***************************************************************** 02/25/02 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 10.49 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POLICY 1 US: Nevada joins GAO effort to obtain federal energy panel records 2 German secret service cites Iraq's renewed work on nuclear program 3 US: New nuclear power plant considered at Ohio site 4 US: Reid to pursue energy panel records 5 US: Reid supports pursuit of energy meeting records 6 US: Reid to join lawsuit for Cheney documents 7 Russia’s widespread economic crisis has impacted operations of 8 French Socialists pledge not to boost nuclear power NUCLEAR REACTORS 9 Reactor at South-Ukrainian nuclear plant reconnected to energy 10 Iran: Reformist paper says Russians at nuclear power station may 11 US: Former First Lady tours nuclear plants, visits with local Democr 12 IRAN'S NUCLEAR REACTOR AGAIN SET BACK 13 US: Special Report: Terror Peril Seen at Indian Point 14 Brunsbuettel n-plant seen out for several weeks 15 Czech nuclear plant implements planned shutdown NUCLEAR SAFETY 16 US: Resource center to assist IAAP workers 17 US: Locals get nuclear disaster training 18 Kazakh experts voice concern over high radiation at oil and NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 19 US: Yucca: The Buck Stops With Mr. Bush 20 US: YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Guinn puts hope in courts 21 US: Used-fuel rod storage plan challenged 22 US: Yucca Mountain high 23 US: Letter: Let's get paid for being stuck with nuke waste 24 US: Guinn predicts more governors will oppose Yucca 25 US: Theft of "Hot" Tools from Utah Facility Shows Dangers of Widespr 26 US: Utah: RESOLUTION ON YUCCA MOUNTAIN AS NUCLEAR WASTE REPOSITORY 27 Russian minister urges funds to deal with nuclear waste NUCLEAR WEAPONS 28 US: U.S. Alters Policy on Nuclear Retaliation 29 Kazakhstan: Study Says Fallout From Nuclear Tests Affected Three Gen 30 US: Race for the Superbomb | Nuclear Blast Mapper 31 Japan: US nuclear-powered submarine stops off in Okinawa US DEPT. OF ENERGY 32 Sun shines on ORNL fusion research 33 New Cost-Plus-Incentive Fee Contract to be Competed for Mound ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 Nevada joins GAO effort to obtain federal energy panel records Las Vegas SUN February 25, 2002 CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Monday that he will join in a lawsuit to force Vice President Dick Cheney to detail closed meetings with energy executives - to see whether they influenced the president's support for a nuclear waste dump in Nevada. The move by Reid, the assistant majority leader in the Senate, was hailed by Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and Democratic state Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa. Leading Nevada Republicans - Gov. Kenny Guinn, Sen. John Ensign and Rep. Jim Gibbons - were hesitant or not immediately available for comment on joining the General Accounting Office lawsuit. "There's no question that Vice President Cheney met on several occasions with nuclear power executives," Reid said. "Cheney needs to stop hiding the truth. He should tell the public which executives he met with, and when he met with them." Reid said that shortly after energy executives met with Cheney, the administration started moving away from Bush's campaign promise to ensure "sound science" prevailed in any Yucca Mountain decision he made as president. "President Bush broke his promise two weeks ago," said Reid, adding that he approved the Yucca Mountain project "despite the lack of scientific evidence supporting such a decision." "It's clear George W. Bush has flip-flopped on the issue, and I think these meetings had something to do with it," Reid added - toning down his earlier accusation that Bush lied. The White House insists the energy task force records are privileged information to protect advice given to the president and to Cheney. Others in Congress want to know what influence Bush campaign donors, including those from Enron Corp., might have had on energy policy. The GAO on Friday sued Cheney, who led the interagency task force that developed the administration's energy policy announced May 17. Michael O'Donovan, spokesman for Berkley, said the congresswoman would be very supportive of Sen. Reid's efforts, adding he assumed "she will lend whatever support is required." Regarding the general GAO effort, O'Donovan added Berkley backs the move because "American citizens are going to have to abide by the energy policy established by this administration, and it's our right to know who helped to formulate that policy." Attorney General Del Papa said she "absolutely" backed Reid's move. She said she's considering a similar action that would have the state joining forces with local governments in southern Nevada that also oppose the dump. Greg Bortolin, Gov. Guinn's press secretary, said the GOP governor was in Washington, D.C. "At some point, the fight shifts to the Hill. I think this is one of those cases," Bortolin added. Amy Spanbauer, spokeswoman for Rep. Gibbons, said Gibbons is adamantly opposed to Yucca Mountain but had not seen Reid's friend-of-the-court brief the senator expects to file this week. Asked whether Gibbons would support Reid's effort, Spanbauer said it would be "irresponsible" to comment until Reid's legal maneuver is reviewed. "We'll definitely be discussing it with the senator and his staff," she added. Spanbauer also said the GAO had the right to pursue the information, but "the question also arises whether or not there is an overstepping of the boundaries between the congressional and executive branches." Ensign spokeswoman Sari Mann had no immediate comment. All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 2 German secret service cites Iraq's renewed work on nuclear program Germany-Iraq-Nuclear Program /WRD/ thr 068 Berlin, Feb 25, IRNA -- Germany's federal intelligence service BND, citing Baghdad's renewed attempts to revive its nuclear program, said Iraq could reach its pre-1991 Persian Gulf War nuclear capacities 'within three to five years', the daily Berliner Zeitung reported here Monday. According to a confidential report, released by the German secret service last January, Iraq has been involved in repair works at the Al-Kaim site and has also purchased 'nuclear relevant chemicals'. German intelligence agents have also discovered evidence that Iraq was 'continuing its bio-toxin program' and 'building up a mobile biological weapons capacity'. OT/HZ/AH ::irna 18:13 ***************************************************************** 3 New nuclear power plant considered at Ohio site Ohio News 02/25/02 T.C. Brown Plain Dealer Bureau Columbus - A former factory in southern Ohio that refined uranium for nuclear bombs during the Cold War is a "picture perfect" site for a nuclear power plant, says a state official responsible for helping approve any new reactor. Gov. Bob Taft also supports the U.S. Department of Energy's proposal to consider the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon as a site. Piketon is 70 miles south of Columbus. Because the Piketon plant worked with nuclear material, the infrastructure exists, including electric transmission and switching equipment, said Klaus Lambeck, chief of facilities siting for the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and a member of the Ohio Power Siting Board. The board examines applications and issues construction certificates for power plants. "From my standpoint, [Piketon] is picture perfect," he said. "We have concerns about losing agricultural land, but this would be [use of] an industrial brownfields site." But conservationists reacted in horror to the proposal by the DOE, which wants to bring a new U.S. nuclear power plant on line by 2010. The DOE is cooperating with the nuclear utility companies Exelon and Dominion Resources to examine Piketon, the Savannah River site in South Carolina and the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory as potential sites. No nuclear plants have been ordered in the nation since the 1979 Three-Mile Island disaster. "This is dreadful news," said Shari Weir, director of consumer issues for Ohio Citizen Action. She and others point to the expense of developing a nuclear plant, the burden of safely disposing of radioactive waste that lasts for thousands of years and the new threat of terror. "Now we have the added complication of nuclear facilities as potential targets of terrorists, ranging from the generating units themselves to on-site storage facilities to any vehicles transporting the waste," Weir said. "It's a very dangerous situation." Both sides agree Piketon appeals to the DOE because it would be easier to locate on federal land and would draw support in an area hungry for jobs. "The governor thinks everything is right," said Taft spokesman Joe Andrews. "People in the area are used to having that kind of facility located there, and workers are trained in that [nuclear] area." More than 400 of the 1,300 people working at Piketon will be laid off this summer, said the privatized federal corporation USEC, which manages the plant. It isn't active but is in "cold standby" status. State health officials recently proposed that anti-cancer pills be supplied to 200,000 people who live within 10 miles of the Davis-Besse nuclear plant in Port Clinton, the Perry plant in North Perry and the Beaver Valley plant over the Pennsylvania line in case of an accidental radiation release. Taft and Sen. George Voinovich, an Ohio Republican who has introduced legislation to relax regulatory barriers for building in the nuclear industry, are confident that adequate security can be provided. "Nuclear facilities have the potential for greater security," said Scott Milburn, Voinovich's spokesman. "Compared to other targets, it appears the nuclear industry is ahead of the curve." But some, like Vina Colley, a disabled former Piketon worker, are not confident. Colley believes her numerous health problems stem from exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls and other dangerous materials from the Piketon plant. Colley is president of a group seeking a more complete accounting of worker exposure and compensation. "This is crazy. I can't believe our government would do this to us again," said Colley. "We need jobs, but we need jobs to push for cleanup of this site. If they put a nuclear facility here, they won't have to clean it up." 'Contact T.C. Brown at: tcbrown@plaind.com, 800-228-8272 © 2002 The Plain Dealer. Used with permission. ***************************************************************** 4 Reid to pursue energy panel records Monday, February 25, 2002 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal By STEVE TETREAULT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., is preparing to get involved in the legal fight between the White House and the congressional agency trying to gain access to records of the Bush administration's energy task force. Reid will file court papers this week asking a federal judge to force the administration to disclose what role energy industries played in influencing President Bush's energy policies, including plans for a radioactive waste repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, a spokesman said Sunday. Reid is drafting a legal brief to support the General Accounting Office, an arm of Congress that has been trying to obtain information about closed-door meetings conducted by a Bush administration energy task force last year. The White House has insisted the task force records are privileged information to protect advice given to the president and to Vice President Dick Cheney. Reid believes that disclosures on meetings between Bush officials and nuclear energy executives may show the industry influenced Bush's later decisions on nuclear waste disposal, spokesman Nathan Naylor said Sunday. Reid was not available to comment. Reid, the Senate's majority whip and chairman of a nuclear regulation subcommittee, "is going to say the GAO is right to ask that these questions be answered," Naylor said. Others in Congress want to know what influence Bush campaign donors, including those from Enron Corp., might have had on energy policy. The GAO on Friday sued Cheney, who led the interagency task force that developed the administration's energy policy announced May 17. Unless there is compromise, questions about the confidentiality of task force records could take a year or two to work their way through the court system and might end up before the Supreme Court, officials have said. Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal, 1997 - 2002 ***************************************************************** 5 Reid supports pursuit of energy meeting records Las Vegas SUN February 25, 2002 By Benjamin Grove WASHINGTON -- Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., plans to step into the controversy over the Bush administration's private meetings with energy industry executives. Reid says Bush, who this month endorsed the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project in Nevada, may have changed his opinion about the controversial project after his top energy advisers met in private with nuclear energy industry leaders. "If the meetings were on the level, the vice president and the president don't have anything to worry about," Reid said in a statement released by his aides. Bush's energy task force, led by Vice President Dick Cheney, met with energy executives as it drafted its national energy strategy, released in May 2001. The General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, has sued the White House to obtain records of the meetings. Reid, the Senate Majority Whip, plans to file a friend-of-the-court brief backing the GAO's pursuit of the records, possibly this week. Bush officials will not release the documents of those meetings, saying special interests should be able to offer the president opinions without the opinions being made public. Aides said Reid's action could generate further controversy about the energy meetings, because the high-profile senator is pointing to a specific example of how industry executives may have used a secret meeting to influence national energy policy. The 48-member energy task force led by Cheney included 14 notable supporters of the federal plan to bury nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain. Nuclear industry officials met with Cheney's group in March, and the national energy policy released a few months later contained tax breaks for nuclear power and a recommendation to "use the best science to provide a deep geologic repository for nuclear waste." Reid says Bush broke the promise to "use the best science" when the president endorsed the Yucca project before scientific studies of the site were complete. "It's clear George Bush has flip-flopped on this issue, and I think these meetings may have something to do with it," Reid said in the prepared statement. All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 6 Reid to join lawsuit for Cheney documents [RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL] Jon Ralston [online@rgj.com] RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL 2/24/2002 11:13 pm The circumstantial case already is made that the Bush administration is a partially owned subsidiary of the nuclear power industry. But Sen. Harry Reid wants to make sure -- and maybe twist the political knife into the president and the Republicans. Reid announced Sunday that he will join the lawsuit filed by the General Accounting Office against Vice President Dick Cheney to find out who influenced the administration’s energy policy. (Interesting question: Rep. Shelley Berkley surely will join Reid, but will Republicans John Ensign and Jim Gibbons, who have been tepid in their criticism of the administration, and GOP Gov. Kenny Guinn join this effort to sue the vice president?) Anybody who thinks that the Bush folks, who believe nuclear power is wonderful, didn’t talk about the high-level nuclear waste problem during those meetings with industry executives is simply naive. The GAO may be standing up for an important principle. Some congressional Democrats may be trying to reel in Enron smoking guns. But Reid has smaller fish to fry vis-a-vis the national pond of Capitol Hill, but one that could be the equivalent of Jaws when it comes to the smaller state pool. “There seems to be no question that Cheney met with a number of people from the nuclear industry ... we believe eight or nine people,” Reid told Fox News’ Tony Snow. The senator then went on to say he wants to know “when, who they are and what they talked about.” And then he quietly but mercilessly closed in for the kill: “I think we’re entitled to know that, especially based on the fact that the president changed what he said during the campaign in Nevada on nuclear waste. He said, I won’t allow it unless it’s based on good science.’ He just flip-flopped on that and that’s unfortunate.” A little toned-down from Reid’s accusation that the president lied -- and, of course, Bush did. But Reid made his point, nevertheless. Of course, the administration already was suspect long before the secret meetings with the industry types. Bush was heavily supported by the nuclear power industry and one of his top fund-raisers was Tom Kuhn, the president of the Edison Electric Institute, a prime Yucca Mountain supporter. And Cheney is equally suspect. As a congressman, Cheney voted for the Screw Nevada Bill in 1987. He also accepted honoraria from Edison Electric and the American Nuclear Energy Council. And, in the coup de grace, when he came to Nevada on Oct. 9, 2000, to try to ensure the GOP ticket’s success here, he parroted Bush’s dissimulation: “I know he (Bush) will not approve either temporary or permanent storage until scientific studies are set.” That promise had a half-life of about 15 months. And Reid’s announcement Sunday could help the state discover just how incestuous the Bush administration/nuclear industry relationship truly is. And it could ensure the story of the Republicans screwing Nevada in 2002 stretches all the way to Election Day. Jon Ralston, who publishes The Ralston Report, works for Greenspun Media Group. He welcomes comments and questions. Write him at 2675Windmill, #3621 Henderson, NV 89074. Or call (702) 870-7997. © Copyright Reno Gazette-Journal, a Gannett ***************************************************************** 7 Russia’s widespread economic crisis has impacted operations of both the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Atomic Energy Annual Report to Congress on the Safety and Security of Russian Nuclear Facilities and Military Forces February 2002 Scope Note Congress has directed the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) to submit to the Congressional leadership and intelligence committees an annual, unclassified report assessing the safety and security of the nuclear facilities and military forces in Russia.  Congress further asked that each report include a discussion of the following: + The ability of the Russian Government to maintain its nuclear military forces. + The security arrangements at Russia’s civilian and military nuclear facilities. + The reliability of controls and safety systems at Russia’s civilian nuclear facilities. + The reliability of command and control systems and procedures of the nuclear military forces in Russia. This annual report is the third responding to this Congressional request.  The report addresses facilities and forces of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Atomic Energy, and other Russian institutes.  It updates the September 2000 report to Congress. This paper has been prepared under the auspices of the National Intelligence Officer for Strategic and Nuclear Programs. Key Points Annual Report to Congress on the Safety and Security of Russian Nuclear Facilities and Military Forces Moscow will continue to devote scarce resources to maintaining its nuclear forces.  Nevertheless, the aging of Russia's strategic systems and Putin's military reform plan to shift resources to the general purpose forces probably will result in Russia having fewer than 2,000 strategic warheads by 2015.  Even with ongoing reductions, Moscow probably will retain several thousand nonstrategic nuclear warheads in its inventory because of concerns over its deteriorating conventional capabilities. Russia employs physical, procedural, and technical measures to secure its weapons against an external threat, but many of these measures date from the Soviet era and are not designed to counter the pre-eminent threat faced today—an insider who attempts unauthorized actions.  + Moscow has maintained adequate security and control of its nuclear weapons, but a decline in military funding has stressed the nuclear security system.  An unauthorized launch or accidental use of a Russian nuclear weapon is highly unlikely as long as current technical and procedural safeguards built into the command and control system remain in place and are effectively enforced.  Our concerns about possible circumvention of the system would rise if central political authority broke down.  Security varies widely among the different types of Ministry of Atomic Energy (Minatom) facilities and other Russian institutes.  + Russian facilities housing weapons-usable nuclear material—uranium enriched to 20 percent or greater in uranium-235 or uranium-233 isotopes and any plutonium containing less than 80 percent of the isotope plutonium-238—typically receive low funding, lack trained security personnel, and do not have sufficient equipment for securely storing such material.  Weapons-grade and weapons-usable nuclear materials have been stolen from some Russian institutes.  We assess that undetected smuggling has occurred, although we do not know the extent or magnitude of such thefts.  Nevertheless, we are concerned about the total amount of material that could have been diverted over the last 10 years.  + In 1992, 1.5 kilograms of 90-percent-enriched weapons-grade uranium were stolen from the Luch Production Association. + In 1994, 3.0 kilograms of 90-percent-enriched weapons-grade uranium were stolen in Moscow. + In 1999, we confirmed that nuclear material seized in Bulgaria was weapons-usable. The material—four grams of highly enriched uranium—likely originated in Russia.  + Although not independently confirmed, reports of a theft in 1998 from an unnamed enterprise in Chelyabinsk Oblast are of concern.  According to Viktor Yerastov, chief of Minatom's Nuclear Materials Accounting and Control Department, the amount stolen was "quite sufficient material to produce an atomic bomb"—the only nuclear theft that has been so described.  Over the last six years, Moscow has recognized the need for security improvements and, with assistance from the United States and other countries, has taken steps to reduce the risk of theft.  + On their own initiative in 1999, 2000, and in mid-summer 2001, Russian authorities ordered increased security at nuclear facilities due to concerns about a reported increased terrorist threat as a result of Moscow’s campaign in Chechnya, according to official statements and media reporting.  + Since the September 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, Russian officials, including President Putin, have conducted a public campaign to provide assurances that terrorists have not acquired Russian nuclear weapons. Through the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program and the US Department of Energy’s Material Protection, Control, and Accounting Program, the United States continues to assist Russia in improving security at nuclear facilities.  Russia’s nuclear security has been slowly improving over the last several years, but risks remain.  Russia has announced plans to more than double its capacity to generate nuclear power over the next 20 years and to begin construction of reactors with enhanced safety features.  Since July 2001, Russian media have reported increased security measures at a number of nuclear power plants.  Even with increased security measures, however, such plants almost certainly will remain vulnerable to a well-planned and executed terrorist attack. + After the September terrorist attacks in the United States, Minister of Atomic Energy Rumyantsev reported that Russian nuclear power facilities are protected by special guards patrolling around the clock in addition to national defense forces.  An official of Rosenergoatom reported on 12 September 2001 that security services at the nuclear power plants already were working a “harsh regime” because of the continuing military actions in Chechnya and that additional security measures were not necessary.  Discussion Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, the security environment surrounding nuclear weapons and materials in Russia has changed radically.  Security measures in both the Ministries of Defense (MOD) and Atomic Energy (Minatom) during the Soviet era were aimed at preventing the external or outsider threat; it was virtually unthinkable that an insider would attempt to steal a nuclear weapon or nuclear material.  In contrast, the deterioration of the Russian economy, state security apparatus, and military has resulted in an entirely new security environment—one in which concern about an insider threat predominates.  The Russians have reacted to this new threat by instituting some new security procedures at their nuclear facilities, including instituting polygraph examinations.  Over the last three years, we have seen Moscow elevate its concern about the security of its nuclear weapons and materials.  Russian authorities ordered increased security due to concerns over a growing terrorist threat resulting from Moscow’s campaign in Chechnya, according to official statements and media reporting. + In November 2000, the Russian Government instructed Minatom and other federal executive agencies to implement additional measures to step up the physical security of nuclear installations, including modernizing security systems.  Minatom—along with the MOD, the Federal Security Service, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs—was to evaluate external and internal threats to nuclear installations and develop physical security enhancements. + In addition, immediately following the September terrorist attacks in the United States, Russian President Putin called for the Russian military and security services to heighten security, according to Russian media. The United States is working cooperatively with Moscow to increase the safety and security of nuclear-related facilities, infrastructure, and personnel.  The Russian MOD is responsible for the nuclear military forces and its nuclear weapons storage system.  Minatom operates the national nuclear weapons complex, conducts weapons-related tests at the MOD’s nuclear test site, and controls most nuclear-related institutes and industrial facilities.  Minatom and Rosenergoatom operate Russia’s nuclear power reactors.  + The US Department of Defense, through the Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Program, is assisting MOD and Minatom.  + The US Department of Energy, through the Material Protection, Control, and Accounting (MPC&A) Program, exchanges between the US national laboratories and Russian components, and the Nuclear Cities Initiative, is providing security assistance to Minatom; Rosenergoatom; the Russian Navy; Gosatomnadzor (GAN); and the Ministries of Interior, Education, and Economy. Ministry of Defense Nuclear Weapons Inventory Moscow currently maintains fewer than 5,000 operational strategic nuclear warheads in its strategic nuclear triad, which is composed of ICBMs, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and heavy bombers carrying nuclear-tipped air-launched cruise missiles.  Despite the emphasis on nuclear weapons as Russia’s primary means of deterrence, Russian strategic nuclear forces are subject to the same significant budget constraints affecting other portions of the government.  The strategic forces will face additional budget cuts, resulting in lower strategic warhead levels, because Putin’s military reform plan will shift resources to the general purpose forces.  Nevertheless, Moscow continues to devote scarce resources to maintaining and modernizing its forces. + Russian officials have claimed publicly that the harsh economic realities and aging of strategic systems will drive their strategic forces down to fewer than 2,000 warheads.  Russia has increased efforts in recent years to extend the service lives of most strategic systems in order to maintain as many warheads as possible.  + Until recently, one of Russia’s highest military priorities has been the deployment of its most modern ICBM, the SS-27/Topol’-M.  Twenty single-warhead SS-27s were deployed by the end of 1999.  Russia planned to deploy ten additional missiles by the end of 2000, but only half were deployed.  Deputy Prime Minister Klebanov said last October that Russia would deploy a minimum of six missiles annually over the next decade.  Nuclear Warhead Security The Russians have maintained security and control of their nuclear warheads and weapons, although the economic crisis of the 1990s and the consequent decline in military funding have stressed the country’s nuclear security system. + Russia currently uses essentially the same nuclear command and control system built by the Soviet Union, whose military and political leaders—concerned about the possibility of an unauthorized launch—built a highly centralized system with technical and procedural safeguards.  We judge that an unauthorized launch or accidental use of a Russian nuclear weapon is highly unlikely as long as those safeguards remain in place.  A breakdown of central political authority, however, would raise our concerns about possible circumvention of the system.  + Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Moscow has consolidated all nuclear weapons of the former Soviet stockpile into storage sites in Russia.  We assess that by June 1992, the last of the former Soviet tactical nuclear warheads were withdrawn to Russia, and that by the end of 1996, the last of the strategic nuclear warheads had been removed from Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Belarus. Russian officials have stated that thousands of nuclear warheads from the former Soviet stockpile have been dismantled since 1991; reportedly over 10,000 warheads have been eliminated. + Bilateral agreements between Ukraine and Russia called for the elimination of some 4,500 nuclear warheads—both nonstrategic and strategic—that were once stored on the territory of Ukraine.  Ukrainian officials reportedly monitored the disassembly of these nuclear warheads at the Russian dismantlement facilities.  Press reports indicate that the Ukrainian nuclear warheads were eliminated by 2000.  Moscow is significantly reducing its nonstrategic nuclear stockpile.  In October 1991, then-Soviet President Gorbachev, responding to a US presidential initiative, announced that the Soviet Union would unilaterally consolidate most of its nonstrategic nuclear warheads in central depots and would eliminate a major portion of them.  In January 1992, President Yel'tsin publicly reaffirmed Gorbachev’s announcement.  Although Russia has taken some actions to fulfill these pledges, Moscow—because of concerns over deteriorating conventional capabilities—probably will retain several thousand nonstrategic nuclear warheads through at least 2015. Physical Security.  To secure their weapons, the Russians employ a multi-layered approach that includes physical, procedural, and technical measures.  The security system was designed in the Soviet era to protect weapons primarily against a threat from outside the country and may not be sufficient to meet today’s challenge of a knowledgeable insider collaborating with a criminal or terrorist group.  General-Colonel Igor Valynkin, chief of the 12th Main Directorate of the Ministry of Defense (12th GUMO)—the organization responsible for warhead storage, maintenance, and logistics—stated in August 2000 that there have been no incidents of attempted theft, seizure, or unauthorized actions involving nuclear weapons. Since the September 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, President Putin and Valynkin have conducted a public campaign to provide assurances that terrorists have not acquired Russian nuclear weapons.  + Valynkin announced on 25 October that security had been stepped up at Russian nuclear weapons storage sites since the attacks on the United States.  He also noted that security had been heightened earlier in the year after Russian authorities had twice thwarted terrorist efforts to reconnoiter nuclear weapons storage sites.  Valynkin stated that none of the terrorists entered the nuclear weapons sites. + At a subsequent press conference on 27 October, Valynkin was adamant that no Russian nuclear weapons had been stolen and described such allegations as “barking mad.”  He reiterated that nuclear warhead personnel are subject to psychological, lie detector, drug, and alcohol testing. + In a 10 November interview, President Putin said he was “absolutely confident” that terrorists in Afghanistan do not have Soviet or Russian weapons of mass destruction.  Over the last six years, Moscow has recognized the need for security improvements and, with US assistance, has taken steps to reduce the risk of theft.  We judge that nuclear security would improve over time if Russia routinely implemented security upgrades and procedures under US-funded threat reduction programs.  Some of the key US-funded security upgrade programs include: + Perimeter security upgrades around nuclear storage sites, including fences, sensors, and alarms. + Computers to automate the warhead inventory management system. + Transportation upgrades to railcars and the provision of supercontainers and Kevlar blankets for shipment of warheads to increase their protection from small-arms fire. + Training and equipment for Emergency Response Teams for nuclear accidents. Valynkin has admitted that a lack of domestic funding has made Russia dependent on foreign assistance for physical security upgrades.  Quoting Valynkin, an August 2000 press report stated that the United States is financing the procurement of security systems for the MOD.  The newspaper also described Valynkin as troubled because only a third of the new equipment had been put into service due to funding shortages.  Despite the lack of funds, however, the chief of the MOD’s Special Construction Troops reported in December 2000 that security enhancements were being completed at dozens of nuclear facilities. Even with the enhancements, security problems may still exist at the nuclear weapons storage sites.  In August 2001, an anonymous military officer claimed in a Russian television program interview that security was lax at 12th GUMO sites.  The officer outlined a number of problems at the storage sites, including charges that there are personnel shortages and that alarms systems operate only 50 percent of the time.  The officer speculated that a terrorist organization could seize a nuclear warhead.  Personnel Reliability.  Much like other parts of the military, the Strategic Rocket Forces and the 12th GUMO have also suffered from wage arrears as well as shortages of food and housing allowances.  In 1997, the 12th GUMO closed a nuclear weapons storage site due to hunger strikes by the workers; in 1998, families of several nuclear units protested over wage and benefit arrears.  According to Russian press, the MOD addressed most of the arrears by early 1999, and wages are now paid regularly.  Even when paid, however, officers’ wages rarely exceed $70 a month and wives cannot earn a second income because the storage sites are usually located far from cities, according to the anonymous 12th GUMO officer. + Housing for 12th GUMO personnel is of poor quality or nonexistent.  According to the Chief of Staff of the 12th GUMO, there are 9,500 homeless active duty and retired officers.  The poor living conditions of the officers—who contend with lack of heating, leaky plumbing, and deteriorating buildings—have been reported by Russian press. Moscow has acknowledged the potential vulnerability of its nuclear security personnel.  In October 1998, General Valynkin referenced serious incidents that had occurred at some of his subordinate facilities and stated that more stringent selection criteria for nuclear warhead personnel would be used.  Speaking at a press conference concerning US CTR funding in February 1999, Valynkin acknowledged, “the greatest problem is the person who works with nuclear warheads.  He knows the secrets, he has the access, he knows the security system.” + Valynkin emphasized that personnel are thoroughly screened for links to the crime world and for their suitability to work with warheads. + He added that the 12th GUMO would be using US CTR-provided polygraph equipment and drug and alcohol tests to monitor the reliability of its personnel.  In May 2000, Valynkin stated that two students at the 12th GUMO’s Security Assessment Training Center were expelled as a result of the drug tests. + Valynkin also reported in May 2000 that the MOD is changing warhead transport security operations by using officers rather than enlisted personnel because across the entire MOD, during that month alone, seven sentries had left their posts. Ministry of Atomic Energy Nuclear Materials Security Russian officials recognize the need to improve the security of weapons-usable nuclear materials that we assess are stored in over 300 buildings at over 40 facilities across the country.  After a cabinet meeting on the topic in September 2000, Prime Minister Kasyanov stated publicly that protection of fissile materials varies from place to place and that in some cases the material is endangered.  At the same press conference, a Deputy Minister of Atomic Energy noted that reported attempts to steal fissile materials had dropped significantly in recent years.  He said that whereas there were 21 such reports from 1991 to 1994, there were only two from 1995 to 1999.  The Deputy Minister also criticized Western press reports for exaggerating the problem. + Minatom officials provided no details about the incidents and have not subsequently provided updated data for 2000 and 2001.  There have been, however, a number of press reports about materials seized in Russia about which we have no further information because Russia typically does not reveal the results of its investigations.    Press reports, in fact, generally overstate the impact of stolen material, often referring to or implying that depleted, natural, or low-enriched uranium are weapons-grade or weapons-usable material.[1] + Weapons-usable material is defined as uranium enriched to 20 percent or greater in the uranium-235 or uranium-233 isotopes (highly enriched uranium—HEU) and any plutonium containing less than 80 percent of the isotope plutonium-238. + Weapons-grade material is typically defined as uranium enriched to greater than 90 percent uranium-235 or uranium-233, or plutonium-239 containing less than 6 percent plutonium-240. Russian institutes have lost weapons-grade and weapons-usable nuclear materials in thefts. + In 1992, 1.5 kilograms of 90-percent-enriched weapons-grade uranium were stolen from the Luch Production Association. + In 1994, 3.0 kilograms of 90-percent-enriched weapons-grade uranium were stolen in Moscow. + In 1999, we confirmed that a Bulgarian seizure of nuclear material was weapons-usable.  The material—four grams of HEU—likely originated in Russia.  + Although not independently confirmed, reports of a theft in 1998 from an unnamed enterprise in Chelyabinsk Oblast are of concern.  According to Viktor Yerastov, chief of Minatom's Nuclear Materials Accounting and Control Department, the amount stolen was "quite sufficient material to produce an atomic bomb"—the only nuclear theft that has been so described.  The reduction in seizures of stolen material and in reported theft attempts may be due to several factors:  US assistance to improve security at Russian facilities, a possible decrease in smuggling, or smugglers becoming more knowledgeable about evading detection.  We assess that undetected smuggling has occurred, although we do not know the extent or magnitude of undetected thefts.  Nevertheless, we are concerned about the total amount of material that could have been diverted over the last 10 years.  Efforts To Improve Physical Security and Safeguards.  Prior to DOE assistance to enhance safeguards and security, Russian MPC&A practices did not meet internationally accepted standards.  Russian facilities housing nuclear materials typically receive low funding, lack trained security personnel, and do not have sufficient equipment for securely storing nuclear materials.  The DOE-administered MPC&A program, as well as other programs, is assisting the former Soviet states to upgrade safeguards (accountability and control) over nuclear materials and physical security at a wide range of nuclear facilities.  For example: + A US-funded computer system to handle inventory reporting to Minatom headquarters began to come on-line at pilot facilities in mid-2001 and will require officials to track materials closely to better assure timely detection in the event of a loss or diversion. + The US Department of Defense is helping Russia to build a state-of-the-art storage facility for long-term secure storage of plutonium and HEU from dismantled nuclear weapons. + Russia and the United States have broadened their cooperative work to include securing Russian Navy highly enriched uranium reactor fuel at three naval land-based storage sites. + The United States is purchasing 500 MT of HEU—$12 billion over a 20-year period—which Russia is blending down into low-enriched uranium suitable for use in nuclear power reactors. + A new DOE/Minatom effort seeks to convert highly enriched uranium to low enriched uranium under the MPC&A Program’s Material Consolidation and Conversion initiative. + DOE has implemented a sustainability program to assist with maintenance, training, and operation of the upgraded physical security systems in response to Russian budgetary problems and potential neglect of equipment. In mid-2001 DOE reported that by the end of FY 2001 "comprehensive" security upgrades would have expanded to cover an estimated 21 percent of Russia’s weapons-usable nuclear material, and that if facilities protected by “rapid upgrades” were added, the percentage would increase to 48.[2]  When the upgrades currently underway are completed, the portion of material with improved security will increase to approximately 65 percent.  Progress is most advanced at civilian institutes and Russian Navy sites, and lags at Minatom facilities within the nuclear weapons complex—which contain most of the material of proliferation interest—because Russian security concerns prevent direct US access to sensitive materials. + The progress at civilian and naval sites addresses key vulnerabilities because seizures involving HEU and separated plutonium have been linked to these locations rather than nuclear weapons assembly/disassembly plants. + Russia’s nuclear MPC&A has been slowly improving over the last several years, but risks remain.  Economics and Personnel Reliability.  Even after technical modernization, security for weapons-usable nuclear material depends largely on the diligence, competence, and morale of personnel who monitor systems and guard material and facilities and on managers who must emphasize security over production.  Programs to improve physical security, accountability, and training could be undermined by disgruntled Russian personnel or unreceptive managers and employees. Because of improvements in the national economy, Russia and Minatom are now able to pay personnel on time.  Thus, for now, compensation and benefits appear adequate, and personnel no longer face the financial pressures of the late 1990s that might have led some to permit or actively participate in weapons-usable nuclear material theft. Convenience and pressure to produce also can contribute to lapses in security.  US Government Accounting Office auditors noted in their February 2001 report that, at one facility, a gate in a fence emplaced with US aid around a weapons-usable nuclear material storage building was routinely left open and unguarded during the day.  Russian officials explained that it was simply too much trouble for the employees to open and close the combination lock repeatedly as they entered and left the building.  This practice, however, undermined control of access and meant that the only security measures in effect were the perimeter fence and guards at the facility. Safety at Russian Nuclear Material Processing Facilities  Russian HEU facilities have at least three levels of contamination control.  + Level one denotes an area of essentially no contamination. + Level two denotes an area of lower contamination where personnel are required to wear protective clothing and masks, but extensive monitoring is not required.  Such areas include oxide purification, calcining, container storage, and fluorination.  + Level three denotes an area of high contamination that requires protective clothing and masks, and requires extensive monitoring to reduce the spread of contamination.  Such areas include metal machining and oxidation.  The monitoring of personnel radiation safety is also a multi-layered process. + Workers and visitors are required to wear the standard Russian particulate control mask while in nuclear facilities.  In addition, shoes and protective clothing (hats, gloves, lab coats, and in the chemical metallurgical areas full body protective clothing) are provided. + Radiation dosimeters are available and generally are used by Russians and visitors to their plants.  Radiation- monitoring devices mounted along the walls are present in areas of HEU operations, along with air-sampling ports.  + Personnel and visitors are required to wash their hands when leaving contaminated areas; then both hands and feet are checked by an alpha radiation detector.  Another safety program is criticality safety—the process established to prevent the initiation of self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.  There are two main types of controls used to prevent criticality accidents:  administrative controls and physical controls.  + Administrative controls refer to a series of rules and regulations that limit how much material may be in a specific type of container or location to prevent a critical mass from forming. + Physical controls—such as the use of specially sized and configured pipes or designated storage locations that ensure proper spacing—are designed to separate fissile material and prevent a critical mass. Russian nuclear facilities predominantly use physical controls, which are the more stringent and secure of the two types of controls, although we question whether they routinely follow their own rules. Safety and Security at Russian Civilian Nuclear Power Plants Russia has announced plans to more than double its capacity to generate nuclear power over the next 20 years, to begin construction of reactors with enhanced safety features, and to restart its long-dormant fast breeder reactor program.  The funding has not yet been allocated.  To fulfill the plan, Russia will have to extend the lives of the first-generation plants, which presents some risk to the safety of individuals living near them.   + Russian RBMK and VVER-440 and -1000 reactors are aging and seven first-generation Russian nuclear power reactors will reach the end of their service lives within the next five years.    + A major continuing problem for the Russian nuclear power industry is the failure of its customers to pay for electricity, which has contributed to a lack of resources for maintenance, spare parts, and salaries. Western assistance has been improving the safety systems and operating procedures at Soviet-designed nuclear reactors.  However, inherent design deficiencies in RBMK and older model VVER reactors will prevent them from ever meeting Western safety standards. + The Most notable design flaw is the lack of Western-style containment structure to prevent the release of fission products in the event of a serious accident. + Other serious design shortcomings include poor fire safety and undersized emergency core cooling systems. + Another potential disastrous flaw in the VVER reactors is the susceptibility of its reactor pressure vessels to become brittle because of radiation, thermal changes, and mechanical vibrations.  This gradual loss of malleability, which particularly affects the welds, could cause the container to crack and rupture, especially during an emergency shutdown when the vessel is suddenly filled with comparatively cold water. After the September terrorist attacks in the United States, Minister of Atomic Energy Aleksandr Rumyantsev reported that Russian nuclear power facilities are protected by special guards patrolling around the clock in addition to national defense forces.  A Rosenergoatom official reported on 12 September 2001 that security services at the nuclear power plants are already working a “harsh regime” because of the continuing military actions in Chechnya and that additional security measures were not necessary.  Since July, Russian media have reported increased security measures at a number of plants: + The Voronezh Oblast decided to reinforce security at the Novovoronezh nuclear power plant.  The Main Directorate of Internal Affairs of the Oblast was to coordinate with the Federal Security Service to ensure adequate protection of the plant’s perimeter, and trees and vegetation around the plant were to be cut down. + An exercise was conducted at the Volgodonsk nuclear power plant to practice preventing a terrorist act.  The exercise involved plant personnel and units from the power ministries. + The Kola nuclear power station stepped up security.  Internal troops were continually patrolling the perimeter, additional checkpoints had been set up, and armored personnel carriers were available to respond to a call.   + In Rostov, an FSB spokesman said his agency and other law enforcement officials had learned of possible extremist threats to nuclear installations in the region and were enhancing protection of the nuclear power plant.   Even with increased security, however, Russian nuclear power plants almost certainly will remain vulnerable to a well-planned and executed terrorist attack. [1] In contrast, non-weapons-grade nuclear material thefts, particularly containers of radionuclides such as   cesium-137 or strontium-90, have been frequent and well documented.  Terrorists could use these radionuclides to build a radiological dispersal device (RDD).  An RDD is defined as a device designed to disperse radioactive material to cause injury and contamination by means of the radiation.  Reportedly, Chechen terrorists placed a container holding a small amount of cesium-137 in a Moscow Park in November 1995.  Remarking on this event, General Dudayev, the former leader of the Chechen independence movement, stated "[this] is just a scant portion of the radioactive substances which we have at our disposal." [2] “Rapid upgrades” include items such as baseline item inventories, locks, delay blocks, steel cages, limiting access, and hardening windows.  “Comprehensive upgrades” include rapid upgrades plus detection systems, closed-circuit television monitoring and assessment systems, material measurement equipment, and computerized accounting systems. ***************************************************************** 8 French Socialists pledge not to boost nuclear power FRANCE: February 25, 2002 PARIS - France's Socialist Party has pledged not to generate more nuclear power if it wins the country's elections this year and will look instead to alternative sources, including renewable energy. "Nuclear production capacity will not be increased: all efforts will be on developing working installed capacity using alternative (gas, clean coal) and renewable energies (wind, hydraulic, biomass)," the Socialists said in a statement. Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin announced on Wednesday he would challenge incumbent Jacques Chirac for the French presidency in elections in April. Parliamentary elections are scheduled for June. Jospin has shared power for five years with the conservative Chirac, who has spoken out in favour of continued nuclear power. France has the highest concentration of nuclear power generation, with more than 75 percent of France's electricity output arising from fission. About 18 percent of electricity generated is exported, making France the world's top power exporter. Industry Secretary Christian Pierret, a Socialist, said a report to parliament last month that France should boost investment in renewable energy including wind power and curb energy demand to prevent shortfalls over the next nine years. In a statement with the report, the ministry made no mention of nuclear power, which s seen as a politically sensitive topic given the presence of the environmentalist Greens party in Jospin's centre-left government. REUTERS NEWS SERVICE ***************************************************************** 9 Reactor at South-Ukrainian nuclear plant reconnected to energy grid BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Feb 25, 2002 Text of report by Ukrainian news agency UNIAN Kiev, 25 February: The No 3 reactor at the South-Ukrainian nuclear power plant was reconnected to the country's energy grid at 0534 this morning after the completion of planned repairs at 0400. UNIAN learnt the news from the State Committee for Nuclear Regulation. The reactor's capacity reached almost 400 MW in the morning (40 per cent of capacity). As of today, 12 out of 13 reactors at Ukraine's nuclear power stations are in operation. Planned repairs are taking place at the No 4 reactor at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. Source: UNIAN news agency, Kiev, in Ukrainian 0816 gmt 25 Feb 02 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. ***************************************************************** 10 Iran: Reformist paper says Russians at nuclear power station may be leaving BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Feb 24, 2002 Text of report by Iranian newspaper Bonyan web site on 25 February Only a few days after the publication of a report on the Russian energy minister's changing of the policy of nuclear cooperation with Iran, it is being said that Russian specialists at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Station are leaving Iran and returning to Russia. The weekly, Marianne, which is published in Paris, reported last week that the Russian atomic energy minister has imposed severe restrictions on the transfer of nuclear technology to Iran. According to a report by the correspondent of Bonyan, media circles are discussing the reports on the return of Russian specialists to their country and they are whispering in each others' ears. However, no official is prepared to either deny or confirm the report. Our correspondent contacted Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi who did not deny the veracity of the report. He merely refused to confirm it. He said: Such reports are not confirmed. Our correspondent also contacted Musavi, who is the spokesman and director-general of public relations at the State Atomic Energy Organization. He said: That is not a particularly important matter. A group of people are always coming here, while others may be leaving. He added: Experts do not stay in one place all the time. Those whose expertise is required come here, while others may leave and go elsewhere. At the same time, he did not deny the veracity of the aforementioned report and said: In our view, that is not something on which we need to take a position. The Majlis deputy from Bushehr, Mohammad Dadfar, told our correspondent: There have been reports on this here and there. However, what is clear is that the Russians do not have one policy on the Bushehr Power Station. Sometimes, they increase the number of their personnel. However, at other times, they recall their specialists. He refused to elaborate further. Source: Bonyan web site, Tehran, in Persian 25 Feb 02 pp 1, 12 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. ***************************************************************** 11 Former First Lady tours nuclear plants, visits with local Democrats– [The Fulton Valley News] Former First Lady speaks U.S. Senator and Former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton addresses local Democrats while at a restaurant in Oswego Tuesday. Mrs. Clinton toured the county's nuclear power plants earlier in the day and met with local Democratic leaders, including John Sullivan (left), a former mayor of Oswego. U.S. Senator visits with county Democrats U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton poses with Oswego County legislators Doug Malone (left) and Mike Kunzwiler, the legislature's minority leader, during a visit to the area Tuesday. After touring the three nuclear power plants in Oswego County, the former First Lady met with a handful of Democrats from the county. She said the federal government should do more to pay for added security to protect the plants. -Valley News photos by Carol Thompson ***************************************************************** 12 IRAN'S NUCLEAR REACTOR AGAIN SET BACK Middle East Newsline - [menl@menewsline.com] MOSCOW [MENL] -- A Russian program to construct an Iranian nuclear reactor appears to have sustained another delay. Russian officials said the $800 million Bushehr reactor project has experienced technical and administration woes that could set back efforts at completion for up to a year. They said this would mean that Bushehr would be completed in 2005. Iranian officials had maintained that they received a commitment from Moscow to complete Bushehr in early to mid-2004. Earlier this month, Russian Deputy Nuclear Energy Minister Valery Lebedev said Moscow plans to complete construction of Bushehr in late 2004 or early 2005. Lebedev was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying that Russia would not cancel its Bushehr contract despite U.S. pressure. [editor@menewsline.com] for further details. ***************************************************************** 13 Special Report: Terror Peril Seen at Indian Point New York Daily News Sunday February 24 06:37 AM EST By RICHARD T. PIENCIAK The concrete containment domes of the Indian Point nuclear complex stand tall along the banks of the Hudson River, just 24 miles from the northern border of the Bronx. When the two active reactors are working at capacity, they generate enough electricity to light nearly 2 million homes. Since the now-closed Unit 1 began operations 40 years ago, there's been intense debate about whether the plant can run safely . But the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center has turbocharged efforts to have the nuclear facility shut. Federal documents reviewed by the Daily News as well as interviews with experts suggest that the complex may be more vulnerable to attack than previously known. In the age of Al Qaeda, these are the main concerns: The containment domes at Indian Point's two active reactors were not built to withstand a terrorist attack by modern-day jumbo jetliners, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission documents show. The plant's cumbersome four-county evacuation plan is untested and is the subject of growing derision. Some 20 million people live within 50 miles of Indian Point, the highest population density around a nuclear plant in the country. The three buildings that house 1,500 tons of highly radioactive spent fuel rods — Unit 1 was shut in 1974 — are nowhere near as strong as the containment domes — especially the roofs and exposed sidewalls. NRC documents suggest a severe accident at one of Indian Point's spent fuel storage buildings — say, one caused by a terrorist airliner attack — could unleash a radioactive plume rivaling an aerial release from a reactor core meltdown. The two active reactors, now owned by Entergy Corp., have a long history of safety problems and violations. Unit 2, bought last year from Consolidated Edison, is the only commercial nuclear plant in the country to carry a "code red" safety designation because of "multiple degraded cornerstones." NRC officials left the red designation in place after a reevaluation in December. Over the years, Unit 3, bought in 2000 from the New York Power Authority, also has been cited for numerous safety violations. Entergy officials insist the plants are safe and warn that closing Indian Point, which supplies 7% of the state's power, could lead to rolling blackouts and price spikes. Studies show that a shutdown could cause an 8%-to-10% increase in the cost of electricity to consumers in the peak months of July and August. However, replacement power could be purchased from the New England region, which has a surplus. Some critics say the Indian Point units could be converted to gas fuel. Also, several highly efficient gas-fired power plants are slated to come on line within the state in 2004. The airplanes that were flown into the World Trade Center towers on behalf of Osama Bin Laden five months ago could just as easily have been used to attack Indian Point's Units 2 and 3. In his State of the Union address, President Bush warned that the nation's nuclear power plants could be next on Bin Laden's hit list after he revealed diagrams of American nuke sites had been discovered by U.S. troops in Afghanistan. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials issued an alert last month warning plant operators that terrorists may be planning an attack on one or more of their facilities using hijacked commercial jetliners. Without providing details, James Kallstrom, a former FBI official who serves as Gov. Pataki's statewide director of public security, has assured the public that Indian Point is secure. Kallstrom has said his office made 24 specific recommendations to the NRC and Indian Point operators, most of which were implemented. On Feb. 14, the NRC issued security regulations, basically codifying the changes called for by Kallstrom and his review team. Still, as Sept. 11 has receded, the official response has flagged — especially, involving greater protection around nuclear sites. No-fly zones imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration over nuclear reactors were removed in November. Gone, too, are 24-hour Coast Guard patrols in the Indian Point section of the Hudson. Terrorist Threat Is Real When the Indian Point plants were built, planners did not consider the possibility of a terrorist attack using a commercial jetliner. Aircraft then were smaller, lighter and carried less fuel. Ed Lyman, scientific director of the Nuclear Control Institute, a Washington-based group that opposes nuclear arms proliferation, said the Trade Center attack "was a real eyeopener" that required "another look at what the worst threat really is. "The issue of a jumbo jet loaded with fuel and used as a weapon is not something that was in any nuclear reactor's design basis," he said. According to an NRC report reviewed by The News, half of today's jumbo jets could penetrate a concrete wall 5 feet thick. The tops of the containment domes on the two operating Indian Point reactors are only 3? feet thick. Spent Fuel Rods Concern The vulnerability of the buildings that house more than 30 years of spent fuel rods could pose an even more serious threat. "They are very susceptible to large planes," said Mark Jacobs, a co-founder of the Citizens Awareness Network, a grass-roots organization. "They are not as reinforced as the containment domes." Each reactor's control room also is outside the containment dome, thereby representing another potential "soft target," according to Kyle Rabin, policy analyst for the Riverkeeper, an environmental watchdog organization that has filed a petition with the NRC seeking an Indian Point shutdown. David Lochbaum, a nuclear safety engineer with the Union of Concerned Scientists, told The News that the roofs of the Indian Point spent fuel buildings contain only 5 to 8 inches of concrete and that the sidewalls — designed to withstand a tornado, not an airplane attack — contain about 18 inches of concrete near the bottom and about 12 inches near the top. The Indian Point containment domes have not only thicker tops, but sidewalls that contain up to 6 feet of concrete, Lochbaum said. Michael Slobodien, Entergy's director of emergency services, says the spent fuel storage buildings are relatively small, largely underground and shielded from a direct aircraft attack by adjacent structures. Lochbaum agrees it would be difficult, but not impossible, for an airplane to strike the storage pools. "If a plane were to end up in there and cause the water to drain away, it would have severe consequences because there is five to six times the amount of radioactive material in those buildings than in the reactor, and there are fewer barriers to the outside world," Lochbaum said. Citing an NRC study, Lochbaum said the death toll from a successful terrorist attack on an irradiated fuel pool could be comparable to the fatalities sustained by a major accident that breached the containment dome. A worst-case scenario accident at Indian Point, with a meltdown and complete failure of the containment structure, could lead to about 50,000 deaths in the first year, according to a study conducted by the Sandia National Laboratory for the NRC. The problem of spent fuel storage has been a long-term Achilles' heel for the nuclear power industry. Deadline after deadline has passed for the creation of a high-level waste facility to accommodate used fuel rods from the nation's 103 operating plants. Last week, after the United States spent $7 billion on research during the past 20 years, President Bush recommended that the Yucca Mountain site in Nevada serve as the nation's first high-level radioactive waste depository. Nevada officials have vowed to fight the designation. Because construction of a national high-level radioactive waste facility has been delayed for so long, many sites — especially older ones such as Indian Point — have been forced to house more spent fuel for longer periods than was envisioned when the plants were built. A breach of one of the Indian Point storage buildings could cut off the water supply to the spent fuel pools, though Entergy says it has multiple redundant systems in place. An NRC study says that in a worst-case scenario, the lack of water could cause a massive fire fueled by the zirconium-alloy cladding that surrounds the fuel rods. Such a fire could lead to the disbursal of highly irradiated materials, including plutonium, one of the most lethal substances known to man. A spent fuel pool fire also would lead to widespread release of cesium-137, a radioactive isotope with a half-life of 30 years that contributed to most of the off-site radiation exposure after the 1986 Chernobyl accident. Dr. Gordon Thompson, a scientist hired by Riverkeeper, says NRC studies assume that 100% of the cesium-137 inside a spent fuel pool would be released into the atmosphere during a pool fire. 10-Mile vs. 50-Mile Zone Indian Point critics have taken the opportunity of the increased post-Sept. 11 focus to draw attention to the 10-mile evacuation zone around the site, home to 288,000 people in parts of Westchester, Orange, Rockland and Putnam counties. "The evacuation plan is not worth the paper it is written on," said Vincent Tamagna, a member of the Putnam County Legislature, which has passed a resolution calling for the plant's shutdown. "No one could demonstrate to me that it will work." Riverkeeper's Rabin said it is critical that the zone be broadened. "There is a gaping hole in the evacuation plan," he said, "and that is the lack of protection outside of 10 miles." Even an NRC document refers to a "peak fatality radius" of 17? miles and "peak injury radius" of 50 miles. At a three-hour forum on Indian Point safety last Tuesday at Panas High School in Cortlandt Manor, Fred Schminke of Continental Village in Putnam County wondered why signs are not posted along evacuation routes — as they are on hurricane emergency roads. Entergy's Slobodien replied that actual evacuation instructions "would depend on the wind flow." Holding up a copy of the Westchester County evacuation map, which contains color-coded routes and evacuation areas, an exasperated Schminke asked, "In other words, I shouldn't be using this?" Slobodien recommended that people "listen to county officials" on the radio in the event of an accident. In an interview, Slobodien acknowledged that the evacuation plan is "clearly a work in progress." He said that although improvements are constantly being made, the current plan is adequate to safely evacuate everyone living within the 10-mile zone. He also contended that the possibility of a major nuclear accident is so remote that there is no need to expand the evacuation zone. However, that is exactly what a growing number of people and local officials want: a 50-mile zone that would take in all of New York City and parts of New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. "There is absolutely no question that New York City is in imminent danger should there be any kind of significant event either from natural disaster, mechanical breakdown or terrorist attack at Indian Point," said Dr. Irwin Redlener, president of Children's Hospital at the Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx. Redlener also is on four task forces on disaster preparedness and terrorism. Elected officials in the four counties covered by the 10-mile zone recently recertified their localized emergency plans. Gov. Pataki, who grew up in Peekskill near Indian Point and still lives within the 10-mile zone, then certified to the NRC and Federal Emergency Management Agency that the plans were in order. In doing so, however, Pataki called on the feds to review their regulations. "It is pretty much pro forma," the governor said. "Do you have the buses in place? Do you have the sirens in place? That might meet the guidelines and regulations, but in my view it's not good enough." Last week, Westchester County announced plans to distribute potassium iodide to school students in the region as a precautionary measure and said it may expand the program to all local people. Potassium iodide can prevent thyroid cancer for some forms of radiation. It does not, however, protect against cesium-137 and other isotopes. No Longer Just Fringe Issue Maureen Stark of Yorktown Heights celebrated her 43rd birthday Tuesday at the Cortlandt Manor forum. The mother of three children ages 14, 11 and 6 says the attention given to the Indian Point evacuation plan since the twin towers attacks has made people such as her — "nonpolitical, nonactivists" — take notice. She doesn't trust the official evacuation plan and doesn't intend on following it. "My kids have a secret plan. They will escape school, and we will all meet at a designated spot," she said. "I know at least 20 other families who are going to do the same thing. "Sept. 11 has tapped into my maternal instincts," Stark said. "My children go to different schools. Under their plan, in the event of an accident I would have to pick which child I go to rescue first. "That's just not right. So from now on, I'm going to be very involved." Evacuation Plan Has Flaws + Evacuation plans exist only for those living within 10 miles of the plant, though a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission document refers to a "peak fatality radius" of 171/2 miles and "peak injury radius" of 50 miles. + Students would be transported out of the emergency zone on school buses before any public announcement, to be reunited with their parents at pre-determined reception centers outside the evacuation zone. + Not all schools in a particular district are assigned to the same reception center. That means three children from the same family could be taken to three different locations. + Evacuation of students, nursing home residents and hospital patients could take up to 10 hours. + No consideration is given to the possibility that students would use cell phones to tip off their parents. + Other than threats of arrest, no provisions have been made for panicked parents who rush to their children's schools to pick them up. + Bus drivers would be required to make as many as three trips in and out of the evacuation zone to rescue all of the school children. + Female drivers of child-bearing age are exempt — that's up to 60% of the bus drivers in some "emergency response planning areas." + The plans assume that already overcrowded local roads will be able to handle maximum traffic flow. + The plans assume that no one residing outside the 10-mile zone will evacuate. Experience from past disasters shows that many of those would flee on their own, a phenomenon known as "shadow evacuation." At Three Mile Island in 1979, the governor issued a voluntary advisory for the evacuation of 3,400 pregnant women and preschool children living within 5 miles of the plant. Instead, 144,000 people fled, from as far as 40 miles away. + Any plant accident is expected to unfold gradually, with as much as eight hours of warning. Plans do not consider the possibility of a terrorist attack, with a sudden release of a radioactive plume. + The plans assume that no one working at the plant would leak information about an unfolding accident. [http://rd.yahoo.com ***************************************************************** 14 Brunsbuettel n-plant seen out for several weeks GERMANY: February 25, 2002 FRANKFURT - Checks and repairs at the currently off-line northern German Brunsbuettel nuclear plant are likely to drag on for several weeks, the Schleswig-Holstein state government said last week. "I suspect it will take several weeks for the plant to be restarted," Herbert Schnelle, spokesman for the state's energy and finance ministry, which oversees nuclear power, told Reuters. The plant with a capacity of 806 megawatt (MW) was shut on Monday after safety experts found tearing in the tube system. It belongs two-thirds to utility HEW and one-third to E.ON . REUTERS NEWS SERVICE ***************************************************************** 15 Czech nuclear plant implements planned shutdown BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Feb 24, 2002 Text of report by Czech radio on 24 February [Announcer] The first production block of the Temelin nuclear power station was today shut down for a month and during this planned shutdown problematic equipment will be replaced and fuel will be brought to the second block. According to Temelin spokesman Milan Nebesar, this will take place within the next few days: [Nebesar] The power station employees have been working to meet the demands forwarded by the State Nuclear Safety Office [SUJB] and to accommodate its suggestions - and we expect to complete the entire process soon, within the next few days. Source: Czech Radio1 - Radiozurnal, Prague, in Czech 2100 gmt 24 Feb 02 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. ***************************************************************** 16 Resource center to assist IAAP workers The Hawk Eye Special: IAAP Monday, February 25, 2002 [Unknown dangers at IAAP] The Hawk Eye Nuclear weapons workers or their survivors can get help applying for benefits under a new federal workers' compensation program at a second traveling resource center in Burlington this week. Because of the high level of interest, the Departments of Labor and Energy are returning for a second visit to meet with claimants. The Federal Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act went into effect July 31, 2001. It provides $150,000 lump–sum compensation to nuclear weapons workers who develop cancer, chronic beryllium, or chronic silicosis as a result of exposure to radiation, beryllium or silica on the job. An amendment to the law passed by Congress in December 2001 means that adult children are now eligible for $150,000 in compensation if there is no surviving spouse. Iowa is home to four facilities listed by the U.S. Department of Energy as nuclear weapons producers. They are the Ames Laboratory, Ames; Bendix Aviation (Pioneer Division), Davenport; the Iowa Ordnance Plant, Burlington; and Titus Metals, Waterloo. Workers who need help filling out claim forms can schedule appointments at the traveling resource center by calling, toll–free, 1–866–540 4977 (Denver), or drop in during the hours listed below. When &Where: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, through Wednesday The Best Western Pzazz 3001 Winegard Drive Burlington (319) 753–2223 The Hawk Eye 800 S. Main St., Burlington Iowa 52601 319-754-8461 Front Desk · 319-754-6824 FAX · 1-800-397-1708 Toll Free ***************************************************************** 17 Locals get nuclear disaster training The Daily Independent Sunday, February 24, 2002 9 area officials attend Nevada seminars By Kenneth Hart Of The Daily Independent ASHLAND — Some local emergency responders recently received training they hope they never have to use. Nine Ashland-area firefighters and emergency management officials attended a seminar on weapons of mass destruction and terrorism at the U.S. Department of Energy's Nevada Test Site Feb. 11 through 14. The desert site — an area roughly the size of Rhode Island — is about 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The federally funded training program has been in existence for three years. But demand for the course has skyrocketed since Sept. 11. The course concluded with a mock scenario in which terrorists have detonated a so-called ``dirty" bomb, spreading radiation over a wide area, and emergency responders have to make their way through the hot zone to reach survivors. A ``dirty" bomb — which would most likely consist of stolen uranium and blasting caps — is ``what a terrorist could possibly use in our area," Ashland Fire Capt. David Sloan said. Ashland Deputy Fire Chief Tony Baer said he doesn't fear radiation nearly as much as he used to, having been through the training. ``I know a little more about what to do now," he said. According to Matthew Adkins, deputy director of the Ashland Boyd County Cattletsburg Office of Emergency Management, it was the first time local emergency personnel have been trained on how to respond to a disaster involving terrorists and nuclear weapons. With the end of the Cold War, training for nuclear catastrophes became much less of a priority, Adkins said. Instead, disaster training focused mainly on chemical and biological hazards, he said. But the events of Sept. 11 changed all that, he said. It's also much easier now to recruit people for additional training, he said. ``People are now more willing to go to the extra lengths," he said. Departments pay for the course out of their own budgets, but they are reimbursed by the federal government, Adkins said. The program is funded by the Department of Energy and the Department of Justice. There is a six-month waiting list for the Nevada course, and local emergency workers were able to enroll in it only because of some last-minute cancellations, Adkins said. Adkins said he wasn't notified of the openings until Feb. 7. He quickly rounded up a group to go to Nevada; they left three days later. Adkins called the training ``an eye-opening experience." He said most of the live exercises incorporated actual radioactive material, cesium 137, which doesn't pose a health hazard but contains enough radioactivity to set off the responders' Geiger counters. Baer said he hoped to send additional members of his department to the training in the future. Sloan said he thought the training was important for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that firefighters are expected to be able to respond to just about any type of emergency. ``It's our job," he said. ``People expect us to know what to do." He said the public also can take a certain amount of comfort in the knowledge that there are people who are trained to deal with a worst-case scenario. ``But I certainly hope we won't ever have to use it (the training) around here," he said. Others from the area who attended the session were Brian Conley, operations officer for the Office of Emergency Management; England Hill Fire Chief Mike Branham; Catlettsburg Refining LLC Fire Chief Doug Miller and refinery firefighters David Deakin, Charles McDowell and Gary Runyon. khart@dailyindependent.com [khart@dailyindependent.com] Copyright ©1999 - 2002 The Daily Independent, Inc. unless ***************************************************************** 18 Kazakh experts voice concern over high radiation at oil and gas fields BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Feb 24, 2002 Almaty, 24 February: The solution of radioecological problems in oil-extracting regions will become a priority aspect of the development of radioecology in Kazakhstan in the near future. Speaking at a itinerant sitting of the Kazakh Academy of Engineers held in the Alatau settlement (near Almaty) at the end of the week, the director of the Kazakh National Nuclear Centre's Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kayrat Kadyrzhanov, noted the significance of this problem, particularly given the increasing extraction of hydrocarbons. He said that the country's oil and gas fields were "radiologically dangerous areas" at the moment. Kadyrzhanov noted that the accumulation of natural radionuclides, mainly of radium, on the inner surfaces of technological equipment at oil-extracting facilities was resulting in the exposure dose measuring up to 10,000 microroentgen per hour at the sites of these facilities. At the same time, according to his information, radiation monitoring is currently minimal at oil enterprises. For comparison, Kadyrzhanov noted that the background radiation level does not now exceed 12-12.5 microroentgen per hour in the Tungush settlement near the former Semipalatinsk nuclear testing ground (in eastern Kazakhstan) [in fact, this settlement is located near the Karachaganak oil and gas condensate field in western Kazakhstan], whereas it stands at 20-25 microroentgen per hour in Almaty. [Passage to end omitted: the Institute of Nuclear Physics is to help oilmen to monitor the quality of welds on oil pipelines; institute did a great deal of work in 2001 producing radio isotopes for medical use] Source: Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, Almaty, in Russian 0858 gmt 24 Feb 02 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. ***************************************************************** 19 Yucca: The Buck Stops With Mr. Bush ctnow.com: EDITORIALS February 25, 2002 Finally, the presidential go-ahead has been given to a central, permanent disposal site for thousands of tons of radioactive nuclear waste. President Bush so designated a huge underground facility at Yucca Mountain, Nev., last week. Congress should sustain the president's decision if Nevada files a protest, as expected. Nuclear waste - generated commercially by power-plant reactors and by the military in producing nuclear arms - is stored at more than 100 sites around the country. Not all of them can pass muster as permanent, safe repositories for dangerous material. A remote, secure central storage site has always made sense, but the argument for Yucca Mountain was made crystal clear by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Federal decision-makers have been passing the buck on this issue for too long. They punted despite 20 years of exhaustive scientific studies and preliminary work at Yucca Mountain costing billions of dollars. The studies conclude that the volcanic rock about 1,000 feet below the Nevada desert can accommodate as much as 77,000 tons of waste without risk to public health or the environment. Nevada officials and many environmentalists point out that rail or truck shipments of nuclear waste from temporary storage depots to Yucca Mountain could fall victim to terrorist attacks or accidents. Anything's possible. But the U.S. Department of Energy and the nuclear industry say the shipments can be conducted safely and that leaving the waste where it is - mostly at reactor sites - poses much greater safety and security concerns. Common sense says that burying radioactive waste in the Nevada desert is safer than storing it at scores of sites in or near population centers. Mr. Bush is to be commended for making a decision that his predecessors should have made. ctnow.com is Copyright © 2002 by The Hartford Courant ***************************************************************** 20 YUCCA MOUNTAIN: Guinn puts hope in courts Monday, February 25, 2002 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal Governor sees little chance of stopping dump in Congress By TONY BATT STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- Gov. Kenny Guinn on Sunday said Nevada's best chance of stopping nuclear waste from coming to Yucca Mountain might rest in the courts instead of Congress. Guinn, who is in the nation's capital to attend the annual conference of the National Governors Association, said he would veto "probably within the next 45 days" President Bush's Feb. 15 approval of Yucca Mountain as a repository for 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste. "We don't have a chance in the House (of sustaining the veto); there's no doubt about that," Guinn said. Nevada's outlook is better in the Senate, Guinn said, but the governor made it clear he is not counting on prevailing there either. "For the first time in Nevada, we have now about $6 million, going higher every day, for this litigation that could take us through the next legislative session. I could get more money," Guinn said, referring to the fund established for lawsuits and public relations to build opposition outside Nevada to the nuclear waste repository. Egan &Associates, a firm in Washington, D.C., known for its handling of large nuclear lawsuits, is spearheading Nevada's litigation efforts. Attorneys for Nevada have filed three lawsuits in the past nine months claiming the selection of Yucca Mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, for nuclear waste storage is scientifically flawed. "We're going to fight this issue in the court because we think we can prove the lack of sound science," Guinn said. The governors were scheduled to visit the White House on Sunday night for dinner and again today for a two-hour meeting with the president. Guinn said he does not expect to talk to Bush about Yucca Mountain. "(Yucca Mountain) is a five-step (procedure)," Guinn said. "The Department of Energy was one step. That's over with. (Energy Secretary) Spencer Abraham was a second step. That's over with. Then the president was a third step, and that's evidently over with now. And then Congress is a fourth step, and that's yet to be over with. And court is the fifth step." Guinn made his comments after appearing for more than 30 minutes Sunday morning on a C-SPAN talk show, which was dominated by the Yucca Mountain issue. "We've learned the hard way that you must have sound science, and we're just not going to be comfortable by taking someone's word at this time," Guinn said on the show. He was referring to government assurances in the 1950s that atmospheric nuclear explosions at the Nevada Test Site were safe when, in reality, radioactive fallout from the blasts poisoned people living hundreds of miles downwind. In a later interview, Guinn, a Republican, stopped short of agreeing with Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who charged Bush lied when he promised during the 2000 campaign to base his Yucca Mountain decision on "sound science, not politics." "I can't speak for Senator Reid. He's an individual who has to speak for himself," Guinn said. webmaster@lvrj.com Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal, 1997 - ***************************************************************** 21 Used-fuel rod storage plan challenged Syracuse.com: News Entergy official says company is working to gain federal OK for outside storage casks. Sunday, February 24, 2002 By Chris Iven Two environmental groups are petitioning federal regulators to stop plans to store used fuel rods in outdoor casks at the James A. FitzPatrick nuclear plant in Scriba. The Citizens Awareness Network and New York Public Interest Research Group say that Entergy Nuclear, the plant owner, plans to use a cask with modifications not yet approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. "They didn't apply for a rule exemption for the redesign," said Tim Judson, Central New York organizer for the Citizen's Awareness Network. "Even the NRC doesn't know what they've done." Fuel rods are highly radioactive. In the reactor core, they heat water that turns electric turbines. Every two years, FitzPatrick removes about 200 fuel rod assemblies - about one-third of those in its core - and puts them into a spent-fuel pool. The used rods remain highly radioactive and must be constantly cooled with water. The used-fuel pool at FitzPatrick, which opened in 1974, is now nearly full. Starting this spring, Entergy plans to remove the 200 oldest rod assemblies from the pool and put them outdoors in dry casks. That will make the plant the first in the state, and about the 20th nationwide, to use this storage process. Entergy will repeat the process every two years until the federal government builds a permanent storage site for high-level nuclear waste. The casks are approved for storing waste for 20 years. To load the rods, a 15-ton metal canister would be lowered into the fuel pool and filled with 68 rod assemblies. The canisters would then be slipped into storage casks, made of 135 tons of concrete and metal. The company plans to fill three casks every two years. To get the casks outside, however, Entergy had to alter their design, shortening them by 16¾ inches, Entergy spokeswoman Bonnie Bostian said Friday. The NRC has completed a technical review of the altered design, but has yet to issue a certificate, Bostian said. "Our design meets the license requirements," Bostian said. She flatly denied two other charges by Judson about the casks. He said Entergy plans to use a cask without a thick concrete floor, as the NRC requires. He also said the company plans to use lower-density concrete in its cask. Bostian said the plant's casks will have the thick concrete floor, as required, and they will use concrete more dense than the NRC requires. The denser concrete will provide more radiation shielding, she said. The NRC did have some "issues" with Entergy's plans for concrete, said Neil Sheehan, a spokesman with the federal regu COMMISSION, FROM PAGE B-1 latory agency. "We actually made them hold up pouring concrete, but they resolved (the issues) to our satisfaction," Sheehan said. FitzPatrick's casks have already been constructed, Sheehan said. The NRC approved their construction through its rule that allowed changes to the design "as long as it doesn't involve an unreviewed safety question," Sheehan said. Entergy has yet to complete all of its "dry runs," where workers practice loading the casks under NRC supervision, Sheehan said. "Up until now, we have not seen any problems," Sheehan said. "We have not seen anything yet that would lead us to halt the operations." Judson is also calling on the NRC and Entergy to release documents about the approval process for the modified casks. "We're not saying that dry cask storage isn't safe," Judson said, "but it's got to be done right." © 2002 The Post-Standard. Used with permission. ***************************************************************** 22 Yucca Mountain high -- The Washington Times EDITORIAL • February 25, 2002 By officially authorizing construction of the high-level nuclear waste storage facility at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, President Bush put taxpayer's money on the best bet available for an increasingly high-stakes problem. Those stakes have to do with the vast number of spent fuel rods (about 40,000 tons worth) currently being stored in 131 above-ground facilities in 39 states. Approximately 161 million Americans live within 75 miles of those sites, making each location an odds-on favorite for a terrorist strike. And while there is practically no chance that attackers could set off a nuclear explosion, any breach of containment would cause an enormous decontamination problem, disrupting the lives of thousands of Americans. Those storage problems, with their attendant risks, are a certainty, since about 2,000 additional tons of high-level waste pile up each year. As planned, the repository at Yucca offers at least a partial solution: It will isolate nearly 80,000 tons of that waste in a desert area about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, the closest major metropolis. Opponents of the plan, namely every political player in Nevada, complain that the repository's science still isn't sound, that the state was picked on due to its paucity of political pull and that the risks from transporting materials to Yucca far outweigh the benefits of storage there. While there is no sure bet that the transports bringing waste to Yucca won't wreck, the federal government has so far maintained an enviable safety record — since 1965, over 2,500 shipments of such spent fuel have arrived safely at their proper destination. Each of the casks that will be used for transport will supposedly have survived a series of tests that any Battlebot engineer would envy, including a 30-foot drop onto an 'unyielding surface', a 40-inch free-fall onto a steel rod six inches in diameter, a 30-minute trial by a fire burning at about 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit, and an hourlong immersion under more than 650 feet of water. If those casks do arrive for storage at Yucca, it might well be partially due to the state's lack of political influence, but it will also be due to Yucca Mountain's geographic and geological suitability. There simply aren't that many other places in the United States with Yucca Mountain's unique combination of ultra-dry conditions, dense volcanic walls, and height above the local water table. Moreover, taxpayers already have at least a $4 billion stake in seeing the project through, and if the science behind Yucca's 10,000-year storage life is still not absolutely certain (as if anyone knows what they will be doing in 12002), it's still a safe-money bet. While Nevada's NIMBY-esque opposition to proceeding with the repository is understandable, it's no reason to fold the project. Hopefully, Congress will follow the administration's lead in deciding that high-level nuclear waste should be dealt to Yucca. ***************************************************************** 23 Letter: Let's get paid for being stuck with nuke waste Las Vegas SUN February 25, 2002 I sometimes think the worst thing that mankind did was to embrace the Industrial Revolution. When I lived on my grandmother's farm many years ago, she knew what to do with cow, chicken and pig waste. Today we are up to our eyeballs with nuclear and politicians' waste. The big mistake was building the first nuclear plant. There sure was some shortsightedness back then. We can expect more plants to be built in the future. Anyone with half a brain knows that nuclear waste must be stored in one place. Not many places. Sorry, folks. Tag, we're it. Let's get some real good concessions from the federal government. Like lots and lots of money -- forget the patriotism. As far as fighting them in court, forget it. Why spend millions on lawyers, only to lose in the end? JOHN TOMINSKY All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 24 Guinn predicts more governors will oppose Yucca Las Vegas SUN February 25, 2002 By Benjamin Grove WASHINGTON -- Gov. Kenny Guinn is alone among the nation's governors in his opposition to Yucca Mountain, Guinn said today at the National Governors Association's winter meeting. Governors in states like Missouri, Nebraska and Utah have voiced concerns about highly radioactive waste being shipped to a national nuclear waste dump at the Nevada site, Guinn said. But none have committed to leaning on their lawmakers in Congress to oppose the project -- not yet, Guinn said. "This issue is just beginning to take hold," Guinn said during an interview. Yucca Mountain is the proposed site of a national burial ground for the high-level nuclear waste now piling up at nuclear power plants and defense sites. Guinn said he plans to make more national television news appearances as Nevada officials publicize the risks associated with shipping the nation's nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain. Stressing those dangers is among their strategies being used in an effort to ultimately kill the Yucca project. Guinn appeared on a talk show on C-SPAN Sunday, outlining the state's opposition to the project. "I think there is an issue here for all of America to get involved in," Guinn told viewers, speaking of the waste transportation issue. Many people nationwide -- including political leaders -- are not familiar with waste transportation issues, Guinn said. Guinn said his opposition to Yucca Mountain makes for a lonely battle among the nation's governors. Guinn spoke to several governors this morning, but they offered little support. "They said, 'We really haven't thought much about the transportation,' " Guinn said. "Their focus has been, 'We're going to get it out of our state.' " Guinn attended a black tie dinner with President Bush at the White House Sunday and planned to attend a two-hour meeting today for the governors and Bush at the White House. Guinn does not expect to talk to Bush about Bush's decision to endorse the Yucca project. Guinn, who helped lead Bush's campaign in Nevada, said Bush did not hurt Republicans because Yucca Mountain is not a political issue. He said both Republicans and Democrats have supported the Yucca project during its 15-year history. Guinn did not say when he would file a formal veto of Bush's Yucca approval. He had 60 days from Feb. 15, the date of Bush's decision. Guinn said he was content with the gaming industry's support of anti-Yucca projects. The Nevada Resort Association last week committed $250,000 for lobbying and legal efforts. The American Gaming Association committed $500,000 in December. "They're stepping to the plate," Guinn said. Guinn plans to return to Nevada Tuesday. He was trying to arrange a meeting, schedules permitting, with Nevada Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign to talk over strategies aimed at blocking the Yucca project in the Senate when lawmakers vote on the issue later this year. Guinn, like most observers, has largely given up hope that the House would vote against the Yucca project. "I don't think anyone feels we've got any kind of chance there," Guinn said. The governors association meeting focused mainly around money issues. Governors are asking the federal government to help them pay for highway, education and welfare programs. The four-day meeting of National Governors Association, which meets twice a year, formally concludes tomorrow. All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 25 Theft of "Hot" Tools from Utah Facility Shows Dangers of Widespread Release of Radioactive Materials Public Citizen Feb. 25, 2002 Consumers Should Take Tools to Tooele Health Officials to Ensure Safety WASHINGTON, D.C. – The recent theft of radioactive tools from a Utah facility underscores the dangers of the federal government’s plan to allow radioactive materials to be released into general commerce and recycled into household goods, Public Citizen said today. Envirocare of Utah, a nuclear waste facility licensed by the state of Utah, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has failed to maintain control of an undetermined number of radioactive tools, according to a Feb. 21 article in The Salt Lake Tribune. Envirocare operates the nation's only commercial mixed waste (radioactive and hazardous) facility, a 640-acre landfill located about 80 miles west of Salt Lake City. It is used by commercial nuclear industries and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to store radioactive waste. Officials believe the tools were shipped to Envirocare from nuclear facilities and likely became radioactive by coming into close proximity with radioactive materials. Not only did a former Envirocare contractor employee steal radioactive tools from the facility, but the same individual sold them to at least one store, a Tooele County pawn shop. At least one third party has purchased the "hot" tools, unaware of their radioactivity. It is not known how many tools are missing, how many people are involved in the thefts, who bought the tools or where the tools have been distributed. Utah officials are now trying to round up the tools. The incident illustrates the porous nature of nuclear waste facilities and underscores the dangers associated with the government’s policy on radioactive release and recycling, said Wenonah Hauter, director of Public Citizen’s Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program. "It's disturbing that even after Sept. 11 and the subsequent tightening of nuclear security, we have radioactive materials getting into the general environment," Hauter said. "Unfortunately, our own government wants to standardize and expand practices that would allow a proliferation of radioactive waste. It would be shipped to facilities throughout the country and released widely. Even with controls, it likely would end up where it shouldn’t be." Now, DOE weapons facilities and commercial nuclear facilities licensed by the NRC – including reactors – may release radioactive materials on a case-by-case basis. The materials can be sent to unlicensed community landfills, incinerators and facilities that recycle the materials and sell it to manufacturers that make consumer goods. The government has been unable to say just how much metal has been released and recycled. Even more materials may be released in the future. The government – under heavy pressure from the nuclear industry – is considering allowing the "unrestricted release" of potentially radioactive metals from DOE nuclear sites. This would allow large quantities of radioactive scrap metal to be dumped into municipal landfills or recycled into everyday household products and industrial materials. The Utah Division of Radiation Control has offered a mixed message. A division representative told the newspaper that officials don’t believe the radioactive tools pose a "significant" health threat but they should be collected and disposed of. "I doubt that the state would issue the equivalent of an all-points-bulletin on the tools if they posed no threat," said David Ritter, policy analyst at Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program. "It seems contradictory for Utah officials to be desperately rounding up radioactive tools while the federal government is hatching a plan that could put radioactive goods on shelves throughout the country." Public Citizen urges anyone within 100 miles of the Envirocare facility who has purchased used hand tools since December 1999 to take those tools to the Tooele Health Department for inspection. Public Citizen is also raising questions about a potential conflict of interest involving Lynda L. Brothers, a lawyer who is counsel to Envirocare’s board of directors. Brothers also serves on the National Academy of Sciences Research Council committee that is studying the release and recycling issue for the NRC. The Web site of Brothers’ law firm, Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal, boasts that the firm's activities include "counseling on the avoidance or minimization of environmental liability." The National Academies' Research Council is supposed to provide independent advice to the government. "Brothers’ connections certainly seem to strain the notions of independence, objectivity and credibility on this issue," Ritter said. "Even if Envirocare stands to gain nothing from recycling, it doesn't appear that the Research Council has chosen an independent committee member. With this person on the committee, how can the NRC hope to live up to its stated mission?" ***************************************************************** 26 Utah: RESOLUTION ON YUCCA MOUNTAIN AS NUCLEAR WASTE REPOSITORY Utah Legislature SJR014S2 Second Substitute S.J.R. 14 Senator Gene Davis proposes the following substitute bill: 1 RESOLUTION ON YUCCA MOUNTAIN AS 2 NUCLEAR WASTE REPOSITORY 3 2002 GENERAL SESSION 4 STATE OF UTAH 5 Sponsor: Gene Davis 6 This joint resolution of the Legislature urges the United States Congress to reject the 7 recommendation of the Secretary of Energy that Yucca Mountain be designated as the 8 national repository for high level nuclear waste. 9 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah: 10 WHEREAS, the Secretary of the Department of Energy has recommended to the President 11 of the United States that Yucca Mountain be designated as the national repository for high level 12 nuclear waste; 13 WHEREAS, the President has accepted the recommendation and the state of Nevada may, 14 under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, veto the recommendation; 15 WHEREAS, the United States Congress may override such a veto by a simple majority 16 vote; 17 WHEREAS, if the Yucca Mountain Project is subsequently licensed, federal government 18 approval would increase the likelihood that Private Fuel Storage will succeed in its efforts to 19 license and construct a high level nuclear waste storage facility on the Skull Valley Goshute 20 Reservation in Utah; 21 WHEREAS, federal government rejection of the Yucca Mountain Project would jeopardize 22 the viability of the Private Fuel Storage project and the credibility of its claims that high level 23 nuclear waste storage in Utah would be temporary; 24 WHEREAS, the legislative and executive branches of Utah State Government are united 25 with the overwhelming majority of the citizens of the state in opposition to the Private Fuel 26 Storage proposal; 27 WHEREAS, as currently proposed, the Yucca Mountain Project will not have the capacity 28 to store the entire national inventory of commercial spent fuel, thus requiring a second storage 29 facility, and increasing the likelihood that Private Fuel Storage, if licensed, may become 30 permanent; 31 WHEREAS, approvals of recommendations that could lead to the opening of the Yucca 32 Mountain Project would result in more highway, railroad, or both, miles of high level nuclear 33 waste transportation through Utah than any other state in the nation; 34 WHEREAS, transportation of high level nuclear waste through Utah poses a significant 35 risk of terrorist attack and catastrophic accidents that could result in radiation releases that would 36 threaten the lives and health of Utah citizens, and cost enormous sums to clean up; 37 WHEREAS, adequately training emergency responders for accidents or terrorist attacks 38 involving high level nuclear waste transports will cost millions of dollars; 39 WHEREAS, no funding source is currently designated to cover training for these potential 40 accidents or attacks; 41 WHEREAS, the transportation of high level nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain on the 42 highways and railways of Utah will decrease property values along the routes; 43 WHEREAS, in 2001, the General Accounting Office issued an audit which declared the 44 Yucca Mountain Project a failed scientific process that will take years to fix; found that the 45 Department of Energy had suffered a loss of management control over studies to determine the 46 safety and suitability of the Yucca Mountain Project to store nuclear waste; concluded that the 47 Department of Energy cannot be sure when the site will open, how much it will cost, and how it 48 ultimately will be designed; and recommended that the Secretary of Energy delay a site 49 recommendation on Yucca Mountain until the Department of Energy has completed technical 50 work on a license application; 51 WHEREAS, the Nuclear Regulator Commission has indicated that at least 292 major 52 studies remain to be completed in 19 key areas, including corrosion of waste packages, potential 53 effects of earthquakes and volcanic activity, rapid groundwater flow rates through the mountain, 54 large uncertainties in predicted repository performances, and even the design of the repository 55 itself; 56 WHEREAS, the Department of Energy's contractor, Bechtel/SAIC Company, LLC, the 57 General Accounting Office, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Advisory Committee on 58 Nuclear Waste, the Yucca Mountain Technical Review Board, the National Academy of Sciences, 59 the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the OECD's Nuclear Energy Agency have each 60 concluded that significant additional studies need to be performed before Yucca Mountain can be 61 seriously recommended for permanent waste disposal; 62 WHEREAS, Utah and Nevada share a disastrous legacy from federal nuclear projects; and 63 WHEREAS, approval of the Yucca Mountain Project is decidedly not in the best interests 64 of Utah, Nevada, or the nation: 65 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah urges 66 the United States Congress to reject the President's recommendation of the Yucca Mountain site. 67 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the President of the 68 United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House 69 of Representatives, the Utah Congressional Delegation, the Nevada Congressional Delegation, the 70 governor of Nevada, the Secretary of Energy, the General Accounting Office, the Nuclear 71 Regulatory Commission, the Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste, the Yucca Mountain 72 Technical Review Board, the National Academy of Sciences, the International Atomic Energy 73 Agency, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's Nuclear Energy Agency, 74 Private Fuel Storage, and the chairman of the Skull Valley Goshute Tribe. [Bill Documents] [http://www.le.state.ut.us/~2002/htmdoc/sbillhtm/SJR014S2.htm] [Bills Directory] [http://www.le.state.ut.us/~2002/bills.htm] ***************************************************************** 27 Russian minister urges funds to deal with nuclear waste BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Feb 25, 2002 Text of report in English by Russian news agency Interfax Moscow, 25 February: Russia has accumulated nearly 14,000 tonnes of nuclear waste, and a tremendous amount of waste has accumulated in building nuclear weapons. For-profit processing of imported nuclear waste would finance the processing of the country's own waste, officials in the Atomic Energy Ministry believe, Deputy [Atomic Energy] Minister Valeriy Lebedev told an interregional ecological conference that was held in the settlement of Cherkizovo, Moscow Region, on Monday [25 February]. The conference was organized by the institute of humanitarian and political studies headed by State Duma member Vyacheslav Igrunov and the Russian association of design and intellectual activities headed by Andrey Sharomov, former leader of the Yabloko party's youth wing. Large amounts of money are needed if the ecological situation at enterprises that produce weapon-grade uranium and plutonium is to be improved, Lebedev said. Because the state is cash-strapped, the industry must work for the needed funds, he believes. Source: Interfax news agency, Moscow, in English 1025 gmt 25 Feb 02 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. ***************************************************************** 28 U.S. Alters Policy on Nuclear Retaliation Monday, Feb. 25, 2002. Page 3 The Moscow Times The U.S. administration no longer stands by a commitment made in 1978 not to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states, a U.S. arms control official told the Washington Times. If the United States were attacked, "we would have to do what is appropriate under the circumstances, and the classic formulation of that is, we are not ruling anything in and we are not ruling anything out," John Bolton, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, was quoting as saying in an interview published Friday. "We are just not into theoretical assertions that other administrations have made," he said Thursday, the day after he returned from Moscow, where he led a U.S. team negotiating a new arms-control agreement with Russia. Bolton was referring to a pledge made by President Jimmy Carter's administration in 1978 not to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states unless they attack the United States in alliance with nuclear-armed countries. In 1995, Warren Christopher, the first secretary of state in President Bill Clinton's administration, reaffirmed Washington's commitment, the Washington Times said. Along with the pledges of the other four permanent members of the UN Security Council, who are all nuclear powers, it became part of a resolution, which the council adopted April 11, 1995. But Bolton said such promises reflect "an unrealistic view of the international situation," which he said was shown by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States. "What we are attempting to do is create a situation where nobody uses weapons of mass destruction of any kind," the newspaper quoted him as saying. John Holum, Bolton's predecessor at the State Department in the Clinton administration, said the decision to ignore the 1978 commitment would not affect the strategic balance of power but might send the wrong message overseas. "It doesn't make the use of weapons of mass destruction more or less likely, but it's reflective of the administration's negative view of international treaties," Holum told the Washington Times. In a separate article based on a new U.S. intelligence report, the Washington Times reported that thieves have stolen an unknown amount of weapons-grade nuclear fuel in Russia over the past decade. Friday's release of the 12-page report by the National Intelligence Council, an analysis arm under CIA Director George Tenet, comes as President George W. Bush's administration has warned that terrorists are seeking to develop nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, possibly using stolen nuclear material. President Vladimir Putin has said that since Sept. 11, security has been increased at nuclear-weapons storage sites and that "terrorists have not acquired Russian nuclear weapons," the report said. It also said security at Russia's nuclear power plants has been increased as a result of Moscow's war against Chechnya. The report said the United States is working with the Russian government to increase the safety and security of nuclear-related facilities, infrastructure and personnel. ***************************************************************** 29 Kazakhstan: Study Says Fallout From Nuclear Tests Affected Three Generations By Margot Buff Among the legacies left by the Soviet Union in the Central Asian nations is a nuclear test site in Kazakhstan that has contaminated the region with radiation for years. Now, an international research team has found that radiation from the site affected the genes of people living nearby, as well as the genes of their offspring. RFE/RL correspondent Margot Buff explores the implications of this discovery, and reveals why the researchers are hesitant to raise alarm. Prague, 21 February 2002 (RFE/RL) -- The Soviet Union performed more than 400 nuclear tests at its Semipalatinsk test site in Kazakhstan between 1949 and 1989. The blasts filled the surrounding region with ionizing radiation similar to the fallout from the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan in World War II, and from the meltdown at Ukraine's Chornobyl nuclear power plant in 1986. The radiation hit residents of the rural Beskaragai district most intensely between 1949 and 1956, when the Soviets detonated four surface explosions at the site. The radiation in the region has since faded to almost normal levels, and the heightened risk of cancer linked to radiation exposure has diminished as well. But researchers say the effects of the nuclear testing are still lingering in the children and grandchildren of the people who live near Semipalatinsk. A study in a recent issue of "Science" magazine -- published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science -- shows that analysis of the DNA of adults exposed to nuclear fallout at the time of the tests passed on genetic mutations to their children. The children, in turn, passed on mutations to their children. Geneticist Yuri Dubrova of the University of Leicester in England says the mutations he and his colleagues identified in the study do not necessarily imply a health risk for the people involved, however. In fact, he says, they are genetic changes of which the subjects themselves are unaware. "Mutation in these genes is absolutely irrelevant to the health status of these children," Dubrova says. "So we are talking about some sort of mutations which you cannot spot unless you go and analyze these children using our sophisticated ways of molecular genetics." These methods involved collecting blood samples from 40 three-generation families living near the Semipalatinsk test site. The researchers from Britain, Finland, and Kazakhstan also tested a control group of 28 families in the non-contaminated rural area of Taldy Kurgan. Both groups were matched by year of birth, ethnicity, occupation, and whether or not they were smokers. All members of the first generation studied were living near the test site during the nuclear tests between 1949 and 1956, and received the heaviest doses of radiation. Members of the second generation were born throughout the 1960s. By comparing the DNA of parents and children, scientists found that the number of new mutations -- or newly occurring genetic features -- in the oldest members of the test group was nearly 100 percent greater than the rate in the control group. These mutations were inherited by the second generation. But the team found that the rate of new abnormalities passed to the third generation was only 50 percent higher than in the non-contaminated group. The third generation inherited all of the mutations from their parents and grandparents, but the number of new mutations decreased with each generation. The research also showed that the rate of mutation was higher for people born earlier. That is, someone from the second generation who was born in 1960 was exposed to more intense radiation than someone born in 1970, when the lingering radiation had dissipated further. So the effect of radiation on the subject's sperm or eggs -- called germ cells -- resulted in more mutations in his or her children if the parent had experienced greater exposure. From the decreasing rates of mutation that match the decreasing amounts of radiation in the environment, the researchers concluded that exposure to continuous, low-level radiation results in genetic changes in the germ line, or family line. Determining the health implications of these changes is more difficult. One reason is that the genetic tests were performed on so-called "junk DNA," genetic material with no known function but which is frequently used for testing. But Dubrova also says it may be possible to extrapolate the health implications from the existence of mutations in the junk DNA: "But what does it mean? It means that mutation rate is up in this particular part of the genome [the complete gene complement of an organism], and one might expect that it may also be up in other parts of genome, including essential genes, the mutation of which may also affect cancer rate, malformation and mortality among the offspring of irradiated parents. But this is only a guess. And we don't know exactly to what extent our results may be extrapolated to other genes." Another researcher who participated on the Semipalatinsk study, Maj Fulten of the University of Warwick in England, explains one difficulty in identifying health problems in a genetic study. Tracking genes over several generations requires that the older family members still be living and that they have reproduced successfully, so these subjects are unlikely to show major health effects. "These families were selected where all the three people in the three generations were living in the same area, and still living there, so they hadn't migrated, and also they were 'good' families in as much as there had to be at least two children in each generation. So they were selected in that way, and therefore we haven't selected families where there is genetic disease," Fulten says. Dubrova says much more research is needed to determine what these genetic changes mean for the exposed population, and whether, as he says, changes in the "junk DNA" imply changes in more critical parts of the genome. He says researchers are trying to organize a collection of blood samples from people living near the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Similarly, the genetic effects of radiation from other sources, including functioning nuclear power plants, is not yet known. But the Semipalatinsk study provides a stepping stone for future research, not only in the findings but also in the DNA itself. Fulten says the blood samples will be available for future use. "We have set up a biobank, so we have cells and DNA stored. So if even more sensitive technologies are appearing in the future, researchers can get the same samples again, because it was terribly difficult to get the samples," Fulten says. This mean that although the radiation levels from nuclear tests at Semipalatinsk have returned to nearly normal, future projects will be able to investigate the effects of fallout on the residents who were alive at the time of the Soviet tests. Dubrova says the most important move to protect the local population from radiation has long been made. He praises the 1963 Limited Test Ban Treaty, in which the U.S., the Soviet Union and Britain agreed to halt the most dangerous forms of nuclear testing. "In 1963, when both governments signed the Moscow treaty, the testing in atmosphere and aboveground came to an end, which in turn resulted in a drastic improvement of radiological situation in this area, and therefore in decreasing the amount of exposure of these people to ionizing radiation," Dubrova says. The study ends with a dual conclusion. Radiation from the test site resulted in genetic mutations in exposed families. But the decline in the rate of genetic mutations over three generations shows that the ban on nuclear testing worked to decrease the risk. © 1995-2001 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc., All Rights Reserved. http://www.rferl.org ***************************************************************** 30 Race for the Superbomb | Nuclear Blast Mapper The American Experience | powered by MapBlast [http://www.mapblast.com] Obviously, if a thermonuclear bomb exploded close to your home, you'd have little hope of surviving the blast. But what if one exploded 5 miles away, or 20 miles away? And what about radioactive fallout? Nuclear Blast Mapper will show you how terribly destructive thermonuclear weapons are. Supply Blast Mapper with any location, and it will display a map that shows a nuclear weapon's "zones of destruction" with that location at the center. You can even choose between a relatively small detonation at earth's surface, which will produce substantial fallout, and an especially destructive large detonation at high altitude. [Map a Blast] This feature is made possible with the help of MapBlast [http://www.mapblast.com] . ***************************************************************** 31 Japan: US nuclear-powered submarine stops off in Okinawa BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Feb 24, 2002 Text of report in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo Naha, Japan, 24 February: A 6,080-ton US nuclear-powered submarine made a brief port call at the town of Katsuren, Okinawa Prefecture, on Sunday morning [24 February], prefectural government officials said. The Columbus, with about 130 crew members on board, stopped off at White Beach, a US Navy facility in the town, for about 10 minutes at around 8 a.m. [local time], they said. The prefectural government has not been making public prior notifications of such port calls since the 11 September terrorist attacks on the United States, and announced the Columbus' port call about eight and a half hours after the sub made the stop. According to the prefectural government's office in charge of matters related to US military bases, the Columbus stopped off at the facility to transport personnel. It was the 231st port call by a US nuclear-powered submarine in Okinawa, prefectural officials said. Source: Kyodo News Service, Tokyo, in English 1006 gmt 24 Feb 02 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. ***************************************************************** 32 Sun shines on ORNL fusion research By Frank Munger News-Sentinel senior writer Things are looking up for Oak Ridge National Laboratory's fusion research program. Here are some of the reasons why: * The overall budget picture looks stable. This year's spending level is $18.5 million, and that's expected to jump above $20 million next year. * The research staff is getting ready to move from its old quarters (inside the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant) to new digs on ORNL's main campus. * A long-standing partnership with Princeton University is thriving on several fronts. For instance, ORNL engineers are working on design for the National Compact Stellarator Experiment, an important proof-of-principle machine to be built at Princeton in the near future. * There's a reasonable chance that Oak Ridge will acquire a research toy of its own, a $15 million device known as Quasi-Poloidal Stellarator. The president's fiscal 2003 budget request includes about $1 million to get started on the conceptual design, and if all goes well the experimental facility could be operational in 2007. "Everything is pretty darn good as far as we're concerned," Stan Milora, ORNL's fusion energy director, said last week. "I'm delighted." If nuclear fusion -- the same process that makes our sun and other stars burn -- can ever be corralled, it offers a virtually unlimited energy supply with few environmental detractions. Unfortunately, a full-scale demonstration of fusion energy is still years if not decades away, although Milora and his research colleagues in Oak Ridge and around the world remain optimistic. * A new testing laboratory for chronic beryllium disease is up and running at the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, and a spokeswoman said the staff is processing 70 to 75 blood samples a week. The Oak Ridge institute heads the U.S. Department of Energy's national program for evaluating workers exposed to beryllium, particularly those in the nuclear weapons complex. The new lab is one of five facilities nationwide doing the lymphocyte proliferation test, which determines if a worker's body has become sensitized to beryllium. The allergic-like reaction is the first stage in development of chronic beryllium disease -- an incurable, sometimes fatal, respiratory illness that is much more common than once thought. The lightweight metal is used in the manufacture of nuclear warhead components, and thousands of DOE contractor employees were exposed to beryllium during Cold War operations. Some victims did not work directly with beryllium but were unwittingly exposed by passing through or spending limited time in contaminated areas. There apparently is no safe threshold for beryllium contact, and a person's susceptibility varies according to his or her genetic makeup. The new 4,000-square-foot, $850,000 test laboratory in Oak Ridge is receiving blood samples from workers at sites around the United States. Pam Bonee, a spokeswoman at the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, said samples must be analyzed within 24 hours after the blood is drawn. Therefore, time-sensitive packages arrive regularly by Federal Express. "They start the processing as soon as the FedEx truck pulls out of the driveway," Bonee said. More than 100 Oak Ridge workers, most of them at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, have tested positive for beryllium sensitization. There have been 44 documented cases of chronic beryllium diseases among past or present Y-12 workers. Workers with CBD are eligible for a federal compensation program that provides lump-sum payments of $150,000 and medical benefits. But there have been numerous complaints about glitches in the approval process, delaying payments to beryllium workers. Copyright 2002 The Knoxville News-Sentinel Co. ***************************************************************** 33 New Cost-Plus-Incentive Fee Contract to be Competed for Mound Site New Contract to Focus on Accelerated Cleanup Approach energy.gov - Headquarters' Press Release RELEASE DATE: February 22, 2002 WASHINGTON, D.C. – As part of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Environmental Management Review Plan, DOE today announced that a new contract will be competed and awarded for the accelerated remediation and cleanup of the Mound Site in Miamisburg, Ohio. The new contract will be restructured with an emphasis on completing cleanup safely, quicker and more effectively. “As we outlined in our comprehensive Environmental Management (EM) review, our contracting strategies and practices must make better use of performance-based contracts to carry out the cleanup mission,” Assistant Secretary for EM Jessie Roberson said. “The new contract will provide for the focused, streamlined and unambiguous pursuit of risk reduction to the workers and the public. This is a goal for all EM contracts. It is through the development and management of performance-based contracts that EM can provide the type of results that Congress and the taxpayers expect.” The primary mission of the Mound site was to develop, engineer, manufacture, and evaluate explosive components for the nuclear weapons program. On January 23, 1998, DOE signed a contract with the Miamisburg Mound Community Improvement Corporation (MMCIC) for the sale of the Mound premises and all facilities except those that support the ongoing space power program. The department has already transferred about 40 percent of the site to the MMCIC. “The new procurement offers an opportunity to better reflect the interests and priorities of the MMCIC and the local stakeholders with a smooth, accelerated transition of the site to the community for their use and development,” Roberson said. “Our objective is to swiftly clean up serious problems at our sites and also reduce the risks to human health, safety and the environment.” The procurement process is currently underway to competitively select a contractor to remediate the site and transfer it to the community by December 31, 2006, or earlier. Media Contact: Dolline Hatchett, 202/586-5806 Joe Davis, 202/586-4940 Release No. PR-02-029 Back to Previous Page> ***************************************************************** NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: *****************************************************************