohrer said. 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