***************************************************************** 08/20/02 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 10.212 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POLICY 1 Firms cited as 'planet trashers' 2 Chechen War Veteran to Build a Nuke Plant 3 US: Security at U.S. nuclear sites criticized 4 British Nuclear Fuels condemns Greenpeace protest at dock for 5 Japan EDITORIAL: Nuclear power worries 6 Civic group sues government to stop construction of nuclear NUCLEAR REACTORS 7 US: Public Citizen Intervenes in FERC Complaint, Seeks Return of Nuc 8 US: Report: Fewer Guards at Nuke Plants NUCLEAR SAFETY 9 Leukemia and Depleted Uranium 10 Climate Change, Radiation Concern Pacific Leaders 11 US: Health officials to reveal substance in Fallon blood tests today 12 US: Frustrated Fallon families seek truth 13 US: Markey cites lapses in nuclear security NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 14 US: NUCLEAR WASTE: Experts cite terror concerns 15 US: Harter pushes UNLV as research facility 16 US: Two reactors in Maryland sitting on 950 tons of waste* 17 US: No Study for Skull Valley Terror Threat 18 US: Sane Nuclear Storage 19 Nuclear waste ships alter course off S Africa 20 Greenpeace ship catches up with 'plutonium carriers' 21 US: Federal officials mum on plutonium shipments from rocky flats 22 US: DOE studies nonglass options 23 US: Nuclear Plants With Full Fuel Pools NUCLEAR WEAPONS 24 Israeli nukes scare Arabs 25 True Stories: Fortress Australia: The Secret Bid For The Atomic Bomb US DEPT. OF ENERGY 26 Is DOE whittling its security forces? 27 Report: DOE Cuts Security in Decade OTHER NUCLEAR 28 D'ohlightful: The Simpsons' steadily approaches TV milestone ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 Firms cited as 'planet trashers' BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | Tuesday, 20 August, 2002, [Environmentalists want an end to GM crop field trials] Environmentalists want an end to GM crop field trials Four companies owned or operating in Scotland have been added to a "global role of dishonour" by environmental campaigners. Friends of the Earth Scotland has put the names on a list of what it describes as the biggest "planet trashers", which will be presented at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg. British Energy, which runs Torness and Hunterston nuclear power plants, Harris superquarry firm Lafarge and GM crop trial company Aventis CropScience join Esso on the list. Their performance here in Scotland is inconsistent with the image they want to give at that global gathering Kevin Dunion Friends of the Earth Scotland Friends of the Earth is calling on the corporations to clean up their acts. It wants world leaders meeting at the Earth Summit to introduce global rules for business in order to protect people and the environment. The United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development takes place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 26 August to 4 September. FoE Scotland will be represented by its chief executive Kevin Dunion. He explained that the last summit in 1992 had given organisations like FoE the task of reporting on the performance of governments and companies at a local level. Radioactive waste Mr Dunion said British Energy, Aventis and Lafarge were "companies who will be present at the world summit and deserve to have attention drawn to their performance here in Scotland, which is inconsistent with the image they want to give at that global gathering." He said British Energy had been targeted for "trying to belatedly portray themselves as an answer to climate change". He said that the problem of climate change could not be tackled by creating another problem, that of radioactive waste emissions. We don't give off any greenhouse gases and we consider ourselves part of the environmental solution John McNamara British Energy However, John McNamara of British Energy said Friends of the Earth were wrong. "I don't think they have really done their homework on this," he told BBC Radio Scotland. "They are right in that nuclear power is good for the environment. We don't give off any greenhouse gases and we consider ourselves part of the environmental solution. "We don't add anything else to towards the causes of global warning." Mr McNamara said he "took the point" about nuclear waste. GM contamination However, he added: "We must remember that we are the only large-scale energy producer that can account for all of our waste." He said the technology to deal with it was available, but a political move towards establishing long-term storage was required. Aventis CropScience, which is trialling genetically modified rape seed in Scotland, is accused by FoE of having a "cavalier" approach to GM contamination. [Kevin Dunion:] Kevin Dunion: Attending Earth Summit It emerged last week that seeds from a GM crop experiment became mixed with a strain unauthorised for planting. UK ministers said the mix-up - which occurred during the seed production process - does not threaten the environment or make the experiments invalid. However, the Scottish Executive said it was a "serious breach" of GM regulations. Lafarge - the company which has proposed a massive a superquarry on the Hebridean island of Harris - is criticised for persevering with the plan despite local and government opposition. The campaigners, who also name Esso, want global corporations to clean up their acts and world leaders to introduce more regulation. © MMII | News Sources | Privacy ***************************************************************** 2 Chechen War Veteran to Build a Nuke Plant Russian NPPs Russia has 10 nuclear power plants (NPPs) in operation. The safety standards of the Soviet designed reactors have been highly questioned by international experts. During the last decade, the social issues at the Russian NPPs have become of major concern in line with the technical flaws. ST PETERSBURG - Vladimir Shamanov, Governor of Ulyanovsk County, established a working group to draft a declaration of intention with the Ministry for Nuclear Energy on building a nuclear heat plant. Gen. Vladimir Shamanov. ntv.ru Rashid Alimov, 2002-08-20 15:01 Mikhail Piskunov, chairman of Dimitrovgrad Centre for Assistance on Citizens’ Initiatives, says that he has obtained documents, revealing governor’s plan to build in Ulyanovsk County, southern Russia, a nuclear heat plant (NHP). One of the documents, the decree “On Creating a Working Group to Prepare a Mutual Declaration with Ministry for Nuclear Energy” (479-p dated 13.06.02), is signed by the head of the county General Vladimir Shamanov. Mikhail Piskunov says that the Decree refers to an agreement, which had been reached by the Ministry of Nuclear Energy, or Minatom, and Ulyanovsk County administration two years ago. As strange it might be, however, this agreement was signed on the day off — on June 12th 2000 — and has not been published, though Russian legislation demands such documents to be public domain. “Laws stipulate, such questions to be solved taking into account what people think. Like in the Soviet times, county authorities and Minatom keep their plans in secret from tax-payers, whose money would be spent on this nuclear furnace.” The draft Declaration of Intention on building the nuclear heat plant stipulates construction of two VK-300 reactors, which would cost about $310m. The document says, the reactor units are to be put in operation in 2011 and 2012. Dimitrovgrad The NHP would be located not far from Dimitrovgrad, where Nuclear Reactor Research Institute is situated. The Institute comprises seven reactors and several nuclear research subdivisions. One of the reactors in operation – VK-50 – is the prototype of the planned VK-300. “Design characteristics of VK reactors are rather poor”, says Yury Zagumennov, former scientist of the Nuclear Reactor Research Institute, now expert of Dimitrovgrad Centre for Assistance on Citizens’ Initiatives. Facts confirm this assertion. In 1996, VK-50 was accounted for an emergency emission of 4.5 tonnes of radioactive gas-vapour mixture. An earlier accident resulted in 15 tonne emission of radioactive materials. Cladding failures of nuclear fuel elements has been documented several times. The reactor uses water as coolant, generating great amounts of radioactive waste, which is dumped into the underground, into water-bearing horizons. Plans to burn plutonium Mikhail Piskunov, chairman of Dimitrovgrad Centre for Assistance on Citizens’ Initiatives. Representatives of the nuclear industry claim that they are going to burn plutonium fuel in the new nuclear heat plant. The construction of the plant, supported by Shamanov, general who fought in Chechnya, does not provide economical benefits. Energy-generating plants of the region, including heat power plants in Ulyanovsk, are not being used to their full capacity. The first-rate energy consumer in the county, Dimitrovgrad Automobile factory, refused to pay for energy, generated by VK-50 reactor, because it is too expensive. The factory preferred to receive electricity from remote Kama hydro-plant, cutting down expenses for $200 thousands monthly. Safe alternative Dimitrovgrad city administration is considering an alternative project, which can meet the entire region’s energy needs in a long run. It is a new power plant based on gas turbine. Such plant can generate up to 10MW and sell the electricity at a lower price, compared to the average price tag in Ulyanovsk County. Though, nuclear lobby attempt to put obstacles for the project. “They well understand that if they miss today’s opportunity to sell a nuclear plant, they won’t be able to do it later,” says Mikhail Piskunov. Bogus nuclear plants taking shape Possible building of a nuclear plant in Ulyanovsk County was stipulated in the federal program for Energy Efficient Economics for the Years 2002 to 2005 and till 2010 in the long-term planning part. According to this document, installed nuclear capacity of the Ulyanovsk plant operating on four power units, will be 4GW. Bellona Web reported on this Program earlier and discovered that Minatom had alienated itself from it since it was written by the Ministry for Energy and was “full of inaccuracies.” It seemed that the Program would be implemented on the sly, accompanied by Minatom's officials claims that they have nothing to do with the plans, mentioned in the Program. They would say that Program comprises the maximum of the new NPPs to be built possible, but it is not an obvious thing that all the NPPs will be actually built. In the backstage, Minatom will still be planning and building new NPPs. In the beginning of 2002, despite the public opposition, the Governor of Saratov County and the Minister for Nuclear Energy signed a declaration if intention for design and putting into operation the fifth and the sixth power units at Balakovo NPP. A similar declaration for Ulyanovsk County is being drafted as well. Minatom sends a delegation to China to sell there a recently designed floating NPP, a prototype of which seems to be under construction in Severodvinsk — and there is a line item stipulating such construction in the Program as well. Where the program filled with inaccuracies pops up next time remains to be seen. Bogus nuclear power plants taking shape Publisher: Bellona Foundation [bellona@bellona.no] , President: Frederic Hauge [frederic@bellona.no] Information: info@bellona.no [info@bellona.no] , Technical contact: webmaster@bellona.no [webmaster@bellona.no] Telephone: +47 23 23 46 00 Telefax: +47 22 38 38 62 * P.O.Box 2141 Grunerlokka, 0505 Oslo, Norway ***************************************************************** 3 Security at U.S. nuclear sites criticized Photo: A protestor sits under the watch of a guard Las Vegas SUN Today: August 20, 2002 at 11:18:15 PDT Number of Test Site armed guards drops by nearly 60 percent By Mary Manning The Energy Department has cut the number of armed guards at the Nevada Test Site by almost 60 percent in the past decade and has done the same at other nuclear facilities, weakening security of nuclear materials, a Massachusetts congressman said Monday. Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., released a 22-page report showing that between 1992 and 2001 the Energy Department trimmed the number of armed guards at the Test Site from 276 to 115 -- a 58 percent drop -- and the number of unarmed officers from 17 to four. "The Department of Energy, by its own admission, does not have adequate resources to provide security at these facilities," Markey said. Markey said he was concerned with an overall 40 percent drop in security forces at Energy Department facilities nationwide since 1992, especially given the dangers illustrated by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. The Energy Department said it took 90 minutes after the terrorist attacks to place all nuclear weapons across the country in safe havens. The congressman said he fears that terrorists could build a dirty bomb at a nuclear weapons site such as Rocky Flats, near Denver, or steal materials to make a bomb elsewhere. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham reassured Markey in a May 3 letter that guards are being hired at a record pace since Sept. 11, which is not reflected in the congressman's study. "Let me assure you that I consider this department's responsibilities to national security to be my number one priority," Abraham wrote. Security was scaled back as facilities shut down after the Cold War, but hundreds of guards have been hired since Sept. 11, Bryan Wilkes, spokesman for the National Nuclear Security Administration, said. "Any implication that nothing has changed in our security since Sept. 11 is patently ridiculous," Wilkes said. The total number of Test Site guards dropped 59 percent overall, said the report, titled "The Sum of All Fears: Security Gaps at Department of Energy (DOE) Nuclear Weapons Facilities." The Test Site, 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas, was the outdoor laboratory for U.S. nuclear weapons experiments from 1951 until 1992. Since the 1970s it has become a storage site for low-level radioactive waste from nuclear defense activities around the country. Yucca Mountain, on its western edge, has been approved by President Bush and Congress as the nation's high-level nuclear waste repository. Since 1998 the Test Site has conducted 17 subcritical experiments underground using radioactive materials that are blasted by high explosives, but do not create a nuclear chain reaction. An assessment of the Energy Department's site at the Tonopah Test Range in central Nevada was not fully completed, the report said. However, of a total of 85 armed guards at the range in 1992, 50 remained on duty in 2001. In addition the report said that the Energy Department's Office of Transportation Safeguards, which moves weapons-grade uranium and plutonium between sites, failed six of seven force-on-force exercises in December 1998. Energy Department officials replied that follow-up exercises in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 "indicate that OTS is operating at low risk." A total of 574 shipments of special nuclear materials has occurred since January 1999. While the security shortage began during the Clinton administration, after the Cold War ended, Markey criticized Bush for failing to increase funding since Sept. 11. "Incredibly, the White House has twice refused to fund security activities described by the secretary of energy as 'urgent security needs,' " Markey said. In March the Energy Department twice asked the Bush administration for $379 million in emergency security funding. "The department's remaining safeguards and security budgets are not sufficient to implement the security posture requirements that appropriately respond to the Sept. 11 attacks," Energy Department budget officer Bruce Carnes wrote in a letter to administration budget officials. Although the administration requested just $26.7 million for this purpose, Congress appropriated $360 million. However, Bush decided last week to spend only the roughly $26 million initially sought. Amy Call, spokeswoman of the White House Office of Management and Budget, said the National Nuclear Security Administration had already received $653 million to protect nuclear facilities and shipments in the current year, a sharp increase from the $411 million spent on security throughout the Energy Department last year. Wilkes said the agency is confident that its nuclear weapons facilities are secure. "Do we want more money? Sure. Could we use it? Sure. Who couldn't? But are things any less safe without more money? Certainly not," he said. Markey said he plans to try to add $300 million to the energy and water appropriations bill when Congress returns in September. Markey's report was based on more than 200 pages of documents the congressman requested from the Energy Department. Much of the material relating to security was kept secret and could not be released. The security cuts were included in unclassified materials. In the report the Energy Department also admitted that two Yemeni citizens who participated in an anti-terrorism training program disappeared from Los Alamos, N.M., after the program ended. The Energy Department said it had called in the FBI, but there was no resolution of the disappearance. Markey also said records showed computer hackers have broken into Energy Department computers numerous times since 1999. The breaches varied in their severity, but some were "root-level" compromises, which meant the hacker had enough access that a virus could be installed. Wilkes said the hacking was not a coordinated effort. He said no classified or sensitive information was compromised. Photo: A protestor sits under the watch of a guard Las Vegas SUN main page All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 4 British Nuclear Fuels condemns Greenpeace protest at dock for plutonium ships Tuesday, August 20, 2002 AP World Politics LONDON - British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. on Tuesday condemned as a "cheap publicity stunt" a protest by environmentalists designed to show how terrorists could attack shipments of nuclear fuel. On Monday Greenpeace scuba divers attached a large inflatable banner to the harbor wall outside the military port of Barrow-in-Furness in northwestern England, where a ship carrying plutonium fuel from Japan is scheduled to dock next month. The company said the demonstration had taken place a quarter of a mile from the docking area, and that protesters had not breached security. But Greenpeace said the protest revealed the lax security at the site. The uninflated banner was attached to a wall below the waterline. Inflated by remote control Tuesday, it resembled a cartoon-style bomb the size of a double-decker bus. Greenpeace northwestern England would be devastated if terrorists detonated a real bomb in the harbor when the ship arrived. More than 500 lbs (225 kgs) of rejected reactor fuel, a mixture of plutonium and uranium known as MOX, is being shipped from Japan to its British manufacturer. It has attracted protests from anti-nuclear activists who say the shipment is vulnerable to accident and terrorist attack or could be used for making nuclear weapons. "With basic equipment and little expertise we were able to simply float a boat up to the port, dive down and submerge a one tonne (ton) device — although harmless — against the harbor wall," said Stephen Tindale, Greenpeace's executive director. "It was left there for hours until we inflated it. "This demonstrates how pathetic security around the harbor is and shows the insanity of transporting extremely dangerous plutonium from port to port." (jl-rb) Copyright © 2002 The Associated Press. ***************************************************************** 5 Japan EDITORIAL: Nuclear power worries Asahi Shimbun www.asahi.com [http://www.asahi.com/] Capable inspectors are vital to ensuring safety. The government's inspection program for nuclear power plants is going to be changed radically. The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency is working on the details of a new, enhanced inspection program based on a draft plan drawn up by the government's advisory committee on resources and energy. The agency is hoping to put the new program into action in fiscal 2004, which starts in April 2004. Ensuring the safety of nuclear power plants is primarily the responsibility of the electric power companies that operate them. The safety agency inspects nuclear power plants to ensure the required safety measures are taken properly. But critics have been arguing for years that the current inspection program is too stereotyped and wasteful. Under the current system, for instance, inspectors only review the 90-odd items on the checklist, following precisely the inspection procedure and assessment method specified in a manual. It is even customary that electric utilities carry out a rehearsal before on-site inspections. The new program now under development will cover the entire range of security-related activities and systems at nuclear power plants, including inspection systems and training programs, rather than focus on the safety checks of individual equipment and operations, as now, according to the agency. The objects of inspection will not be determined in advance, nor will electric power companies be notified of upcoming inspections. Currently, the operation of a nuclear power plant is stopped once every year for annual total inspections. The new program may prescribe different intervals between the periodical inspections, depending on plant performance-there would be longer intervals for plants with good safety records than for those that have experienced problems-agency officials say, suggesting a sweeping reform of the program. We support efforts to make inspections more flexible and effective. Such efforts will help the agency use its limited inspection resources more efficiently. But changing the system alone won't automatically guarantee greater safety. What is vital for boosting the safety of nuclear power plants is improvement in the skills of inspection specialists. Even people without enough expertise about nuclear power generation, such as those who have been transferred to the agency's inspection division as part of regular personnel changes, can manage to conduct inspections under the current system because the inspection procedure is rigidly set and spelled out in the manual. But people without adequate qualifications will be useless under the envisaged flexible inspection program. Unless they have as much knowledge about nuclear technology as nuclear engineers at electric power firms, inspectors won't be able to carry out effective and focused surprise inspections or make proper assessments or suggestions for improvement. In the worst case, inspections would be virtually left to the plant operators themselves. Mindful of the importance of securing qualified inspectors, the safety agency has started employing experts, including former employees of nuclear reactor makers, through a public recruitment program and giving them intensive training. In addition to increasing the number of employees with rich firsthand experience in nuclear power plant operations, it is also important to build up a new personnel system that makes inspection specialists feel greater pride in their jobs. Recently, an inspector at the agency was arrested on suspicion of accepting a bribe. Although the allegations were not related to nuclear power plant inspections, the scandal has nevertheless delivered a blow to public confidence in nuclear power inspectors. Electrical utilities, for their part, should buttress their own safety systems and standards. The U.S. and European operators of nuclear power plants generally have an in-house safety and inspection body that operates independently of other sections. In a pro-active move, Tokyo Electric Power Co. set up such a security and inspection division at each of its nuclear power plants in July. They are bodies that operate independently of the divisions in charge of plant operations and specialize in reviewing plant security. The chief of the division is empowered to report directly to the company's head office, over the head of the plant director. Other electric utilities should follow Tokyo Electric Power's example. Japanese nuclear power plants are nearing the end of the useful lives. A series of troubles and accidents at nuclear power plants, including those at Chubu Electric Power Co.'s Hamaoka plant, have heightened public concern about safety at aging plants. The government and electric power companies should make every effort to ensure that the new inspection program will really jack up the safety levels of nuclear power plants. --The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 19(IHT/Asahi: August 20,2002) (08/20) ***************************************************************** 6 Civic group sues government to stop construction of nuclear plants in Ukraine August 20, 2002 KIEV, Ukraine - A civic group has filed suit against the Ukrainian government to stop construction of two nuclear power plants at Rivne and Khmelnytskyi, calling the projects illegal. Public Control, a non-governmental, environmental organization sued the government in a Kiev district court demanding a halt to the plants' construction, according to news reports Monday. The group claims that the State Nuclear Regulatory Committee broke the law by not conducting adequate public hearings before providing a license to the state nuclear company Energoatom to construct the new power stations. A judge agreed on Friday to hear Public Control's case after the same court denied a lawsuit by six representatives of an environmental group against Energoatom, claiming completion of the nuclear plants posed an ecological threat to the country. Ukrainian law requires the court to order construction to stop pending review of the group's petition and a decision. Court officials could not confirm whether a stop order would be issued. Energoatom denied Monday that it had received any court order to stop construction resulting from the lawsuit. Soviet-designed reactors are currently operating at Rivne and Khmelnytskyi and the disputed new reactors are about 85% complete. Ukraine negotiated to build the new reactors to compensate for the electricity lost when the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was closed in 2000. Currently, Ukraine operates four nuclear power plants with 13 reactors, nine of which are now working. The reactors are frequently shut down for malfunctions or scheduled repairs. Reactor No. 3 at the Yuzhna atomic power plant reduced its capacity by 50 percent Monday to repair a circulation pump that stopped after a short-circuit. Also, the No. 3 reactor at the Rivne atomic power plant was shut down 24 hours late Saturday to repair a pipe defect. Ukraine was the site of world's worst nuclear catastrophe in 1986 when a nuclear reactor at Chernobyl exploded and caught fire, sending a radioactive cloud over much of Europe. (ms/tv/ji) Copyright © 2002 The Associated Press. ***************************************************************** 7 Public Citizen Intervenes in FERC Complaint, Seeks Return of Nuclear Decommissioning Funds to Ratepayers* *Keep up with Public Citizen through */Aug. 19, 2002/* WASHINGTON D.C. ? A surplus in the fund to be used to decommission the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant should be returned to ratepayers ? not given to the nuclear plant?s future owner, Public Citizen told the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) today in a motion to intervene in a complaint. In the complaint, filed late last month, the New England Coalition on Nuclear Pollution and Citizen?s Awareness Network asked FERC to rule that surplus decommissioning funds should be returned to ratepayers. Entergy has agreed to purchase the plant on the condition that the company be allowed to pocket portions of the anticipated surplus in the decommissioning trust fund after the plant is decommissioned. Nuclear operators are required to establish trust funds through fees collected from ratepayers to cover the tremendous costs of decommissioning a nuclear power plant at the end of its operating lifetime. Under a deal negotiated earlier this summer, Entergy plans to keep 45 percent of the surplus in Vermont Yankee?s decommissioning trust fund. Although the Vermont Public Service Board ruled that surplus decommissioning funds should be returned to ratepayers, non-Vermont utilities in Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts had a 45 percent interest in the Vermont Yankee plant and are outside the jurisdiction of the Vermont Board?s ruling. "This amounts to corporate banditry," said Wenonah Hauter, director of Public Citizen?s Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program. "The decommissioning funds were collected from ratepayers, and the full amount of any surplus should be returned to ratepayers regardless of which state they live in." Public Citizen?s filing also noted that allowing corporations to profit from a surplus in a decommissioning fund creates a dangerous incentive for nuclear owners to delay and cut corners on clean-up in order to save money. ### SUN CAPITAL BUREAU RENO -- In five to seven years UNLV wants to be rated among the nation's top research universities while maintaining its No. 1 goal of teaching students. The research would focus on economic development in Nevada, UNLV President Carol Harter told regents Friday. One area to be studied is the transmutation of nuclear waste, a process in which the nuclear material is converted into a less radioactive product. "We need all kinds of things on hazardous waste whether Yucca (Mountain) comes about or not," Harter said. She also pushed for research into alternate sources of energy, and research into a variety of other projects, including new security systems for casinos and new computer games. "Wouldn't it be great if we could light Las Vegas with something other than traditional electricity?" Harter said. Harter outlined a preliminary draft of a master plan Friday at a meeting of the Board of Regents. Regent Chairman Doug Seastrand told Harter that he has never seen a better plan. The final plan will be submitted later to the regents for approval. "While we are moving on a research agenda, student learning is still our top agenda item," Harter said. Only 6 percent of the universities in the nation are rated in the top level for research by the Carnegie Commission, Harter said. UNLV is rated at the "research intensive" level. The University of Nevada, Reno, Harter said, is rated slightly higher, at the "extensive" level, because it has a medical school and more research dollars. One of UNLV's big needs, Harter said, is to make advances in sophisticated computers and technology. "We're behind the (technology) curve," she told the regents. The preliminary planning document says one goal is to develop and continuously upgrade "a research computing environment designed to support the high-speed computational, communication and educational needs of students and faculty engaged in research and creative activities." "We don't have enough equipment, we don't have enough software, we don't have enough technically oriented staff members," Harter said. "In distance education, we have an unlimited possibility for students to be enrolled in distance education and computer active education, and we don't have near enough staff to help us do that. "These are very complex courses to create. But once they are created, you can have an unlimited enrollment through distance education." She said student computer labs need to be replaced every two or three years for upgrades. "There is not enough money in technology," she said. "This is one of our budget requests." Another area of research is biomedical studies in the cancer institute, with the aim of developing drugs. UNLV created a 10-year master plan in 1996 but it needs to be updated, Harter said. She noted that many of the institution's goals remain the same, such as fostering diversity and free expression on the campus. Minority student enrollment has grown from 19 percent in 1996 to 30 percent, and 20 percent of the faculty is now minority, Harter said. But she said the school has to do better in those areas. Harter said the school has to create free expression to talk about these subjects, rather than just increasing these numbers. Another goal, she said, is to "hire, motivate and reward superior faculty, professional staff and classified staff." All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 16 Two reactors in Maryland sitting on 950 tons of waste* Associated Press August 20, 2002 *LUSBY, Md. (AP)? On the shore of one of the country's most bountiful waterways, the Chesapeake Bay, two reactors have produced electricity for nearly a quarter century ? and accumulated 950 tons of radioactive waste.* Some security experts worry that at Calvert Cliffs on the Chesapeake and other nuclear power plants, the most vulnerable terrorist target may not be the reactors, but the waste they produce. Last month, President Bush signed into law a plan to ship used reactor fuel, now kept in deep pools of water at power plants in 31 states, to a central underground repository in the Nevada desert. But the Yucca Mountain site is not expected to open until 2010 and still faces legal and regulatory hurdles, while the amount of reactor waste ? now about 45,000 tons nationwide ? is growing by 2,000 tons a year. Nestled on 380 coastal acres surrounded by a nature preserve, dense woods and agricultural land where tobacco farming once was a way of life, the Calvert Cliffs plant has produced about 30 tons of spent fuel a year since its two reactors began operating in the mid-1970s. Most of the radioactive waste is kept in 39 feet of treated water in what looks like an indoor swimming pool, though much deeper and reinforced with a steel liner and four feet of concrete. With pool space filing up, a small amount of the waste has been stashed in steel casks inside concrete bunkers on the site. "We think it's very safe ... in the pool and in the dry storage area," says Peter Katz, senior plant official and a vice president of Constellation Energy, the plant's owner. He says he doesn't "for a minute doubt the safety and security" of the material. Because of new terrorist concerns, Katz is tightlipped about precautions taken and he won't tell how much fuel is kept there or specify its location. He agreed only reluctantly to meet with a reporter ? and then only at the now-shuttered visitors' center outside the complex perimeter. Before Sept. 11, Calvert Cliffs officials freely provided such information, even distributing an aerial photograph identifying plant structures by number, including the reactors, spent fuel pool building, and the dry-cask waste storage area. Shown one of the photos, Katz lamented: "I can't get them all back." /©New Haven Register 2002/ ***************************************************************** 17 No Study for Skull Valley Terror Threat The Salt Lake Tribune -- Tuesday, August 20, 2002 Federal nuclear authorities have refused to study whether terrorists will target the power-plant waste storage facility proposed for the Skull Valley Band of Goshutes reservation, 45 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission rejected an emergency plea by the Utah state government last year to study the terrorism threat posed by the Skull Valley site. The NRC reasoned the Utah storage site would be included in updated security standards for all nuclear facilities that were ordered after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Plans for the $3.1 billion facility in Skull Valley call for storing up to 44,000 tons of used nuclear fuel -- all the power-plant waste ever generated in the United States. Although the waste is lethally radioactive for 100 centuries, project proponents insist the storage containers are strong enough to withstand the worst accidents, even earthquakes and aircraft crashes. The Western Governors Association, Massachusetts Rep. Ed Markey and concerned Utahns also have disputed the wisdom of transporting the waste to the Utah desert and leaving it there -- above ground and unsecured -- for decades. -- Judy Fahys © Copyright 2002, The Salt Lake Tribune All material found on Utah OnLine is ***************************************************************** 18 Sane Nuclear Storage The Salt Lake Tribune -- Utah's Statewide Newspaper Tuesday, August 20, 2002 I'm a nutty, pro-Sierra-Club-type environmentalist. Yet I think the Goshute nuclear storage idea is sound and sane. It makes sense to move all nuclear waste away from cities, into one big pile. I tend to be suspicious of technology and industry, but the technology for moving and storing spent waste is well developed. We can reasonably expect it to work. How nice if we could redirect all this liberal and conservative energy to a real crisis: population growth. Unless we have a basic change, our great-grandchildren in about 100 years are going to face a stark choice. Find another planet where we can put the next 20 billion people, or sterilize everyone who has two kids, or give up the middle-class standard of living we know and love. We might be spared by the millennium, but what if, even then, the Lord expects us to solve the practical problem by ourselves? There are far more hellish potential futures than having some Indians store waste on the other side of the mountain. ALAN RASMUSSEN Salt Lake City © Copyright 2002, The Salt Lake Tribune ***************************************************************** 19 Nuclear waste ships alter course off S Africa WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2002 THE TIMES OF INDIA WORLD: AFRICA http://www.indiatimes.com> AFP [ WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2002 1:00:37 AM ] JOHANNESBURG: Two ships carrying a cargo of deadly plutonium waste from Japan to Britain have altered course off South Africa to avoid the Greenpeace vessel Esperanza, the ecological group said on Monday. Pacific Pintail, escorted by the armed cargo vessel Pacific Teal, is carrying 255 kilograms (560 pounds) of weapons-grade plutonium back to Britain around Cape Town. The waste is being shipped back to Britain because Japan's Takahama plant in 1999 rejected it after supplier British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) admitted to falsifying data related to safety checks relating to the fuel. A Greenpeace statement said the ships had altered course in the south Atlantic to avoid meeting the Greenpeace vessel. "Given the deadly nature of the cargo, Greenpeace has undertaken not to interfere with the passage or navigation of the vessels," it added. "The weapons-grade plutonium on board could make 50 nuclear bombs. BNFL would like to see 100 more shipments like it in the next 10 years," said Tom Clements of Greenpeace, aboard Esperanza. He called on heads of government meeting in Johannesburg at the August 26-September 4 Earth summit to "reject continued use and subsidies for dirty energy like nuclear fuel, oil, gas and coal." "This one shipment alone is costing 100 million dollars, money that could be invested in clean, renewable energy, instead of being wasted on a dangerous and discredited nuclear industry," he said. Greenpeace said that BNFL, which owns the cargo and the ships, had refused to publish environmental impact assessments or notify countries on the ships' route. The 78-member African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of countries signed a strongly worded statement against the shipment last month. Copyright © 2002 Times Internet Limited. All rights reserved. | Terms of Use ***************************************************************** 20 Greenpeace ship catches up with 'plutonium carriers' [http://www.news24.com] South Africa Business 19/08/2002 21:43 - (SA) Cape Times - The Greenpeace vessel the MV Esperanza on Monday mounted a high seas protest close to the two ships allegedly transporting nuclear waste. The Esperanza left Cape Town on Saturday to tail the Pacific Pintail, heading for the United Kingdom. British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) said the Pintail was transporting a shipment of mixed oxide fuel (MOX) fuel from Japan. She is being accompanied by the Pacific Teal. Greenpeace claimed the Pintail was transporting plutonium but this was denied by BNFL. It accused Greenpeace of "gross irresponsibility". Greenpeace said in a statement that despite attempts by the two ships to evade public scrutiny by altering course, the Esperanza had located them late on Sunday night and radioed her intention to peacefully protest, but had received no reply. "The nuclear industry may try to run, but they cannot hide the fact that they are endangering the environment, lives and livelihoods of millions of people by shipping their deadly and discredited cargo around the world," Tom Clements, a Greenpeace official aboard the Esperanza, said. "This shipment alone is costing $100m - money which would be better spent on clean, renewable energy." He said when world leaders gathered in Johannesburg for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in a few days they must reject all dirty energy - nuclear, oil, coal and gas - and commit to power that does not add to the appalling environmental legacy that "nuclear and fossil fuels have left us". He said the plutonium on board the Pintail was a notorious cargo sold by BNFL in the UK to Japan in 1999. Clements said safety data about the (MOX) was falsified and when the deception had been uncovered by Greenpeace, Japan demanded the cargo be returned. "There is enough weapons-usable plutonium on board that vessel to make 50 nuclear bombs," Clements said. "If this shipment goes ahead, it will open up our seas to up to 100 more such shipments over the next 10 years. It is an issue of nuclear proliferation." Earlier on Monday BNFL accused Greenpeace of "gross irresponsibility" in broadcasting the actual position of the Pintail. BNFL spokesperson Paul Valance said in a statement from the UK that Greenpeace used a publicly available radio channel to broadcast the position of the vessels. "Greenpeace has to decide what their motivations are. Either this shipment is dangerous and potentially a target for terrorists as they claim, in which case giving away the position is irresponsible, or they must admit to the public that their sole motivation is to stage dangerous stunts for the benefit of the media," Valance said. He said Greenpeace must also stop spreading information they know is incorrect. "Their description of the cargo on this voyage is deliberately misleading. "The cargo is unused MOX fuel, and has been declared not to be waste by the appropriate regulator in the United Kingdom," Valance said. About News24 - ***************************************************************** 21 Federal officials mum on plutonium shipments from rocky flats The Daily Camera: State/west Colorado scene - August 20 By Camera wire services August 20, 2002 ROCKY FLATS Federal officials won't say if plutonium shipped from Rocky Flats has arrived at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The shipments of the nuclear material left the former nuclear weapons plant south of Boulder more than two weeks ago. Members of the Bush administration and South Carolina officials told The (Columbia) State they can't talk about the shipments because of security concerns. "If they left two weeks ago, I'd think it would be there by now," said Matthew Bunn, a Harvard University expert on nuclear security and one-time adviser to former President Bill Clinton. The weapons-grade material is being trucked in tractor-trailers and is heavily guarded by armed federal agents. BRECKENRIDGE http://web.dailycamera.com ***************************************************************** 22 DOE studies nonglass options This story was published Sat, Aug 17, 2002 By John Stang Herald staff writer Alternatives to glassifying some Hanford tank wastes are tentatively expected to be locked into Energy Department plans by 2006. Those nonglass options for radioactive wastes are tentatively scheduled to run at full speed by 2010, about the same time that Hanford's glassification plant is supposed to be fully operational. But two huge questions loom: What options actually work quicker, better and cheaper than turning Hanford's radioactive tank wastes into glass logs? How much will these options costs, and where will the money come from? Hanford's biggest problem is 53 million gallons of highly radioactive wastes in 177 underground tanks. The Tri-Party Agreement, the legal pact that governs Hanford's cleanup, mandates that the glassification plant be fully running by 2011 and that all wastes be glassified by 2028. Even so, the Department of Energy is looking for ways to neutralize the majority of the tank wastes by some method other than the melters in the glassification plant being built in central Hanford. Officials at the department's Washington, D.C., headquarters believe that quicker and cheaper alternatives to the current glassification approach can be found for possibly up to 75 percent of Hanford's tank wastes. DOE experts discussed the plans this week with the Hanford Advisory Board's tank waste committee. Some committee members worried that the focus on alternatives could divert resources from construction of the vitrification plant, where wastes will be turned to glass. "It should not come out of (Hanford's total expected $1.89 billion in 2003 cleanup money) because it'll derail the vitrification plant," said HAB member Paige Knight, representing Hanford Watch. State officials, while not rejecting alternative waste treatments, don't want anything to slow down construction and operation of a full-size glassification complex. Suzanne Dahl, tank waste disposal project manager for the state Department of Ecology, said regulators are especially opposed to replacing one of the plant's three proposed low-activity-waste melters with one of the supplemental options. If any supplemental options become viable, Hanford can treat wastes faster by using three low-activity-waste melters and the supplemental techniques, she said. The supplemental techniques under consideration include: -- Mixing some wastes with cementlike grout inside containers. This method theoretically is easy, and a higher percentage of wastes can be crammed into grout containers than inside a glassified waste container. -- Glassifying some waste inside the containers, which avoids the tricky pouring of molten glass from a melter into the containers. -- Steam reforming, which uses extreme heat and chemical injections to transform some wastes into pelletlike crystals. DOE's current timetable calls for advanced tests to be conducted until 2005 or 2006, when decisions are supposed to be made on whether to actually build facilities for these supplemental methods. By then, the economic issues are supposed to be worked out. If all goes according to plan, the facilities would be operating in 2010. No one knows yet if next year's federal budget will include enough money to meet DOE's timetable. Billie Mauss, the project's technological manager with DOE's Office of River Protection, speculated that testing planned in 2003 could require "tens of millions of dollars." Copyright 2002 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved. This ***************************************************************** 23 Nuclear Plants With Full Fuel Pools Las Vegas SUN: August 19, 2002 By The Associated Press ASSOCIATED PRESS The 21 nuclear power plants where used reactor fuel pools have reached capacity, requiring use of dry-cask storage on site. Arkansas Nuclear One (Arkansas) Rancho Seco (California) Ft. Saint Vrain (Colorado) Hatch (Georgia) Dresden (Illinois) Maine Yankee (Maine) Calvert Cliffs (Maryland) Yankee Rowe (Massachusetts) Palisades (Michigan) Prairie Island (Minnesota) Oyster Creek (New Jersey) James FitzPatrick (New York) McGuire (North Carolina) Davis Besse (Ohio) Peach Bottom (Pennsylvania) Susquehanna (Pennsylvania) H.B. Robinson (South Carolina) Oconee (South Carolina) Surry (Virginia) North Anna (Virginia) Point Beach (Wisconsin) Plants where reactor no longer operating, but fuel remains on site. Source: The Nuclear Energy Institute All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 24 Israeli nukes scare Arabs Pravda.RU Tel Aviv plays nuke games to warn Iran, Iraq, etc Aug, 19 2002 Tel Aviv plays nuke games to warn Iran, Iraq, etc Israel possesses a considerable scientific and military potential to be a nuclear power. This was stated in a report by the experts of the American organization Atomic Scientists. People who know more about it will actually have a smile on their faces instead of shocked expressions. The first steps in the development of nuclear weapons were made in 1948. The Arab countries created a huge missile potential since they did not have nuclear weapons. According to American sources, Israel had 13 A-bombs in 1973. Israel was on the list of the top six nuclear countries of the world with their plutonium reserves: 500-800 kilos vs. India’s 150 kilos. Specialists say that 260 kilos of plutonium are enough to create 85 thousand nukes. Israel has a powerful arsenal of chemical and biological weapons, as well as an efficient system for the application of weapons of mass destruction. The Jewish state is about to have its neutron and hydrogen bombs. Israel uses the leakage of information about its weapons of mass destruction to place pressure on its Arab neighbors. Israeli leaders reject any suggestions from the international community concerning the control of Israel’s arsenal of mass destruction (reportedly between 100–200 nukes). Experts say that Israeli nuclear politics is meant to constrain the enemy rather than to be the first to strike. Israel plans to use its nuclear weapons only as the last and desperate attempt to break the course of a war. However, Sharon’s adviser Dore Gold declared: "Israel has both the capability and perhaps even the freedom of action to do what is necessary to defend its population should Iraq decide to extend its war against the international community to Israel itself." The Haaretz newspaper cited Gold as saying: “Our military men will use even nuclear weapons if Iraq dares to use chemical or biological weapons.” There are several other facts to take into consideration. First, Israel has recently threatened Iran (in connection with the nuclear power plant in Busher). Secondly, the Washington Post wrote with reference to former Pentagon attendants and the US State Department that Israel might equip its submarines with nuclear warheads. Therefore, one may come to conclusion that such an obvious leakage of information regarding Israel’s nuclear plans was not incidental. These leaks are definitely approved of by the top authorities. One may assume that the era of strategic uncertainty is over. Tel Aviv is playing its nuke games as a warning to Iran, Iraq, etc. The so-called “axis of evil” countries will only accelerate their programs for the development of adequate weapons. This will be their guarantee against any threat on the part of Israel. Time will tell who will win and who will lose. Dmitry Litvinovich PRAVDA.Ru Translated by Dmitry Sudakov ***************************************************************** 25 True Stories: Fortress Australia: The Secret Bid For The Atomic Bomb ABC TV [Australian Broadcasting Corporation Online] 10:00 pm Thursday 22 August 2002 [S] Fortress Australia uncovers one of the most extraordinary, untold chapters in Australia's history - the brazen attempt by successive Australian governments to fortress the nation with atomic weapons. Recently released top secret documents finally allow this astonishing story to be told. They reveal a web of intrigue, in which Australia's nuclear industry became inextricably linked to a quest for atomic weapons technology. Set against a backdrop of cold war paranoia and fear of Asian aggression, Fortress Australia explores the motives of the politicians, defence chiefs and scientists who set out to buy, then ultimately build, a nuclear arsenal. From uranium exploration and guided weapons research to A-bomb tests on Australian soil, the film shows how Canberra aided both Britain and the United States in the hope of sharing their nuclear secrets. But it proved to be an extraordinary double-game in which both allies and enemies treated Australia with mistrust. This groundbreaking film penetrates the murky world of atomic espionage and counter-espionage. It exposes KGB infiltration of crucial political offices, which almost thwarted Australia's nuclear ambitions. It also brings to light the secret role of the Australian Atomic Energy Commission in the quest for nuclear weapons - in particular, the ill-fated Jervis Bay Nuclear Reactor Project, which could have enabled Australia to build as many as 30 nuclear weapons a year. Production Details: Directed by Peter Butt. Produced by Rob McAuley and Peter Butt. Film Australia Executive Producers: Stefan Moore/Anna Grieve. ABC Executive Producer: Dasha Ross. --> © 2002 ABC Policy [http://www.abc.net.au ***************************************************************** 26 Is DOE whittling its security forces? The Oak Ridger Online -- Area News -- Tuesday, August 20, 2002 From staff and wire reports The number of guards protecting nuclear materials and facilities nationwide has been slashed by 40 percent, jeopardizing their security, a Democratic lawmaker says. Rep. Ed Markey of Massachusetts released Department of Energy figures Monday showing that between 1992 and 2001 DOE whittled its security forces from 7,091 employees to 4,262. Among those hit were the Strategic Petroleum Reserves in Louisiana, where security forces were reduced from 233 to 113. Security personnel at the Nevada Test Site were cut from 276 to 115. Rocky Flats, a former nuclear weapons plant outside Denver, had security forces cut from 380 to 154. A spokesman for the local DOE office said this morning that security guards have been on the increase at Oak Ridge facilities since Wackenhut took over the contract for local federal security. However, no numbers were provided to compare security services over the past decade to post-Sept. 11 by The Oak Ridger's morning deadline. "It is clear that DOE has continued its long tradition of aggressive indifference to the security of its nuclear weapons facilities," Markey said in a statement. Bryan Wilkes, spokesman for the National Nuclear Security Administration, said the figures don't paint an accurate picture. He said security was scaled back as facilities shut down after the Cold War, but hundreds of guards have been hired since Sept. 11, which is not reflected in Markey's figures. "Any implication that nothing has changed in our security since Sept. 11 is patently ridiculous," Wilkes said. Wilkes said Markey has been briefed on the changes. While the bulk of the cuts in security forces came during the Clinton administration, Markey spokesman Israel Klein said a Republican Congress must take part of the blame for not spending enough on security. The security cuts were among the findings in a report Markey prepared based on more than 200 pages of documents he requested from DOE. Much of the material was classified and could not be released. Markey also said records showed computer hackers have broken into DOE computers numerous times since 1999. The breaches varied in their severity, but some were "root-level" compromises, which meant the hacker had enough access that a virus could be installed. Wilkes said the Energy Department has added "firewalls" between computer systems and patched holes in computer security and continually re-evaluates its system. "They weren't a coordinated effort and none of those systems which were attacked and compromised contained any classified or sensitive information," he said. [http://www.oakridger.com] All Contents ©Copyright The Oak Ridger ***************************************************************** 27 Report: DOE Cuts Security in Decade Las Vegas SUN: August 19, 2002 By ROBERT GEHRKE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON- The Department of Energy has cut its security force by 40 percent over the last decade, jeopardizing the security of nuclear materials and installations, a Democratic congressman said Monday. Rep. Ed Markey of Massachusetts released figures showing that, between 1992 and 2001, DOE whittled its security forces from 7,091 employees to 4,262 in 2001, a 40 percent reduction. The number of uniformed guards fell by 38 percent in that period. Among those hit were the Strategic Petroleum Reserves in Louisiana, where security forces were reduced from 233 to 113. Security personnel at the Nevada Test Site were cut from 276 to 115. Rocky Flats, a former nuclear weapons plant outside Denver, had security forces cut from 380 to 154. "It is clear that DOE has continued its long tradition of aggressive indifference to the security of its nuclear weapons facilities," Markey said in a statement. Bryan Wilkes, spokesman for the National Nuclear Security Administration, said the figures don't paint an accurate picture of the security status. He said there was a force reduction after the Cold War, as facilities were shut down, but there has been a dramatic increase in hiring since Sept. 11, which is not reflected in Markey's figures, which only go through 2001. "There are reasons for it to have gone down and there are reasons we've amped it back up," Wilkes said. "It is unfair to compare a post-Sept. 11 security world with a pre-Sept. 11 security world. You can't do it." Wilkes said Markey has been briefed on the changes, but seems to be sensationalizing the figures for political gain. While the bulk of the cuts in security forces came during the Clinton administration, Markey spokesman Israel Klein said a Republican Congress must take part of the blame for not spending enough on security. The security cuts were among the findings in a report Markey prepared based on more than 200 pages of documents he requested from DOE. Much of the material was classified and could not be released. Markey also said records showed that computer hackers have been able to compromise DOE computers numerous times since 1999. The breaches varied in their severity, but some were "root-level" compromises, which meant the hacker had enough access that a virus could be installed. Wilkes said the Energy Department has added firewalls and patched holes in computer security and continually re-evaluates its system. "They weren't a coordinated effort and none of those systems which were attacked and compromised contained any classified or sensitive information," he said. Rep. Ed Markey: http://www.house.gov/markey [http://www.house.gov/markey] Department of Energy: http://www.energy.gov [http://www.energy.gov] All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 28 D'ohlightful: The Simpsons' steadily approaches TV milestone Las Vegas SUN: Photo: Simpsons family Las Vegas SUN August 19, 2002 By Kirk Baird *****************************************************************