Date: Thu, 19 Dec 1996 10:09:50 -0500
 
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Dec. 16 (UPI) _ William Dorland and Michael Kotschenreuther scientists at
the University of Texas Institute for Fusion Studies, have doubts about the
amount of energy that will be produced by the $10 billion International
Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. The reactor is supposed to be in
operation by the year 2015. The scientists said Monday in the journal
'Science' and at scientific meetings that the present design will produce
far less energy than alternative shapes for turbulance control.
                     

Dec. 16 (UPI) _  A truck loaded with two nuclear warheads overturned on a
Nebraska highway. On November 16 the truck of the government hitted a piece
of ice. The accident caused no nuclear material leakage. The senator Bob
Kerrey has said on Monday that such transports should not take place during
bad weather.

Dec. 16 (UPI) _ NASA's Cassini workers promised to minimize the risk for
re-entry during the fly-by to 1 in one-million. After the Mars-96 debacle
and the Challenger-1986 debacle the use of nuclear materials in spacecrafts
are discussed. The European Space Agency has developed a lighter type of
solar device but ESA said too little is known about this new type of energy
cells to build into the Cassini so the power will stay to be derived from
74 pounds of plutonium-238 in high temperature ceramic pellets 'whose
chunks after breakup by collision are too big to inhale'.

Dec. 16 (Reuter) - Hazel O'Leary, the Energy Secretary of State has agreed
in November with the dozen families of victims of plutonium injections
without their consent at the University of Rochester hospital a $4.8
million settlement. The government radiation-tests, the lawyers said at the
meeting on Monday, involved at least three dozen other families.

Dec 17 (Reuter) -Tokyo Power Co Inc, has started 'trial operations' of the
second 'advanced' boiling water reactor at Kashiwasaki Kariba nuclear power
complex. When in July 1997 this reactor becomes in operation the Kariba
complex on the sea of Japan will be the largest of the world with a
capacity of 8.21 megawatts.

Dec. 17 (UPI) -- An inbalance in the turbine of Big Rock Point nuclear
plant (67 megawatt) by Lake Michican has urged the plant to shut down for a
longer time than was estimated after a one-week shut-down for fixing an
electrical problem. It is estimated May 31, 2000 the decommision of Big
Rock will start.

Dec 17 (Reuter) - The US-industry Nuclear Energy Institute has stated that
9 nuclear power plants have run out of space in their storage pools and
have to store spent fuel on above-ground storage. The US government is not
able to accept spent fuel for lacking storage facilities until 2010 is said
by the Department Of Energy

Nukenet - 18 December 1996 Controversity exists in the Clinton
administration about "preventing the spread of nuclear weapons is the top
priority" and "This Administration also stands by its opposition to
reprocessing spent nuclear fuel for civilian or military purposes." as said
both by the Clinton administration. (Bennett Ramberg, Ph.D., Dec. 5, 1996
Dr. Ramberg is Director of Research at the Committee to Bridge
the Gap, a Los Angeles based nuclear policy organization.  He is a former
policy analyst with the State Dept.'s Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs).