Nuclear News Blog
Sunday, July 30, 2000
SANDIA TESTS NEW WARHEAD
Albuquerque Journal
Saturday, July 29, 2000
by John Fleck
A Sandia National Laboratories team has successfully flight-tested a prototype of a new nuclear warhead design for the first time since the end of the Cold War. The warhead was designed as a possible replacement for missile warheads carried on U.S. Navy Trident submarines. But statements from both the Navy and Sandia say there is no plan to build the warheads now that the design is complete. The test involved a missile carrying the warhead, minus its nuclear explosives. All warhead components except its nuclear package were tested. The project was intended to maintain weapons design expertise, according to a statement from the Navy issued in response to questions from the Albuquerque Journal.
The Navy also is seeking "replacement design options" for its W76 and W88 missile warheads, but the new design effort wasn't prompted by any problems with the arsenal. The Navy doesn't see a need to replace either warhead for the foreseeable future, according to the Navy statement. Navy and Sandia officials declined interviews about the project, but the results of the test were detailed in a recent issue of Sandia's in-house Sandia Lab News. In the article, Sandia officials were careful to call the new warhead design a "concept," saying the intent of the project was to provide the Navy with an option for replacing the existing warheads "and then archive the design." "The archived design will not be certified, and there is no intent of producing any hardware for the stockpile," the Lab News article said.
Certification, a process under which the labs test a nuclear weapon and then formally sign a statement vouching for its safety and reliability, is required before any nuclear weapon enters the nation's stockpile. The United States hasn't built any new nuclear weapons since the late
1980s, when the Department of Energy's Rocky Flats Plant closed. Plutonium pits, a key component at the heart of a nuclear weapon, were made there. In addition, President Clinton has signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Even though Congress hasn't ratified it, the Clinton administration continues to abide by the treaty's prohibition of blast tests. Many nuclear-weapons designers believe such an underground test would be required for any nuclear weapon with a newly designed plutonium core to ensure that it works as designers intended. No treaty prohibits the sort of non-nuclear tests conducted with the new warhead design.
The Lab News articles said the new design would reuse plutonium pits from existing weapons, a move that would avoid treaty and manufacturing problems. A Sandia-led team, working with staff from the Navy, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and defense contractor Lockheed Martin, conducted the test April 30 over an Atlantic Ocean test range. The warhead, equipped with instruments and a radio where the weapon's central nuclear explosive would be, transmitted data to a ground station as it flew.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/30/2000 8:58:59 PM
The Tennessean
Sunday, 7/30/2000
Oak Ridge site's water was tainted for decades
By Susan Thomas / Staff Writer
OAK RIDGE -- Drinking water at the Oak Ridge reservation's K-25 atomic bomb
fuel plant was repeatedly contaminated with multiple poisons for decades,
former supervisors here say.
Workers were not told, and today scores of them report illnesses their
doctors cannot explain. Doctors hired by the U.S. Department of Energy,
which operates the site, are expected this week to tell some workers their
illnesses are linked to their K-25 workplace.
Documents and maps obtained by The Tennessean show the purified drinking
water lines at the K- 25 complex were improperly interconnected numerous
places with other lines -- designed to be separate -- carrying impure creek
water used to cool machinery and fight fires.
This creek water was laced with a variety of poisons generated from the
production of nuclear fuel. And, the former supervisors say, in dozens of
instances the contaminated water mixed freely with the drinking water,
which was consumed by thousands of workers at the facility that opened in
1943 to make the fuel for the first atomic bombs.
"We'd find things like the cooling water or fire water joined to the
sanitary pipes, with no backflow preventers or anything to keep the
drinking water from being contaminated with whatever happened to be in the
other systems at any given time," said Sam Vest, 57, a former operations
plant supervisor who went to work at K-25 in 1970.
"Simple but vital things such as labeling the actual kinds of water pipes
wasn't done.
"Many of the engineering maps weren't nearly as detailed as they needed to
be. If the (uranium fuel) process required additional water, they cut into
the nearest pipe whether it was the cooling water, fire water or sanitary
water."
Drinking water at K-25 was sampled and tested daily, Vest said, but only
for bacterial contamination, not the other contaminants that may have
entered the drinking water from the interconnected lines.
In one 1979 safety report obtained by The Tennessean that corroborates
Vest's account, inspectors noted that one set of drinking-water lines had
been connected to cooling-water lines and did not have devices needed to
prevent the entry of contaminated water, in violation of safety codes.
The problem was corrected when it was discovered, but no one knows how long
the pipes had been joined, or how much or what contaminants may have
entered the drinking water system through the connection.
In another instance, officials found a fire-water line had simply been
mistaken for a drinking water line.
"What had happened was that for some unknown length of time, the workers in
that particular building had been assuming they were drinking sanitary
water when, in fact, they were drinking fire water that contained an
antifreeze substance and the chromium we put in to keep the pipes from
corroding year-round and freezing in the winter," said Chris Elliott, who
coordinated water for the K-25 fire department before becoming disabled in
the early 1990s.
'It was a mistake. Nobody had meant for that to happen, and they fixed it.
But to my knowledge, the workers in that building were never told they had
been using contaminated water or told for how long they had been using it.
Simply no one knew."
Vest said when he raised the issue of informing workers their drinking
water might be contaminated, he was quietly told that was not done.
When the issue of fully repairing and restoring the water system to a safe
condition was raised at staff meetings, he said he was told there was not
enough money for that and to do the best he could.
DOE spokesman Steve Wyatt said he could neither confirm nor deny that the
K-25 drinking water was contaminated in past years.
"We do care about the water," Wyatt said. "Our first priority is the safety
of the water today, and we're very confident that it is safe.
"The problem with ancient history is harder. That would require a
considerable amount of study, so as to what action we might take now, I
don't know."
U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson, R- Tenn., who has championed an ongoing
congressional push to help the ill nuclear weapons workers here and at
other DOE sites nationwide, responded, saying:
"While I haven't seen the details, I am of course concerned about any
exposures that people were not aware of. This will certainly need to be
looked into further. And exactly who needs to do that must be determined
from among the various regulatory agencies outside DOE," such as the
Environmental Protection Agency.
At the state level, Gov. Don Sundquist's senior policy adviser Justin
Wilson said that while he had no knowledge the K-25 drinking water was
contaminated, he was not taken by total surprise.
"There has never been a question that the pollution at Oak Ridge has
affected human health," Wilson said. "It's the causation idea that has been
a problem.
"And DOE has the responsibility to protect human health, both past and
present."
Workers were less restrained in their reactions.
"I am utterly and completely outraged," said Harry Williams, 54, a
permanently disabled worker and president of the local coalition of ill
workers. "The fact that the sanitary water was contaminated time and time
again isn't a surprise at all. We've suspected that for a long, long time.
"But tell me this: How on God's earth have the DOE officials looked us
square in the face and lied over and over, telling us the water was safe
when their own documents show that is an absolute, total, cruel lie?"
Since early 1997, The Tennesse- an has reported claims of ill workers who
have long suspected their nuclear weapons workplaces are somehow linked to
mysterious health problems. These range from bleeding rashes, slurred
speech, immune system shutdowns, memory impairments and respiratory
ailments to constant bone and muscle pain so severe that wearing clothing
can be unbearable.
The newspaper has interviewed more than 400 individuals suffering from
similar unexplained immune, neurological and respiratory problems who work
or live near 13 nuclear weapons sites in 11 states, stretching from
California to New York.
Contaminated drinking water at K-25 is the latest revelation the ill have
to add to their personal lists of reasons they believe the federal
government "just decided to throw us away once the Cold War was over. We
got sick, and they decided they didn't need us anymore,' Williams said.
"It is so hard to keep hope when it's so incredibly clear DOE simply does
not care about us, if they ever did."
Federal legislation sponsored by Thompson to provide financial and medical
help to certain ill nuclear weapons workers passed the U.S. Senate earlier
this year and is awaiting action in the House of Representatives. If
approved, it would require the signature of the president to become law.
Past practices that led to the contamination of the sanitary water system
at K-25 for the most part resulted from the dashing pace of the Manhattan
Project to produce bomb fuel to win World War II and then later to keep the
nation armed for nuclear combat throughout the Cold War, Vest said.
"I don't know of anything that was done with the water to intentionally
hurt anyone," he said. "Looking back, I truly believe the people in the
very beginning of building K-25 either didn't know exactly what they were
doing or were in such an understandable hurry to process the uranium that
problems started at day one, particularly in the water systems."
K-25 is one of three major facilities on the sprawling Oak Ridge
reservation. It turned uranium into nuclear weapons fuel, using a process
known as uranium enrichment. At one time, the uranium enriching building
was the largest structure under one roof in the world.
Uranium processing there continued until 1987, and at its peak, K-25
employed some 9,000 workers.
There is no indication the water supplies of the other two facilities on
the Oak Ridge reservation -- the Y-12 weapons' refurbishment facility and
the Oak Ridge National Laboratory -- were similarly contaminated.
"I came from a job working at the Virginia Power Company, so I had a good
idea of how operations work around a nuclear workplace," said Vest, who
took a medical retirement in 1995.
"That's why I barely could believe what I saw at K-25 when I first went to
work in 1970. I just couldn't believe people were running around in and out
of contaminated buildings with zero protection.
"It was astounding."
K-25 was designed with three separate water systems. Beyond the sanitary
drinking water system -- designated for outlets such as drinking fountains,
shower stalls and cooking at the K-25 cafeteria -- K-25 also has a
fire-fighting water system and a separate cooling water system for the
machines essential to producing weapons-grade fuel.
Rising into management, Vest said he was at K-25 for only a couple of years
before he became concerned about the safety of the drinking water.
"It's not that anyone wanted to contaminate the water," he said. "Whenever
we found a problem like pipes connecting the sanitary water into the other
systems, we'd fix it as best and as soon as we could. For that, I'm very
proud of the people I worked with and who worked for me at K-25."
Still, during his tenure at K-25, Vest said, he has personal knowledge of
"dozens" of instances in which the drinking water was contaminated with
toxic substances ranging from the radioactive strontium-90 to arsenic.
"If there's any one thing to blame, it's the fact that we were grossly
under funded,"he said. "We didn't have the money through those years to
build a new, guarded sanitary system. And I'm not blaming DOE or the
various contractors and subcontractors over the years.
"We just had to make do, and that's what they did. And for me, when I think
about those days and those workers and those friends at K-25 who are either
sick or dead now, well, it breaks my heart that I couldn't have done more."
Last year, a DOE oversight investigation was launched after Thompson and
other congressional leaders blasted DOE for the slow pace the lawmakers
said the Energy Department was taking to attempt to unravel the mysteries
of the unexplained illnesses.
Vest has been questioned as part of that probe -- but not in detail about
the water supply. On Friday a Washington-based DOE spokeswoman said the
ongoing probe would include the water systems and claims of contamination
at K-25.
"That," disabled K-25 worker Harry Williams added, "sounds like just
another lying game DOE plays to try to satisfy the politicians and silence
media in hopes us sick folks just go away.
"The only thing I can say to that is simple: We'll be knocking on the DOE
door for justice as long as the last one of us is still breathing."
© Copyright 2000 The Tennessean
A Gannett Co. Inc. newspaper
Use of this site signifies that you agree to our terms of service.
Associated Press content is Copyrighted by The Associated Press.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/30/2000 8:55:44 PM
Tri-City Herald
July 29, 2000
French removed from Hanford post
By John Stang
Herald staff writer
Dick French, the Department of Energy's leader on dealing
with Hanford's radioactive tank wastes, was removed from his
post Friday apparently because of a managerial clash with
DOE's Washington, D.C., headquarters.
He has been placed on leave for an indefinite time, said
Deputy Energy Secretary T.J. Glauthier. Leif Erickson, the
Office of River Protection's assistant manager for
procurement, is the new acting director for the agency.
French has been the only DOE manager for Hanford's Office of
River Protection -- an agency created in the spring of 1999
to focus exclusively on all matters pertaining to the site's
53 million gallons of highly radioactive wastes in 177
leak-prone underground tanks.
"We took the action (of placing French on leave) because we
had serious management concerns about the project,"
Glauthier said. He declined to elaborate on those concerns.
French said: "The situation is caused by a disagreement
between headquarters and me on what (the request for
proposals to replace BNFL Inc. as the glassification
contract leader) should be." French also declined to
elaborate.
The request for proposals is expected to be available Monday
on the Internet. This is part of the process to replace
BNFL's glassification team, whose last day of existence was
Friday.
BNFL led a corporate team for the past two years to design
waste glassification plants and put together the financing
for the multi-billion-dollar project. The idea was for BNFL
to submit its financing package and partial designs to the
Office of River Protection in April. The federal agency
hoped to give BNFL the green light in August. Construction
is supposed to begin in 2001, and glassification is supposed
to begin in 2007.
However, BNFL turned in a cost estimate of $15.2 billion in
April, drastically more than the original estimate of $6.9
billion. That led the Office of River Protection to fire
BNFL.
CH2M Hill Hanford Group, which manages the rest of the tank
farms projects, is acting as caretaker of the design work
until a new contractor is hired by January 2001 to finish
the design work and build the plants by 2007. Monday's
request for proposals outlines the requirements that a
bidder must meet to win the January 2001 contract to
continue the glassification project.
Consequently, clues indicate French and DOE's headquarters
might have clashed over the long-term plan -- or its
financial, or scheduling or managerial details -- on how to
recover from BNFL's firing and to get the stumbling
glassification project back on track.
Glauthier said that French is not being blamed for BNFL's
troubles. And he said DOE is "fully committed" to meet the
glassification timetable set out by the Tri-Party Agreement,
the legal pact that governs Hanford's cleanup. The Tri-Party
Agreement set the 2001 date to begin construction and 2007
date to begin glassification.
The Washington Department of Ecology is the lead regulatory
agency to enforce tank waste cleanup obligations in the
Tri-Party Agreement.
"I'm very, very disappointed. We found Dick to be an
exceptionally open and honest person," said Dan Silver, the
Ecology Department's deputy director.
Silver said French, with his outspoken, forceful
personality, has been the key figure in moving the highly
complicated tank waste programs through DOE's molasseslike
politics and bureaucracy.
"We don't know anyone else who is working for this program
(very hard) in Washington, D.C.," Silver said.
Silver speculated French was losing a battle to get more
authority to make key decisions, with DOE's headquarters
drawing some of his authority back inside the Washington,
D.C., Beltway.
French has a blunt personality, which gained him admirers
and detractors.
Glauthier said French's personality was not a factor in his
removal. "Dick is a strong personality, and we like that
about Dick. That did not have anything to do with what
happened," Glauthier said.
Glauthier said DOE's top officials plan to meet with French
next week to discuss his future. French declined to say if
he plans to stay with DOE.
U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., said: "The news today out
of the Department of Energy is unfortunate. While I do not
believe it is appropriate for me to comment on personnel
decisions within the department, I want to thank Dick French
for his excellent service in starting up and leading the
Office of River Protection from its inception to today."
Hastings wants the agency to keep its co-equal status with
DOE's Richland office, which manages the rest of Hanford's
projects.
Sam Volpentest, executive vice president of the Tri-City
Industrial Development Council, said French's removal "is
too bad. I thought he was getting that thing whipped into
shape. ... This was a very, very stupid move by DOE's
headquarters."
French's removal marks the second time a top waste
glassification project leader has left in the past four
months.
BNFL's Hanford project manager Mike Lawrence, another highly
respected veteran Hanford leader, resigned in frustration in
May. Lawrence believed his superiors kept him out of the
loop on major decisions and were keeping him as a figurehead
with less authority than he wanted. That resignation came a
few days after BNFL's $15.2 billion cost estimate was
unveiled.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/30/2000 8:52:12 PM
U.S. calls for closure of Lithuania nuclear plant
LITHUANIA : July 21, 2000
VILNIUS - The United States yesterday called for the closure of Lithuania's Soviet-era Ignalina nuclear power plant, based on the same design as Ukraine's Chernobyl reactor which exploded in 1986.
Ignalina supplies more than 70 percent of Lithuania's electricity needs, making the Baltic nation one of the world's most nuclear power-dependent nations.
"The RBMK design is inherently unstable, we believe it's unsafe, and today I've seen nothing that has led me to think otherwise," said Jeffrey Merrifield of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission after touring the plant.
"It is the opinion of the United States government, and our agency, that the facility should be shut down as early as is feasibly possible," he told reporters.
Lithuania, which has invested $220 million in modernising Ignalina, is committed to closing the first of its two reactors by 2005 as a condition for discussions on joining the European Union.
It has been searching for the funds needed to close the entire plant, which could cost as much as 2.5 billion euros ($2.31 billion) according to some estimates.
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/30/2000 8:50:46 PM
Huge blast destroys Kazakhstan nuclear facility
ITN Online
U.S. and Kazakh officials have blasted apart what was once the
world's largest atomic test ground as part of post Cold War
nuclear arms reduction agreements.
A controlled explosion made the vast Kazakh steppe shake and
closed for good what was the world's largest nuclear test range
at Semipalatinsk.
The Soviet-era site, where more than 500 nuclear explosions were
conducted during the Cold War years between 1949 and 1989, was
closed after the last of 181 underground tunnels at the complex
collapsed in the explosion.
U.S Deputy Defence Secretary Susan Koch said the project,
conducted jointly with the United States, had not only closed the
test complex but also had opened the way to peaceful scientific
work at the site.
"This is...the largest such test site to be closed and the
certainly the only one to be closed through co-operative
efforts," said Koch.
"We are very happy as this has been a model of co-operation, it
has worked smoothly and quickly and is a tribute to the...
scientists who realise the potential use of the tests for the
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty."
The blast, termed the Omega-3 calibration experiment, destroyed
the last infrastructure for atomic testing in Kazakhstan, a
signatory to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) which once
had the world's fourth largest nuclear arsenal.
The blast was conducted at tunnel 160, part of the warren of
passages under the 4.5-acre grounds.
The explosion, which sent a cloud of
dust over the steppe and made the earth
shake, was part of a project involving
the U.S. Defence Department and the
Kazakh National Nuclear Centre.
It was funded by the Defence
Department's Co-operative Threat
Reduction Program since Kazakhstan in
1993 signed a treaty to eliminate all
nuclear weapons infrastructure.
The programme allotted $172 million in the early 1990s to support
disarmament in Kazakhstan.
The efforts are monitored from the town of Kurchatov, home to the
country's nuclear centre and about 60 miles from the test range.
Koch said Kazakhstan was an model to aspiring nuclear powers.
"This is an example of commitment to arms reduction and non-
proliferation...a successful nation without nuclear weapons," she
said. "Its security is enhanced by being non-nuclear."
A news release said data from the calibration experiment would
help scientists to identify nuclear tests more precisely and
distinguish them from earthquakes.
But the test site, at the Degelen mountains, 90 miles from
Semipalatinsk town, carries a legacy of death and disease.
A decade after the last test, health problems are rife.
Many babies born in the region have congenital deformities, while
cancer, mental illness and muscular dystrophy are common.
A United Nations study in 1998 said agriculture and land systems
had been severely contaminated by radioactive elements and called
for international aid to clean up the mess.
Yury Cherednin, the head of Kazakhstan's National Nuclear Centre,
said blocking the tunnels was a key step for safety.
"First, the tunnels are now closed to people and animals," he
said. "Second, radioactive contaminated water can no longer come
out to surface so the entire area will be cleaner."
Kazakhstan's huge territory was often used in Soviet times for
manufacturing or testing lethal arms.
The town of Stepnogorsk was used to produce biological weapons
such as anthrax, usually tested in the receding Aral Sea.
Cherednin said U.S. support now allowed Kazakh scientists to
participate in international and commercial projects.
"It was not easy for specialists to switch to new projects," he
said. "But on the positive side, we have moral satisfaction that
never again will our land be used for nuclear tests."
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/30/2000 8:44:59 PM
Arizona Daily Star
July 30, 2000
Radioactive reservation
Lung disease has killed at least 400 uranium miners in the
Navajo Nation. The dying started in the 1960s.
By Deborah Hastings
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
COVE, Ariz. - Inside the stifling cinderblock house of
Dorothy Joe, nothing moves but waves of grief.
One by one, the old widow and her children begin to sob, as
if despair were contagious. The weeping circle begins and
ends with her, sitting at the dining room table, staring at
weathered hands as if they held answers.
She murmurs in Navajo, describing the white man's prized
uranium and how it destroyed her husband.
"They never told us it would kill us," says David, 38,
choking on his tears. "I'm sorry," the son says, drawing a
deep breath. "I'm sorry."
They received $100,000 from the government for the death of
Raymond Joe, who scraped radioactive rock from surrounding
mountains to fuel the Cold War. The conflict never turned
hot, but it killed Ray Joe just the same.
He died six years ago, but his family is inconsolable, as if
he were just now drawing his last breath from these stagnant
rooms.
Lung disease has killed at least 400 uranium miners on the
Navajo Reservation, according to the Uranium Radiation
Victims Committee, a Navajo advocacy group.
The reservation covers 27,000 square miles in the Four
Corners area, where the boundaries of Arizona, Utah,
Colorado and New Mexico intersect.
Here lies the world's largest deposit of uranium ore and the
Navajo who have lived on it for seven centuries. Neither
troubled the other until the 1940s, when mining companies
began blasting holes in stippled sandstone cliffs.
Virtually unburdened by health, safety or pollution
regulations, the mines ran at least two shifts every day for
nearly 40 years. By the 1980s, decreased demand closed the
mines.
By then, Navajo men happy for the work and ignorant of
radiation had loaded millions of tons of ore into open rail
cars.
They wore no protective masks or clothing. They ate their
lunches in holes choked with radioactive dust. They drank
mine water that would have triggered a Geiger counter. They
staggered home to wives who washed their filthy overalls
with the family laundry.
The dying started in the 1960s. In places such as Cove,
there are hardly any old men left. Instead, there are
poisonous dumps, contaminated springs and thousands of
gaping mines.
Recently declassified documents show the government knew
from the start it was playing with poison but concealed the
dangers.
In 1990, Congress passed the Radiation Exposure Compensation
Act and apologized for failing to protect uranium workers
and their families. It ordered payments of up to $100,000 to
miners in Wyoming, Washington state and the Four Corners
area, as well as to others who lived in the Nevada Test
Site's fallout.
The money did not come easily. To get it, the Navajo had to
produce documents that have no place among their people:
Marriage certificates. Death certificates. Pieces of paper
unable to convey whole truths.
A special tribal court was convened to verify marriages,
births and deaths, a process that takes months. Witnesses
must appear "to verify, sometimes, a person's existence,"
said Timothy Benally, a former miner who leads the victims
committee. "We had six people die while their claims were
pending."
On July 12, Congress amended the compensation act,
increasing benefits and reducing paperwork. Still, the
Navajo say it is not enough.
"Nothing can equal a human life," says Mrs. Joe.
Like the reservations, radiation is now part of the white
man's legacy - a primer on what happens when the government
tries to make amends for debts no man can pay.
When Kerr-McGee and other corporations arrived to run the
mines, no one on the reservation thought twice about the
work. Navajo miners were paid $45 a week, a small sum even
then but better than nothing.
Kerr-McGee declined to comment. The company is being sued
for allegedly causing the deaths of two Navajo by exposing
them to radiation.
The Oklahoma-based company gained notoriety for
environmental accidents and the 1970s saga of employee Karen
Silkwood, which was turned into a film. The energy
conglomerate was the leading U.S. producer and refiner of
uranium.
Cove Mesa rises more than 100 feet above the tiny outpost of
Cove. Here, nothing moves but a lizard trailing a fine rain
of dusty rock.
Donald Ellison Jr., 39, points to blank mine faces, each
bearing a spray-painted number. Ellison left a well-paying
highway job in Shiprock for temporary mine reclamation work
in Cove. He wanted to come home. His 89-year-old father has
been diagnosed with lung cancer.
Donald Ellison Sr. mined uranium for seven years at 40 cents
an hour, starting in 1947. He spends his last days herding
sheep, walking the land he was born on.
The son's job was to blast shut the abandoned shafts. His
crew counted 2,000 of them within a 20-mile radius of here.
No one is sure how many pockmark the rest of the
reservation.
"The people use these mines to shelter their sheep," Donald
Ellison Jr. said. "They store hay and grain in there and
then feed it to the sheep. Then they eat the sheep."
Benally first walked into these holes in 1948, when he was
14. "The mining company said, 'The government needs a lot of
this stuff.' That's all they told us," Benally said.
He worked on and off until 1964. He cannot get compensation
because, he said, the government decided that he hadn't been
blasted with enough radiation to meet its exposure
standards.
Anger is not the Navajo way.
"What would you have us do?" Benally asked. "To say 'Enough
is enough' means I take up a gun and start killing people."
He stops, lets this hang in the dusty air.
"What we would really like," he said evenly, "is for the
government to come in and clean up this mess they made."
Lung cancer is a torturous and humiliating way to die.
Breathing is agony. Control is lost over private things.
To his family, the swift demise of Ray Joe was stupefying.
Suddenly, the sturdy bear of a man weighed less than 100
pounds and couldn't get out of bed.
"He tried to stay strong 'til the end," said David Joe, "but
there was nothing left of him."
Six months after his diagnosis, Ray Joe died.
His 66-year-old widow touches the tip of each finger,
ticking off the names of other widows. When she runs out of
fingers, she looks past the weeping faces of her children,
scanning a list in her head.
"Some remarried," she says. "I married my husband. I still
have feelings for him. That is why I am single."
It was the widows who first petitioned the government in
1960 for redress. As their husbands died, they began to talk
among themselves. And to notice things. Like the way death
started with not being able to catch a full breath.
The wives remembered other things that seized their hearts.
How they used to bring uranium chunks in the house at night
so their children could watch them glow in the dark. How
their husbands' work clothes, covered in radioactive muck,
sometimes sat in the kitchen for a week because running
water didn't come to this reservation until the 1980s.
"The government destroyed this community," said David Joe.
"They destroyed our lives."
The $100,000 from Washington, D.C., does not ease his
mother's pain. Most of it went toward her husband's medical
bills.
The government should give more, says Mrs. Joe. "A new
home," she says, as if that might mend her heart. "They
should build us new homes."
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/30/2000 8:37:11 PM
Saturday, July 29, 2000
July 28, 2000
U.S. violated pollution laws at Paducah
Kentucky cited DOE over cleanup at uranium plant
By GIDEON GIL
The Courier-Journal
The federal government has violated air-pollution laws while cleaning up a
huge heap of radioactive drums at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant.
Kentucky environmental regulators have cited the U.S. Department of Energy
for two violations of state air-quality regulations during shredding and
compacting operations at Drum Mountain, a pile of about 85,000 crushed,
rusting barrels once used to store uranium.
The Energy Department could be fined up to $25,000 a day for each violation,
said Heather Frederick, a spokeswoman for the state Natural Resources and
Environmental Protection Cabinet.
On July 13, a state inspector observed fine dust, called particulates, rising
from a conveyor belt that feeds shredded 55-gallon steel drums into a baler.
"Reasonable precautions were not being taken to prevent particulate matter
from becoming airborne," said a notice of violation issued that day.
The inspector, Stan Cook, noted that enclosures used to prevent emissions had
been removed and that water from a hand-held spray "has little effect on the
fine airborne particulate emissions."
While the inspector did not test the dust for radioactivity, Frederick said,
"The metals in Drum Mountain are radioactive, so we're treating any
particulate matter from the processing of those metals as radioactive."
But Walter Perry, an Energy Department spokesman, said its air monitors
around Drum Mountain have detected no airborne radioactivity since cleanup
work began.
"At no time were there any detectable releases to the environment," Perry
said.
THE ENERGY Department owns the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant and is
responsible for the cleanup of radioactive and chemical contamination on and
around the plant site from a half-century of making fuel for nuclear power
plants and weapons.
"The issue noted by the commonwealth was an operation issue concerning
processing of the drums, and we have corrected that," Perry said.
Frederick said the state asked the Energy Department to install more water
and misting sprays to control dust, and the inspector returned Wednesday and
observed that additional spray nozzles were in place.
The machinery was not operating, however; debris jammed a conveyor, Perry
said. Frederick said the inspector will return today to make sure the new
measures work.
The dust-control enclosures were part of a written cleanup plan the Energy
Department submitted to the state and were removed without notifying the
state, Frederick said. But Natural Resources officials will not require that
the enclosures be replaced as long as the additional sprays are sufficient to
control dust, she said.
Cook, the inspector, said it took an hour and three minutes to gain access to
Drum Mountain to observe operations, in part because DOE personnel had
difficulty finding someone authorized to allow him entry.
In an earlier inspection visit, on June 23, Cook complained of having to wait
more than an hour to enter the site. Delays were caused by waiting for
someone to be contacted, waiting for a person who had authority to observe
the taking of video, obtaining an escort for another inspector without
security clearance, obtaining radiation-monitoring badges and reviewing
on-site safety issues, Cook wrote in his inspection report.
"Future access to drum mountain must be timelier," he added. "Excessive delay
can be considered as a denial of entry."
FREDERICK SAID the state has not decided whether to assess any penalty for
the July 13 violations. In general, she said, the response of a violator --
did it fix the problem and put remedial measures in place quickly, for
example -- is taken into consideration.
The Courier-Journal reported last month that Kentucky regulators had issued
26 notices of violation to the Energy Department for environmental problems
at the Paducah plant, but fined it only once -- $5,000 for a water violation
in 1994.
Energy Secretary Bill Richardson has pledged to remove Drum Mountain by the
end of the year, and Perry said DOE "had full confidence" in its cleanup
contractor, Bechtel Jacobs Co., "to get the job done on schedule."
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/29/2000 6:13:34 PM
USEC earnings drop $11.5 million
USEC's financial situation is being scrutinized in Congress by Rep. Ted
Strickland, whose Ohio district includes the Portsmouth plant
By Joe Walker
Paducah Sun
July 27, 2000
Earnings for USEC Inc. dropped $11.5 million during the past fiscal year as
the average market price for uranium plummeted 22 percent.
During the fiscal year ending June 30, USEC, which operates the Paducah
Gaseous Diffusion Plant, earned $109.1 million, or $1.20 per share, compared
with $120.6 million, or $1.21 per share, the year before. The figures exclude
$141.5 million in special charges related to USEC's decision to close
Paducah's sister plant near Portsmouth, Ohio, next year, and the elimination
of 575 jobs at the two plants this year.
USEC's dim financial picture remains under heavy scrutiny in Congress. Rep.
Ted Strickland, whose Ohio district includes the Portsmouth plant, is
fighting the shutdown and has filed a bill to return USEC to government
control. House Commerce Committee Chairman Thomas Bliley, R-Va., is
investigating alleged improprieties in how USEC was privatized.
USEC, which has called Strickland's efforts misguided, has pledged to
continue looking for ways to cut costs and be more competitive. "We have made
tough but necessary decisions for the future of our business as we now pursue
the full range of actions necessary for a commercial enterprise," said
William Timbers, president and chief executive officer.
Including the special charges and a $19.5 million adjustment in the value of
USEC's natural uranium inventory, the company earned $8.9 million during the
year. The devaluation was related to dwindling market prices.
Excluding the charges, USEC earned $37.8 million, or 45 cents per share,
during the fourth quarter, compared with $63.7 million, or 64 cents per
share, during the same period last year. Including the charges, USEC lost
$62.4 million, or 74 cents per share.
Annual earnings reflected lower revenue from the anticipated drop in average
prices billed to customers, the company said. Other factors were lower
expenses for advanced technology, a drop in production and higher unit costs
because of overpriced uranium purchased from dismantled Russian warheads.
The Russian uranium, priced higher than the plants' production costs, is
being purchased at increasingly greater volume under a long-term contract.
Russian material represented 41 percent of USEC's supply mix during the past
fiscal year, up 10 percent from the year before. That factor, combined with
lower production, increased USEC's sale costs by $54.3 million over 1999.
However, USEC has reached an agreement with Russia for market-based pricing
starting in January 2002, Timbers said. "We expect to obtain approvals from
both the United States and Russian governments for an agreement well before
its implementation date," he said.
Yearly revenue was $1.49 million, down from $1.53 million in 1999. Revenue
from enriched uranium dropped $87.2 million, showing a 7 percent decline in
the average sale price. Overall, the average market price of uranium dropped
9 percent during the past fiscal year.
Meanwhile, USEC nearly doubled the sale of its natural uranium stockpile to
generate cash flow. Sales rose from $53.6 million last year to $101.6 million
this year.
USEC also is buying back another 20 million shares of common stock for a
total of 30 million shares. So far, 17.8 million shares have been
repurchased, including 8.1 million shares since the buyback was expanded Feb.
3.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/29/2000 6:12:14 PM
Drums' cleanup needs to catch up
By Bill Bartleman
Paducah Sun
July 27, 2000
Removal of the 35-foot-high scrap pile known as "drum mountain" at the
Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant is seriously behind schedule.
Only 8 percent of the estimated 85,000 rusty, contaminated drums have been
shredded and baled. Bechtel Jacobs Co. officials had projected that by now,
more than half of the drums would be ready for shipment to a hazardous-waste
landfill in Utah.
"The issue is not that we are behind schedule but whether the work can be
completed by the end of the year," Bechtel Jacobs spokesman Greg Cook said.
He said efforts are being made to meet the schedule.
The company has a $7 million contract with the U.S. Department of Energy to
remove the drums. It has subcontracted the work to USEC Inc., the company
that produces enriched uranium at the plant.
DOE spokesman Walter Perry said he receives daily reports on the progress of
the cleanup of drum mountain.
The shredding and baling was expected to take 49 working days, and 2.8
shipping containers were to be filled each day. Perry said the project was in
its 23rd day Wednesday, and only 8.8 of 109 containers had been filled. Under
the schedule, 64 containers should be filled and ready for shipment.
"We have full confidence that Bechtel Jacobs and the subcontractor will get
the job done on time," Perry said.
Cook said USEC workers are analyzing problems that have plagued the cleanup
and are developing a plan to meet DOE's schedule.
Options include eliminating the baling process and putting the shredded drums
into the containers, or putting the drums into the containers without
shredding, crushing or baling. Either option would increase costs because it
would require additional containers to haul the material out of Paducah.
Drum mountain is a highly visible part of an old storage yard in the
northwestern area of the plant that contains an estimated 65,000 tons of
scrap material, much of it believed to be contaminated with low levels of
depleted uranium tetrafluoride, or UF4. Officials believe the drums are a
source of groundwater contamination.
Members of Congress have been critical of DOE for spending more than $400
million on cleanup with very little visible progress. Earlier this year, top
DOE officials visited Paducah and promised drum mountain would be removed by
the end of the year. They made similar commitments in congressional hearings.
The latest problem is a conveyor belt that moves the crushed drums from a
hopper to the shredder. Debris apparently became caught behind the conveyor,
causing damage to a roller, Cook said. It was being repaired Thursday.
The problem delayed a scheduled inspection Wednesday by the Kentucky Natural
Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet, which earlier this month
issued a violation notice after observing dust particles rising from the
shredder. State officials said it violated clean-air regulations.
A spokesman for the state said inspectors, during a visit Thursday, observed
that changes had been made in the equipment that should eliminate the air
emissions violation. The changes included improving the "misting" procedure
to hold down the dust. The inspectors said they wouldn't know if the
violation had been corrected until they see the equipment operate.
Cook would not predict a resumption date for the cleanup, saying, "We haven't
gotten a report from our subcontractor (USEC) on that."
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/29/2000 6:10:09 PM
July 27, 2000
BWXT Pantex gets Amarillo contract
by Paul Parson
Oak Ridger staff
For months, a decision on who will manage the Pantex Plant in Amarillo,
Texas, and the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant has been pending.
In one of those cases a determination has been made, and it may or may not
have local ramifications.
BWXT Pantex, consisting of BWX Technologies Inc., Honeywell and Bechtel
National, has been awarded the five-year management and operations contract
for the Amarillo facility, ending the 40-year-plus reign of Mason & Hanger
Corp.
In a statement, Energy Secretary Bill Richardson said, following a "rigorous
solicitation and selection process," BWXT Pantex emerged as the right choice.
Two companies in the winning Pantex partnership -- BWX Technologies Inc. and
Bechtel National -- are also vying for the five-year Y-12 management and
operations contract under the united entity BWXT-Y-12.
So, is the Pantex decision any indication of what might happen in Oak Ridge?
David Page, a spokesman for the Department of Energy, insists that it's not.
In addition, Page pointed out the four competitors for Pantex contract were
narrowed down to two, while all four groups that have made proposals on the
Y-12 contract are still in the running.
Scott Baker, vice president of business development with BWXT Services Inc.,
told The Oak Ridger the Pantex contract was a "tremendous" win, but he
doesn't know if it will impact the Oak Ridge decision.
"We have no crystal ball," Baker said. "We believe, we hope that we will have
the opportunity to win in Oak Ridge."
Baker said the Pantex and Y-12 plants are being viewed as separate entities
with different needs. However, he said that there should not be any "mass
exodus" of jobs at Pantex or at Y-12, if the company wins that contract.
The winner of the Y-12 contract is scheduled to be announced in late August.
The other three competitors for the contract are Oak Ridge Defense Systems (a
partnership among Lockheed Martin Energy Systems, Duke Engineering and
Services and TENERA); Westinghouse Government Services; and Defense
Operations of East Tennessee LLC (a partnership among EG&G Technical Services
Inc., Brown & Root Services, M.H. Chew and Associates Inc., Informatics Corp.
and Arthur D. Little).
And a lot of Oak Ridgers and former DOE affiliates have been watching both
contract situations with curiosity and interest. Two of those people are
Herman Postma, former director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and senior
vice president of Lockheed Martin Energy Systems, and Gordon Fee, a former
president and chief executive officer of Lockheed Martin Energy Systems.
Fee said he doubts the Pantex decision has much impact on the Y-12 contract.
Both men said a couple of years ago there was a push by DOE to get all the
weapons plants under the same contractor.
For that reason and the Pantex decision, Postma said there are currently two
schools of thought on what could happen with the Y-12 contract.
First, if DOE were still trying to have all the weapons plants under the same
contractor, then the Pantex decision could increase BWXT-Y-12's chances in
Oak Ridge.
"Like with everything there's pros and cons," Fee added. He said DOE gets a
better deal with different contractors.
But Postma said the more likely situation is it's going to be a close race
between Westinghouse and Lockheed Martin for the Y-12 contract.
And, in the past, there have been surprises with Y-12 contract situations.
Postma pointed out in 1984 that Westinghouse looked like the leader over
Martin Marietta Energy Systems. However, Martin Marietta -- the new kid on
the block -- won.
U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-3rd District, said he is also watching the Y-12
contract situation closely. He met with Richardson Tuesday afternoon and the
Oak Ridge plant was a topic of discussion. Wamp said he hopes DOE picks the
"best candidate" for the job and doesn't delay the decision any longer.
If BWXT-Y-12 is chosen in Oak Ridge, Bechtel official John Mitchell will
serve as president of the company and Buddy Conner, general manager of BWXT's
Navy Nuclear Fuels Division in Lynchburg, Va., will assist as general manager
for the partnership.
As the single supplier of nuclear fuel and reactor components to the U.S.
Navy, BWXT maintains the largest non-government-owned repository for special
nuclear materials. With its Naval Nuclear Fuel Division in Lynchburg, Va.,
BWXT is the only substantial privately owned entity that performs enriched
uranium processing and recovery operations comparable to Oak Ridge's Y-12
operations.
BWXT is the single supplier of research and test reactor fuel for DOE's
national laboratories, including the High-Flux Isotope Reactor in Oak Ridge.
The company also performs decontamination and decommissioning at several DOE
nuclear sites.
BWXT recently won a contract with Bechtel National to help manage the Idaho
National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory near Idaho Falls, Idaho.
The company also does work at DOE's Hanford Site in Washington, the Savannah
River Site near Aiken, S.C., and Rocky Flats in Golden, Colo., and is the
prime contractor for DOE's Mound Site in Ohio.
Bechtel National Inc. is an engineering, construction, development and
management organization with a century of experience and about 40,000
employees worldwide. Bechtel National Inc. has been active in Oak Ridge for
more than 20 years, beginning with the award of the DOE's Formerly Utilized
Sites Remedial Action Program contract to BNI in the late 1970s.
Bechtel's presence in Oak Ridge today focuses on accounting and procurement
activities for Bechtel government companies, managing an annual procurement
volume in excess of $1 billion.
Bechtel also performs projects in its Oak Ridge office for the Navy, Air
Force, Corps of Engineers and private-sector companies.
Bechtel Jacobs Co. LLC is DOE's environmental management contractor for all
Oak Ridge facilities, including Y-12.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/29/2000 6:07:05 PM
The Paducah Sun
July 27, 2000
Paducah, Kentucky
Russian uranium stays under tight restrictions
The decision is seen as a good sign for USEC and Honeywell
By Joe Walker jwalker@paducahsun.com--270.575.8650
USEC Inc. managers say the continued control of uranium shipped from Russia
is a positive sign for the financially troubled firm that runs the Paducah
Gaseous Diffusion Plant.
The International Trade Commission ruled 5-0 Wednesday that ending
restrictions on overpriced Russian imports would significantly harm the U.S.
uranium industry, including USEC and ConverDyn, marketing arm for the
Honeywell plant in Metropolis, Ill.
Honeywell - which converts uranium to uranium hexafluoride, the raw product
for the Paducah plant - also is in financial difficulty, in part because of
the amount of Russian uranium added to the already glutted U.S. market.
Adding uranium to a saturated market would force prices even lower, the
companies say.
"The ITC's decision is important for maintaining a viable domestic nuclear
fuel industry," said William "Nick" Timbers, USEC president and chief
executive officer. "We have long contended that terminating the Russian
suspension agreement would undermine the domestic industry."
The ruling followed a June 28 U.S. Commerce Department decision that dumping
of natural and enriched uranium on the American market would probably recur
if the 1992 agreement were ended. Russia had requested the termination.
Timbers said both decisions are critical to USEC, which is buying 500 tons of
uranium from dismantled Russian warheads in a nuclear disarmament deal
between the countries. The uranium is priced higher than the USEC plants'
manufacturing costs and displaces half their production. As a result, USEC
has opted to upgrade the Paducah plant and close its sister plant near
Portsmouth, Ohio, by next June.
The ITC ruling ends a "sunset review" of the agreement begun 11 months ago.
The contract limits imports of Russian uranium products except those matched
with new U.S. production or delivered under certain contracts existing when
the agreement was signed. It does not affect uranium shipped under the
disarmament deal.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/29/2000 6:05:55 PM
Uranium producer looking to diversify
Metropolis plant faces market glut
(METROPOLIS, Ill. )
By The Associated Press
Officials at a Honeywell plant in Southern Illinois that produces a uranium
byproduct used in nuclear fuel are diversifying the chemicals they produce in
an attempt to counter financial troubles caused by a worldwide glut in
uranium products.
The byproduct, called uranium hexafluoride or UF6, accounts for only a
fraction of Honeywell´s $24 billion in annual sales worldwide. The heavily
diversified firm, which merged with Allied Signal last year, has more than a
third of its sales in the aerospace industry.
Still, the Metropolis workers´ main task is to convert natural uranium to
UF6, a raw product used to enrich uranium for use in nuclear fuel.
In the two years since Bill Lessig became plant manager, the price for
converting a kilogram of UF6 has fallen from $5.50 to $2.50 in a market
glutted with foreign competitors.
"This is a classic supply-and-demand case - too much supply and not enough
demand," Lessig said. "What do you do? The price goes down and down and
down."
Last year, 50 employees were cut, leaving 340 others at the Honeywell
Specialty Chemicals plant - the only plant of its kind left in the United
States. UF6 production also was cut by 25 percent.
Last month, Congress urged President Clinton and Energy Secretary Bill
Richardson to take action to help bail out the troubled UF6 industry.
Unlike its foreign competitors, Honeywell receives no government help and is
involved in only one step in the fuel cycle, Lessig said. Government-backed
firms have subsidies and other business to compensate for conversion losses,
he said.
In the meantime, officials at the Honeywell plant are concentrating on
expanding business unrelated to UF6.
"We don´t know what´s going to happen with the UF6 business and we´re not
going to depend on that," Lessig said.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/29/2000 5:59:26 PM
July 24, 2000
From the Oakridger
Nuclear waste could be cure for cancer
by Duncan Mansfield
Associated Press
Locked away for more than 40 years in guarded concrete vaults at the Oak
Ridge National Laboratory may be the key to a promising new therapy for
cancer patients.
The lab's 1 1/2-ton cache of weapons-grade uranium-233, until now considered
waste, is the nation's only readily available source for a potent isotope
that can kill leukemia cells without harming healthy cells.
"It is kind of like a little bomb going off that you can target right to that
cancer cell," ORNL program manager Jim Rushton.
Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York are
developing the "alpha particle immunotherapy" and last year completed initial
human tests.
The isotope bismuth-213 was attached to an antibody designed to carry the
alpha-emitting isotope to the cancer. The tests were to see if the treatment
did more harm than good in acute myeloid leukemia patients.
The results were a surprise. Not only was the therapy safe, but leukemia
cells were eliminated in the blood stream and reduced in the bone marrow of
13 of the 18 patients taking part, said Dr. Joseph Jurcic, one of the
researchers.
"We really think it has broad implications for the whole field of oncology,
not just for leukemia," he said.
The researchers don't envision bismuth therapy replacing chemotherapy or
surgery. Rather they see its potential in "cleaning up residual cancer cells
that are remaining behind after primary treatments," he said.
This is no small challenge. Jurcic said only 30 percent to 40 percent of
acute leukemia patients are cured by chemotherapy.
"The majority of these patients go into remission with chemotherapy, but they
relapse because of these residual cells. That's where we think the bismuth is
going to be particularly useful."
This fall, Sloan-Kettering, under the watch of the National Cancer Institute,
plans to start a second phase of testing with 35 to 40 patients to measure
the therapy's effectiveness. The trials could last three years.
The problem was getting more bismuth-213, an exotic isotope which has a
46-minute half-life makes it perfect for injecting into patients because it
quickly dissipates. That also makes it difficult to acquire.
Bismuth-213 can be obtained in what physicists describe as a decay chain from
uranium-233. First, thorium-229 is extracted, then actinium-225 is taken from
that and then the bismuth is extracted from the actinium.
The search for thorium led to the uranium-233 stockpile in Oak Ridge.
Energy Secretary Bill Richardson agreed last month at the behest of U.S. Sen.
Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., and U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg, R-Mich., to double the
supply of bismuth-213 by 2002 for the Sloan-Kettering research.
Rushton said only 1 percent of the available bismuth-213 has been recovered
from Oak Ridge. The total of bismuth-213 there is infinitesimally small -- so
small that it is measured by its radioactivity instead of its weight.
A typical shipment to Sloan-Kettering "is literally a spot of material that
is dried in the bottom of a vile. It looks like the vile is empty," Rushton
said.
But researchers believe there is enough high-powered bismith-213 at Oak Ridge
to treat up to 100,000 cancer patients a year.
Oak Ridge's uranium-233 was made at the government's weapons fuel production
plants in South Carolina and Washington state in the 1950s and 1960s.
However, it was never intended for bombs, rather to fuel commercial nuclear
plants.
At the time, uranium sources were scarce and nuclear power generation looked
full of promise.
"But nuclear power did not grow as rapidly as the too-cheap-to-meter
advocates had said, and people found all kinds of uranium out there," Rushton
said. "The price fell and the economic need for this as an alternative fuel
never developed."
And so the uranium-233, considered more hazardous than enriched uranium for
weapons -- which also is stored in Oak Ridge -- has remained at the ORNL
complex. It costs $15 million a year to store, and some experts estimate it
will cost even more to dispose.
Although the bismuth extraction won't reduce the volume of uranium-233, it at
least gives value to its manufacture, Rushton said.
"We spent a lot of money making this stuff," he said. "If we had disposed of
all this 10 years ago, we wouldn't have the option to look at bismuth-213
today."
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/29/2000 5:56:51 PM
AKRON OHIO NEWS
Private lobbying to determine future of compensation proposal
BY KATHERINE RIZZO Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The fate of a Senate-approved proposal to give
medical benefits and at least $200,000 apiece to sickened nuclear
weapons plant workers will depend on behind-the-scenes lobbying.
Because the House rejected the plan, a conference committee must
decide whether to keep it during negotiations this fall.
Reps. Ted Strickland, D-Ohio, and Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., -- who
have constituents who believe they were made ill by exposure to
radiation at weapons plants -- have begun lobbying the 41 House
members on the committee. They sent out their first appeal in a
letter right after the conferees were named on Thursday.
The letter, which says ``establishing this federal compensation
program is the least we can do,'' was signed by 103 House
members. Strickland said they moved quickly to gather the
signatures and distribute the plea because the calendar could
work against their effort.
Congressional sessions won't resume until Sept. 6, and by then
campaign season will be going into its peak weeks, he noted.
``Everybody's going to want to get out of here,'' Strickland said
Friday. ``I think people are not going to want a prolonged
battle.''
A battle is possible, and opposition already has surfaced.
Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, who heads the Subcommittee on
Immigration and Claims, warned in a letter, ``It would be
irresponsible for the House to enact these provisions without the
committee of primary jurisdiction's careful review.''
Smith opposes allowing a costly claim against the government to
be slipped quickly into law without full consideration, said
spokesman Allen Kay. Smith's subcommittee has scheduled a Sept.
14 hearing.
Energy Secretary Bill Richardson said in a statement that
Congress ought to seize the opportunity ``to right the wrongs of
the Cold War and compensate sick workers and their survivors.''
``Compensating these people is the right thing to do, and we owe
it to them to pass legislation this year,'' he said.
Ohio has three people on the conference committee, but under
peculiar House rules, only one, Republican John Kasich, will be
part of the group that considers the compensation plan. Reps.
Mike Oxley and John Boehner, both Republicans, are conferees only
on a few unrelated sections of the bill.
If the conferees don't keep Senate language, the election-
shortened legislative calendar means that the sick workers'
patrons on Capitol Hill probably will have to wait until next
year to try to get a compensation program set up.
The Senate-passed proposal offers medical benefits plus cash to
nuclear weapons plant workers made ill by exposure to radiation,
silica or beryllium.
In his letter, Smith said requests for compensation by workers
injured by their on-the-job exposure could constitute an $800
million claim against the government, and his subcommittee ought
to thoroughly consider such a claim.
Smith's spokesman said that after that letter was distributed,
the congressman's staff did additional research and they now
estimate the program's potential cost at $2.4 billion to $3.8
billion.
Backers of the program did not have comparable cost estimates,
although at one point the Energy Department said its best guess
was that 3,000 injured workers might be eligible under a
comparable administration-proposed compensation plan.
Each of those would get at least $200,000 and perhaps more, and
each would get lifetime medical benefits, the cost of which has
been difficult for the plan's backers to estimate.
During the Cold War, about 600,000 people worked at bomb-making
and nuclear material plants across the country.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/29/2000 5:37:35 PM
Taiwan Premier Says Fourth Nuclear Plant Work to Continue
TAIPEI, Jul 28, 2000 -- (BBC Monitoring) Premier Tang Fei said here on
Thursday [27th July] that the government will continue construction of the
controversial fourth nuclear power plant and Meilung Reservoir if debate
surrounding the projects can be resolved.
In replying to questions at an interpellation session in the Legislative
Yuan, Tang said that Meilung Reservoir must be built, as water is badly
needed by counties and cities in southern Taiwan. Once civilian opposition
to the project is placated, the government will immediately start to
construct the reservoir, the premier said.
The government will try its best to communicate with people in counties
and
cities in southern Taiwan so as to reach an agreement on the project, he
said.
Answering a separate question from Legislator Hsieh Yen-hsin
(KMT-Changhwa)
about whether the fourth nuclear power plant will continue to be built,
Tang
Fei said that the government will continue construction of the proposed
plant if the administration's re-evaluation project meets with public
approval.
Noting that the fourth nuclear plant project was approved by the
Legislative
Yuan in 1993, Tang said that government has to re-evaluate the project in
light of the island's strong anti-nuclear movement, environmental
protection
and security problems.
Therefore, construction work which has already been started will continue,
while that which has not been started will be put on hold pending the
reassessment committee's report, which is expected to be delivered in
September, Tang said. In order to win public confidence, the Ministry of
Economics Affairs had organized the ad hoc committee of scholars and
experts
to re-evaluate the project.
If public opinion regarding the proposed nuclear power plant is still
negative, they should attempt to resolve the problem through legal
measures,
the premier said. He added that otherwise, construction of the plant
cannot
be stopped in accordance with established laws.
Source: Central News Agency web site, Taipei, in English 1037 GMT 27 Jul
00
Strong Quake Rocks Central Taiwan
http://www.webcrawler-news.excite.com/news/ap/000728
Updated 11:04 PM ET July 28, 2000
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - A strong earthquake shook central Taiwan on Saturday,
seismologists said. No damage or injuries were immediately reported.
The 6.1-magnitude quake struck at 4:28 a.m. local time. Its epicenter was
six miles south of Mt. Yu, Taiwan's tallest mountain, and 180 miles south of
Taipei, the Central Weather Bureau said.
The quake was followed by aftershocks of 4.6 and 4 magnitudes, the bureau
said.
Thousands of aftershocks have rattled this island since a 7.6-magnitude
quake devastated parts of central Taiwan in September, killing about 2,400
people and destroying thousands of homes.
A 6-magnitude quake can cause significant damage in a populated area.
Oil leak forces Japan to shut down nuclear plant
Source: AFP | Published: Monday Jul 24, 3:17 PM
http://www.afr.com.au/update/20000724/A26977-2000Jul24.html
Japanese energy company officials launched an investigation today after a
radioactive oil leak within a nuclear power plant forced operators to shut
down a reactor.
Another reactor at the same Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant, 200 km
north
of Tokyo, was shut down on Friday after a strong earthquake measuring 6.1
on
the open-ended Richter scale rocked the region.
The oil leak yesterday was confined to within the plant in the town of
Okuma
and "we consider there is no danger to the surrounding environment," said
Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) spokesman Ichiro Kudo.
About 150 litres of radioactive oil had collected from a drip out of a
turbine valve, he said. Operators had shut down the No.6 reactor manually
by
9.17pm (11.17pm AEST).
"We detected radiation, but the level was not high enough to pose a threat
to people," Kudo told AFP.
"We are currently continuing our investigations to identify the cause," he
said.
After Friday's powerful quake, the No.2 reactor was shut down on fears that
control systems monitoring exhausts may have been damaged. But there was no
radiation leak and no danger, officials said.
Concerns over nuclear power have escalated in Japan since the country's
worst non- wartime nuclear disaster last September, which was also
classified as the world's worst since Chernobyl in 1986.
A critical reaction at a uranium processing plant in Tokaimura, 120 km
north-east of Tokyo, killed two plant workers and exposed 439 people to
radiation.
http://www.geocities.com/mothersalert/earthquake.html
Earthquakes & Japanese Nuclear Power Plants
New method of tapping n-energy
http://www.indiaserver.com/thehindu/2000/07/26/stories/08260001.htm
By Arunkumar Bhatt
MUMBAI, JULY 25. Like their European counterparts, Indian scientists have
also commenced work on a new way of tapping nuclear energy, terminating
chain reaction at a sub-critical level, according to Dr. S.S. Kapoor,
director of Physics Group of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre here.
Presently, fission-chain reaction is the only method known to tap nuclear
energy, both in controlled and uncontrolled ways with uranium or plutonium
fission reactions as the source. Energy from fusion reactions between
isotopes of hydrogen in an uncontrolled way (hydrogen bomb) is also
realised. But unlike the chain reaction, the new method uses a large
number
of neutrons for terminating the chain reaction.
The new method is what Dr. Kapoor calls Accelerator- Driven Sub- critical
Reactor System (ADSS). It will have terminating chain reaction at a
sub-critical level and consumes actinide nuclei and fission products. He
was
presenting here a paper on Basic Research in the Context of Futuristic
Nuclear Energy Sources at a seminar under the auspices of the Indian
Physics
Association.
India is endowed with the largest thorium deposits in the world and the
father of Indian nuclear programme, Dr. Homi Bhabha had seen it energy
security for the country. Hence, the ADSS has added attraction for the
country.
Dr. Kapoor told the gathering of physicists that the new method
facilitated
straight use of thorium and the country could bypass its current
three-stage
power programme to reach the level of thorium option.
But the biggest problem was `the state-of-the-art' accelerator needed for
carrying out the research and development, the noted physicist said
pointing
out, nobody would sell it to India. The country would have to build one of
its own.
The 500-odd nuclear power reactors operating in the world people were
apprehensive about them because of the accidents at Chernobyl and Three
Mile
Island. But the subcritical ADSS is absolutely safe.
Talking to The Hindu later, Dr. Kapoor said that the new option removed
that
`one in a million chance at least in theory' for radiation accident of
which
one was apprehensive.
The present Indian nuclear power programme envisages conversion of thorium
into uranium 233 in breeder reactors and use that as fuel in the third
stage
reactors. The ADSS facilitates the use of thorium straight and one would
need only little uranium 233 as `seed' fuel to be able to burn thorium in
situ.
Like others, India is also many years away from the ADSS. For a host of
new
technologies are needed to finally assemble the ADSS, Dr. Kapoor said.
These
may include even superconductivity. The need was to convert electric power
into beam power.
The Europeans are interested in the ADSS for it could be used to
incinerate
troublesome actinide nuclei which have very long half- life, the period
for
which they would continue to emit deadly radiation, ranging from few to
hundreds of years. ``These are very difficult to dispose off and therefore
better to burn them and take energy out,'' he said. Such a reactor could
be
used also to recycling warheads of dismantled weapons.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/29/2000 5:35:54 PM
Tri-City Herald
July 28, 2000
Beginning K Basins work 1st step in Fluor contract
consideration
By John Stang
Herald staff writer
Fluor Hanford won't learn whether it has earned a possible
contract extension until after work starts to remove spent
nuclear fuel from the K Basins.
Keith Klein, manager of the Department of Energy's Richland
office, said Thursday that his recommendation on extending
past 2001 the overall Fluor contract, Hanford's biggest in
dollars and jobs, would likely come in November or later.
Klein said first he wants to see whether the K Basins
project is in good shape. A key schedule for meeting cleanup
requirements calls for fuel removal to begin by Nov. 30.
"I'm not going to tip my hand until I see how they do ...,"
Klein told the Tri-City Herald's editorial board. He also
discussed several other Hanford matters.
"It is not like (the K Basins) will be the single factor.
But it's a factor," Klein added.
Fluor's five-year contract to manage all of Hanford except
the tank farms expires Sept. 30, 2001. DOE can put the
contract out for bids or extend it by one to five years.
Fluor and its subcontractors employ about 4,200 people.
In the past, DOE has usually taken at least one year to seek
bids for a management contract, select a contractor and get
it in place. Klein's timetable calls for doing that in 10
months or less.
Fluor's team had a rough first two years. Since then, its
record has improved.
The K Basins are two indoor water-filled pools holding 2,300
tons of spent fuel rods about 400 yards from the Columbia
River. Hanford's master plan is to move the fuel to a safer
underground vault in central Hanford by 2004.
Many of Fluor's troubles have come from the basins.
Management and technical problems moved the completion date
from 2001 to 2004 and jumped the price from $814 million to
almost $1.6 billion.
Fluor and DOE believe the contractor will make the Nov. 30
deadline but with little time to spare.
"We're very much still in the running," Klein said.
The latest problems have been with equipment that filters K
West Basin water, removes debris stirred up by moving fuel
and returns cleaned water to the pool. Equipment problems
also showed up at the Cold Vacuum Drying Facility, where
moisture is sucked from fuel storage canisters to prevent a
potentially combustible mix of gases formed when radiation
breaks down water into hydrogen and oxygen.
Those equipment problems have cost the project schedule up
to three months of time, Klein estimated. The problems are
to be fixed by early August. In mid-August, Fluor is
supposed to begin a series of dress rehearsals and
operations checks.
Fluor still expects to start moving fuel in late October or
early November -- allowing a three- to four-week cushion.
Klein worries that is awfully small to handle any new
problems. "We're going to need every bit (of that)," he
said.
The project -- with a $191 million budget -- has required
about $5 million extra from other projects to try to meet
the Nov. 30 deadline, Klein said. No major projects were
seriously affected by the money transfers, he said.
Also Thursday, Klein discussed:
-- Changing the nature of Hanford's environmental
restoration contract when Bechtel Hanford Inc.'s contract
expires in June 2002.
Bechtel, which posted a good record at Hanford, already has
received all the extensions legally allowed, and that
contract must be put out for bid.
The work includes demolishing and sealing up eight of
Hanford's old plutonium reactor complexes, removing
contaminated soil near the Columbia River and mitigating
ground water contamination.
Klein wants to clean up the river shoreline earlier than
previously planned. And he hopes to seek a "closure"
contract in 2002. That means the contract winner would keep
it until the reactors are sealed up and all contaminated
soil removed.
The eighth reactor is supposed to be sealed in 2010. Klein
believes that can be sped up and wants to do it without
seeking major funding increases. He plans to talk with
regulatory agencies on whether some environmental fix-it
work -- but not studies of central Hanford's subterranean
contamination -- could be delayed.
-- His concerns that a recent DOE draft study on whether to
revive or shut down the Fast Flux Test Facility did not
include a look at potential revenues a revived reactor could
produce.
If DOE decides instead to make medical isotopes in an
accelerator, Klein suggested Hanford could try to become the
host site.
Several other DOE sites with political clout -- such as
Idaho Falls, Oak Ridge, Savannah River and the New Mexico
national laboratories -- also would likely lobby to get a
DOE accelerator, he said.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/29/2000 5:33:27 PM
INEEL Range Fire
Update
27 July,
2000
By about 9:30 p.m., the wildland
fire burning at the Idaho National Engineering and
Environmental Laboratory was stabilized on most fronts.
However, fire crews have been stationed at the Idaho
Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center, where flames
have stalled at the main INEEL highway across from that
facility.
Earlier in the day, some 18,000 acres
burned on the INEEL from a flareup of a fire that was
put under control earlier near the Radioactive Waste
Management Complex. Thursday's fire forced the
evacuation of about 1,800 employees at three Site
facilities, but caused no injuries or damage to
facilities.
The fire, pushed by winds gusting to
28 miles per hour, jumped highway 20/26, burned westward
along both sides of the highway to the public rest stop,
moved north toward the Test Reactor Area and then east
toward the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering
Center. At one point, flames got inside the southwest
corner of the TRA fenced area; however, the flames were
contained in a grassy area and did not damage any
buildings. By 8:15 p.m., the RWMC and TRA were declared
out of danger, but fire crews were stationed in the
INTEC parking lot to deal with flames moving toward that
facility.
The INEEL firefighters were equipped
with radiation dosimeters that recorded any exposure
they may have received or they stationed a person with
the firefighters who had monitoring equipment. Any
non-INEEL firefighters were also monitored. The
dosimeters will be collected and analyzed.
Air
samples were taken by the INEEL, and the Idaho INEEL
State Oversight Program placed independent air samplers
at the north gate of the INEEL, at Terreton, Monteview
and Idaho Falls. Results of INEEL air samples indicate
background radiation levels.
Site officials
indicated that barring unforeseen events, employees
should report to their work posts at the Site Friday.
The INEEL received assistance from the Bureau of
Land Management, Rigby, Jefferson Central, Idaho Falls,
Lost River, Butte County, Rexburg, Menan and Madison
County fire departments.
--INEEL-
Media
information: 208-526-9206
Public information:
208-526-5042
| |
News
Headlines
INEEL Range Fire Update
27
July, 2000
Range Fire Near The Radioactive Waste Management Complex
Jumped Highways 20/26
July
27,2000
INEEL Range Fire Update:
July
27,2000
Range Fire At The Radioactive Waste Management Complex
Rekindles, Fire Crews Responding
July
27, 2000
Range Fires At The INEEL Contained
July 27, 2000
All 2000 headlines
|
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/29/2000 5:29:03 PM
Britain swayed US over missile delay
Patrick Wintour, chief political correspondent
Thursday July 27, 2000
The Guardian, http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk
Pressure from the British government played a part in delaying the
decision on deployment of a proposed national missile defence (NMD)
system until after the American election, according to US defence
secretary William Cohen.
He said on Tuesday that one reason for the likely delay is the degree of
opposition from the government and other European capitals, which means
that the $60bn deployment might not be able to take place until after
the target date of 2005.
Tony Blair and foreign secretary Robin Cook have been pressing the US,
in the words of one minister, not to indulge "in gung-ho unilateralism".
The Foreign Office minister Peter Hain has told the US state department
the British government will come under intense political pressure if
deployment goes ahead.
Behind the scenes, Britain has been urging the US to keep talking to the
Russians, fearing that unilateral deployment by the US would breach of
the 1972 anti-ballistic missile treaty and trigger a new arms race.
Foreign Office sources said Bill Clinton and Tony Blair had been
impressed by first hand reports from Vladimir Putin that North Korea
wants to avoid confrontation with the US.
North Korea, Libya, Iraq and Iran have been cited by advocates of NMD as
rogue states from which the US needs a new nuclear missile shield.
Mr Cohen told the US senate the decision on whether to deploy the system
would be left to President Clinton's successor because testing was not
far enough advanced. The only decision Mr Clinton would have to take was
whether to start building a radar for it.
Mr Cohen said, according to the latest legal advice, clearing ground for
the radar site on Shemya Island off the Alaska would not violate the
1972 treaty with Moscow. But a British minister said this legal
interpretation was sailing pretty close to the wind. The
Pentagon has projected that it would take five years to complete the
construction of an anti-missile shield capable of defending the US.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/29/2000 5:26:35 PM
Wildfire Hits Near Nuclear Facility
The Associated Press
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) - The nation's worst fire season in four years
grew worse Friday as an 18,000-acre blaze near the Idaho National
Engineering and Environmental Laboratory forced hundreds of evacuations.
Some 1,800 employees were ordered out of three buildings at the sprawling
eastern Idaho complex as a precaution, said Jason Bohne, a lab spokesman.
There were no injuries.
No widespread damage has been reported at the 890-square-mile facility,
but Bohne said a small fire ``went into'' a reactor test area before it
was contained.
The blaze, which began Thursday and was fanned by 28-mph wind gusts, is
the third to threaten a facility with nuclear material in as many months.
Fire struck the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico in May and a
huge fire swept across the Hanford nuclear reservation in southeastern
Washington last month.
Both raised concerns about the release of radioactive material, from rain
washing contaminated soil into New Mexico's streams to airborne particles
in Washington state. Federal officials have said there has been no
danger, though air samples showed an increased - but not harmful -
concentration of plutonium in public areas outside the Hanford
reservation. Idaho lab officials said tests were being performed.
There were also evacuations in California, where a fire has blackened
19,000 acres of the Sequoia National Forest, creeping up to several homes
on the forest's borders early Friday. More than 100 residents were forced
to evacuate the area 120 miles north of Los Angeles. No injuries have
been reported.
``This fire has shown extreme behavior,'' Forest Service spokesman Tony
Diffenbaugh said.
The fire season is the worst since 1996. More than 59,000 fires have
burned 3 million acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center
in Boise. Four years ago, the total was 3.1 million acres by this date.
For the first time since then, the fire center has called in Army
soldiers for training and eventual posting on the fire lines. Elite
hotshot firefighting crews, air tankers and helicopters are in big demand.
Firefighters, meanwhile, have made progress against two huge fires in
Colorado and Montana.
In Mesa Verde National Park, Colo., a 40-mile fire line was keeping a
23,000-acre wildfire from spreading. The fire in the nation's largest
archaeological preserve was 70 percent contained late Thursday, fire
spokesman Bobby Kitchens said.
Park Superintendent Larry Wiese said the park could reopen next week. Its
well-known attractions - Balcony House, Cliff Palace, Spruce Tree - have
not been damaged.
Firefighters also were inching toward containing the Cave Gulch Fire,
which has burned about 17,500 acres east of Helena in Montana's scenic
Canyon Ferry Lake region. About 300 families have been forced to evacuate
the area because of that blaze and one nearby.
The fires have also destroyed 36 buildings, including nine houses.
On the Net:
National Interagency Fire Center sites: http://www.nifc.gov and
http://www.nifc.gov/news/nicc.html
Mesa Verde National Park: http://www.nps.gov/meve
AP-NY-07-28-00 0648EDT
Copyright 2000 The Associated Press.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/29/2000 5:24:32 PM
N-Waste Plans Face Angry Critics At Public Hearing
Friday, July 28, 2000
BY BRENT ISRAELSEN THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
If fear and anger were radioactive, Little America Hotel could be
in need to be roped off as a Superfund site Thursday night.
The hotel in downtown Salt Lake City was ground zero for the
first major public hearing on a proposal to bring much of the
nation's highly radioactive waste to the Goshute Indian
Reservation in Tooele County.
Most of the 150 people who packed two of the hotel's small
conference rooms opposed the plan, with some calling the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) "unethical" and describing
the Indian tribe as greedy.
Leading the resistance was Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, who pleaded
with NRC to reject the idea.
"If it's so safe, then the high-level waste can stay where it
is," said Leavitt.
The hearing was the first opportunity for the public to comment
on a draft environmental impact statement released last month on
a proposal by the Goshutes to build a storage site on their
reservation in Skull Valley, about 45 miles southwest of Salt
Lake City. The site would hold up to 40,000 tons of spent fuel
from many of the nation's power plants. Goshute tribal leaders
have signed a lease agreement with a limited liability
corporation known as Private Fuel Storage (PFS), which represents
eight electric utilities in the East, Midwest and California.
Leavitt said the environmental study is "seriously deficient"
because it ignores many issues that could affect Utahns' health
and welfare.
For example, the NRC has failed to address earthquakes, adjacent
military bombing-range operations, transportation along corridors
in populated areas and financial liability in the event of a
catastrophe.
"The [draft environmental impact statement] is deficient in so
many respects that it cannot serve as a basis for evaluation that
a project of this magnitude warrants," the governor said.
State Sen. Scott Howell, D-Sandy, said he opposes the plan
because the nuclear industry is using big money to compensate the
Goshutes for the inherent dangers that no other community in the
country seems willing to accept.
Howell suggested that if the Utah Legislature were to offer the
Goshutes the $114 million state budget surplus not to accept the
waste, the tribe would take it.
Tribal chairman Leon Bear did not directly respond to Howell's
suggestion, but said his tribe has not taken its decision
lightly.
"We are not ignorant and improverished people" desperate for any
economic development project that comes along, Bear said.
"If anyone can show me this facility is not safe, I'd like to see
it," the tribal chairman added.
In the first 105 minutes of the hearing, only one other person
joined Bear in supporting the proposal. Steve Barrows, of Salt
Lake City, said a storage site for nuclear waste in Utah will
guarantee the viability of the nuclear power industry, thereby
reducing the threat of global warming caused by coal- and gas-
fired power plants.
In addition to Leavitt and Howell, three other elected leaders --
Rep. Ralph Becker, D-Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky
Anderson (through his representative Juan Arce-Larreta) and
Draper City Councilman Bill Colbert -- criticized the Goshute-PFS
proposal.
While the politicians were for the most part restrained,
concerned citizens and environmental activists were less so.
"This doesn't pass the smell test for the public to comprehend,"
said Steve Erickson, of Utah Downwinders, an anti-nuclear group.
"We [Utahns] should not be used to prop up a dying industry."
Erickson called the NRC "lackeys" of the nuclear industry, saying
the agency has already made its decision.
Marianne Webster accused the NRC of unethical behavior by
supporting a proposal that would essentially ship to Utah the
waste that wealthy Eastern communities do not want in their own
back yard. "Why does Utah continue to be on the receiving end of
every harebrained scheme that comes out of Washington?" Webster
asked, referring to other federal activities in Utah's western
desert.
Jim McConkie, a Salt Lake City attorney who is organizing a
bipartisan group of prominent Utahns to fight the proposal, said,
"It is our intention to make it politically infeasible to place
this on the Goshute reservation."
A handful of Goshutes opposed to the plan were in the audience to
voice outrage at their tribal leaders, whom they accuse of
bribery and other shenanigans in the deal with PFS.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/29/2000 5:22:53 PM
Idaho Fire Threatens Nuke Facility
Updated 8:20 AM ET July 28, 2000
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) - The nation's worst fire season in four
years grew worse Friday as yet another of the nation's nuclear
facilities was threatened and hundreds were evacuated.
The 18,000-acre blaze near the Idaho National Engineering and
Environmental Laboratory began Thursday and was fanned by 28 mph
wind gusts.
Some 1,800 employees were ordered out of three buildings at the
sprawling eastern Idaho complex as a precaution, said Jason
Bohne, a lab spokesman. There were no injuries.
No widespread damage has been reported at the 890-square-mile
facility, but Bohne said a small fire "went into" a reactor test
area before that section of the fire was contained. The fire
affected only a grassy section of the fenced-in area and did not
damage any buildings.
Ellen Doherty, a spokeswoman for INEEL, said the larger fire was
"stable" but not contained late Thursday.
The blaze is the third to threaten a facility with nuclear
material in as many months. Fire struck the Los Alamos National
Laboratory in New Mexico in May and a huge fire swept across the
Hanford nuclear reservation in southeastern Washington last
month.
Both raised concerns about the release of radioactive material,
from rain washing contaminated soil into New Mexico's streams to
airborne particles in Washington state.
Federal officials have said there has been no danger, though air
samples showed an increased - but not harmful - concentration of
plutonium in public areas outside the Hanford reservation. Idaho
lab officials said tests were being performed.
There were also evacuations in California, where a fire has
blackened 19,000 acres of the Sequoia National Forest, creeping
up to several homes on the forest's borders early Friday. More
than 100 residents were forced to evacuate the area 120 miles
north of Los Angeles. No injuries have been reported.
"This fire has shown extreme behavior," Forest Service spokesman
Tony Diffenbaugh said.
The fire season is the worst since 1996. More than 59,000 fires
have burned 3 million acres, according to the National
Interagency Fire Center in Boise. Four years ago, the total was
3.1 million acres by this date.
For the first time since then, the fire center has called in Army
soldiers for training and eventual posting on the fire lines.
Elite hotshot firefighting crews, air tankers and helicopters are
in big demand.
Firefighters, meanwhile, have made progress against two huge
fires in Colorado and Montana.
In Mesa Verde National Park, Colo., a 40-mile fire line was
keeping a 23,000-acre wildfire from spreading. The fire in the
nation's largest archaeological preserve was 70 percent contained
late Thursday, fire spokesman Bobby Kitchens said.
Park Superintendent Larry Wiese said the park could reopen next
week. Its well-known attractions - Balcony House, Cliff Palace,
Spruce Tree - have not been damaged.
Firefighters also were inching toward containing the Cave Gulch
Fire, which has burned about 17,500 acres east of Helena in
Montana's scenic Canyon Ferry Lake region. About 300 families
have been forced to evacuate the area because of that blaze and
one nearby.
The fires have also destroyed 36 buildings, including nine
houses.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/29/2000 5:20:37 PM
Worldwatch News Brief
"Nuclear Power Nears Peak"
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 1999
NUCLEAR POWER NEARS PEAK
As the 20th Anniversary of Three Mile Island Approaches,
the Nuclear Industry Faces Slow Slide to Oblivion
Christopher Flavin and Nicholas Lenssen
Two decades after the world's first major nuclear accident at Three
Mile Island, the nuclear industry is experiencing a meltdown of historic
proportions. After growing more than 700 percent in the 1970s, and 140
percent in the 1980s, nuclear generating capacity has increased less than
5 percent during the 1990s so far. (See
Figure 1.) In the last decade, nuclear power has gone from being the
world's fastest growing energy source to its slowest, trailing well behind
oil and even coal. In 1998, world nuclear generating capacity fell by 175
megawatts.
As the world approaches the 20th anniversary of the Three Mile Island
accident on March 28, global nuclear capacity stands at 343,086 megawatts,
providing just under 17 percent of the world's electricity. Both of these
figures will likely turn out to be close to the all-time historical peak-and
less than one-tenth the 4,500,000 megawatts that the International Atomic
Energy Agency predicted back in 1974. The Worldwatch Institute projects
that global nuclear capacity will begin a sustained decline by 2002 at
the latest, and the U.S. Department of Energy projects that it will fall
by half in the next two decades.
Nuclear power's biggest problems are economic: it is simply no longer
competitive with other, newer forms of power generation. The final 20 U.S.
reactors cost $3 to $4 billion to build, or some $3,000 to $4,000 per kilowatt
of capacity. By contrast, new gas-fired combined cycle plants using the
latest jet engine technology cost $400-$600 per kilowatt, and wind turbines
are being installed at less than $1,000 per kilowatt.
Even France, which gets more than three-quarters of its electricity
from nuclear power, now has a moratorium on nuclear plant construction,
and other European countries are debating how quickly to shut their plants
down. The only countries still building nuclear power plants are nations
such as China, Japan, and possibly Iran, where the electric power industry
is still a government sanctioned monopoly that is protected from competition.
By the end of 1998, 429 nuclear reactors were operating worldwide, one
less than five years earlier. Construction is taking place at 33 new reactors.
Of these, seven are likely to be completed by the year 2001, while another
fourteen may never be completed. Although global capacity is likely to
rise for another year or two, it will almost certainly decline precipitously
in the following years as the construction pipeline dries up, and the closure
of older, uneconomic, or unsafe reactors accelerates.
In the aftermath of the 1979 Three Mile Island accident, the U.S. nuclear
market was the first to deteriorate. No new nuclear plants have been ordered
since then, and nuclear generating capacity is now lower than it was a
decade ago. Not only have U.S. power companies stopped building nuclear
power plants, they have closed six reactors since 1996 that had become
too expensive to operate. Meanwhile, seven of Canada's 21 reactors have
been "laid up" due to safety concerns and are unlikely to operate again.
For North American nuclear power, though, the worst may be yet to come.
Wall Street analysts and the Washington International Energy Group project
that as many as one-third of US and Canadian reactors are vulnerable to
shut down in the next five years. The main reason is cost: nuclear energy
cannot compete in increasingly competitive power markets.
Western Europe stayed with its nuclear expansion plans longer than the
U.S. did, but since the 1986 explosion at Chernobyl sent a cloud of radioactive
dust across Europe, the public has turned against nuclear power. Since
then, construction has started on only three new reactors. France, long
known as the most pro-nuclear country, now has a moratorium on nuclear
plant construction, and the Environment Minister, Dominique Voynet, has
called for making the ban permanent. A December 1998 poll found that only
7 percent of French citizens thought that nuclear power should be the top
energy priority, compared to more than 60 percent who said the priority
is renewable energy. The state-owned utility, Electricite de France, which
has in the past put virtually all its efforts into nuclear power, has begun
to invest in "pint-size" microturbines, and in the development of wind
power, both in France and in Morocco.
In Germany, the discussion is not over whether to build more nuclear
plants, but on how quickly to shut down the existing reactors. While the
previous German government shut down all the nuclear power plants in eastern
Germany, the Social Democrat/Green government elected in October 1998 plans
to phase out the 19 remaining reactors that produce 30 percent of the country's
power. As of February 1999, the Government had agreed that the first reactor
will be closed by 2002, though the country's electric utilities are still
fighting the plan.
Asia remains the last stronghold for the nuclear power industry, with
88 reactors operating and 26 under construction, though even there, a slowdown
is evident. Japan, which obtains 35 percent of its electricity from the
atom, only has two reactors under construction, with work starting on one
of them in 1998. In fact, the plant at Higashidori in Aomori was the first
new one approved in ten years. Citizens groups have nearly stopped construction
of new plants, and some communities have passed referenda prohibiting additional
units. Although the government plans to add some 20 new reactors by 2010,
officials acknowledge privately that the plans are unrealistic. South Korea,
meanwhile, has six additional plants still under construction, but there
too, the nuclear industry faces growing public opposition.
China has the world's most ambitious nuclear program today, with plans
to go from the three reactors it operates now to more than 50 reactors
by the year 2020. The country currently has six reactors under construction,
with plans to add four more. Whether the Chinese government will achieve
these ambitious aims is uncertain, given the high foreign exchange requirements
of imported reactors and the lack of a sizable indigenous industry. Moreover,
China is likely to face growing pressure to make its power industry more
competitive, which would likely complicate nuclear development efforts.
Efforts to develop nuclear industries in Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam
have all been abandoned in the last few years.
Around the world, it is nuclear power's high cost that has most damaged
its market prospects. Most nuclear power plants have been built by monopoly
utilities, and the costs were passed through to consumers, regardless of
how high they were. But with governments around the world now opening electric
power markets to the winds of competition for the first time, nuclear power
must stand on its own. This development is the final blow to the nuclear
industry. It is only in the few remaining protected power markets-mainly
in the Far East-that any additional plants are being ordered.
One indication of nuclear power's economic status is the price it has
been commanding on the open market. The Pilgrim plant in Massachusetts
was sold for $80 million, though $67 million of that was for fuel. Also
last year, CBS decided to sell what was once the world's largest nuclear
company, Westinghouse Nuclear. The company sold for just $1.2 billion.
By contrast, Exxon is valued at $172 billion, and Microsoft at $278 billion.
Orders for new reactors have largely dried up. (See
Figure 2.) The few remaining nuclear companies, including France's
Framatome and Germany's Siemens, are surviving on maintenance work, and
government-sponsored contracts to refurbish Eastern Europe's decrepit reactors.
If new business does not turn up soon, there may be little nuclear construction
capacity left. In light of the long lead times in nuclear construction,
the decline of nuclear power in the early decades of the new century has
become virtually inevitable. The U.S. Department of Energy, successor-agency
to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, now projects a sharp decline in nuclear
power generation in the next two decades.
Nuclear industry supporters argue that given recently heightened concern
about fossil fuel-induced climate change, the timing is tragically ironic.
Existing nuclear plants do displace the emission of large quantities of
greenhouse gases from coal-fired plants, but few governments are seriously
considering nuclear power as an alternative to fossil fuels.
Instead, they have responded to climate change by investing in new energy
technologies such as solar energy and wind power. As a result, renewable
energy sources are now expanding rapidly. Last year, while nuclear capacity
fell, wind power capacity rose by 2,100 megawatts. These provide tiny amounts
of power today, but are already growing at the kind of double-digit rates
that nuclear power enjoyed in the 1970s. And the new technologies are not
threatened by the kind of physical or economic meltdowns that have done
in the nuclear power industry.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Worldwatch Institute
1776 Massachusetts Ave NW
Washington, DC 20036
telephone: 202 452-1999
fax: 202 296-7365
e-mail worldwatch@worldwatch.org
or check our website www.worldwatch.org
Worldwatch News Brief 99-2
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/29/2000 5:15:23 PM
The Washington Post, July 22, 2000
"Virtual Nuclear Arms Tests,"
by Walter Pincus
Scientists at the nation's three nuclear weapons laboratories have for the
first time been able to reproduce on computers three-dimensional
simulations of the detonations that together produce the explosive output
of thermonuclear weapons.
The breakthrough will allow scientists to follow in 3-D the simulated
inner
workings of a thermonuclear warhead as it explodes. Previously that could
only be done by an actual underground nuclear test.
Nuclear weapons are complex devices with thousands of parts that arm, fuse
and fire a primary explosion of a plutonium pit--or trigger--which, in
turn, sets off the much more powerful secondary hydrogen explosion.
Since the end of U.S. underground nuclear testing in 1992, scientists at
the nation's nuclear labs have been working on simulation by computer as a
way to ensure that aging, refurbished nuclear warheads remain reliable and
safe.
"Some components do not last forever, and this tool will enable us to
remanufacture and replace them and see how the replacements work" in 3-D
perspective, said Don McCoy, director of nuclear weapons simulation and
computing at Los Alamos National Laboratory. "This will let us understand
the aging of parts" and predict the physics of the materials in the
future,
he said.
The supercomputer programs at the three labs--Los Alamos, Sandia National
Laboratories in New Mexico and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in
California--are a major part of the Energy Department's nearly $5
billion-a-year stockpile stewardship program.
Within the next five years, each lab is expected to receive yet another
generation of new supercomputers. That would allow officials to conduct
virtual tests of existing and new weapons, analyze design and production
of
new parts and view reenactments of accidents.
Last week, Los Alamos scientists disclosed a breakthrough in 3-D
simulation
of the secondary hydrogen explosion.
The work involved the use of the lab's Blue Mountain supercomputer,
third-fastest in the world, with support from Sandia National
Laboratories'
Red Terascale supercomputer, the world's fastest.
The data involved in the simulation, if printed on paper, would nearly
equal all the holdings of the Library of Congress, according to Los Alamos
scientists.
Overall, the project took three months to complete and used computer time
that would be equal to operating a single processor for 230 years.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, using its Blue Pacific
supercomputer, earlier this year simulated in 3-D the primary explosion of
the plutonium trigger that sets off the hydrogen blast, a somewhat smaller
but still major achievement.
Until now, the computer simulations have only worked in two dimensions,
which one scientist said was like using a single snapshot to envision an
entire outdoor scene--as the seasons change.
With the aid of 3-D simulations, scientists will be able to virtually test
how new parts introduced into an old thermonuclear weapon work before they
actually go into production.
"The ability to computationally simulate each of these components
individually will allow us to simulate an entire nuclear explosion in
three
dimensions, which is the goal of the [Energy Department computer]
program,"
according to Bob Weaver, a leader of the Los Alamos team.
The three-dimensional computer simulations can be put together, using
stop-and-start animation, to create a moving picture of the working of
every part as an explosion takes place. In that way scientists can watch
the reaction of materials being compressed and then exploded as the
process
takes place.
The animated pictures using this first-generation simulation, however,
will
be fairly coarse. The next-generation computers will provide a "more
finely
zoned" simulation of the blast as it takes place.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/29/2000 5:14:10 PM
Tri-City Herald
July 25, 2000
Fluor nearly ready to repack pools' spent fuel
By John Stang
Herald staff writer
Hanford's K Basins project is entering its "dress rehearsal"
stage.
The finishing construction touches should be done in a
couple of weeks. Fluor Hanford plans to do a limited
shakedown run, moving live spent nuclear fuel across the K
West pool in mid-August.
Meanwhile on Monday, Fluor juggled the project's leading
mangers to reflect the change from a construction phase to
an operations mode.
That shift included redefining the duties of Dave Van
Leuven, Fluor Hanford's executive vice president. Until a
later date, Van Leuven will concentrate solely on the K
Basins, with Fluor President Ron Hanson absorbing Van
Leuven's other duties.
The K Basins are two leakprone, water-filled indoor pools
holding 2,300 tons of spent nuclear fuel about 400 yards
from the Columbia River.
The K Basins are the most important program within Fluor's
sphere of Hanford projects. The project has a troubled past,
and Fluor is trying to make a Nov. 30 legal deadline to
begin removing spent nuclear fuel from K West Basin.
"We're confident we're going to make that date, but we have
a lot to do, though," Van Leuven said.
Hanford's plan is to pluck the sometimes corroded fuel
canisters from the pools' bottoms, move them underwater and
insert them inside special storage containers called
Multi-Canister Overpacks or MCOs.
The MCOs will be trucked to the Cold Vacuum Drying Facility
where all moisture will be sucked out to prevent the fuel's
radiation from breaking the water down into a highly
combustible mix of hydrogen and oxygen in a confined space.
The MCOs then will go to a huge underground vault in central
Hanford for safer storage.
In 1996, this project had an estimated cost of $814 million
with a 2001 completion date. But numerous management and
technical problems ended up extending that completion date
to 2005 with an estimated cost of $1.6 billion. Recently,
that completion date was moved up to 2004.
Until a few months ago, this has been primarily a
construction project. Recently, Fluor has started phasing
out the construction work and phasing in training to move
"dummy fuel."
At this time, the only significant construction-related work
is taking care of some problems with a K West Basin system
that takes water clouded by sludge and bits of fuel and
cleans it for return to the pool, Van Leuven said. Also,
some final checks and tests remain at the Cold Vacuum Drying
Facility. Work on both should be done in a couple of weeks,
he said.
The beginning of formal tests and rehearsals with real
nuclear fuel are scheduled to begin in mid-August. These
are:
-- Fluor will take a week in mid-August to pick up its first
live fuel canisters and move them into metal baskets near
where several baskets will be loaded into an MCO. This first
movement will stop when the baskets are filled. This is a
rehearsal for a more formal Fluor review.
-- From late August to late September, Fluor will test its
operators' and equipment's capabilities to move fuel. This
will consist of about two weeks of reviews and two weeks of
correctional work.
-- From late September to late October, the Department of
Energy will test Fluor's capabilities to safely and properly
move the spent nuclear fuel.
-- Sometime in late October or early November, Van Leuven
hopes to take the fuel already in the baskets, put it into
an MCO and begin its journey to the underground storage
vault.
Fluor has three to four weeks of contingency time in case of
delays. "We've got time. But I don't want to use it up," Van
Leuven said.
Van Leuven expects movement to be slow when reviews,
rehearsals and the first trips are conducted with real fuel.
"The consequences of a mistake are greater (than with dummy
fuel). It's a different mindset," Van Leuven said.
It could take two eight-hour shifts to move the first fuel
canisters from the pool's bottom to the baskets. And it
could take a week to get the first fuel from the baskets to
the storage vault, he speculated. "We're going to be real
slow on the first one," Van Leuven said.
Speed should increase with later shipments as Fluor gains
more experience, he said.
K East Basin's fuel is more corroded and crumbly than K
West's fuel. And K East has much more radioactive sludge to
deal with. The deadline to begin moving K East's fuel is
January 2003.
Monday's management charges are as follows: Ray Jones, the
Fluor vice president in charge of the K Basins and a Fluor
Federal Services employee, has transferred to Fluor Federal
Services. Jim Wicks, Fluor K Basin's operations manager, is
now the project director. Bob Wilkinson has been put in
charge of preparing the K East Basin's fuel for movement.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/29/2000 5:09:33 PM
Source:
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000726/us/hanford_fire_1.html
Wednesday July 26 11:14 PM ET
Lab Tests Indicate Plutonium in Air
RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) - Air samples taken during and after the Hanford
nuclear reservation fire last month show an increased concentration of
plutonium in public areas outside the reservation, but still in non-harmful
quantity, officials said Wednesday.
Five of 41 routine monitoring samples contained above-normal concentrations,
though all are significantly below federal and state limits for radiation
releases, said representatives of the state Department of Health and the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
``They are on the order of a thousand-fold lower than what would drive
public protective action,'' said Jerry Leitch, the EPA's regional radiation
program manager.
The five increased readings were measured in the Pasco, Richland and West
Richland communities, which are within 10 miles of the reservation.
At a fire station in Pasco where the highest reading appeared, a person
breathing the measured amount of plutonium for a year would be exposed to
about 10 millirem of radiation, about the equivalent of a dental X-ray,
federal officials said.
People on average absorb about 350 millirem of radiation a year from a
variety of sources, Leitch said.
Hundreds of air, soil and vegetation samples were taken during and after the
191,000-acre wildfire burned nearly half the reservation, the most
contaminated nuclear site in the country.
Department of Energy managers at Hanford have said they expected laboratory
analysis to show some presence of radioactive material after wind,
firefighting equipment and the fire itself dispersed contaminated dirt and
ash from the surface.
The Energy Department is offering testing for 700 firefighters most likely
to have been exposed to radioactive elements.
Debra McBaugh of the state Department of Health said the radioactive
materials posed no immediate danger to residents.
``There is no reason they have to do anything differently than they are
doing,'' she said.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/29/2000 5:07:23 PM
Nuclear Energy’s Role:
Improving U.S. Energy Security and
Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
July 25,
2000
Chairman Ken Calvert
- Witnesses:
- Joe Knollenberg (U.S. Congress, Michigan)
- James Duderstadt (NERAC Chairman, President Emeritus the University of
Michigan)
- John Holdren (PCAST member and chairman of several PCAST studies, Director
of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government’s Program on Science, Technology,
and Public Policy)
- Maureen Koetz (director of environmental policy for the Nuclear Energy
Institute (NEI)).
- Richard Rhodes (author, journalist, historian, 1988 Pulitzer Prize
recipient)
COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
U.S. HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES
Hearing
on
Nuclear Energy’s Role: Improving U.S. Energy
Security
and Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Opening
Statement
Chairman Ken Calvert
July 25, 2000
Today we will hear testimony on “Nuclear
Energy’s Role: Improving U.S. Energy Security and Reducing Greenhouse Gas
Emissions.”
America’s unprecedented economic growth and prosperity
rests on an affordable supply of energy. As we look forward, the next Congress
and Administration must develop a comprehensive energy plan that securely meets
growing demand based on a diversity of sources.
snip
This Administration has not pursued a
comprehensive energy policy and has neglected two abundant energy resources in
our country—fossil and nuclear energy.
snip (another speaker
disagrees, the Clinton/Gore/Browner admin. definitely has a very strong energy
policy--make it expensive and harder to get)
However, deploying renewable energy sources and
energy efficiency measures aren’t going to be enough to meet growing energy
demand in this country.
We can all agree that reducing emissions is a good
idea—but for the foreseeable future, we will need to continue our use of
fossil fuels in this country. Therefore, we must utilize this fuel option in a
more efficient way that produces cleaner energy. I hope to pursue this in a
future hearing.
Since nuclear energy does not burn fuel—it does not
produce greenhouse gas emissions or other emissions, such as sulfur dioxide,
that pollute our air. Today, nuclear energy is our most reliable and
clean form of domestic energy—now providing 20 percent of our
electricity.
Historically, the U.S. was the world leader in commercial
nuclear energy. In its infancy, all uranium, nuclear fuel services, reactor
designs, construction and maintenance were provided only by U.S. companies.
Now, the U.S. is a minor player in the world market.
Every energy source
has risks, costs and benefits yielding a unique set of problems and
opportunities. With nuclear energy, the benefits are sullied by protracted
debate over issues such as high level waste disposal and nuclear
proliferation. For wind turbines we hear criticisms of bird kills and visual
pollution. Solar energy panels require extremely toxic and chemicals during
production. Biomass will also require huge amounts of fast-growing homogeneous
crops that will endanger the biodiversity on large swaths of land.
Hydroelectric dams submerge large areas of land and kill fish. Fossil energy
produces greenhouse gases—and so it goes. The challenge we face in formulating
a comprehensive energy policy is how to balance the costs and benefits in a
way that minimizes environmental impacts yet provides the energy we need to
economically prosper.
I look forward to hearing testimony from our expert
panel on these issues on nuclear energy’s role to achieve energy security and
reduce emissions.
Today we will hear testimony from Representative Joe
Knollenberg of the 11th Congressional District
of Michigan and four public witnesses: (1) Dr. John P. Holdren of Harvard
University, Chair of the Panel on International Cooperation in Energy
Research, Development, Demonstration, and Deployment of the President’s
Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST); (2) Dr. James
Duderstadt of Michigan State University, Chair of the U.S. Department of
Energy’s Nuclear Energy Research Advisory Committee; (3) Mr. Richard Rhodes,
an author and historian who won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize in Nonfiction for The
Making of the Atomic Bomb and the co-author of an article in the
January/February 2000 issue of Foreign Affairs titled “The Need for Nuclear
Power”; and (4) Ms. Maureen Koetz, Director of Environmental Policy at the
Nuclear Energy Institute.
Archive of Live webcast is available,
along with written statements submitted by the witnesses (including the full
text of Chairman Calvert): <http://www.house.gov/science/106_hearing.htm> hit "page
down" a few times (6 on my system)
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/29/2000 5:04:59 PM
This announcement is being sent to you by the mailing list services of the U.S. Department of Energy Depleted UF6 Management Program.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Availability of the Report on Assessment of Preferred Depleted Uranium Disposal Forms
Date: 07/27/2000
The Department of Energy is preparing to convert approximately 700,000 metric tons of depleted uranium hexafluoride (DUF6) to a form more suitable for long-term storage or disposal. If worthwhile beneficial uses cannot be found for the depleted uranium conversion products, they will need to be disposed. The Department has recently completed and issued a report on Assessment of Preferred Depleted Uranium Disposal Forms. The objective of this study was to assess the acceptability of potential depleted uranium conversion products at potential disposal sites. You may view and/or download the report at EAD site or NE site.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/29/2000 5:02:54 PM
The Paducah Sun
July 27, 2000
Paducah, Kentucky
Russian uranium stays under tight restrictions
The decision is seen as a good sign for USEC and Honeywell
By Joe Walker jwalker@paducahsun.com--270.575.8650
USEC Inc. managers say the continued control of uranium shipped from Russia
is a positive sign for the financially troubled firm that runs the Paducah
Gaseous Diffusion Plant.
The International Trade Commission ruled 5-0 Wednesday that ending
restrictions on overpriced Russian imports would significantly harm the U.S.
uranium industry, including USEC and ConverDyn, marketing arm for the
Honeywell plant in Metropolis, Ill.
Honeywell — which converts uranium to uranium hexafluoride, the raw product
for the Paducah plant — also is in financial difficulty, in part because of
the amount of Russian uranium added to the already glutted U.S. market.
Adding uranium to a saturated market would force prices even lower, the
companies say.
"The ITC's decision is important for maintaining a viable domestic nuclear
fuel industry," said William "Nick" Timbers, USEC president and chief
executive officer. "We have long contended that terminating the Russian
suspension agreement would undermine the domestic industry."
The ruling followed a June 28 U.S. Commerce Department decision that dumping
of natural and enriched uranium on the American market would probably recur
if the 1992 agreement were ended. Russia had requested the termination.
Timbers said both decisions are critical to USEC, which is buying 500 tons
of
uranium from dismantled Russian warheads in a nuclear disarmament deal
between the countries. The uranium is priced higher than the USEC plants'
manufacturing costs and displaces half their production. As a result, USEC
has opted to upgrade the Paducah plant and close its sister plant near
Portsmouth, Ohio, by next June.
The ITC ruling ends a "sunset review" of the agreement begun 11 months ago.
The contract limits imports of Russian uranium products except those matched
with new U.S. production or delivered under certain contracts existing when
the agreement was signed. It does not affect uranium shipped under the
disarmament deal.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/29/2000 4:55:20 PM
July 27, 2000
High levels of plutonium found off Hanford site
by Craig Welch
Seattle Times staff reporter
Air samples taken in Richland and Pasco after last month's fire at the
Hanford nuclear reservation showed plutonium concentrations 1,000 times
higher than normal levels but below all state or federal safety standards.
The test results, unveiled yesterday, are the first to suggest
radioactive-waste material was carried off the reservation into residential
areas.
Experts from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state
acknowledged they were surprised by the results but said there was no reason
for alarm. The plutonium concentrations are no higher than those detected
nationwide after nuclear tests during the 1960s and 1970s. And those were not
considered above safety standards.
"The most important thing to remember is that these were at extremely low
levels," said Debra McBaugh, with the state Department of Health.
Jerry Leitch, a radiation-program manager with the EPA, said, "I don't think
anybody needs to change anything they do, day to day, based on these results.
I don't think anybody should change where they live or where they spend their
time, based on these results."
But an outside health expert contends the findings are significant for two
reasons: They show plutonium likely was stirred up by the fire, and they show
officials remain uncertain about the fire's true hazards.
"The main thing this indicates is that we don't have a complete picture of
the likely human exposures," said Dr. Tim Takaro, an assistant professor with
the University of Washington's Environmental and Occupational Health Program.
"These sample sites were spread out over a large area, and the plume is not
uniform. We simply don't know."
Last month a fatal car accident sparked a blaze on the reservation that
spread to 191,000 acres before being contained. Throughout the fire, U.S.
Department of Energy officials said it was unlikely that radioactive material
buried long ago at Hanford - some in tanks, some in barrels and some free in
the soil - would be released.
Earlier this month, Energy Department officials acknowledged that air samples
inside the 560-square-mile reservation showed higher than normal levels of
plutonium. Yesterday's announcement showed that of the 24 sites tested from
the reservation's border to Yakima, similar readings were found in five
nearby sites - four in Richland and one in Pasco.
Harry Boston, the Energy Department's deputy manager at Hanford, insisted
yesterday's results were consistent with what reservation managers have
maintained all along because the amounts were so far below even the most
conservative safety thresholds.
State and federal officials also said it was too soon to draw any conclusions
from the data. Tests are pending that could help pinpoint a more precise
source for the contamination. In fact, since air samples aren't routinely
evaluated for plutonium, officials can't rule out the possibility the
material wasn't already in the air at those concentrations.
Plutonium, the material processed at Hanford for use in the bomb dropped on
Nagasaki during World War II, exists in the atmosphere already, as fallout
from Cold War experiments. The state and EPA compared yesterday's samples
with airborne-pollution data collected regularly from 50 stations around the
country. That's how they determined it was higher than normal.
But Leitch, of the EPA, also pointed out that airborne plutonium typically
"weathers in" over time - either settling into the earth or washing away.
And McBaugh, of the state Health Department, said since the higher readings
were taken days after the fire, and found at the monitoring stations close to
the reservation, "I'm not worried that we will all of a sudden find some
surprise from a distant community."
In coming weeks, federal and state officials will release results from
radiation tests on vegetation and a handful of firefighters who requested
their urine be sampled. Results from air samples tested for strontium,
another radionuclide, are expected next week.
Craig Welch's phone message number is 206-464-2093.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/29/2000 4:53:25 PM
Thursday, July 27, 2000
Tri-City Herald
July 25, 2000
DOE report to restart Hanford facility reactor released
By Annette Cary
Herald staff writer
A draft environmental study considering whether to restart
Hanford's Fast Flux Test Facility was released as expected
Monday, and Heart of America Northwest wasted no time in
criticizing it.
The Department of Energy report took no stand on whether to
restart the reactor or take other steps, such as building
new accelerators, to conduct research and to produce
isotopes for medicine and plutonium 238 to power space
missions.
A decision is scheduled to be published in December. That
follows a public comment period that includes hearings in
Seattle, Portland and Richland in the last week of August.
The draft study includes favorable comments about a restart,
saying that alternative would have the greatest flexibility
for isotope production for medicines, industry and the space
program and for nuclear-based research and development
projects.
Other alternatives include building a new research reactor,
using already-busy DOE reactors or building new
accelerators, which also can produce some isotopes.
Heart of America Northwest is criticizing DOE as being too
partial to the reactor to consider alternatives to its
restart objectively.
DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy and Hanford contractors are
advocates of restarting the reactor, according to a
statement from the group.
"We'd prefer the Council on Environmental Quality out of the
White House," said Hyun Lee, an attorney with Heart of
America.
The group is asking for negotiations to be held between
reactor opponents and proponents with an independent
facilitator.
If supporters' main objective in restarting the reactor is
to make isotopes for medical use, accelerators should be
used, said the group.
"An accelerator would be a cheaper and safer alternative,"
Lee said.
However, the draft report said a proposed low-energy
accelerator "could only produce a limited number of
isotopes, it has no ability to satisfy the plutonium 238
needs, and it has a limited ability to support the proposed
nuclear-based research and development needs."
If a high-energy accelerator also was built to produce the
isotopes for space missions, it could be expanded to produce
limited medical isotopes.
However, to use developing technology that would also allow
research would "increase the size of the facility, add
complexity to the facility design and operation, increase
the cost of construction and operation and potentially
require more time for design and construction," according to
the draft report.
Heart of America also criticized DOE for not doing an
independent analysis of the need for more medical isotopes.
DOE assigned that task to a scientific panel that concluded
the United States should develop the capability to produce
large quantities of isotopes to maintain existing
technologies and to stimulate growth in biomedical sciences.
"The successful implementation of such a program would help
ensure our position as an international leader in the
biomedical sciences well into the 21st century," the panel
concluded.
Now one in three hospital patients in the United States
undergoes a medical procedure using medical isotopes, most
of them using imported isotopes for diagnosis and imaging.
In addition, new studies are showing promise in using
isotopes for highly localized radiation to kill cancer
cells.
Heart of America discounts the panel's recommendation to DOE
on medical isotopes because most members "have a personal
interest in a revitalized nuclear reactor research
industry," Lee said.
The organization also is questioning the wisdom of
generating more radioactive waste at Hanford.
The draft report said restarting the reactor would generate
"a relatively small amount of additional waste."
DOE intends to use commercially available facilities for
treatment and disposal of waste from the reactor, if it is
restarted, according to the report.
The restart could generate 35,200 pounds of spent fuel,
which is less than 1 percent of the spent fuel already at
Hanford. [About 16 metric tons -- L.P.]
The report concluded environmental impacts of managing the
fuel would remain minimal.
Supporters and opponents of restarting the reactor are
saying public comment will be critical to DOE's decision.
The public comment period does not begin until Friday. Then
comments can be given by telephone to 877-562-4593; faxed to
877-562-4592 or mailed to Colette E. Brown, U.S. Department
of Energy, NE-50, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, MD,
20874-1290.
The draft report is expected to be posted at
http://nuclear.gov on the Internet, and copies of the
summary or the complete report can be requested by calling
877-562-4593.
.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/27/2000 1:03:02 AM
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release 25 July 2000
For More Info Call:
Robin Klein,
503/310-3050
Hanford Nuclear Reactor Would Create 6,000 cubic meters of New Radioactive
Waste
Hanford Action of Oregon Calls Energy Department's draft Environmental
Impact Statement "a license to re-start the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF)
reactor." DOE's plan could also contaminate an unused Hanford facility -
the Fuels and Materials Examination Facility (FMEF).
"Yesterday's release of the draft Environmental Impact Statement from the
DOE raises more serious concerns about the federal government's commitment
to clean up the Hanford Nuclear Reservation and to listen to the citizens of
the Pacific Northwest," said Robin Klein of Hanford Action of Oregon.
The draft EIS describes projected national needs for the production of
isotopes for space and medical applications to enhance the U.S. commercial
nuclear program. The statement focuses on the restart of the FFTF - an
advanced liquid metal breeder reactor. The DOE is moving ahead despite a
recent Nuclear Energy Research Advisory Committee report that concludes that
FFTF will "not be a viable source of research isotopes" and recommends that
FFTF "not be considered as a long-term source of research isotopes."
Of the five alternatives considered in the EIS, operation of the FFTF poses
the largest safety risk to the public from an accident, according to the
EIS. Most of the risk is associated with the fabrication and processing at
companion facilities at Hanford, including the FMEF, a facility that has
never been used.
Even though the EIS predicts the FFTF would create more than 6000 cubic
meters (the new waste could fill the equivalent of a football field more
than four feet deep) of new radioactive and hazardous wastes, as well as 16
tons of spent fuel, it would contaminate an uncontaminated facility. It also
fails to consider the cumulative environmental impacts of decontamination
and decommissioning.
"The Northwest has already borne more than its share of environmental burden
from Hanford's poorly managed nuclear wastes, and continues to wrestle with
waste problems that are out of control. The site should be engaged in
cleanup, not producing new wastes," said Chuck Johnson of Hanford Action.
The Hanford Nuclear Reservation contains billions of gallons of high-level
radioactive waste and is considered the most polluted site in the Western
Hemisphere. The FFTF reactor at Hanford has not operated for more than a
decade costing taxpayers nearly $200 million to remain on standby status.
Klein pointed out that while the DOE acknowledges in the EIS summary the
"strong opposition to re-start of FFTF for any mission," it also promotes
the FFTF reactor as the alternative that would provide the greatest
flexibility in meeting planned isotope production.
The reactor has been slated for final shutdown and decommissioning for
nearly a decade. Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson has vowed to make a
final decision on the fate of the reactor by December 18.
"This Environmental Impact Statement was crafted and customized to justify
uniquely the re-start of the Fast Flux Test Facility at Hanford, for ten
years it has been a reactor in search of a mission," Klein said.
The DOE will address two big areas of concern in separate documents due out
in a few weeks: cost and proliferation risks. The cost is expected to be
much higher for FFTF than for alternatives. Of even greater safety concern
is the use of weapons-usable plutonium in mixed-oxide fuels and highly
enriched uranium fuels at FFTF.
The public will have one last opportunity to speak out on the proposal to
re-start the Hanford reactor at public hearings in Portland August 29 at
6:30 p.m. at OMSI, Hood River August 28, Seattle August 30, and Richland
August 31.
Hanford Action of Oregon
25-6 NW 23rd Place #406 Portland Oregon 97210
503/235-2924
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/27/2000 12:56:01 AM
Upgrade helps make plant quake proof, boosts energy output
The five-year project at the gaseous diffusion plant cost $72 million and
took more than a million man hours.
By Joe Walker jwalker@paducahsun.com--270.575.8650
With a $72 million seismic upgrade completed, USEC Inc. has taken aim on
raising the enrichment level of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant by
spring.
USEC, based in Bethesda, Md., said the work not only makes the plant more
earthquake resistant, but also allows it to boost power when needed. On July
11, USEC signed a 10-year contract with the Tennessee Valley Authority for
cheaper, more flexible electricity, which accounts for more than half the
plant's production costs. USEC enriches uranium for use in nuclear fuel.
"Because we're consolidating our enrichment facilities, it's important that
we be able to produce at higher power," said USEC spokeswoman Elizabeth
Stuckle. "To do that, we must have the seismic modifications."
Last month, USEC announced that the Paducah plant will remain open and be
upgraded as a stand-alone facility. Paducah has worked in tandem with its
sister plant near Portsmouth, Ohio, which is expected to be closed in a
year.
Stuckle said the earthquake work is not directly related to the project to
make the Paducah plant independent. That involves making physical and
paperwork changes to double the percentage or "assay" of reactor-grade
uranium hexafluoride the plant can produce.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which approved the seismic upgrade, has
said it will be at least March before the assay work is approved if USEC
stays on schedule. Much of the process involves reviewing considerable
documentation.
"We're still aiming at March of next year to receive NRC approval and still
aiming at completing the physical work by the end of the year," Stuckle
said.
The earthquake project took more than a million man-hours to design and do
steel support work at 688 locations in two of the plant's four huge process
buildings. Together, the buildings cover 46 acres. Two larger production
buildings and other structures did not require upgrades because they meet
NRC
requirements.
General Manager Howard Pulley said the upgrade enables the plant to
withstand
the maximum earthquake expected once every 250 years.
"I am extraordinarily proud of the efforts of our work force on this
time-consuming and often difficult project," he said. "All of this work was
performed safely while the equipment in the process buildings was still in
operation."
About two-thirds of the project was done by J.S. Alberisi, a nuclear
construction firm, and one-third by USEC employees. During peak work, the
project involved 240 people removing 3,500 pieces of steel, installing
12,500
pieces, pouring more than 600 cubic yards of concrete and using more than
77,000 pounds of welding materials.
Work began in 1995 after being mandated by the Department of Energy, which
leases much of the plant to USEC. Delays resulted when DOE underestimated
the
scope of the work and later when USEC disagreed with the extent of the
upgrade. Still more lags occurred when DOE hazardous and low-level
radioactive waste storage areas got in the way of work.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/27/2000 12:51:36 AM
Wednesday, July 26, 2000
Monday July 24, 4:20
NRC to meet with ConEd on Indian Pt 2 nuke plant
NEW YORK, July 24 (Reuters) - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said
Monday it will meet with Consolidated Edison Inc on
Friday, July 28, related to the safety of the steam generators at the idled
Indian Point 2 nuclear power plant in upstate New York.
The meeting will review ConEd's response to a July 20 letter from the NRC
requesting additional information on ConEd's proposed plan to restart
Indian
Point 2 using its existing steam generators, the NRC said in a statement.
The NRC said it is concerned about what it called ``assumptions and
uncertainties'' in the analysis provided by ConEd as part of the plant
restart plan.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 10:00 EDT at the Indian Point 2 plant
site in Buchanan, N.Y., about 35 miles north of New York City.
Indian Point 2 was shut on February 15 when a small amount of radioactive
water leaked from a crack in one of the thousands of tubes inside one of
the
steam generators.
A steam generator, which stands about 70 feet high and 40 feet wide,
transfers heat from the reactor systems to the power-generating portion of
a
nuclear power plant.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/26/2000 12:31:03 AM
Tuesday, July 25, 2000
Y-12 gains reputation for work with Navy submarines
July 24, 2000
By Frank Munger News-Sentinel staff writer
The Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant is best known for its nuclear weapons work, having
produced parts for every bomb or warhead in the nation's atomic arsenal.
That is the plant's bread and butter.
But, strangely enough, the federal installation in land-locked East Tennessee
is gaining a reputation for its work on submarines.
In the 1990s, the Oak Ridge plant worked on a series of prototype propulsors
for the Navy's Seawolf class submarine, reportedly making those deliveries
ahead of schedule and under budget.
The full-scale prototype fabricated at Y-12 was so large it had to be loaded
onto a couple of trailer beds for a trip (along temporarily closed roads) to
the Clinch River, where the propulsor was loaded onto a barge and shipped to
a test site.
Oak Ridge workers did more than fabricate big pieces of hardware for the
Seawolf; they applied design simulations and advanced inspection techniques.
More than 1,000 changes to the propulsor design were made during Y-12's 31/2
years of work on the Seawolf prototypes, one official said.
Y-12 had done special jobs for the military before that, but the $75 million
Seawolf project apparently solidified the relationship.
The plant continues to work with the Navy and its manufacturing contractors,
sharing technologies and, in the case of the Seawolf, providing
"risk-mitigation components" -- a military term for spare parts.
The latest project involves propulsor prototyping for the new Virginia class
sub, the first of which are scheduled to enter the Navy's fleet in 2004.
Janice West, director of the Oak Ridge Centers for Manufacturing Technology,
said the Navy work has proved essential in maintaining skilled personnel and
advanced equipment at Y-12.
The U.S. Department of Energy plant built its expertise with precision
manufacturing of nuclear weapons, but Cold War downsizing and the reduced
weapons mission threatened to erode those capabilities.
West said the Navy's support enabled Y-12 to acquire new machine tools,
including some that are unique or extremely rare in the manufacturing world.
"Otherwise, DOE would not have had those technology upgrades," she said.
Much of the submarine work is classified, and West won't talk about
schedules, dollar amounts or even discuss how many Oak Ridge employees are
working on the prototypes for the Virginia class attack sub -- reported to be
the first American warship designed solely by computers.
Y-12, officially designated a National Prototype Center, is working with the
Navy on various other projects to help solve manufacturing problems before
turning tasks over to military contractors.
West said the Oak Ridge plant hopes to expand the work for the Navy and other
federal agencies in the years ahead.
"We primarily do this work for others as a way to help enhance our technical
capabilities for our people, upgrade our facilities and equipment, and help
us get access and partner with other people to develop new technologies in
defense programs work," she said. "We particularly are happy to be able to
support other national security programs."
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/25/2000 9:19:15 PM
FRIENDS of the COAST
OPPOSING NUCLEAR POLLUTION
Post Office Box 98, Edgecomb, Maine 04556
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact
Raymond
Shadis
207-882-7801
July 24, 2000
JUDGE ORDERS HOLD ON NUCLEAR CLEAN-UP HEARING
FRIENDS of the COAST PERMITTED TO FILE AMENDED PETITION
Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Judge Thomas S. Moore has ordered that a
proceeding involving the License Termination Plan of Maine Yankee Atomic Power
Station be, “held in abeyance” until the company revises its plan.
Maine Yankee is expected to alter its application to the US Nuclear Regulatory
Commission so that it will reflect newly enacted strict clean up standards in
Maine law.
In addition, Maine Yankee, Friends of the Coast, and the State of
Maine
are expected to use the time afforded by the delay in the proceedings to work
out differences regarding clean-up of the 800 acre Wiscasset waterfront site.
According to the order, if the revised License Termination Plan is not
ready by the end of October, then Maine Yankee must file a status report
indicating progress on the plan. The order also states that Maine Yankee is to
tell the Licensing Board what progress, if any, it has made in, “settling
outstanding matters of disagreement it has with participants regarding the
LTP.”
The judge’s order followed a July 20th telephone conference with NRC
staff, the State of Maine, Friends of the Coast, and Maine Yankee. Maine
Yankee
had asked that the proceeding be held in abeyance in a July 19th response to
State of Maine and Friends of the Coast intervention petitions. In its
response, Maine Yankee stated it had no objection to either party
intervening.
Judge Moore had earlier issued an order giving the State of Maine and Friends
of the Coast until July 26, 2000 to file amended petitions. That order will
remain in effect. Judge Moore had issued the order after NRC legal staff had
argued against admitting Friends of the Coast as an intervenor on narrow
technical grounds.
Raymond Shadis, spokesman for Friends of the Coast, said his
organization is always pleased to try to work things out without litigation,
and praised Maine Yankee for its, “enlightened approach”, but vowed the group
would not compromise basic environmental concerns. “ We have our agenda too,
Shadis said, “ in we’re in this for the long haul simply because we live here
and we care about this coast as something more than a thing to be used up”.
Shadis said that an amended Friends of the Coast application to intervene
would, “overwhelm every objection the NRC lawyers threw at us to keep us
out of
the process. In our opinion the NRC legal staff looks a little silly in their
efforts to protect the industry when even the nuclear licensee doesn’t
object.”
In the meanwhile decommissioning and clean up of the defunct nuclear plant,
last operated in December of 1996, will continue. Major activities planned for
this summer and fall include cutting up and removal of the internal components
of the nuclear reactor vessel. The company then plans to seal the 300 ton
reactor and ship it by barge to Barnwell, N.C. where it will be buried.
Shadis said his group is also focused on plans to establish a long-term
high-level nuclear waste storage facility at the Wiscasset site. “ It will be
storing all the fuel this reactor ever irradiated. So, it must be secure from
the ravages of weather and acts of terror. It must never, never leak and we’ll
hope it is removed before our grandchildren have grandchildren.”
Friends of the Coast-Opposing Nuclear Pollution is a non-profit (501c3)
organization. Inquiries may be addressed to Post Office Box 98, Edgecomb,
Maine
04556
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/25/2000 9:17:25 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 24, 2000
NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
Hope Williams, 202/586-5806
DOE Releases Draft Nuclear Infrastructure
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement
The Department of Energy (DOE) today released a Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for supporting civilian nuclear energy research and development and isotope production missions in the United States, including the role of the Fast Flux Test Facility in Hanford, Wash. This Draft PEIS is a first step in ensuring that the department has the nuclear technology infrastructure necessary to meet these important national needs.
"In keeping with the tradition of the department, we will work with the communities affected by the options for maintaining the country's nuclear infrastructure to ensure their voices are heard," said Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson. "I encourage the public to participate in a full and complete discussion of the issues and to give us feedback on these options."
The Draft PEIS analyzes the possible environmental impacts that may result from expanding the department's nuclear research facility infrastructure to accommodate the demand for medical and industrial isotopes, produce fuel to power future space exploration missions, and support civilian nuclear energy research and development missions. The department has evaluated several alternatives that include using operating facilities within the DOE complex, building a new research reactor, building one or two new accelerators, restarting the Fast Flux Test Facility which is currently being maintained in standby, and procuring irradiation services from a commercial light water reactor to produce fuel to power NASA spacecraft. The department has also evaluated the possible impacts of not expanding its nuclear facility infrastructure, but instead forgoing new research and isotope production in the U.S. and purchasing material to fuel NASA spacecraft from Russia. The Draft PEIS does not identify a preferred alternative.
Comments on the Draft PEIS will be accepted during the public comment period, that will begin on July 28, 2000, and end on September 18, 2000. DOE will consider comments received after this period to the extent practicable. The comments will be taken into consideration and a final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be released in November. After the comment period, the department will issue a Record of Decision, outlining its final decision in December 2000.
In addition, the department plans to release two additional studies as recommended by DOE's Nuclear Energy Advisory Committee. These studies, which will be released in the fall, will address cost and nonproliferation impacts from the alternatives considered in the EIS and will be used to inform the Record of Decision.
The department will also conduct seven public hearings during the public comment period. These will take place in:
- Oak Ridge, Tennessee, on August 22, 2000
- Idaho Falls, Idaho, on August 25, 2000
- Hood River, Oregon, on August 28, 2000
- Portland, Oregon, on August 29, 2000
- Seattle, Washington, on August 30, 2000
- Richland, Washington, on August 31, 2000
- Crystal City, Virginia, on September 6, 2000.
These hearings will provide an additional opportunity for the public to submit comments to DOE. The department will publish detailed information on the locations, times, and format of the public hearings in the Federal Register on July 28, 2000, and in appropriate local news media.
The Draft PEIS is accessible on the Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology's web site at http://nuclear.gov. Copies of the Draft PEIS Summary or the complete Draft PEIS (on CD-ROM or paper) may also be requested by calling the toll-free information line at 1-877/562-4593.
The Draft PEIS will also be available for review at eight public reading rooms across the country. Names and locations of these reading rooms will be published in the Federal Register notice on July 28, 2000, and are also available on the above web site.
Comments may be submitted by mail to Colette E. Brown, U.S. Department of Energy, NE-50, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874-1290; by fax (toll-free) at 1-877/562-4592; by phone (toll-free) at 1-877/562-4593; or by electronic mail to Nuclear.Infrastructure-PEIS@hq.doe.gov
- DOE -
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/25/2000 9:12:59 PM
NUCLEAR AWARENESS PROJECT
Media Release: Tuesday July 25, 2000
TURKEY CANCELS AKKUYU NUCLEAR PLANT
Toronto — Following a cabinet meeting in Ankara today, Turkish Prime
Minister Bulent Ecevit announced the cancellation of the controversial
nuclear power plant that was proposed to be built at Akkuyu Bay on Turkey's
Mediterranean coast north of Cyprus.
In a stunning front page interview yesterday (July 24th) in the Turkish
daily newspaper Milliyet, Ecevit observed that "The world is abandoning
nuclear power." In a public statement following a cabinet meeting today,
Ecevit stated "It is unnecessary for us, for the time being, to invest in
nuclear energy." Ecevit emphasized that Turkey would focus on energy
conservation and invest in natural gas, hydro-electricity, as well as solar
and wind generation.
Ecevit's statement reflected the fact that most of the world has stopped
building new nuclear plants, and has opted for cheaper, cleaner, and safer
means of generating electricity. Nuclear power has been plagued by high
cost, erratic performance, endemic technical problems, the risk of
catastrophic accidents, and environmental problems such as routine
radiation releases and radioactive waste management. World nuclear power
use is expected to peak in 2002, and then begin a period of sustained and
permanent decline. Reliable independent cost studies show that nuclear
power plants are about twice as expensive to build and operate as
high-efficiency natural gas generating plants. Canada has been forced to
temporarily shut down one-third of its own nuclear power reactors because
of poor performance, bad management and safety problems.
The decision is a serious blow to the three nuclear vendors bidding to
build the nuclear plant, and a major setback for the international nuclear
industry. Canada's state-owned nuclear company, Atomic Energy of Canada
Limited (AECL) was competing against Nuclear Power International (NPI -- a
consortium of the German company Siemens and the French company Framatome),
and a third bidder, a partnership of Westinghouse (USA/UK) and Mitsubishi
(Japan).
The Akkuyu nuclear plant had sparked an unprecedented groundswell of
opposition within Turkey, as well as in the eastern Mediterranean region
and around the world. Turkey's latest attempt to build a nuclear plant at
Akkuyu began with a request for preliminary proposals in 1992, although
revised bid specifications were not released until December 1996. Following
the final bid deadline of October 15, 1997, Turkey delayed the selection of
a vendor no less than eight times between June 1998 and April 2000.
The extraordinarily high cost of nuclear power has been the indirect cause
of Turkey's decision. This spring, the Turkish Treasury department refused
to provide a sovereign (state) financial guarantee (at least initially) for
the loans being made by vendor country governments for the nuclear plant,
which was costing about $3.6 billlion (CDN) (about $2.5 billion US). In a
surprise development, Westinghouse reportedly offered to proceed without a
sovereign guarantee. AECL also confirmed last week that it was willing to
proceed without a sovereign guarantee, and was searching for private sector
"bridge" financing of $100 million.
The loss of the Akkuyu contract is a blow to AECL, a publicly funded
federal Canadian crown corporation. AECL has seen its reactor export plans
collapse over the last 5 years. As part of a federal government program
review in 1995, AECL identified a plan to sell "ten reactors in ten years".
On the basis of this plan, the Chretien government committed to provide a
$100 million-per-year subsidy indefinitely to AECL. However, the only sale
since that time has been two reactors to China in 1996. Since its founding
in 1952, AECL has received subsidies of over $15 billion from the federal
government.
In 1997 a leaked cabinet document revealed that the Chrétien government had
agreed to provide $1.5 billion of government funds in financing for the
Akkuyu plant. AECL's bid was for $2.572 billion (US) (about $3.6 billion
Canadian) for two 700 MW CANDU reactors. AECL's bid was targeted by an
effective international campaign. Nuclear Awareness Project worked closely
with activists opposing Akkuyu in Canada, Europe, Turkey and the eastern
Mediterranean for the last four years. The campaign included speaking tours
throughout Canada, Turkey, Greece and Cyprus. The international campaign
flooded the office of Prime Minister Chretien and other cabinet ministers
with over 100,000 cards, letters and e-mails.
Dave Martin, Research Director for Nuclear Awareness Project, stated,
"The cancellation of Turkey's Akkuyu nuclear plant is a death knell for the
international nuclear industry. Renewable energy is the way of the future."
"It's time to pull the plug on 48 years of senseless Canadian government
subsidies to AECL. More nuclear subsidies are just throwing good money
after bad."
"Turkey has made a wise decision to forego nuclear power and focus its
electricity program on conservation, renewable energy, and high efficiency
natural gas. There will be huge environmental, economic and security
benefits from this decision."
"A nuclear program would only have interfered with Turkey's hard road ahead
in building a sustainable energy future, healing its economy, democratizing
its political system, and improving its human rights record."
The Akkuyu nuclear plant was opposed for a variety of reasons, including
earthquake risk at the site, the possibility that it would contribute to
nuclear weapons development, and ongoing human rights abuses in Turkey.
Some of Turkey's most prominent earthquake experts have demanded a halt to
the nuclear plant until further research is conducted on the Akkuyu area.
The death of over 18,000 people in the Izmit earthquake is a tragic
testimony to the human cost of poor planning and inadequate regulation. The
Turkish government and the nuclear vendors conspired to cover up the real
earthquake risk at the Akkuyu site. An earthquake would have been the most
likely cause of a catastrophic nuclear accident at Akkuyu. Such an accident
could have had devastating consequences for the 165 million people in the
eastern Mediterranean region.
The dark underside of nuclear power has always been its potential for
nuclear weapons proliferation, either through the production of plutonium
-- an inevitable byproduct of reactor operation -- or through the transfer
of sensitive nuclear information, technology and materials. Turkey's
nuclear program would have fanned the flames of the nuclear arms race in
the Middle East. Turkey has already been implicated in nuclear arms aid to
Pakistan. An earlier attempt to build an Argentinean-designed reactor was
likely aimed at plutonium production for nuclear weapons. Evidence of
nuclear smuggling based in Turkey, and Turkey's push for its own nuclear
fuel capability and indigenous reactor design, all pointed to possible
nuclear weapons development. The support of prominent Turkish citizens for
nuclear weapons development has leant credence to this evidence.
Turkey has a long history of gross human rights abuses, which include
systematic widespread torture and murder of prisoners in custody; death
squad murders; disappearances; restrictions on freedom of speech; and
incommunicado detention without legal representation. Despite the capture
of Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, and his ceasefire call, human
rights improvements have been minimal. Incidence of torture actually
worsened in 1999 as compared to the previous two years. Restrictions on
free speech and overt political repression have continued despite pressure
on Turkey to meet western standards in order to join the European Union.
Turkish political history over the last 40 years has been characterized by
a series of unstable governments, interrupted at intervals by four military
coups -- in 1960, 1971, 1980, and most recently in June 1997, when the
government of Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan, was forced out of office.
Allegations of corruption at the highest levels have added to this
political instability, which has been accompanied by economic instability.
Inflation has averaged more than 80% per year over the last ten years, and
the national debt is over $100 billion (US). It remains to be seen if the
current $4 billion (US), three- year anti-inflation program sponsored by
the International Monetary Fund will succeed. Five similar programs in the
1990s failed, and many Turks believe that the cure may be worse than the
disease.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/25/2000 9:10:00 PM
DAWN
24 July 2000
Government regulates export of nuclear materials
ISLAMABAD, July 24: Pakistan announced its procedures for commercial
exports of nuclear materials from the country today.
An advertisement placed by the Ministry of Commerce in newspapers said
prospective exporters would need a "no objection certificate" from the
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission in order to export specified nuclear
substances and equipment.
The ad listed nuclear substances as: natural uranium, depleted uranium,
enriched uranium, thorium, plutonium, zirconium, heavy water, tritium,
beryllium, natural or artificial radioactive materials provided the
activity is not less than 0.002 microcuries per gram, and nuclear grade
graphite with a boron equivalent content of less than five parts per
million and density greater than 1.5 gm/cubic centimetres. These
substances could be in the form of metal alloys, chemical compounds or
any other material containing one or more of them.
The list of nuclear equipment "for production, use or application of
nuclear energy and generation of electricity" included nuclear power
reactors; reactor pressure vessels; reactor fuel charging and
discharging machines; primary coolant pumps; reactor control systems;
reactor internals; any other items directly attached to the reactor
vessels that control the level of power in the core and/or that control
the primary coolant inventory of the reactor core; nuclear research
reactors; neutron flux measuring equipment; equipment for the
fabrication of fuel elements, including welding machines for end caps;
equipment for separation of uranium isotopes, including gas centrifuges,
magnets baffles, bearing, etc; UF6 mass spectrometers; frequency
changers; special shut-off and control valves; equipment for the
production of heavy water, including exchange towers, neutron generator
systems and industrial gamma irradiators. According to the
advertisement, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission will have the
authority to verify and inspect all nuclear exports.(DPA)
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/25/2000 9:05:17 PM
Radiation Compensation Bill Gives Little Incentive to Prosecute Claims
Tuesday, July 25, 2000BY JIM WOOLF
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
Thousands more people damaged by radiation in America's race to build the atomic bomb will qualify for federal compensation under a new law, but they may have problems finding an attorney to help them navigate the bureaucratic maze.
The new radiation compensation bill sponsored by Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch contains a little-noticed provision that prohibits attorneys from taking more than 2 percent of any payment to victims. Since the maximum award is $100,000, an attorney can earn no more than $2,000 by helping a potential victim locate all the needed information and file the necessary documents.
"It makes it very uneconomical and undesirable to take those kinds of cases," said Edward Havas, a Salt Lake City attorney who has helped several uranium miners receive compensation. "That low of a fee means I can't justify the time and effort it takes to put these cases together."
A 1990 bill that authorized the government's first payments to uranium miners and people hurt by radioactive fallout allowed attorneys to take up to 10 percent of the awards. But a revised and greatly expanded version of the compensation bill signed this month by President Clinton reduced attorney fees to 2 percent.
Hatch said 2 percent is all lawyers deserve for helping people through a relatively easy application process.
Requesting compensation "should be a slam-dunk -- like rolling off a rug," said the Republican senator. "We've heard that any high school kid could fill out the form in one hour."
If the initial application is rejected and additional work is needed to resubmit a claim, the bill allows attorneys to charge up to 10 percent of the award, said the senator. And it allows attorneys who filed claims prior to passage of the new law to continue to charge up to 10 percent.
"I don't wish any attorney to earn less fees than they deserve but I can tell you this: They still are going to make a lot of money off me at these rates," said Hatch.
Keith Killian, a Grand Junction attorney who handled numerous cases under the 1990 law, said Hatch doesn't understand how complicated and time-consuming preparing these applications can be. While filling out the form may be relatively easy, it must accompany a thick pile of hard-to-find medical, employment and family records. Gathering these records would be almost impossible for the sick and elderly miners or their aging widows, he said.
"It's just attorney bashing by Congress," said Bob Dawes, a Durango, Colo., lawyer who will no longer handle radiation compensation cases because of the lower fee.
"I know that $2,000 sounds like a lot of money," said Dawes, "but these cases involve digging up records that are 40 to 50 years old and meeting complicated medical requirements. And you still have to deal with the U.S. Department of Justice."
Stewart Udall, an attorney and former Arizona senator, said the 2 percent fee is "discriminatory" against Navajo uranium miners. Their applications for compensation are among the most difficult and time-consuming to prepare because of limited records and the language barrier. Because of the lower fee, he predicts few attorneys will come calling.
"It means there will be deserving claimants who will find it difficult, if not impossible, to find legal representation," agreed Havas. "They may be entitled to compensation under the new legislation, but that same legislation takes it away by preventing them from receiving practical assistance."
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/25/2000 9:01:21 PM
Uranium for Power Plants Available Online
By Cat Lazaroff
NEW YORK, New York, July 24, 2000 (ENS) - U.S. utilities that generate electricity from nuclear power plants are entering the world of e-commerce to buy fuel for their reactors. New York Nuclear Corporation, a nuclear fuel brokerage company founded in 1982, is now operating the world’s only nuclear fuel electronic marketplace.
Nuclear fuel auctions at UraniumOnLine.com (UOL) are private and open only to qualified buyers and sellers from the commercial power industry.
"We’re only involved with the fuel that is moved on a commercial basis for the generation of electricity," said Becky Battle of the New York Nuclear Corporation (NYNCO). "When you say nuclear materials, a lot of people think of the defense industry, but we only handle fuel for power plants."
Nuclear fuel is used by 430 nuclear power plants around the globe to supply about 20 percent of the world’s electricity needs.
Utilities are generally the end users of uranium in its many forms, said Battle. In the past, when a utility needed more uranium for its reactors, it would send invitations to various suppliers for bids. The suppliers would fax back quotes, which the utility would select from to find the most attractive bid.
Information about the availability of materials is often limited in the traditional bidding process. Pricing under this method did not always reflect the fair market value of the materials, Battle said. "The onus was on the supplier to try and pick a fair price."
"Nuclear fuel prices have always been difficult to determine because important details of transactions are often unknown," said NYNCO president Joseph McCourt. "The published prices that are currently used by the industry involve a fair amount of guess work. With UOL, the market can actually see what the deal is and what exactly buyers and sellers are bidding."
"With UraniumOnLine, the suppliers are bidding against one another, and they can see what prices their competitors are offering," said Battle. This can drive prices down - or up, she said.
"There is the feeling on the supply side that the auctions will drive prices down, but there’s nothing that says that when a utility asks for bids, they have to be lower than the market value," said Battle. "The bidding party determines the opening price."
At its second online auction, UOL saw bids start above the current market value of uranium, and then drop to the market value. The July 6 auction of 125,000 pounds of uranium took 22 minutes to reach a closing price of $8.18 per pound. Uranium prices during the past year have fluctuated from between $10.40 to the UOL auction result of $8.18 per pound. The auction reflected a typical spot nuclear fuel market transaction in terms of quantity and delivery requirements, NYNOC said.
"The price of uranium or any commodity is obviously determined by supply and demand," said Battle. "Right now we have not very much demand, and a lot of supply."
When asked how the brokerage firm ensures that uranium is only bought by companies that are licensed to handle it, Battle said, "The commercial nuclear industry is a very small one. We are familiar with the buyers and sellers, and their faces don’t change much. It really is a very small community."
When a utility, or another company in the uranium processing fuel cycle, need uranium, they invite bids from particular suppliers and ask NYNOC to set up an auction. Only those suppliers who are invited to offer bids are given passwords to enter the online auction.
"You’re not going to have anyone off the street," participating in an auction, Battle said.
"We believe with UOL the multi-billion dollar international nuclear fuel industry will finally have a specialized trading platform capable of handling procurement with low transaction costs and complete price transparency," said McCourt. "Moreover, UOL will, with the help of its worldwide clients and its in-house nuclear fuel expertise, provide the nuclear fuel industry contractual and other standards that will define and greatly facilitate nuclear fuel trade around the world."
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/25/2000 8:52:20 PM
TRIPLE SHUTDOWN AT FUKUSHIMA!
Leak and halt at Fukushima I-6, I-2 and II-4 reactors following an off coast
earthquake
25 July 2000
Three large reactors of the Tokyo Electronic Power Company's Fukushima-I and
Fukushima-II Nuclear Power Stations, in Ohkuma Town and Tomioka Town respect
ively, Fukushima Prefecture, in the Pacific coast of Japan, 250km north of T
okyo, got successively shut down by rather unusual mechanical failures, prob
ably caused by a moderate quake off coast.
----------
First, on Friday 21, the Unit-6 reactor (BWR 1,100MW, 21 years old) had an e
mergency shutdown. Around 4:30am that morning, just after an off-coast grade
-4 earthquake hit the region, the alarm indicated an excess of waste gas fro
m the radiation containment system, and the operators had to trip the reacto
r in that afternoon.
It was later found out that a tube (of 34mm in external diameter and 25mm in
internal; i.e. 9mm thick), which constitutes the safety relief valve for the
turbine building, had a deep crack, little less than a rupture.
In BWR system, turbine building is a rad-contaminated zone.
TEPCO refrains from commenting whether the failure is related to the earthqu
ake or not. However, according to Jiji News, technical staff of the company
regard that the earthquake may well be the cause of expansion of an existing
smaller crack in the tube.
----------
Then, Unit-2iBWR, 784MW, 26 years old) suffered from over 150 litters leak
of radioactive coolant inside the reactor building (secondary containment).
Earlier on the same day, leakage of valve control oil in the turbine bypass
system had been detected. Some 300 litter of oil spilled out of a stainless
pipe (20mm in internal diameter). The reactor had to be manually shut down a
t around 21:17pm on Sunday 23.
TEPCO claims no radioactive release into atmosphere. The spilled water conta
ined 210 million Bq of radioactivitiy.
Also found out on inspection, after the operators decided to switch off the
reactor, was leakage of water out of the control rod drive mechanism.
The causal relation and time sequence of these three incidents are under inv
estigation.
--------------
Now, today (Tuesday 25), Unit-4 (BWR, 1,100MW, 13 years old) of the Fukushim
a-II Nuclear Power Station, south of the Fukushima-I NPS, both operated by T
EPCO, has been put into the manual process of an emergency shut down. The re
actor power output will be cut off at around 23:00pm tonight.
Abnormal iodine concentration was detected in the coolant (i.e. core water).
Radiation monitors for the waste gas also indicated elevated figures. Pin ho
les on the fuel rods are the most likely cause. (If so, it is a typical fail
ure and may not be directly connected to the quake.)
Again TEPCO claims no atmospheric release of radioactivity.
--------------
The successive failures after the quake, though moderate in scale, cast seri
ous doubts on the safety of the aging BWRs.
sources: Jiji News 24 and 25 July, Mainichi Newspaper 24 and 25 July, Kyodo
24 July 2000
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/25/2000 8:45:31 PM
Sustainable Development on a Warming Planet
Perfection of means and confusion of goals seem -- in my opinion -- to characterize our age.
Albert Einstein, 1950
There is no more delightful figure of speech in the English language than the oxymoron, combining as it does two contradictory words in an incongruous but simple epigram. Each reader of this editorial will have his or her favourite example. "Industrious idleness", "jumbo shrimp", "progressive conservative", and, every physicist's favourite, "civil engineer", are typical of the clarity and simplicity of this form of words.
"Sustainable development" also sounds as though it should belong to the ranks of popular oxymorons but, hopefully, this is not the case. Physicists specifically may well have some responsibility to ensure that economic viability and environmental acceptability do not conflict as society moves forward into a new millennium. Real environmental problems are often, to a degree, multi-disciplinary, and traditionally the physicist has been hesitant to enter fields with which he or she is basically unfamiliar or within which the application of basic skills in physical science may initially appear unclear or inappropriate.
But, there are at least three distinct paths which pure scientists can follow in order to make progress in the environmental field. The first path involves carrying out research bearing directly on a real situation and the development of the necessary equipment and know-how in order to solve a problem. Physicists are good at that and are unlikely to be perturbed by the complexity, if not impossibility, of a given environmental problem. They are traditionally and by training past masters at identifying at least a small part of an overall problem, solving it precisely and then developing algorithms or models which enable the more complex problem to become amenable to analytical or numerical methods. The phenomenon of global warming, for example, while not yet identified with absolute clarity, defines an area of research within which the physical properties of the earth's lower and upper atmosphere, detailed studies of the sunspot cycle, the generation of solar flares, the cyclical natural variation in the temperature of the global surface, together with oceanographic and geophysical studies will in the end determine the magnitude of climate change and the prognosis for the future of planet Earth.
Astrophysicists, laser and space physicists already pursuing research programs in these areas are being augmented by others with computer skills, particularly in systems analysis. They can determine in detail the parameters of global warming and ensure that detailed monitoring of all essential features of change is carried out rigorously and routinely. These results can be fed into a database that will continually improve our understanding of the global environment.
Secondly, qualified physicists can train people who would like to become involved in the physical detail of environmental problems, although this may make him or her a more applied scientist than was originally the intention. And, thirdly, the physicist can join other scientists, lawyers, economists, ecologists, architects, and sociologists in a problem-oriented team with the object of contributing both a style of research and a confidence in the ability of man to solve apparently intractable environmental problems.
The success of the Transportation Institute set up at the University of London in England in the late 50s is a testament to the contribution that can be made to environmental planning when scientists with a variety of individual skills come together to tackle a problem apparently unrelated to their basic training. The fact that modelling of traffic flow in London could be carried out successfully through fluid flow studies relating hydrodynamics, physics, mathematics, and computer modelling is a testament to the possibilities of the application of basic physics to urban and societal problems.
That physicists can be proactive rather than passive in the area of environmental research is readily demonstrable from a short list of developing problems in the area of economic development. For example, ultraviolet radiation, particularly UV-B is
presently a third higher in certain parts of the Northern Hemisphere than it was in 1980. Ultraviolet beta radiation is known to be damaging to both animal cells and plants but many questions remain unanswered. The mechanisms by which plants detect UV-B, protect themselves, and repair damage needs to be explored and it is a mystery why some plant species are much more sensitive to this radiation than others. In the near future, universities and research institutes will carry out laboratory and field experiments in which plants are grown under conditions of artificially enhanced UV-B. For such projects, new sources of ultraviolet light are required which are variable in both wave-length and intensity, and specific devices for measuring reflecti-vity, damage, and even changes in the conductivity of plants are necessary in order to obtain a baseline understanding of the damage likely to be inflicted by a further reduction in the global ozone layer. Physicists could undoubtedly help in this area.
Secondly, much has been said recently of the greenness of nuclear power. Since 1958 nuclear power has avoided the release of 8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and it is calculated that if nuclear power had been replaced by fossil fuel electrical generation, there would have been an eight percent increase in global carbon dioxide emissions. More significant than any of the reduction targets agreed to at Kyoto is the fact that if there were no nuclear power today and such electrical energy was instead derived from coal, 2.6 billion additional tonnes of carbon dioxide would be dumped into the atmosphere every year, in addition to millions of tonnes of ash and poisonous heavy metals. It is also the case that natural gas is not necessarily superior from the global warming point of view. Significant and continuing leakage of two percent of the product from gas pipelines in addition to the somewhat lower carbon dioxide emissions from gas than coal-fired power stations indicate that the future for nuclear power should be great once the economics of fuel manufacture are improved, the size of a reactor core decreased, and construction times minimized by use of modern building practices.
Other areas in which science can improve the existing situation from the sustainable development point of view include urban sprawl and recycling. Urban sprawl is clearly not environment-ally acceptable even though the economics may look fairly good and here much of the problem, again, involves transportation, an area in which interdisciplinary and physics-based research can prove invaluable. Finally recycling, which is supported enthusi-astically by society in general, is not sustainable at the present time. It is certainly environmentally beneficial, but in many cases the costs of recycling cannot be recovered. The necessary invest-ment in a global recycling program is unlikely to become avail-able without the development of new techniques of disposal and recovery and until reusable landfill sites become the norm rather than the exception. Physicists can help with all these problems.
There are, of course, many other areas of technological advancement that are popular with certain subsets of society. Those persons, however, who believe that energy conservation alone or together with the development of windmills and local solar projects can counteract the burgeoning increase in energy demand worldwide are "tilting at windmills", as Reid Morden remarked in his speech to the Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference in Banff, Alberta, in 1998.
The current slogan for sustainable development seems to be "Think globally and act locally." Perhaps if all of us maintain a healthy interest in the global problem while tackling our local research, technical, and domestic problems, then a real difference can be made in the global situation. On the other hand, it is probable that when the population of physicists as a whole becomes more aware of overarching environmental problems and the need for viable solutions, it will be found that many of the skills and techniques that we already possess are instantly applicable to the solution of these complex questions. Physicists can hopefully play a major role not only in the solution of existing problems but in determining the direction of future progress both in the climatic and sustainable development areas of endeavour.
Your comments on this editorial will be welcome.
Jasper McKee
Editor, Physics in Canada
mckee@physics.umanitoba.ca
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/25/2000 8:41:44 PM
Monday, July 24, 2000
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 13, 2000
NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
Monica Higuera, 202/586-5806
Energy Department Releases Long-Term Strategy
For Management of its Nuclear Materials
Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson today released a comprehensive study that examines opportunities for greater integration in the management of nuclear materials across various department programs. It will serve as a blueprint for future action by the Department. The report also provides the first consolidated account to Congress and the public of the Department of Energy's (DOE) unclassified inventory of nuclear materials and offers a description of how and where these materials are managed.
"It is critical to our national security, health and safety, and environmental protection that we take proper care of our nuclear legacy," said Secretary Richardson. "Currently, more than half of the department's nuclear materials management facilities is over 40 years old. This plan lays the groundwork for how we can address not only an aged infrastructure, but also the complex set of responsibilities related to managing and dispositioning a sizable and diverse nuclear materials inventory."
DOE manages its nuclear materials under eight different programs that have offices in 36 different locations. This legacy follows, in large part, from the Cold War era, during which the department and its predecessor agencies operated facilities to: conduct research on, design, test, and manufacture nuclear weapons; conduct basic science, nuclear engineering research and development, and special isotope programs; and support naval nuclear propulsion. Following the Cold War, new missions and programs were developed to support nonproliferation agreements and research other uses for our nuclear materials leaving behind the current challenge of integrating and managing large amounts of nuclear materials in various forms.
The nuclear materials inventoried in this plan are:
- Approximately 100 metric tons (MT) of Pu-239.
- Excess highly enriched uranium (HEU) in the amount of 174 MT was withdrawn from national security programs, half of which is in the form of metal and the other half in a variety of forms (oxide, reactor fuel, compounds, irradiated fuel and targets, and others).
- Over 4,700 MT of surplus low enriched uranium (LEU) at 28 sites.
- Over 760,000 MT of depleted uranium (DU) at 34 sites.
- Over 1,900 kilograms of U-233 at five sites.
- About 2,500 MT of department-owned spent nuclear fuel stored at four sites.
- An "other materials" group that includes over 50,000 items with over 100 million curies of radioactivity. This includes a wide variety of isotopes with varying chemical and physical forms that are legacies of various national security, nuclear energy, and research and development activities.
In addition to providing an inventory of the department's nuclear materials, the report, A Strategic Approach to Integrating the Long-Term Management of Nuclear Materials(pdf), offers a 25-point, multi-year action plan for increasing integration, coordination and efficiency in managing the nation's nuclear materials. The plan is not designed as a decision-making document, but offers these points as a springboard for future action.
Some of the plan's action items include:
- Revising the department's strategic plan to ensure nuclear materials stewardship is integrated into the department's major missions.
- Performing a qualitative and quantitative projection of the long-term capabilities needed to accomplish the department's nuclear materials management missions.
- Establishing appropriate mechanisms and opportunities for involving the public on issues that could affect them.
- Making decisions regarding excess legacy nuclear materials and whether they should be disposed of or stored for other uses.
- Completing a cost/benefit analysis of alternatives for improving the department's nuclear materials information management and inventory accountability system.
The nuclear materials covered in this plan include fissile materials, which are isotopes capable of being split to create a nuclear explosion, such as uranium and plutonium. The plan also covers spent nuclear fuel and non-fissile materials special isotopes. Surplus nuclear materials are distinguished from wastes according to the relative proportions of radioactive and non-radioactive constituents. Low-level, mixed, transuranic, and high-level wastes are not covered in the report.
Also addressed in the plan is the integrated management of nuclear materials categorized as: national security materials; non-national security materials; excess materials; and surplus materials. National security missions include nuclear deterrence and non-proliferation. Non-defense programmatic use includes research and development and support of nuclear power generation. Excess materials are either declared a national resource to be stored for an undefined future use, transferred for beneficial use, such as medical treatments, or declared surplus and scheduled for disposition.
Some anticipated key outcomes of the plan include integrating facilities and infrastructure planning required for a modernized nuclear materials management complex and integrating program and field nuclear materials information collection, inventory-tracking and decision support systems. In addition, the department will document the costs for managing nuclear materials in pursuit of achieving increased efficiency.
- DOE -
R-00-183
0.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 11:46:46 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 20, 2000
NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
Jacqueline Johnson, 202/586-5806
First Agreement Reached with Utility on Nuclear Waste Acceptance
Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson today announced that an agreement has been signed with PECO Energy Company to address the Energy Department's delay in accepting spent fuel from utilities.
The agreement, which is in the form of a contract amendment and is the first such agreement, applies only to PECO's Peach Bottom Plant in Pennsylvania, but is intended to be a framework that can be applied to other nuclear power plants. Negotiations for the other plants will be conducted on a plant-by-plant basis.
"Today's agreement demonstrates that the department and the utilities can reach a resolution regarding our delay without resorting to costly and protracted litigation, and I hope it will be a precedent for additional settlement negotiations with other utilities," said Secretary Richardson. "This administration is committed to resolving the complex, important issue of nuclear waste disposal in a timely and sensible manner and remains committed to a safe, permanent geologic repository."
The agreement allows PECO to reduce the projected charges paid into the Nuclear Waste Fund to reflect costs reasonably incurred by PECO due to the department's delay. PECO could be able to make an adjustment of their charges by up to $80 million over the next 10 years. Under the agreement, PECO must demonstrate that the adjustments were the direct result of the department's delay in moving spent nuclear fuel from the Peach Bottom Plant.
"This contract amendment is a positive step forward that will provide for the appropriate reimbursement of costs that result from delays in siting the repository without impairing the Nuclear Waste Fund," said Corbin A. McNeill, Jr., Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, PECO Energy Company. "While it is unfortunate that there is not yet a permanent solution for spent nuclear fuel, we remain optimistic that the government will fulfill its long-term obligation."
Secretary Richardson has been working with the utilities on the department's 1998 contractual obligation to take spent fuel from utilities since he came to the department and intends to continue working towards additional settlement agreements.
The Secretary of Energy will make a decision next year whether to recommend Yucca Mountain, Nevada, to the President as the site for the permanent geologic repository based on scientific and technical studies done at the site.
- DOE -
R-00-186
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 11:45:20 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 24, 2000
NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
April Kaufman, 202/586-5806
Energy Department Fines Savannah River Contractor $220,000 for Nuclear Safety Violations
The U.S. Department of Energy has completed its regulatory review and fined Westinghouse Savannah River Co. $220,000 and issued a Preliminary Notice of Violation for violations of Energy Department nuclear safety rules at the department's Savannah River Site in Aiken, S.C. The penalty stems from a September 1999 event in which eight workers were accidentally exposed to plutonium, one in excess of the regulatory limit.
"This unfortunate exposure was clearly preventable," said Dr. David Michaels, Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety and Health. "Westinghouse management knew of problems with radiological work controls and event response from a similar worker exposure at the site in 1996. Several subsequent assessments and this incident clearly demonstrate that those problems have not been effectively addressed."
The workers were exposed to plutonium at the plant's FB-Line Facility while preparing plutonium storage containers for transfer to another on-site location. A defective weld in one of the containers allowed plutonium to be released, activating the alarm on an adjacent air monitor.
Although the exposure did not cause any immediate health consequences to the workers and no long range consequences are anticipated, one worker's exposure was over the federal limit. All involved workers were placed on various temporary work restrictions to limit additional exposures.
Energy Department investigators say several factors contributed to the accident, including:
- Effective processes were not in place to ensure the integrity of the welds on storage cans. While weld leak testing performed on the storage can involved in the event did not identify a significant defect, the operators performing visual weld inspections were not formally trained or qualified in weld inspection. Additionally, prior weld production problems were not formally analyzed, representing a missed opportunity for potential process improvements.
- Work and event response activities did not follow approved procedures, including inadequate radiological monitoring for the work being done. A required contamination survey of the plutonium storage cans was not performed before the operator handled them. Required radiological surveys were not immediately performed on the highly contaminated operator who exited the vault after the alarm sounded. At least one worker who was not present during the accident was cross-contaminated as a result.
- Management did not ensure that effective design features such as adequate ventilation were in place to ensure possible exposures were as low as reasonably achievable.
The Energy Department is proposing partial mitigation of the $275,000 base civil penalty for these violations, based on the contractor's thorough investigation of the event and the broad scope of corrective actions that Westinghouse has committed to take.
Several corrective actions have already been taken by management at the site, including inspecting all similarly welded cans for leaks and improving the welding and inspection processes. The department will validate these and additional corrective actions being performed by Westinghouse and determine whether further enforcement action is required.
The notice will become final Aug. 17 – 30 days after the Preliminary Notice of Violation – unless Westinghouse Savannah River Co. provides sufficient justification and information to rebut the findings of the enforcement action.
A copy of the violation is available on the Internet at: http://www.eh.doe.gov/enforce.
- DOE -
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 11:43:49 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 24, 2000
NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
April Kaufman, 202/586-5806
Al Sotts, 505/845-6202
M.J. Byrne, 505/665-5025
Secretary Richardson Orders Steps to
Ensure Worker Safety after Plutonium Accident
Energy Secretary Bill Richardson today ordered a series of actions to protect worker
safety and health after reviewing a report on an accident that exposed eight workers to
plutonium-238 at the department’s Los Alamos National Laboratory in March. Richardson
also directed Gen. John Gordon, Administrator of the National Nuclear Security
Administration (NNSA), to report on actions taken by the University of California, the
department’s contractor at the lab, to address deficiencies that contributed to the
accident.
"The Energy Department is committed to the highest standards of safety and health
for our workers at every site," said Secretary Richardson. "This accident
evaluation indicates areas where the department as a whole needs to continue to improve,
and I will push our contractors to make that happen."
Gen. Gordon added that he will make safety a top priority in his new job by improving
the performance of operations and adherence to operating procedures. "Our goal is to
avoid such incidents by being proactive and making safety an integral part of every
operation," said Gordon.
Findings
The team of safety experts conducting the investigation determined the accident was
preventable and that laboratory management missed opportunities to possibly prevent this
accident by not fully implementing lessons learned from a similar event at the site in
1998. The accident investigation team found that weaknesses in work planning, hazard
analysis and the process by which changes to piping systems are controlled and documented
contributed to the accident.
The plutonium release was caused when a worker disturbed a loose pipe connection in a
support system serving a glovebox, an airtight device in which plutonium and other
hazardous materials can be handled safely by workers. The pipe connection was subject to
leaking because it was inadequately tightened and because Teflon seals had deteriorated
from the radioactive environment inside the glovebox.
Corrective Actions
Since the accident, laboratory management has taken a number of immediate interim
actions, including inspecting, recording the locations of and correcting as necessary more
than 40,000 pipe connections. Additional actions are being implemented at Los Alamos:
- Inspecting regularly and documenting inspections of piping
connectors in gloveboxes to ensure piping systems are properly installed and maintained;
- Increasing worker participation in work planning and hazard
identification;
- Increasing the presence of managers and supervisors in work
areas to reinforce safe work practices; and
- Conducting additional training to reinforce the
department’s Integrated Safety Management principles, especially those related to
adequately assessing the hazards associated with routine and trouble-shooting activities.
Today, Secretary Richardson expanded on an earlier review directed at Energy Department
sites managed by the National Nuclear Security Administration, by directing all of the
department’s sites to report back to him by August 31 on specific steps they are
taking to:
- Inspect piping connectors in glovebox systems to ensure
proper installation and maintenance;
- Ensure that the Department of Energy’s Integrated Safety
Management policy is applied to all potentially hazardous work, including routine
activities; and
- Inspect Teflon components in radioactive environments, such
as gloveboxes, on a regular basis to ensure they are performing as intended.
Secretary Richardson also directed Gen. Gordon to report back to him by September 5 on
any personnel actions taken by the department or contractor to address workers’
failure to adhere to established safety and operating procedures.
NNSA managers responsible for the plutonium facility are required to submit a formal
corrective action plan to Energy Department headquarters in response to the investigation
findings within 60 days. NNSA, which oversees the department’s defense labs, among
other sites, will be responsible for ensuring that all corrective actions are fully
implemented.
By October 31, Gen. Gordon will report on plans to address deficiencies in the
University of California’s inspection programs and worker operating procedures as
part of the contractor’s annual performance review. A July 11 accident at Los Alamos
in which a worker cleaning a piping system got a small amount of plutonium on his glove
will be part of that review. Although no one was injured and air monitors did not detect
any release of plutonium, it will be part of the review because the worker may not have
been following established safety procedures.
Accident
The accident occurred during a routine maintenance evaluation of a glovebox at the
lab’s Plutonium Processing and Handling Facility, commonly referred to as TA-55, when
alarms sounded, indicating the presence of airborne radioactivity in the room. The eight
workers in the room at that time exited promptly, and no radiation was released outside
the building. Of the eight workers, seven had plutonium intakes and four will likely
exceed the annual radiation
exposure limit of five rem set by the federal government. These four workers have been
temporarily reassigned to work in non-radiation areas.
Richardson ordered a "Type A" accident investigation – the highest level
safety investigation the department conducts – based on the potential for internal
radiation exposure and the number of workers involved in the accident.
Additional information is available on the web. The accident investigation report is
available at http://tis.eh.doe.gov/oversight/
and the health and safety alert issued following the accident is at http://tis.eh.doe.gov/docs/hha/hha_2000_1.pdf
- DOE -
R-00-193
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 11:41:42 PM
Navajos share uranium woes
July 23, 2000
By Melanie Brubaker Mazur
Herald Staff Writer
Durango, Colorado
The stories of those who attended the second annual Families of Uranium Workers United Convention Saturday in Durango are eerily similar.
A father who worked for decades in underground or open-pit uranium mines died from cancer. A mother with heart problems, asthma or bronchitis. Babies born with birth defects.
"I don’t think anybody knew," of the dangers of uranium mining, said Melton Martinez of Haystack, N.M., a board member of the Western States Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Reform Coalition.
Martinez and 130 others gathered Saturday at Miller Middle School to discuss their predicament at the conference sponsored by the Navajo Nation Dependents of Uranium Workers Committee. Most of the attendees were Navajo.
Earlier this month, amendments to the federal Radiation Exposure Compensation Act were passed. The act provides money for people who mined and milled uranium or were exposed to radiation during nuclear testing.
A uranium miner, transporter or miller suffering from cancer, for example, can apply for $100,000 in compensation, Martinez said. Those who worked at nuclear test sites can apply for $75,000, and the "downwinders" who lived near test sites can receive up to $50,000.
Several attendees said they wanted to learn how to apply for the funding.
Dahaana Baadanni III of Durango worked in the mines for only a few months, but his father was a miner for 57 years.
Baadanni said he wants to receive the compensation to pay for testing he had at Mercy Medical Center that found a cyst in his brain. He’s paying for the scan, which cost more than $1,200, by making payments of $20 at a time. He’s also taking expensive pain relievers to ease the throbbing in his head.
Baadanni’s mother, Cecilia, said her husband received some compensation for his illness when he was sick with cancer. But she’s had heart surgery, and most of her children are ill, as well.
"The kids deserve it, and me," she said in Navajo, with her son translating. "We worked a lot of years in the mines in Colorado. Our family hurts inside."
Louie Rivas of Farmington said his family owned property for years next to the uranium mill in Durango. He worked for the industry, hauling uranium from Monument Valley to Shiprock, N.M., and other destinations.
"Nobody knew in those days," he said of radiation exposure. "Nobody told us."
Today, he suffers from asthma and has a heart condition.
Earl Saltwater Jr. of Teecnospos, Ariz., a member of the uranium worker’s committee, said his father worked in the mines because those were the only jobs available on the reservations in the 1950s and 1960s. He died in 1971 from cancer.
Saltwater worked in a mine from 1968 to 1969, but said he was so ill he would throw up on the job.
"It stinks inside a mine," he said. "But they were the only jobs on the reservation."
Martinez said he remembers his dad coming home from work caked in mud and dust. Those who worked in the uranium mills had yellowcake, or refined uranium, under their fingernails and in their hair. That’s how spouses and children became sick, he said.
"If the government had warned us not to wear our clothes home, we could have prevented it," he said. "If only we knew, we probably would have changed it."
The open-pit mine his family lived near is now covered with layers of dirt and has a sign in three languages warning of radiation danger.
The RECA reform coalition will hold a meeting at 1 p.m. on July 28 at Cortez Middle School to help miners and their families learn how to apply for the federal compensation.
Do the payments make up for what the Navajo mining families have undergone? "No," Martinez said. "No, it does not. This is for our children."
Contents copyright © 2000, the Durango Herald. All rights reserved.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 11:37:27 PM
Monday July 24 3:26 PM ET
Cohen Plans U.S. Missile Defense Report in 'Weeks'
By Charles Aldinger
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary William Cohen said on Monday that
he plans to send a recommendation to President Clinton within three or four
weeks on whether to soon begin building a U.S. National Missile Defense
system.
A Pentagon Defense Readiness Review study and Cohen's recommendation to
Clinton will assess the technical feasibility and cost of the ``NMD'' plan,
which is bitterly opposed by Russia and China and has raised major concerns
among U.S. allies.
Clinton plans to decide this year based partly on Cohen's recommendation and
on a new CIA study whether to proceed with the system in Alaska next year or
leave a decision to his successor, who will be elected in November and take
office next January.
``I would expect that in the next several weeks I would be in a position to
make a recommendation to the President ... within the next three or four
weeks,'' Cohen told reporters in response to questions at a Pentagon press
conference with Armenian Defense Minister Serzh Sarksyan.
Other defense officials said privately that Cohen was likely to sent his
recommendation to Clinton before the secretary goes on vacation in
mid-August.
The U.S. military has failed in two out of three attempts since last October
to shoot down target ballistic missiles in tests over the Pacific Ocean. But
defense officials have said the misses do not necessarily signal a delay in
starting work on the first big NMD radar in Alaska next year.
Cohen said on Monday he had seen a draft of a new CIA National Intelligence
Estimate prepared for Clinton on the emerging missile threat from countries
such as North Korea, Iran and Iraq.
But he refused to discuss the report, which is expected to play heavily in
the president's NMD decision. The report will not only look at the emerging
missile threat from other countries, but the effect of any NMD decision on
Washington's political ties with Russia, China and its European allies.
Clinton is being pressed by critics of missile defense, and even some
supporters of the program, to delay a decision on the Alaska radar.
Scientific groups warn that the technology is not ready and that it would be
folly to begin work quickly on even a limited system that could cost an
estimated $60 billion.
Meanwhile, Cohen on Monday echoed comments by Clinton and other U.S.
officials that a reported offer by North Korea to give up its offensive
missile program in return for international aid in its space exploration
efforts was too vague.
``It's unclear to me exactly what the offer is,'' Cohen told reporters. ``It
is still fairly ambiguous in terms of scope of the proposal. It would
require a great deal more clarification before I could comment that it was a
positive proposal or not.''
But the secretary also suggested that Pyongyang was sending mixed signals on
missile development. He said a North Korean negotiator told U.S. officials
during missile talks this month in Malaysia that his country was committed
to its missile program.
``I have to also take into account that their top negotiator in Kuala Lumpur
recently made the statement that 'Our missile policy is to develop, to
produce and to deploy powerful missiles continuously','' Cohen said.
``And so we have to weigh one statement against the other and get
clarification before any judgement could be made about the validity and,
indeed, the advisability of the proposal.''
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 11:35:36 PM
Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 02:31:15 +0300
-CHAMBER OF ENVIRONMENT MINISTERS: -''NUCLEAR POWER THREATENS LIFE'' ANADOLU AGENCY 22.07.2000
ANKARA - Chamber of Environment Ministers announced on Saturday, that nuclear energy was not clean energy, and nuclear waste was a threat against all forms of life on earth. In the statement issued on Saturday, it was said that Turkey had to be prevented from turning into a nuclear base, insensitive towards nature and all forms of life. It said further that Turkey was not a country that could be turned into a nuclear dump, and that members of the chamber would make a press release in front of the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry headquarters on July 24, demanding the immediate abolishment of the tender for the Akkuyu nuclear power station. The statement drew attention to the fact that the cost of nuclear energy was much higher as compared to other sources. The validity of bids for Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant tender which was opened by the Turkish Electricity Production and Distribution Corp (TEAS) will end on July 24.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 11:30:10 PM
DOE News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 24, 2000
NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
Tamara Hamilton, 202/586-5806
Department of Energy Announces Consumer and Environmental Projects With Former Soviet Biological Weapons Scientists & U.S. Industry Partners
Former Soviet biological weapons scientists, partnered with U.S. private industry and scientists from three U.S. Energy Department laboratories, will soon be putting their skills to work on four new non-weapons related biological research projects, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced today.
"It is in the U.S. national interest to help these scientists find ways to put their talents to work in non-defense related research," said Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson. "These are former weapons scientists whose skills would be attractive to hostile states and terrorists bent on acquiring weapons of mass destruction."
The projects were announced today, during a conference at the National Center on Biotechnology held in a former Soviet biological weapons facility in Stepnogorsk, Kazakhstan.
The four projects are:
Prevention of food contamination
With an investment of $1.4 million from a U.S. industry partner, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Department of Agriculture's Advanced Research Service, and several laboratories of the Ministry of Science and Education of Kazakhstan (including the National Academic Center for Agrarian Research, the Institute of Microbiology and Virology, and the Institute of Botany and Phytointroduction) will pursue the development of novel antibiotic-like natural products for the prevention of food contamination.
Improved shelf-life and effectiveness of bioactive materials
With an investment of $1.25 million from a cooperative industry group, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Gamaleya Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Russia will jointly study the use of polymeric molecules technology to improve the shelf-life and effectiveness of bioactive materials.
Alternative to chemical pesticides
With an investment of $560,000 from U.S. industry partners, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the State Research Center for Virology and Biotechnology in Russia will develop a biological control agent for the protection of agricultural crops as an alternative to chemical pesticides.
Ecological center for Russia
With an investment of up to $2.7 million expected from U.S. industry, the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, along with several Russian institutes, including the State Research Center for Applied Microbiology, the Institute of Phytopathology, the Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms, and the Research Center of Toxicology and Hygienic Regulation of Biopreparations will establish a sustainable ecological center for Russia. This center will allow scientists to pursue the development of novel bioactive compounds from selected pristine and contaminated environments in Russia. New products and services, involving the use of these compounds, would be marketed both domestically and internationally.
The Energy Department's Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention biological program seeks to promote U.S. nonproliferation goals by engaging former Soviet biological weapons scientists in sustainable, non-military projects, in partnership with the national laboratories and U.S. industry. To date it has engaged 20 institutes and almost 600 scientists, approved more than 55 projects, and allocated over $12 million for collaboration with former biological weapons facilities. The U.S. industry partners involved in these projects are members of the United States Industry Coalition (USIC), a non-profit association of U.S. companies and universities dedicated to the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction through the commercialization of technologies for peaceful purposes.
All projects are screened by a DOE national laboratory panel, the National Security Council, and the Departments of State and Defense, to ensure that they will not contribute to the recipient state's military capabilities, and that none of the scientists or institutes involved engage in activities prohibited by the Biological Weapons Convention or assist countries of proliferation concern.
Additional information can be found on the web at http://ipp.lanl.gov or http://www.usic.net
.
- DOE -
R-00-191
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 11:25:53 PM
Power Reactor |Event Number: 37183 |
| FACILITY: SURRY REGION: 2 |NOTIFICATION DATE:
07/23/2000| | UNIT: [1] [2] [] STATE: VA |NOTIFICATION TIME:
20:42[EDT]| | RXTYPE: [1] W-3-LP,[2] W-3-LP |EVENT DATE:
07/23/2000| EVENT TIME:
20:10[EDT]| | NRC NOTIFIED BY: RAWLEIGH DILLARD |LAST UPDATE DATE:
07/23/2000| | HQ OPS OFFICER: DOUG WEAVER
PERSON ORGANIZATION | |EMERGENCY CLASS: N/A |BRIAN BONSER R2 | |10 CFR SECTION: | | |AARC 50.72(b)(1)(v) OTHER ASMT/COMM INOP
EVENT TEXT
| LOSS OF PLANT COMPUTER | | | | "At 1910 hours on 7/23/00, the Safety Parameter Display System (SPDS) | | portion of the Emergency Response Facility Computer System (ERFCS) was noted | | to be inoperable, due to all outputs being displayed in magenta color. | | Several attempts were made to reboot the system, but were unsuccessful. The | | air conditioning system for the Technical Support Center (TSC) computer room | | (which houses the ERFCS) had failed earlier in the day, and the air | | conditioning system was secured to perform repairs. Portable cooling fans | | were being used to cool the TSC computer room and the room temperature had | | stayed at about 80 degrees F. The system must be secured if temperature | | rises above 85 degrees F. | | | | "Repairs to the TSC computer room air conditioning system are continuing at | | this time. A return to service time for the SPDS portion of the ERFCS has | | not been determined at this time." | | | | The licensee will notify the NRC resident inspector. |
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 11:19:43 PM
PNO-II-00-028 - Florida State University.
July 21, 2000.
PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION OF EVENT OR UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE PNO-II-00-028.
This preliminary notification constitutes EARLY notice of events of POSSIBLE
safety or public interest significance. The information is as initially
received without verification or evaluation, and is basically all that is
known by Region II staff in Atlanta, Georgia on this date..
Facility Licensee Emergency Classification.
Florida State University Notification of Unusual Event.
(An Agreement State Licensee) Alert.
Tallahassee, Florida Site Area Emergency.
General Emergency.
X
Not Applicable
Subject: Radioactive Spill.
On July 21, 2000, State officials advised the Region of a radioactive spill,
which occurred on July 6, 2000, in a radiation laboratory assigned to the
Chemistry Department, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida.
Preliminary information gathered by the University's Radiation Safety
Officer indicates that there was a spread of contamination, both inside and
outside of the building, to include the vehicle and residence of one of the
staff members.
University officials, including the Radiation Safety Officer, were not aware
of this event until July 17, 2000, and subsequently the University notified
the State of Florida on July 20, 2000..
On July 6, 2000, while physically removing radioactive material from a
radiation laboratory in the Chemistry Department, located in the Hoffman
Teaching Laboratory, a spill occurred during the movement of a glove box
which was situated on a wheeled dolly. The laboratory staff attempted to
conduct clean up operations, but did not have any instrumentation to conduct
radiation surveys. The staff apparently assumed that their clean up efforts
were successful, and did not report this event to the Radiation Safety
Office. The isotope and quantity of material has not yet been fully
determined; however, the material appears to be an energetic beta emitter
and presumed to be strontium-90 (Sr-90)..
On July 21, 2000, State officials were dispatched to the University and
initiated a detailed investigation of this event.
Currently, no media interest has been expressed in this event.
Technical assistance was offered by the Region, but was declined by the
State. State officials will continue to keep Region II informed of the
results of their investigation.
This information is current as 1:00 p.m. EDT, July 21, 2000.
Contact: R. Trojanowski
(404)562-4427
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 11:16:53 PM
Subject: NPU Bulletin 22-24 Jul
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN - NUCLEAR POLICY
Mon 24 Jul 2000 The US secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, is to meet her N Korean counterpart this week to discuss Pyongyang's apparent pledge to halt its ballistic missile programme. Ind,T 24 Jul 00 Letter (Geoffrey Lee Williams, IEPS, Cambridge, and Alan Lee Williams, London University) - UK should encourage the Russian interest in ABM technology in relation to several early-launch NMD concepts, to serve the strategic interests of both the US and Russia against threats from rogue states. T 24 Jul 00 The UK gvt will this week announce the controversial privatisation of most of its defence research laboratories following the Pentagon's approval. FT 24 Jul Sun 23 Jul 2000 Is America about to trigger a news arms race? As anxiety spread last week, President Clinton was on the defensive. Mary Dejevsky reports from Washington. SInd 23 Jul 00 Scientists at the Aldermaston atomic weapons establishment are devising ways to attack asteroids with nuclear weapons to deflect them. STimes 23 Jul Sat 22 Jul 2000 Tony Blair last night urged President Putin to keep up the pressure on N Korea to abandon its ballistic missile programme, and hinted that the debate in the US over the national missile defence system could change if there were obvious signs that the threat was diminishing. 22 Jul 00 US officials said yesterday that Washington was ready in principle to help N Korea develop its own space programme if Pyongyang gave up its efforts to develop long-range missiles.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 11:11:56 PM
Dear Readers: I have now officially cleared out my backlog of Nuclear News items. They will be added at a more leisurely pace from now on. Archives of this blog will be available begining next week. Each weeks additions will be held on this page for one week then moved to the archives.
your Webmaster
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 2:45:49 AM
USWA Statement on DOE's New Radioactive Scrap Policy
U.S. Newswire
13 Jul 17:24
USWA Reaction to DOE's New Radioactive Scrap Policy
To: National Desk
Contact: Gary Hubbard of of the United Steelworkers of America,
202-778-4384; email: ghubbard@uswa.org
WASHINGTON, July 13 /U.S. Newswire/ -- George Becker, president of
the United Steelworkers of America (USWA), reacted to today's
announcement by U.S. Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson, who
suspended release of potentially contaminated scrap metals for
recycling from Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear facilities.
--
"Steelworkers at metal producing plants across the country will
be well-served by Secretary Richardson's new policy to be imposed at
DOE sites of potentially radioactively contaminated scrap. This
procedure will afford protection of workers and consumers. It also
provides recognition to our expressed concerns that radioactive metal
scrap is a serious problem demanding development of a rigorous
standard.
"Secretary Richardson deserves full credit for his leadership to
establish this new federal procedure that includes other steps at
improving record keeping and reporting to afford workplace protection
for all Steelworkers.
"We will continue to seek congressional passage of Rep. Ron
Klink's legislation, the Steel and Metals Consumers Radioactivity
Protection Act, or HR 4566, that would address the same concerns
raised by Secretary Richardson."
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 2:41:28 AM
Fri, 14 Jul 2000
End of an Era
Brookhaven Lab to Close Island's Last Nuclear Reactor
by JORDAN RAU and EMI ENDO
Long Island Newsday Staff Writers
Closing out an era of nuclear research on Long Island that had generated some
of the region's most volatile political battles, Brookhaven National
Laboratory announced yesterday it was shutting down the last of its three
nuclear research reactors.
Built in 1959, the Brookhaven Medical Research Reactor, the only active
nuclear reactor left on the Island, has been intermittently used for
experiments to treat brain cancer. But the lab's director, John Marburger,
said the "discouraging results” of recent clinical trials, along with a
dwindling enthusiasm for this research among government agencies, convinced
the lab that the reactor should be closed.
"This decision brings that history of reactor-based studies to the end,”
Marburger said. "It's always sad when an experiment ends, especially one that
doesn't work out the way you hope.”
Scientists said advanced research formerly performed with reactors is
increasingly being done on more versatile devices called particle
accelerators. Brookhaven has built several, including the $600-million
Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, which is designed to explore subatomic
physics and began operation last month. With only 10 employees, the medical
reactor was not a critical part of the lab's operations, and Marburger said
its workers will be reassigned. While Marburger said the decision to close
the medical reactor was made only on scientific grounds, anti-nuclear
activists said they had been planning to launch a campaign to close it down..
"We were getting ready to file a lawsuit over the emergency evacuation
planning on the medical reactor,” said Scott Cullen, counsel for Standing for
Truth About Radiation, an East Hampton group. He called the research done at
the lab "heinous experimentation” and said: "I question the benefit of
anything that ever happened there.”
But lab officials, as well as the chief researcher who used the reactor, said
the experiments had made valuable contributions to new techniques to cure
glioblastoma multiforme, a form of brain cancer.
"We learned a lot. We didn't cure tumors, but this kind of tumor is the
toughest of them all. Nobody can cure this tumor,” said Jeffrey Coderre, a
lab biochemist who was the principal investigator on the project. He said
current clinical trials in Sweden, Finland and the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology in Cambridge are building on discoveries at Brookhaven. "We were
the groundbreaking group,” he said.
The medical reactor produced only 3 megawatts of heat at full power -- a
tenth of the lab's primary research reactor and a fraction of commercial
power plants. But the reactor's closure has powerful political and historical
significance, given Brookhaven's role in spearheading the use of nuclear
technology for research rather than weapons.
Brookhaven's graphite research reactor, which operated from 1950 to 1969, was
the world's first peacetime nuclear research reactor, and the lab established
an international reputation through its experiments on its high flux beam
reactor, which opened in 1965 and was closed down permanently last year over
environmental concerns.
Those research instruments became political liabilities over time, as the
epic battle over the construction of a commercial nuclear power plant in
Shoreham spawned an aggressive anti-nuclear movement on Long Island in the
1970s. That plant never opened because of the opposition, and in the 1990s
activists turned their critical attention on Brookhaven, which had been
discovered to be the source of small radiation leaks into the ground and air
around the Upton facility.
The medical research reactor was used to devise a type of treatment called
boron neutron capture therapy. Patients who volunteered to participate in the
experimental treatments in the 1950s and 1960s were injected with a boron
compound designed to settle in the malignant tumor. The reactor would then
irradiate the tumor, splitting the boron atoms into fragments that doctors
hoped would kill the cancer cells.
Researchers abandoned the therapy in the 1960s, calling it unsuccessful. In
1995, relatives of four patients who died after being treated at Brookhaven,
along with relatives of people treated elsewhere, brought a lawsuit charging
patients were solicited for the experiments even though researchers knew they
would not be cured.
"The experiment was to learn what you might have to do in the future if you
were going to make it work,” said Anthony Roisman, a Vermont lawyer
representing the plaintiffs. "They didn't know how much radiation they were
delivering to the tumor. Some people they burned their scalps, some people
the tumor was untouched. They were just testing it out.”
Roisman said the judge dismissed the claims against Brookhaven because of New
York's statute of limitations. A federal jury last fall ordered two other
defendants, including Massachusetts General Hospital, to pay $8 million in
damages. The case is on appeal.
A second round of experiments at Brookhaven produced less controversy. Since
1994, 49 glioblastoma patients underwent a modified form of the treatment,
which used more advanced methods to protect the patients. Still, researchers
were unable to find a way to consistently saturate cancerous tissues with
boron.
Some lab employees said the extended controversies about Brookhaven's reactor
had added to the difficulties of keeping this one open. Stephen Shapiro, a
physicist who used the high flux beam reactor, said the cost of running the
reactor had increased once there were no other reactors to share technical
crews.
But he also said the lab's leaders were no longer dedicated to reactor-based
research. "Management wants to have a neutron-free lab,” Shapiro said. "I
guess it was expected.”
------------------------
REACTOR CLOSING
Statement by Lab Director John Marburger
FOR THE PAST year, the future of the Brookhaven Medical Research Reactor
(BMRR) has been in doubt because of discouraging results from the recent
clinical trials of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT).
The BMRR was built more than forty years ago to explore this promising mode
of cancer treatment. The BNCT concept, however, has been unexpectedly
difficult to implement. Consequently, DOE has lowered its priority, and funds
for this work at BNL will be reduced at the end of this fiscal year.
The expense of maintaining the reactor in standby mode, in hopes of a
research breakthrough that would resurrect BNCT work, has become much greater
in the absence of the High Flux Beam Reactor, which provided important
ancillary services. Consequently, after extensive consultations, I have taken
steps to cease operation of the BMRR by the end of the year.
For many reasons, this decision has been a difficult one, not least because
approximately ten employees, primarily from the Reactor Division, will be
affected. A substantial amount of work remains to be done at the reactor
during the next year or longer, but during that period we will make every
effort to place affected employees in other positions at the Laboratory.
If the clinical results had shown greater promise, I have no doubt we would
have had an opportunity to continue to operate this small reactor. As it is,
none of the federal agencies that might otherwise have funded BMRR operations
has expressed willingness to do so. A small, non-clinical research effort in
BNCT will continue at a few other laboratories throughout the country, and
Brookhaven's data will be made available to them to help guide their work.
This ends an era of neutron radiation therapy research that began shortly
after the Laboratory was founded. The main focus of the Medical Department
will shift to other areas, particularly medical imaging and other
applications of PET and MRI technologies. Should new means be found in the
future for delivering boron preferentially to malignant tumors, Brookhaven
will be in an excellent position to develop accelerator-based neutron sources
for practical therapy. The rapidly improving technology for such devices
makes it unlikely that reactors will ever be used in the future for radiation
therapy.
Brookhaven National Laboratory is a major contributor to the technology that
is making reactors obsolete for medical research. I expect we will continue
to provide leadership in the creation of accelerator devices that support the
same wide spectrum of research in which the Laboratory has excelled for more
than half a century.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 2:39:03 AM
July 13, 2000
Activists fight nuclear fuel plan
Federal commission meets in Columbia to air plan to recycle bomb material
By SAMMY FRETWELL
The State Staff Writer
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission listened to activists complain for three
hours Wednesday about the government's plan to use atomic bomb material as
fuel in nuclear power plants near Charlotte.
At a meeting in Columbia, opponents of the federal proposal said that using
plutonium in nuclear reactors would be dangerous to the public while helping
Duke Energy, the utility that serves the South Carolina Upstate and parts of
North Carolina.
Some opponents of the proposal called on the NRC to join them in opposing the
"MOX" program, a strategy the government has developed to dispose of excess
weapons-grade plutonium. About 80 people attended the NRC meeting Wednesday
night at the University of South Carolina.
The Department of Energy and Duke Energy Corp. want to convert the plutonium
into a powder and mix it with uranium to create mixed oxide fuel, or MOX.
They say the program will be safe.
Plutonium would be shipped by truck to the Savannah River Site near Aiken
from nuclear weapons plants across the country, then fabricated into fuel. It
would later be sent to Duke nuclear plants in Rock Hill and Charlotte,
beginning in 2007, to create electricity for customers in both Carolinas.
Using weapons-grade plutonium in a commercial nuclear reactor is
unprecedented in U.S. history, according to the Department of Energy. The NRC
must decide whether to issue a license for the fuel fabrication facility to
be built at SRS. The agency will hold a second meeting on the issue tonight
in North Augusta.
Those at Wednesday's meeting in Columbia said using the material is a bad
idea --- particularly when it will be fabricated and used in South Carolina..
Plutonium is one of the most toxic radioactive materials. Even small amounts,
if inhaled, can increase the risk of lung cancer.
"I kind of feel like this is a political decision," Columbia resident Leslie
Minerd said. "South Carolina is sort of like a Third World country, it really
is. And we're conveniently located here for y'all to use us.
"You're lucky to have us. Otherwise you'd have to transport this stuff to
Mexico."
The federal government has about 50 tons of surplus plutonium, originally
intended for nuclear bombs, that would either be turned into glass and
sealed, or converted to mixed oxide fuel. The government is looking for a way
to make the plutonium useless for weapons as part of an international push to
decrease dependence on atomic bombs.
West Columbia resident Michael Sindler said the NRC's process for issuing a
license to build the MOX plant didn't make sense.
The agency would first approve building the MOX facility, then later decide
whether Duke and its partners on the MOX project could be approved to handle
the material. Construction would start in about 2002. "There's going to be
intense political pressure from all kinds of people to go ahead and finish
this thing," Sindler said.
Others said the plutonium, particularly the type used to make bombs,
increases the risk of nuclear accidents at power plants and on the highways
during shipment.
Many of the questions at Wednesday's meeting focused on how decisions were
made to locate the fuel-blending plant at SRS. But Nuclear Regulatory
Commission officials said they couldn't address that issue because it was not
their decision.
The Department of Energy decided to locate the facility at SRS after intense
lobbying from Aiken-area business interests, who said the area could use
thousands of jobs to be created by the MOX program. The NRC's job is to
regulate the facility and oversee safety at nuclear power plants, agency
spokeswoman Mindy Landau said.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 2:36:23 AM
July 14, 2000
The Courier-Journal
Paducah plant gets millions; more coming
Federal actions address health and environment
By JAMES R. CARROLL
The Courier-Journal
WASHINGTON -- In a flurry of signatures and votes, the executive and
legislative branches of the federal government acted yesterday on a number of
environmental and health fronts at the Paducah uranium plant.
These were the developments at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue and at the
Department of Energy:
President Clinton signed into law a supplemental spending bill that includes
about $3 million for worker health screenings at the Paducah Gaseous
Diffusion Plant and $8 million more this fiscal year for cleaning up
contamination from radioactive and hazardous substances at the site. The
measure includes money for similar tests and work at the Portsmouth Gaseous
Diffusion Plant near Piketon, Ohio.
Environmental cleanup money for the Paducah plant for the next fiscal year
and compensation to workers who may have been made sick by its operations
both moved ahead in the Senate.
Energy Secretary Bill Richardson announced that he was suspending a plan to
recycle potentially contaminated scrap metal. Paducah at one time had counted
on the revenue from the sale of contaminated nickel and other metals possibly
containing low levels of radiation to help offset cleanup costs and provide
jobs for displaced workers.
The new money for health screenings means current workers now will be
included in a program that previously covered only former workers. The pace
of testing and the total number of people who can be evaluated also will be
stepped up.
The full Senate approved a compensation package for employees of the Paducah
plant and other Department of Energy facilities that could provide health
benefits and $200,000 payments to those with job-related illnesses.
The compensation plan, part of a military authorization bill approved on a
97-3 vote, isn't in the clear yet. The House has put forward no such proposal
in its own military measure. The two chambers will have to work out
differences in a conference committee.
The plan is more generous than a Clinton administration proposal, but the
White House has told congressional leaders it would support the broader
package.
"The Senate today took a major step toward righting the wrongs of the Cold
War by voting to compensate the thousands of people whose work to build
America's nuclear defense has left them sick or dying," Richardson said in a
statement.
Elsewhere on Capitol Hill, the Senate Appropriations Committee's energy and
water development subcommittee approved $78 million for fiscal 2001 cleanup
efforts at the Paducah site. That compares with about $71 million --
including the money Clinton just approved -- that will be spent on cleanup
work this year.
The Senate measure includes an additional $33 million to build two plants,
one at Paducah and one at its sister facility in Piketon, to convert depleted
uranium into a more stable form for long-term storage. Thousands of tons of
such uranium is being stored above ground in cylinders at Paducah.
The spending bill also contains $1.75 million for epidemiological studies of
Paducah workers, studies that previously have never been conducted despite
claims by employees that they have been afflicted by an unusual number of
diseases, including cancer.
The studies would be conducted by the University of Louisville and the
University of Kentucky's School of Public Health.
"This analysis," said Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., a member of the
appropriations panel who pushed for the spending, "is essential to developing
an accurate evaluation of current and former workers in order to accurately
determine who and to what extent individuals might have been exposed to
radioactive material while working at the Paducah plant."
Anticipating the passage of the compensation legislation, the appropriations
bill also includes $17 million for the first year of claims.
The subcommittee's action must be approved by the full Senate appropriations
panel, then go to the full Senate. The House already has approved a spending
bill with less Paducah cleanup money in it. Those differences, too, must be
worked out in a House-Senate conference.
Scrap-metal dealers, environmental groups and plant workers had criticized an
Energy Department plan to recycle contaminated nickel, steel, copper and
aluminum recovered from machinery used to enrich uranium. The critics said
they feared contamination could find its way into consumer products, from
pots and pans to braces.
The scrap sale was held up last fall while the department looked at its
options. At one time, such a sale was projected to generate $41 million at
Paducah alone, all of which was to go to cleaning up a huge scrap yard.
Richardson said yesterday he was suspending the recycling plan "to ensure
American consumers that scrap metal released from Energy Department
facilities for recycling contains no detectable contamination from department
activities."
"The suspension will remain in effect until our sites can confirm that they
meet this new, more rigorous, standard," he said.
Richard Miller, policy consultant with the Paper, Allied Industrial, Chemical
and Energy Workers Union, which represents many workers at the Paducah plant,
praised Richardson's move.
"It's incredibly responsible for him to do that," he said.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 2:32:09 AM
July 19, 2000
PATENTED PROCESS PACKS DEPLETED URANIUM IN PLASTIC
UPTON, New York, July 19, 2000 (ENS) - Scientists at the U.S. Department of
Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have been awarded a patent for
a process that encapsulates depleted uranium oxides in thermoplastic
polymers. The process converts depleted uranium to a form the researchers say
is stable and safe for long term disposal or reuse. The encapsulated uranium
could be used in the production of radiation shielding and counter weights
for airplanes, helicopters and ships, the scientists said. Depleted uranium
(DU) is a by-product of enriching uranium ore to make fuel for nuclear
reactors. Storing DU requires labor intensive and expensive maintenance. The
Brookhaven Lab process converts uranium oxide powder from a reactive form
through chemical processing, and combines it with a thermoplastic binder. The
final product can be formed into shapes and is cooled to form a dense solid.
BNL's patented process for encapsulation requires simultaneous heating and
mixing of depleted uranium powders and non-biodegradable thermoplastic
polymers such as polyethylene or polypropylene. Virgin or recycled polymers
can be used. The result is a mixture of depleted uranium and molten
thermoplastic polymer, which can be molded into any shape. The final form
emits very low levels of radioactivity, and the dense material would make
good shielding against gamma or neutron radiation, the scientists said. "By
creating safe, secondary end use products from these materials, we are
addressing health and safety, environmental protection, and waste reduction
issues," said Paul Kalb, senior research engineer Brookhaven's Environmental
Research and Technology Division.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 2:18:59 AM
A-bomb workers closer to deal
Panel to hammer out compensation
July 20, 2000 Daily Southtown
By Lisa Pevtzow
Staff Writer
Chicago-area workers exposed to the toxic metal beryllium while developing
the atomic bomb during the Manhattan Project 50 years ago are a step closer
to receiving compensation for their illnesses.
A committee composed of members of both houses of Congress will review the
Thompson Amendment, a Senate proposal to compensate U.S. Department of Energy
workers harmed by exposure to hazardous materials.
On July 13, the Senate approved 97-3 a defense spending bill, which includes
the compensation provision giving defense workers a choice of lost wages and
medical care or a lump sum payment of $200,000 and medical care.
Illness, according to the bill, is assumed to be work-related if the employee
worked at a facility where exposure was likely.
It also would compensate federal employees, whose illnesses are likely to be
connected to exposure from radiation and other toxic substances at bomb
factories and labs.
However, since the House of Representatives already passed its own version of
the defense spending bill, which does not include the compensation provision,
the matter will be hammered out in the coming weeks by legislators from both
houses, said Burson Taylor, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson
(R-Tenn.), who sponsored the Senate amendment.
If the amendment makes it through the conference committee, the final bill
will be sent back to both houses for a vote this fall.
Larry Kelman, a retired scientist at Argonne National Laboratory who was
exposed to beryllium during his work on the Manhattan Project, expressed
cautious optimism about the legislation Wednesday.
"I guess it reassures us that, yes, they mean business," said Kelman, who
suffers from beryllium-induced disease. "They've made motions in the
direction of doing something and reneged on it so many times. But I don't
have confidence until I actually see something (passed into law)."
Hundreds of Manhattan Project staff inhaled tiny particles of beryllium while
helping develop the atomic bomb at a University of Chicago laboratory, now
Argonne National Laboratory near Lemont.
Energy Department officials have estimated that 2,300 people in Illinois were
exposed to beryllium while doing government weapons work, mostly at Argonne.
Disease rates suggest that between 75 and 125 have or will develop the
debilitating lung disease, which is fatal to about a third of its sufferers.
It can develop up to 40 years after exposure.
Until recently, the government has fought lawsuits demanding compensation,
and argued that there is no proof the illnesses were caused by their work.
But in January, a federal panel concluded there was "credible evidence that
the illnesses were related to work exposure."
The Energy Department has since proposed minimum lump sum payments of
$100,000 for employees of DOE contractors who developed cancer as a result of
radiation exposure at the weapons plants.
"Workers ... across the country who served our nation during the Cold War
have waited too long for the federal government to address their grievances,"
Thompson said in a statement. The Senate action "is an important step toward
remedying a grave injustice."
The Argonne high-energy lab, operated by the University of Chicago for the
DOE, has not produced large amounts of beryllium dust since the early 1970s,
and no workers now handle the toxic metal on a daily basis, according to a
lab spokeswoman.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 2:17:39 AM
July 20, 2000
BNFL officially ordered to stop release of metals
by Paul Parson
Oak Ridger staff
BNFL Inc. has officially been ordered by the Department of Energy to stop
releasing potentially contaminated materials from its cleanup work at the Oak
Ridge K-25 site.
The notification follows last Thursday's suspension by U.S. Energy Secretary
Bill Richardson on the release of potentially contaminated scrap metals from
DOE facilities.
In a letter to BNFL Inc. General Manager James L. McAnally yesterday, Mark
Million, contracting officer for DOE, states "this correspondence is to
provide you with formal Departmental notification to immediately suspend the
unrestricted release for recycling of scrap metals from radiation areas
within Department of Energy facilities under the subject contract."
The letter adds DOE expects to request a proposal from BNFL once the federal
agency has determined the scope of the work suspension and its duration.
The suspensionis part of a new policy aimed at ensuring contaminated
materials are not recycled into consumer products and at improving management
of scrap materials at DOE sites, according to Richardson. When announcing the
suspension, he added it will remain in effect until DOE sites can confirm
that recycled metal would contain "no detectable contamination from
departmental activities."
BNFL is under contract to clean up three gaseous diffusion processing plants
at the Oak Ridge K-25 site.
David Campbell, a representative for the company, said more than 600 people
are employed through BNFL and its partners on the project. He would not
specify how many of those jobs might be at risk.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 2:15:29 AM
July 20, 2000
Our Views: Director sees leaner, meaner national lab
Oak Ridge National Lab Director Bill Madia brings the right attitude to an
otherwise very difficult task.
Oak Ridger
"We must become far more efficient and cost-effective in a tough scientific
market with lots of competition for research dollars," Mr. Madia said as he
announced ORNL will be cutting operating costs by $30 million over the next
two years.
The cuts total $20 million in the first year and an added $10 million the
second, a pretty sizable chunk of change even for a lab budget of $237
million annually.
But the national labs are having imposed upon them the lessons earlier
directed at many college campuses across the nation: cut costs and become
more lean, mean and focused for the futu
Mr. Madia has appointed eight groups to make recommendations on cost
reductions and to determine staffing effects, as the possibility of personnel
cuts remains on the table. The lab employs 4,500. Layoff plans are expected
to be announced by August 15. The director insists no corner of the lab --
including his own office -- will be spared in the review.
But it was, after all, UT-Battelle's proposed plan to reduce ORNL's operating
costs that helped it to win the contract to manage the Oark Ridge facility.
Now, painful as those reductions may be, it is time to make good on the
promise. And we share the director's assessment that paring costs can make
the lab stronger and more competitive down the road.
"If we do that -- when we do that -- we'll go from being a relatively
expensive laboratory to a highly competitive laboratory," Mr. Madia said.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 2:14:14 AM
July 19, 2000
ORNL plans $30 million budget cut
by Paul Parson
Associated Press
In keeping with its goal to reduce costs, UT-Battelle announced Tuesday a
plan to cut operating costs for Oak Ridge National Laboratory by $30 million
over the next two years.
ORNL Director Bill Madia, in an e-mail to ORNL staff Tuesday, stated, "I am
firmly convinced that these actions are necessary for ORNL to grow."
ORNL's estimated annual indirect operating cost is $237 million. Those costs
have to be reduced by approximately $30 million over the next two years for
the lab to be more competitive.
Jeff Smith, deputy for operations at ORNL, said this morning the plan is to
cut costs by $20 million during the 2001 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1,
and $10 million for the 2002 fiscal year.
"Our goal is to deal with as much of it as we can during the first year,"
Smith said. He added it would be extremely difficult to cut the $30 million
during one fiscal year.
To make the cuts, Madia has commissioned eight groups to determine cost
reduction recommendations and identify the associated effects with each.
Those recommendations are due by Aug. 15.
These cost reductions were a vital part of UT-Battelle's proposal that won
the contract to manage ORNL. However, the reductions may come at a price.
"We do believe the targets we've set will have some staff impacts," Smith
said. Those impacts -- potential layoffs -- could be announced in September.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 2:11:31 AM
July 19, 2000
K-25 cleanup ongoing for time being
by Paul Parson
Oak Ridger staff
It's business as usual for BNFL Inc., its Oak Ridge cleanup project and the
600-plus workers employed locally by the company and its partners.
David Campbell, spokesman for BNFL headquarters, said the company continues
to honor its contract to clean up three gaseous diffusion processing plants
at the Oak Ridge K-25 site despite Energy Secretary Bill Richardson's
suspension last week of the release of potentially contaminated scrap metals
from Department of Energy facilities.
"We don't exactly know what the suspension means," Campbell said. "We've had
no conversations with DOE."
Campbell said BNFL representatives tried to contact DOE officials after last
week's announcement, but department authorities have yet to respond.
The suspension of metal recycling was announced Thursday in a press release
from Richardson. It stated the suspension is part of a new policy aimed at
ensuring contaminated materials are not recycled into consumer products and
at improving management of scrap materials at DOE sites.
Richardson added the suspension will remain in effect until DOE sites can
confirm that recycled metal would contain "no detectable contamination from
departmental activities."
Locally, it appears BNFL will be most affected by the suspension.
BNFL's contract, awarded in 1997, requires the company dismantle, remove and
decontaminate the process equipment and support systems materials within the
three gaseous diffusion plant buildings.
A provision in the contract allows the company to recycle the low-level
radioactive metals and keep the money from sales of the metals. When the
contract between DOE and BNFL was announced, the company projected it would
receive about $55 million from the sale of recycled metal.
BNFL is removing more than a million and a half pounds of materials from the
three buildings on a weekly basis.
"It's a huge, huge job," Campbell said.
As for those working on the Oak Ridge cleanup, Campbell said he could not
specify how many jobs might be affected by the suspension. However, he did
say more than 600 people are employed through BNFL and its partners on this
project.
And, until BNFL hears otherwise from DOE, the company is conducting "business
as usual," Campbell said.
Dolline Hatchett, a spokesman for DOE headquarters, confirmed Wednesday
morning that no talks between BNFL and DOE have occurred yet. Hatchett said
she anticipates those talks occurring "very soon," but said no date has been
set.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 2:10:05 AM
Contract announcement delayed
July 19, 2000
The announcement of a new contract to manage the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant
will be delayed by about a month, a U.S. Department of Energy spokesman said
Tuesday.
David Page of DOE's Oak Ridge office said the evaluation board needed more
time to study the proposals. Four teams submitted proposals, and Page said
each of the teams is still in the running.
Originally, a contract announcement was scheduled for July 31, to be followed
by a 60-day transition, with the contract winner taking over operation of the
warhead factory on Oct. 1.
Page said the contract award now is expected in late August. He said there
still will be a 60-day transition period, so the takeover date will be
changed accordingly.
Y-12 currently is operated by Lockheed Martin Energy Systems, which submitted
a new bid in partnership with Duke Engineering.
Other bidders include teams headed by BWX Technologies/Bechtel National;
Westinghouse; and EG&G.
Roane business park under way
Highway Inc., of Cookeville was to begin clearing the site and preparing it
for the infrastructure for the Roane Regional Business and Technology Park
near Interstate 40 and the Loudon County line.
Roane County's other industrial park is 80 percent developed.
The Regional Business and Technology Park has 655 acres, with 570 that are
suitable for development. The park will have a park-like atmosphere with a
61-acre greenbelt to preserve the natural surroundings and historical
landmarks in the area as much as possible.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 2:08:42 AM
July 19, 2000
The Courier-Journal Home Page
Report downplays uranium threat
NRC says surplus items in Paducah well-dispersed
By JAMES MALONE
PADUCAH, Ky. -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has confirmed that three
pieces of surplus equipment at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant each hold
enough highly enriched uranium to, in theory, fuel a small uncontrolled
nuclear reaction.
In a June 26 report, the federal agency said each piece has more than the
"minimum critical mass" of 400 grams, but it said that the possibility of a
nuclear chain reaction was remote and that there was no danger to workers or
the public.
To begin a chain reaction, the uranium in the Paducah equipment would have to
be in an optimal shape and geometric configuration. The NRC report said
"there are no credible mechanisms" for that to occur because of the dispersal
pattern in the equipment.
Uranium found in nature is inert, but enriched uranium -- which has been
processed to increase the concentration of the fissile form of uranium -- can
react and is used to fuel nuclear power plants or weapons.
Several weeks ago, the U.S. Energy Department's Paducah cleanup contractor,
Bechtel Jacobs Co., would disclose only that the enrichment level "exceeded"
10 percent.
But yesterday spokesman Greg Cook confirmed that figures in the NRC report,
showing about six pounds of uranium enriched as high as 57.45 percent, were
accurate.
"I don't think we have criticality concerns with the individual units as they
sit," Cook said. "There is no danger to workers where it currently sits. They
are well-spaced."
The material was discovered as the United States Enrichment Corp. was
surveying Energy Department equipment-storage areas. The department owns the
49-year-old Paducah plant and leases the production facilities to USEC to
produce commercial nuclear reactor fuel.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission recommended in the report that a 10-foot
exclusion zone be established around the equipment and that any openings be
covered to prevent contact with water, should sprinklers be activated. In
response, a fence was erected last week, Cook said.
Security restrictions preclude identifying where the uranium is stored, Cook
said, though it is inside a building. "We do not consider it highly
attractive material in terms of what somebody might want to steal," he said.
The Energy Department is discussing with USEC transferring control of the
material from the company and fencing it off and controlling access, Cook
said. The Paducah plant is not licensed to have enriched uranium higher than
2.75 percent. The equipment in question came from other plants.
Old equipment in the storage areas came under scrutiny during a structural
upgrade to make the Paducah plant more earthquake-resistant.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 2:05:24 AM
The Courier-Journal Home Page July 19, 2000
Paducah-plant water pollution could last 7,000 years
Faster cleanup than nature's costs $1 billion
By JAMES MALONE
PADUCAH, Ky. -- They might shock it, heat it or mix it with ozone -- but
polluted ground water around Paducah's uranium plant could take thousands of
years to clean up, federal officials said last night.
Any of the experimental technologies proposed for the gaseous diffusion
plant's cleanup will be expensive and time-consuming, the Energy Department
officials said at a community meeting. What humans polluted in 50 years could
take up to 7,000 years to dissipate if nothing is done, engineering estimates
show.
The officials and representatives of their cleanup contractor, Bechtel Jacobs
Co., spoke at a meeting called to unveil the expensive options to suck toxic
trichloroethylene from the water table around the plant. They said completely
removing the contaminants could take between 15 and 7,000 years and cost
nearly $1 billion.
As part of a cleanup from the legacy of enriching uranium for nearly five
decades at the government-owned plant, even the best engineers have been
stumped by pesky trichloroethylene. As equipment was cleaned, an estimated
200,000 gallons of the gooey solvent leaked out of sewers and broken pipes
into the soil and then into the water table. That in turn contaminated
billions of gallons of underground water.
"Think of it like molasses; then picture it spread throughout your carpet,"
an Energy Department statement said, discussing how the solvent moved
underground. And other department documents played down the danger of using
the tainted groundwater, saying its cancer threat was below that of smoking
or secondhand smoke, skin cancer from the sun or "natural radon in your home."
The eight options for public comment are not set in stone, said Bechtel
Jacobs spokesman Greg Cook. They range from doing nothing -- in which the
chemicals would naturally degrade over 7,000 years -- to deploying nearly a
billion-dollar combination of underground vaporizers, ozone injection, an
electrical grid to shock chemicals out of the water and building a vast
underground dike that would remove all the chemicals in 15 years.
But the path to the quickest and most costly cleanup also will bring
disruption to the surrounding area as hundreds of injection and monitoring
wells are drilled on private land and in the popular West Kentucky Wildlife
Management Area, which borders the plant.
And with a $917 million price tag spread out over 30 years, it would require
far more funding -- about $30 million a year -- than the Energy Department or
Congress has proposed to spend.
"We want citizen feedback on the eight alternatives we have laid out," said
Walter Perry, an Energy Department spokesman.
The government will take early public comments on the preliminary drafts
until Oct. 9 and will take formal follow-up comments for another month after
that deadline.
After hearing last night's presentation, Jim Smart, a University of Kentucky
engineering professor, said, "It will take a long time to remediate this --
maybe longer than they think, because we don't have the funding."
The pooled solvents have been flowing offsite in three plumes, one of which
mingles with the Ohio River about 2.5 miles away. It also was in residential
drinking-water wells until the government began providing municipal water to
nearby residents in 1990.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 2:04:03 AM
DOE presents cleanup options
Plant cleanup will be costly in either time or money - from 0 money and 7,000
years or $900 million and 15 years.
Wed, 19 Jul 2000
By Jennifer Sacharnoski
The U.S. Department of Energy released eight options for the cleanup of
groundwater contamination at and near the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant,
ranging in price from $68 million to $917.8 million and in completion times
from 15 to 7,000 years.
A presentation of the options followed by a question-and-answer session took
place Tuesday night at the Paducah Information Age Park Resource Center.
The first option, "no action," which must be included in the study, would
cost nothing and take about 7,000 years to rid the groundwater of all the
identified contaminants. The option is used to provide a basis for comparison
with other options and is rated a "high residual risk."
The costliest plan would have the contamination reduced at the source and
treated in the surrounding areas in about 15 years. No other options estimate
a completion time of less than 1,000 years, and only one other option
suggests a timetable to clean off-site groundwater in less than 100 years.
"No one wants to spend $900 million, but no one wants to take 2,000 years to
complete the cleanup either," DOE site director Don Seaborg said. "We want to
find some solution between $100 million and $900 million."
The Feasibility Study for the Groundwater Operable Unit at the plant was
prepared to evaluate possible alternatives to the contamination cleanup. The
work was performed by Bechtel Jacobs Co. to summarize areas of contamination
both off-site and on-site, and to provide the remedial options in detail.
This study is the first step toward eventual cleanup. The next step includes
a 90-day feedback period in which the DOE is looking for public comment on
the options. Implementation of any decision on any option or combination of
options is not expected until the end of next year.
"We are looking to get a sense of what they (members of the public) want us
to focus on," said Greg Cook, spokesman for Bechtel Jacobs.
After public comment, the Environmental Protection Agency, DOE and the state
of Kentucky will work together to draft the final plan. The final phase will
include a budget approval from Congress.
"If any of the alternatives or maybe a combination of the alternatives are
selected, we have an obligation to request the complete funds from the
Congress," DOE spokesman Walter Perry said. "We want to see what the people
see as the best alternative."
Merryman Kemp, a member of the Site Specific Advisory Board, said public
views could vary greatly.
"Some of the people will say we need to spend the money," she said. "Others
will say it doesn't make any sense to spend $900 million."
She said she did not know which view the majority would take, but she would
like an alternative that would ensure the safety of her grandchildren and
eventual great-great-grandchildren.
*
The DOE is asking for feedback from the community concerning the eight
alternatives for groundwater contamination cleanup. Copies of the Feasibility
Study are available at the McCracken County Public Library and the DOE
Environmental Information Center in the West Kentucky Technology Park, 175
Freedom Blvd., in Kevil. The center is open Monday through Thursday from 7
a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Friday from 7 to 11 a.m. For information call
462-2550. Copies of the study are available for free on CD.
Comments on the study may be sent to Gary Bodenstein at the U.S. Department
of Energy, Box 1410, Paducah, KY 42001.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 2:02:18 AM
Millstone's Father Figure
By SUSAN E. KINSMAN
The Hartford Courant
July 19, 2000
When Northeast Utilities sells its three Millstone nuclear plants in
Waterford later this year, Leon Olivier will likely be the person who hands
over the keys to the station.
Don't blame him if he wants to kick the tires of the new owner a bit.
Since October 1998, Olivier has been the man driving Millstone Station,
which handled like a runaway truck when he first took the wheel and now has
the control and power of a sport utility vehicle.
As senior vice president and chief nuclear officer of Northeast Nuclear
Energy Co., Olivier, 51 - who goes by the name Lee - is responsible for
Millstone's direction, management, performance, safety and profitability.
It is an all-consuming job that requires the motivational skills of a
college coach, the business savvy of a management consultant and the
contagious enthusiasm and long hours of a dot-com entrepreneur.
Millstone Station, once the pride of the nation's commercial nuclear fleet,
had hit bottom in 1996, when the three reactors were shut down because of
mismanagement and unresolved safety and licensing issues. Millstone 3, the
largest of the three, remained closed for nearly 2½ years before restarting
in the summer of 1998.
Millstone 2 was closed for more than three years before returning to service
last June. Millstone 1 never restarted. It was retired and is being
decommissioned.
But things have changed at Millstone. The federal Nuclear Regulatory
Commission this year removed the station from its list of the most closely
watched nuclear plants; Millstone 2 recently completed an industry
record-setting shutdown for maintenance and refueling, and Millstone 3 has
run nonstop for more than a year.
The station's goal is to become one of the nation's best-performing nuclear
plants in safety, nuclear safety, personal safety and reliability.
Millstone's employees, who have been "whipsawed" in recent years, are still
working as hard as ever, but now they are getting results. People smile now;
they greet one another and they are more confident, Olivier said.
"The intrinsic mistrust that built up over the years for leadership and
management, I don't want to say that is completely gone. That takes a lot
longer than a year or two. But it is waning significantly and there is much
more openness to what management is trying to do," Olivier said.
Things are going so well that Olivier has been able to cut back his hours
from 18 hours a day, seven days a week to 12 hours a day and only half-days
on the weekend.
The job was "like drinking from a firehose every day. I see it progressively
getting better," he said.
After 29 years of marriage, his wife, Bernadette, has accepted the long
hours as a way of life. Their son and daughter, now in their 20s, live away
from the family's Old Lyme home.
Olivier is a Boston native who never lost the accent. On a summer afternoon
he is relaxed and casual despite the tie and his white dress shirt buttoned
at the wrists. Olivier is seated in a cramped conference room overlooking
the parking lot with a view of Niantic Bay. It is part of a building that is
outside the heavily secured containment area of the reactors and far from
his glass-walled corner office with its expansive views of Long Island
Sound.
Olivier spends little time there. It's part of his management strategy to
get managers out working with people to help build a team that is motivated
and works well together.
"I didn't look like this earlier," he said, almost apologetically. Like
other station employees he came to work dressed for dirt - joining in a
stationwide cleanup that was followed by a barbecue complete with DJ and
dancing.
Olivier's rank did not win him a cushy cleanup assignment. He cleared away
dust and clutter from the spent fuel-pool area and associated equipment
room.
"The level of camaraderie and goodwill among people here is tremendous,"
Olivier said. "It's like something I've never seen before."
As he prepares for the station's sale, Olivier wants to make sure the
hard-won and costly improvements that are slowly rebuilding Millstone's
reputation aren't lost under new management.
"I would not want to see, whether I'm here or not, somebody come in here and
go back to the heavy-handed command and control style of `it's only about
money' because that would not be good for the site," Olivier said.
Employees, he said, "want it to be purchased by a good owner, one which
respects what this site has gone through and one which respects the whole
concept of a safety-conscious work environment and treating people right."
Still, Olivier and Millstone employees recognize that theirs is a
competitive business that is only going to get more competitive. And they
need to get their costs of electricity down to compete in wholesale markets.
Even though the new owner must agree to keep employees for at least a year,
Olivier is using attrition to whittle the station's staff over the next
several years from 1,750 to around 1,200.
Competition is one of the reasons NU is selling the nuclear plants.
Connecticut's new retail competition law requires the company to sell off
its power plants in exchange for recovering its remaining investment in the
facilities.
Proceeds from the sales will be used to pay down the outstanding
investments, reducing the amount that NU's retail electric customers have to
pay through a transition charge on their monthly bill.
Although Connecticut's law gave NU the right to bid with other competitors
for its power plants, NU opted out of the nuclear auction, deciding instead
to get out of the nuclear power business.
NU's pending merger with Consolidated Edison Inc. of New York also
guarantees shareholders a $1-a-share premium on the $25-a-share offer price
if NU can find a buyer before the end of the year.
Six companies participated in round one of the auction, which is being run
by the New York investment bank J.P. Morgan. In round two, when actual bids
are submitted, the field will be narrowed. The winner is expected to be
announced in the fall.
Although state regulators said they would consider selling the plants to
separate owners, Olivier said, "I can't imagine, quite frankly, that it
would ever happen."
"The site is a big site. It has a large infrastructure and you will need the
dollars of both plants to maintain it in the way it should be maintained,"
he said.
Olivier said the only way he could see the station split up is one company
buying Millstone 1 for decommissioning and another buying and operating
units 2 and 3.
Olivier has been through the uncertainty of a nuclear auction before.
He came to NU after 29 years with Boston Edison, where he was in charge of
nuclear operations, including the Pilgrim nuclear plant in Plymouth, Mass.
Like Millstone, that plant was shut down for nearly three years before it
restarted and became the first commercial nuclear plant to be sold.
Entergy Corp., of New Orleans, the winning bidder for Pilgrim, is
decommissioning Millstone 1 for NU and is one of the companies that
expressed interest in bidding for Millstone.
Olivier, who had the opportunity to work for Entergy after it purchased
Pilgrim, said he would consider staying at Millstone if the right owner
purchased the plant.
"We'll see what happens. But for now, I'm committed to the site. It's been a
personal sense of tremendous accomplishment just to see the changes in the
people here," Olivier said.
"Hardware is hardware and you can always make that work. But it's most
fulfilling for me to see people believe in themselves again, stretch
themselves and do it in a way that they don't worry about failure," he said.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 2:00:37 AM
Nuclear One unit to pause for look at pipes
JEFFREY TOMICH
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
Entergy Corp., at the urging of federal regulators, will shut down one of its
Russellville nuclear reactors to inspect for faulty components just as summer
temperatures start to sizzle.
The New Orleans-based utility, which serves about 600,000 customers in
Arkansas, will shut down its Unit 2 reactor at the Nuclear One plant in
Russellville so inspectors can examine thousands of steam generator tubes.
Combined, the two generating units at Nuclear One provide about one-third
of the state's electricity. But unlike last year when Entergy was caught
without enough power reserves, the company is ready for this week's shutdown,
spokesman Diane Park said Monday.
"We have known for some time that shutting down Unit 2 for inspection was
one of the possible outcomes, and we've been able to make contingency plans,"
she said.
In a separate announcement Monday, Entergy officials said Arkansas
customers are using record-setting levels of electricity and distributed a
series of conservation tips.
The shutdown of the 858-megawatt steam generator comes as temperatures in
Arkansas are reaching consistently into the upper-90s. It's also a year after
a heat wave and related plant failures caused the utility to temporarily cut
electricity to 500,000 customers in four states.
In the wake of last summer's power crunch and subsequent blackouts,
Entergy has taken steps to make sure there's not a repeat this year,
including returning several older generating plants to service, upgrading
existing plants and buying more electricity on the open market.
And unlike last summer's power failures , which forced Entergy to pay
exorbitant prices for replacement electricity, the utility has known it may
have to shut down one of its Russellville units. The shutdown shouldn't lead
to higher bills for consumers, company officials said.
"The fact that we have known this for a length of time allowed us to get
less expensive power," Park said.
Entergy officials won't say exactly when the reactor shutdown will occur
or how long the inspection would take. The information is proprietary and
could affect market prices for electricity, officials said. Typically, such
inspections have taken about two weeks.
The utility's other generating unit in Russellville, a 836-megawatt Unit
1 reactor, will continue to operate while Unit 2 is idled, company officials
said.
Each reactor at the Russellville plant contains up to 9,000 steam
generator tubes -- U-shaped nickel-alloy tubes for pressurized, superheated
water that is turned to steam to generate electricity. In previous
inspections, some tubes were found to be faulty and had to be repaired.
The utility petitioned the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to put off the
inspection until September, when demand for electricity is less, and even
volunteered to beef up staff at the plant in case of an emergency. Regulators
insisted the tests be done sooner.
"The NRC staff has identified concerns with your ability to accurately
predict the condition of the steam generator tubes," John Zwolinski, an
agency official, said in a letter to Entergy.
Breck Henderson, a spokesman for the agency's Region 4 field office in
Arlington, Texas, said there's concern one of tubes could crack or burst,
potentially causing radioactive leaks. The public threat would be minimal if
that happened. Still, the agency took a cautious approach.
"It's just a conservative way to treat this," Henderson said. "We're
erring on the side of caution."
Concern over the steam generator tubes -- which use a 1960s-era design --
isn't limited to Entergy or its Nuclear One plant. Throughout the industry,
operators are being called on to inspect and replace aging parts.
In February, a tube failed at a Con Ed nuclear plant in Buchanan, N.Y.,
allowing a tiny amount of radioactive steam to escape. There were no
injuries, but it caused a public outcry and was the worst accident in the
plant's 26-year history.
Entergy will replace the Unit 2 generator, including all the steam
generator tubes, in September -- the first time it's done so since the
reactor began operating 20 years ago. It will also refuel the unit at that
time, as it does every 18 months.
This article was published on Tuesday, July 18, 2000
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 1:58:28 AM
Brazil starts up nuclear plant after 17-year delay
July 14, 2000
By Shasta Darlington
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazil began starting up its second nuclear
reactor on a picturesque bay down the coast from Rio de Janeiro Friday, 17
years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget.
The Angra 2 station won authorization late Thursday night from the National
Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN) to partially begin operations despite
opposition from environmental groups and some residents concerned about its
cost and safety.
"In a matter of days we should begin actually producing energy after we
complete a series of tests," said Ronaldo Fabricio, president of
Eletronuclear, the nuclear arm of the state-owned Eletrobras utility.
Angra 2 hopes to produce at 30 percent of capacity in the first month.
Following tests and further approval, it aims to reach 100 percent in the
second month, according to Nuclear Industries of Brazil (INB), another unit
of Eletrobras.
The uranium-fueled reactor is located inside Brazil's nuclear complex at
Angra dos Reis, an island-dotted bay 80 miles west of Rio, known as the
summer playground for the city's rich and famous.
With more than twice the power of Brazil's first nuclear station, Angra 1,
the reactor will supply energy for 5 million people. The two plants together
will meet 32 percent of Rio state's energy demand.
"This will be very important for Rio which still imports a lot of its energy
.... and it will help Brazil as a whole," Fabricio said. Brazil's energy
demand is expected to surge 6 percent this year.
But not everyone is cheering.
NO-NUKES ACTIVISTS FAIL
"Brazil stupidly spent billions of dollars to complete a nuclear station that
is completely unnecessary to meet its energy demands," said Ruy Goes,
coordinator of Greenpeace's anti-nuclear campaign in Brazil.
Angra 1 and 2 combined will only account for 3 percent of Brazil's energy
producing capacity. Almost 88 percent of Brazil's electricity comes from
hydroelectric dams and another 9 percent from natural gas-fired plants.
"In the rest of the world, nuclear energy is being abandoned because of the
high risks and lack of solutions for nuclear waste," Goes added.
The INB said in a statement that at 12 billion reais, or almost $7 billion at
the current exchange rate, Angra 2 "was two and a half times above the normal
cost of a nuclear station of the same model."
Still, energy from Angra 2 will be 13 percent cheaper than electricity
produced at Brazil's biggest hydroelectric dam.
Critics also worry about escape routes and the plant's proximity to Rio,
Brazil's second biggest city. Angra 1, which began commercial operations in
1985, has become notorious for its many shutdowns.
Officials counter that the proximity to Rio, as well as the country's No. 1
and No. 4 cities, Sao Paulo and Belo Horizonte, give the Angra complex an
ideal location.
Construction of Angra 2 began in 1976 but was mired for years in funding
delays. With energy demand rising, the government decided to revive the
project in 1993. There are also talks of developing a third nuclear station,
Angra 3.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 1:56:44 AM
Feds fine Rocky Flats cleanup firm $160,000
Tue, 18 Jul 2000
By Todd Hartman
Denver Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer
The federal government has fined the Rocky Flats cleanup contractor $160,000
for a series of safety violations, including one that spread radioactive
contamination.
The fines announced Tuesday involved malfunctions with a building's
ventilation system that sent contamination into a room at the facility and
several mistakes when moving radioactive materials with forklifts.
Kaiser-Hill, the company under a $4 billion contract to dismantle the former
nuclear bomb factory, is not contesting the fines, saying protection of
workers and the public is its highest priority.
"We welcome this additional incentive and regret that our performance
required (a penalty) in this case," said Bob Card, president of Kaiser-Hill..
Though the violations are considered relatively minor, the penalties are part
of a recent agreement between Kaiser Hill and the Department of Energy that
allows fines for small infractions in hopes of preventing larger problems.
The biggest chunk of the penalty, $100,000, was for a variety of
forklift-related mistakes between February and May, including several where
the primary danger was injury from moving heavy crates and other objects
around, not from exposure to radioactivity, said Paul Golan of the DOE's
Rocky Flats field office.
The rest of the penalty was levied for a series of ventilation problems
between Feb. 8 and Feb. 29 in Building 371. The most significant incident
occurred Feb. 29, when pressure changes in the system caused a brief release
of radioactive contamination in Room 2325.
An evacuation prevented workers from being exposed but not from having to
clean up the mess.
"Extensive decontamination of Room 2325 was required, resulting in
unnecessary exposure of facility personnel and generation of waste," said a
DOE memo explaining the penalty.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 1:54:49 AM
NSW to get new nuclear reactor, but fate of waste still in doubt
14/07/2000
By LINDA MORRIS and NADIA JAMAL
The capacity of the nuclear facility at Lucas Heights is to double amid
warnings that NSW could become the dump for reprocessed nuclear waste.
A $278.5 million contract was signed yesterday to build Australia's
replacement nuclear research reactor by 2005 next to the existing 42-year-old
facility, which is to be decommissioned.
The contracts were signed between the Australian Nuclear Science and
Technology Organisation (ANSTO) and the State-owned Argentinian company
INVAP, and its Australian partners, John Holland Construction and Engineering
and Evans Deakin Industries.
The signing sparked outrage among opponents of the facility including the
Democrats, the Greens and Sutherland Council.
The chief executive of ANSTO, Professor Helen Garnett, said the research
reactor would pave the way for new diagnostic and treatment tools in
medicine, with particular use for cancer sufferers.
There would be exciting new avenues for nuclear medicine, which uses small
amounts of radiation to provide information to doctors about a person's body
and the functioning of specific organs for diagnosis of a patient's illness..
But there was confusion over plans for the disposal of reactor waste.
The South Australian Parliament moved this week to prohibit the creation of a
nuclear storage facility for medium and high-level nuclear waste.
Western Australia has already introduced legislation that bans the siting of
a repository for high-level nuclear waste.
The Greens have warned that NSW legislation, which exempts Commonwealth
facilities such as the Lucas Heights reactor from bans on the construction or
operation of nuclear reactors and related facilities, is inadequate.
Greens MLC Ms Lee Rhiannon said there was nothing in NSW law to ban the
development of a storage facility.
Billa Kalina in South Australia is the Commonwealth's preferred option for a
national radioactive waste repository. With South Australia's rebuff, Olary,
a region on the NSW and South Australia border, was the next option, said Ms
Rhiannon.
Sutherland Councillor Genevieve Rankin said the replacement nuclear reactor
could not go ahead without a waste management plan.
"NSW will remain the nuclear waste dump of Australia unless the Federal
Government comes up with a sensible waste management strategy. If the outback
communities won't have the waste, then why should Sydney run the risk?" she
said.
The Democrats' Acting Leader, Senator Natasha Stott Despoja, condemned the
approval of the building contract. The Senate is to vote on August 14 on an
independent inquiry based on terms of reference introduced by the Democrats..
The Federal Minister for Industry, Science and Resources, Senator Minchin,
said the need for the replacement reactor had been established by four major
reviews.
Nearly every Australian would benefit from medical treatment involving
reactor-produced radiopharmaceuticals at some stage in their lives, he said..
During the contract-signing ceremony, about 20 residents protested at ANSTO's
gates.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 1:52:53 AM
July 23, 2000
DOE shortfalls might hit Pantex
By JIM McBRIDE
Globe-News Courts Writer
Energy Department budget shortfalls could delay Pantex's plans to repackage
thousands of plutonium pits into safer storage containers, a nuclear safety
watchdog agency says.
In a July 7 letter to Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, Defense Nuclear
Facilities Safety Board Chairman John Conway said funding shortages could
jeopardize the DOE's commitment to repackage 200 plutonium weapons cores per
month into new, safer storage drums.
The safety board is an independent federal agency that monitors nuclear
safety at America's nuclear weapons factories and labs.
"The most significant commitment at risk is the schedule for removal of
plutonium pits from a corrosive environment and their repackaging into a new
sealed container that affords much safer storage," Conway's letter says.
Pantex, the nation's primary weapons assembly and dismantlement facility for
nuclear warheads, now stores more than 12,000 plutonium weapons cores, or
pits, from dismantled warheads.
Last year, the safety board issued a recommendation to Richardson, calling on
the DOE to correct plutonium storage problems and move pits into safer
storage drums.
In response, the DOE issued a plan to speed up plutonium repackaging, expand
plutonium storage and monitor corrosion affecting some pits.
Most Pantex pits now are stored in AL-R8 containers unsuitable for long-term
storage because of corrosion problems, but the DOE's plan outlines steps the
agency is taking to store pits more safely.
Several years ago, the DOE spent more than $50 million developing a
replacement storage container, but the agency eventually scrapped that
program because of design problems and cost concerns.
Pantex contractor Mason & Hanger Corp. then developed a new storage drum, the
AL-R8 sealed insert. Workers now are repackaging pits into sealed inserts,
but the defense board says the program is moving too slowly.
Lab experts have said no pits should be stored in AL-R8 drums because the
drums contain corrosive packaging that could damage metal covering the
plutonium inside. If the pit's outer metal covering breaks or ruptures, the
plutonium inside could form powdery oxides that can contaminate workers.
Conway, the defense board chairman, says in his letter that budget
considerations could preclude the DOE from following through with its plan to
repackage 200 pits per month into sealed-insert containers.
Budget projections for fiscal year 2001 and 2002 also show that DOE funding
only would support repackaging 100 pits per month.
"If the effort to repackage plutonium pits is not fully funded, some pits may
remain in an unsuitable storage environment for up to 10 years," Conway's
letter warns. "Given the gravity of the potential compromise to safety, as
well as reliability issues associated with storing pits in an unsuitable
environment, DOE should not underfund this effort."
In February, a Pantex official said DOE funding for pit repackaging could be
problematic over the next few years.
Dennis Kelly, DOE's assistant area manager for nuclear materials operations,
said the department is moving forward with its repack-aging work, but he
noted that agency funding varies from year to year.
"Certainly we do have the priority to repackage pits, but the only concern is
what funding is guaranteed in the out years," Kelly said. "It's hard to
speculate on that because we just don't know."
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 1:45:10 AM
July 9, 2000
Plan to store nuclear waste on reservation stirs passions
Tom Meersman / Star Tribune
SKULL VALLEY, UTAH -- Leon Bear picked up some of the chalky soil of the
western Utah desert and crushed it gently into his palm. A light puff from
his lips and it vanished into the air, leaving a ghostly powder covering his
hand.
"That's why they call us the Goshutes," he said with a smile. "Our name means
'dusty people,' because my people always had this dust on them when they
roamed the desert country."
Bear is not content to allow his economically disadvantaged 124-member band
to languish in the dust any longer. As chief, he wants them to have
computers, better education, a health clinic, a decent water system, new
homes and jobs.
So he signed a lease in 1997 to accept as much as half of the nation's highly
radioactive spent fuel from nuclear power plants in dozens of states,
including Minnesota. They plan to store it for the next 20 years, or twice
that long if necessary, on part of the tribe's 18,600-acre reservation about
70 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, until a permanent site is built.
"We're doing it as an economic venture," said Bear. "The benefits that'll
come out of it for our people will be substantial."
But as the project moves closer to reality, opposition is building like a
prairie dust storm.
The deal, which was signed by Minnesota-based Northern States Power Co. and a
coalition of utility companies, has torn the small Goshute band apart and
prompted charges of environmental racism.
Critics say NSP and its utility partners are taking advantage of an
economically desperate community to dump unwanted and dangerous wastes.
"Northern States Power is just fortunate enough to have found a weak tribe
that's going to put up with them and their partner utilities and their
wastes," said Margene Bullcreek, a Goshute tribal member opposed to the
project.
But Scott Northard, NSP nuclear assets director, said the criticisms are
unfounded. "To say that we put them [the Goshutes] up to this is not a fair
characterization," he said. "They began this on their own, they did research
on their own, and they satisfied themselves about the safety of this before
they ever talked to us."
The utilities say they desperately need a temporary site to store nuclear
waste, and that the Utah project will not pose a danger.
Yet the deal also has angered Utah state officials, including the governor
and the congressional delegation, who have vowed to challenge it in court if
necessary.
And it has jolted some Utah residents to the realization that the desert just
west of Salt Lake City, long a place of bombing ranges, military aircraft and
weapons testing, has become a national disposal zone for all things
hazardous: industrial materials, chemical and biological weapons and
low-level radioactive wastes.
In late June, 60 people testified about the project at a two-day public
hearing in Salt Lake City -- 80 percent of their testimony was in opposition.
"This is so typical of what happens on reservations these days," said Alberta
Mason, a Navaho who is executive director of the nonprofit Environmental
Justice Foundation in Provo, Utah. "There are very few successful economic
development projects, and tribes face a choice between gambling casinos or
nuclear wastes, because they bring the quickest cash revenue," she said.
"There have got to be better choices for us."
Space crunch
The rationale for the Utah project is that the nation's 103 nuclear power
plants are running out of space to store nuclear waste. The spent fuel will
remain dangerously radioactive for tens of thousands of years, and a
permanent federal repository will not be open until at least 2010, or even
2015, possibly at a site that scientists are studying at Yucca Mountain, Nev.
"This [the Utah project] is the bridge to Yucca Mountain," said NSP's
Northard, who is also the utility group's project manager for the Utah site.
"It is safe, efficient, economic and sound national policy to do this." NSP
has contributed about $5 million to the initiative during the past six years
as part of a coalition of eight sponsoring utilities, known as Private Fuel
Storage of La Crosse, Wis.
If they don't resolve the waste problem, some utilities may be forced to shut
down their nuclear plants prematurely. In Minnesota, NSP's Prairie Island
nuclear plant in Red Wing is licensed to operate until about 2014; but it
only has the capacity to store its nuclear waste through 2007, officials say.
The $3.1 billion Utah project would establish the first centralized storage
area of its kind in the nation, and it would set off the largest mass
movement of spent nuclear fuel in history: 4,000 casks from utilities in as
many as 31 states, filled with spent nuclear fuel that has been stored
underwater in pools in many cases since the Nixon administration.
For many critics, the biggest issue is safety.
"I have a hard time understanding why it is necessary to move this waste from
one temporary site to another temporary site," said Jeri Roos, a resident of
Provo, just south of Salt Lake City. "Every time the casks are moved, there's
potential for danger and damage to them, and I would think we would want to
move them as little as possible."
But others say it doesn't make sense to leave the wastes scattered across the
country. Said Calvin Andrus, an engineering consultant on waste issues:
"Which is more sensible: to store casks temporarily in a remote desert
environment on concrete pads, or to leave them in relatively vulnerable pools
in plants near major metropolitan areas?"
But Kerry Cartier, of the Utah-based Native American Tribal Organization,
said the project does not have the blessing of other tribes.
"After the U.S. government has stolen most of our lands, your government
believes that whatever Indian land is left is still good to be used as a
garbage dump for your nuclear wastes that no one else with any good sense
wants," Cartier said. "I cannot speak the words to tell you how absolutely
abhorrent this concept is to me."
Scott Peterson, a spokesman for the Nuclear Energy Institute, an industry
trade association, said that storing spent nuclear fuel in casks has been
demonstrated to be safe at 21 nuclear plant sites, and that containers must
meet rigorous safety standards.
"If it's so safe, keep it where it is," responded Roos. "The people of Utah
do not want it here."
Tribal hopes
The Goshute tribe has been interested in storing nuclear wastes since 1990,
Bear said. Some members have traveled to Minnesota, Sweden, England and Japan
to see how radioactive material is handled and managed.
Although the financial details have been kept confidential, Bear and others
say the nuclear waste project will bring prosperity to the reservation,
including 42 full-time jobs. He said that 85 percent of the band's eligible
voters have signed a resolution of support for the project.
"We'd like to have a lot of nice things like you white people," said Arlene
Bear Wash, one of the older residents of the reservation and a supporter of
the project. "Drive nice cars and have nice homes and have a lot of things
and food and all that."
"I'm for it," said Miranda Wash, who left Skull Valley to work near Salt Lake
City. "I want to move back to the reservation to get a job."
But tribal member Sammy Blackbear is skeptical. "The tribe has never seen the
lease, and it has never voted on the lease," he said. "It's not a lot of
land, but it's ours, and it goes against our culture and religion to bring
something like this [nuclear waste] to Skull Valley."
"The real issue is not the money," said Bullcreek, who wants to stop the
project. "The real issue is who we are as Native Americans and what we
believe in. If we accept these wastes, we're going to lose our tradition and
our need to keep the air, water and animals clean."
Blackbear and others have filed a lawsuit against the Bureau of Indian
Affairs for conditionally approving the lease without adequate environmental
or financial review. Blackbear also has accused Leon Bear of not consulting
with the tribe.
But Bear said his critics represent only a small minority of the tribe. "They
want the reservation to revert to the way it was," he said. "They want to
live the old days all over again, and that's not going to happen."
A remote rangeland
There's no question that Skull Valley is remote. Only about 25 tribal members
live on the reservation, most of them in a village of half a dozen modest
houses and an equal number of trailers. Some homes have no running water, and
the only commercial establishment is a small tribally owned convenience store
and gas station.
The proposed site, which has not yet received a federal license, is 3.5 miles
away from the village.
A draft environmental impact study by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
called the site "undeveloped rangeland which has no unique habitats, no
wetlands and no surface water bodies or aquatic resources."
The study also estimated that someone living along the fenceline of the
820-acre site would receive minimal exposure to radiation, "not more than a
small fraction of the normal background [naturally occurring] radiation dose
in the United States."
A wider circle
Many outside the reservation say they emphathize with the tribe's dilemma,
and respect its sovereign status, but strongly oppose the plan.
"What the Goshutes do on their own land is their business as long as it
doesn't affect us," said Maryann Webster, an artist in Salt Lake City. "But
this affects all the surrounding areas. This is not just a sovereign issue
here."
Dianne Nielson, executive director of the Utah Department of Environmental
Quality, said the state has dozens of concerns about the project. Among them:
The area's susceptibility to earthquakes, and the "questionable seismic data"
that Nielson said the utility coalition has used to design the facility.
The difficulty of keeping an outdoor, above-ground storage facility secure
from terrorists.
The proximity to military testing areas.
The lack of financial details about many aspects of the deal, including who
would be liable in case of accidents.
The lack of funding for local and state emergency response and equipment.
The absence of contingency plans in case of wildfires, which occur regularly
in Skull Valley.
The licensing process used by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which
includes closed-door sessions to keep most financial information private.
More than anything else, Nielson said, there's no guarantee that the waste,
if delivered to Skull Valley, will ever leave. She said the history of
nuclear waste is littered with broken promises.
Congress directed the federal Department of Energy to take title to the waste
by 1998 and dispose of it. That hasn't happened, even though utilities have
sued the government, lobbied for legislative changes, and tried
unsuccessfully to send the spent fuel to a private storage area on the
Mescalero Apache Indian reservation in New Mexico in the mid-1990s.
"All of that effort by powerful companies, yet none of that has moved the
waste," Nielson said. "If the government's promise to the utilities wasn't
good enough, what on earth are we offering here to assure that the PFS
[Private Fuel Storage] facility will be temporary?"
Cartier, of the Utah tribal organization, agreed. "This nuclear waste dump is
supposed to be temporary, but there's nowhere else to move its contents," he
said. "That kind of temporary means permanent."
Peterson of the Nuclear Energy Institute said there's reason for optimism
about finding a permanent site elsewhere. Last year the U.S. Department of
Energy started a project in New Mexico to store radioactive military waste
deep underground, he said, and there's no reason to believe that the
government couldn't find a suitable spot for commercial nuclear waste, too.
What's ahead
Northard, of NSP, said that many of Utah's concerns will be addressed in more
detail in hearings before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) makes a
final decision about the license, probably late next year. If approved, the
site could begin accepting waste by 2003.
Nielson said the state of Utah will appeal any NRC decision that grants a
license for the project, and that it ultimately will take it to federal court.
Bear is particularly unhappy with Utah's opposition, which he regards as an
inappropriate and illegal intrusion into the tribe's sovereign affairs. "It's
a sad state of affairs when the state of Utah doesn't look at its own laws
that they have on the books," he said. "According to Utah's Constitution,
they say they won't bother Indian lands."
In fact, said Bear, the state of Utah had no qualms about granting permits to
several hazardous waste landfills and storage areas within 30 to 50 miles of
the reservation.
"It's environmental injustice to deny us this economic development on our own
land," Bear said. "It's up to the NRC whether we get the license, not the
state of Utah, and it's going to be done through scientific facts, not
politics."
-- Staff writer Tom Meersman can be reached by email at:
meersman@startribune.com
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 1:41:14 AM
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 40-8681]
International Uranium (USA) Corporation
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of Receipt of Request from International Uranium (IUSA)
Corporation to Amend Source Material License SUA-1358 to Receive and
Process Alternate Feed Materials Notice of Opportunity for Hearing.
--------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission has received, by letter dated July 5, 2000, a request from
International Uranium (IUSA) Corporation to amend its NRC Source Material
License SUA-1358, to allow its White Mesa Uranium Mill near Blanding,
Utah, to receive and process up to 2000 cubic yards of alternate feed
material from the Heritage Minerals Site located in Lakehurst, New
Jersey. The Heritage site is in decommissioning under NRC Source
Materials License No. SMB-1541. The Final Status Survey Plan
(``Decommissioning Plan'') includes the removal of a monazite sand pile
for shipment off-site. IUSA proposes to process the material for it's
uranium content and dispose of the tailings in their tailings cells.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. William von Till, Fuel Cycle
Licensing Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, Office of
Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Mail Stop T7-J8, Washington, DC 20555. Telephone (301)
415-6251. 2
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: By its submittal dated July 5, 2000, IUSA
requested that the NRC amend Materials License SUA-1358 to allow the
receipt and processing of material other than natural uranium ore (i.e.,
alternate feed material) at its White Mesa uranium mill located near
Blanding, Utah. These materials would be used as an ``alternate feed
material'' (i.e., matter that is processed in the mill to remove the
uranium but which is different from natural uranium ores, the normal feed
material).
IUSA proposes to receive and process, for it's uranium content,
monazite sands that are being stored at the Heritage Minerals, Inc. (HMI)
site in Lakehurst, New Jersey. This site is regulated by the NRC under
Source Material License SMB-1541 and is in decommissioning. This material
consists of monazite sands which were processed for heavy minerals
(primarily titanium mineral ilmenite) by mechanical methods with no
chemical leaching or extraction. IUSA estimates the amount of material
for this amendment request to be up to 2000 yds\3\. HMI has estimated
that the material has a uranium content of approximately 0.05 weight
percent, or greater. IUSA has determined that the material does not
contain listed hazardous waste as defined in the Resource Recovery and
Conservation Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. Section 6901-6991. IUSA proposes
to process the material in a similar manner to normal processing of
conventional ore, either alone or in combination with other approved
alternate feed materials.
IUSA has proposed that It will be a condition of the license that the
mill shall not accept any of the Heritage material at the site unless and
until the mill's Safety and Environmental Review Panel (SERP) has
determined that the mill has sufficient licensed tailings capacity. The
tailings capacity must be sufficient to permanently
store:
(1) All 11e.(2) byproduct material, as defined under the Atomic
Energy act, that would result from the processing of all of the material;
(2) All other ores and alternate feed materials on site; and
(3) All other materials required to be disposed of in the mill's
tailings impoundments pursuant to the mill's reclamation plan.
The material will be shipped by rail and truck in intermodal
containers. The covered containers will be loaded onto railcars and
transported cross-country to a transfer point where the intermodal
containers will then be loaded onto trucks for the final leg of the trip
to the mill. The transfer point is expected to be either near Grand
Junction, Colorado; Cisco, Utah; Green River, Utah; or East Carbon, Utah.
The material will be shipped in exclusive containers as ``low specific
activity'' (LSA) Hazard Class 7 Hazardous Material as defined by
Department of Transportation regulations.
This application will be reviewed using NRC formal guidance, ``Final
Position and Guidance on the Use of Uranium Mill Feed Material Other Than
Natural Ores' and the guidance contained in the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission's Memorandum and Order, International Uranium (IUSA) Corp.,
CLI-00-01, (February 10, 2000). The NRC has approved similar amendment
requests in the past for separate alternate feed material under this
license.
The amendment application is available for public inspection and
copying at the NRC Public Document
[[Page 44079]]
Room, in the Gelman Building, 2120 L Street NW., Washington DC 20555.
Notice of Opportunity for Hearing
The NRC hereby provides notice of an opportunity for a hearing on the
license amendment under the provisions of 10 CFR Part 2, Subpart L,
``Informal Hearing Procedures for Adjudications in Materials and Operator
Licensing Proceedings.'' Pursuant to Sec. 2.1205(a), any person whose
interest may be affected by this proceeding may file a request for a
hearing. In accordance with Sec. 2.1205(d), a request for hearing must be
filed within 30 days of the publication of this notice in the Federal
Register. The request for a hearing must be filed with the Office of the
Secretary, either:
(1) By delivery to the Docketing and Service Branch of the Office of
the Secretary at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville,
MD 20852; or
(2) By mail or telegram addressed to the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555, Attention: Docketing and
Service Branch.
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.1205(f), each request for a hearing must
also be served, by delivering it personally or by mail, to:
(1) The applicant, International Uranium (USA) Corporation,
Independence Plaza, Suite 950, 1050 Seventeenth Street, Denver, Colorado
80265; Attention: Michelle Rehmann; and
(2) The NRC staff, by delivery to the Executive Director for
Operations, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD
20852, or by mail addressed to the Executive Director for Operations,
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555.
In addition to meeting other applicable requirements of 10 CFR Part 2
of the NRC's regulations, a request for a hearing filed by a person other
than an applicant must describe in detail:
(1) The interest of the requestor in the proceeding;
(2) How that interest may be affected by the results of the
proceeding, including the reasons why the requestor should be permitted a
hearing, with particular reference to the factors set out in Sec.
2.1205(h);
(3) The requestor's areas of concern about the licensing activity
that is the subject matter of the proceeding; and
(4) The circumstances establishing that the request for a hearing is
timely in accordance with Sec. 2.1205(d).
The request must also set forth the specific aspect or aspects of the
subject matter of the proceeding as to which petitioner wishes a hearing.
In addition, members of the public may provide comments on the
subject application within 30 days of the publication of this notice in
the Federal Register. The comments may be provided to David L. Meyer,
Chief, Rules Review and Directives Branch, Division of Administration
Services, Office of Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington DC 20555.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 11 day of July 2000.
For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Philip Ting,
Chief, Fuel Cycle Licensing Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and
Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 00-18031 Filed 7-14-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 1:34:28 AM
VOINOVICH DRIVING FORCE IN PIKETON COMPENSATION BILL
Date: Sunday, July 16, 2000
COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Byline: Compiled by Jonathan Riskind of the Dispatch Washington Bureau.
A compensation program for southern Ohio uranium-enrichment workers exposed to radiation and other hazardous materials during the Cold War was part of a $309.8 billion defense authorization bill approved last week by the U.S. Senate.
Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant workers harmed by radiation in the workplace could get as much as $200,000 plus health benefits for life under the provision, first included in the bill in early June. Passage of the overall legislation was held up by arguments over other provisions.
Sen. George V. Voinovich, R-Ohio, succeeded in raising the amount of federal compensation from the $100,000 proposed by the Clinton administration, but was rebuffed in his effort to gain federal compensation for chemical exposure.
"The federal government has an obligation to live up to our responsibilities to these workers,'' Voinovich said. "This is just the first step in giving back to those who sacrificed so much to ensure the security of our country during the Cold War.''
Although the legislation provides federal payments for workers exposed to radiation and beryllium, a toxic material used in some stages of nuclear production, those exposed to other harmful chemicals are relegated to requesting state workers' compensation benefits.
The House did not include a compensation initiative in its version of the defense authorization bill. Proponents of the program will have to persuade a House-Senate conference committee to retain the provision even as they work to expand its benefits to chemical exposures.
A Dispatch investigation of past conditions at the plant in Piketon, Ohio, revealed that many workers were exposed to radiation, harmful chemicals and toxic materials ranging from asbestos to mercury. A recent Energy Department report confirmed those findings.
Energy Secretary Bill Richardson last week urged the House to include the Senate version of the program in the final bill.
USEC privatization still under scrutiny
A congressional committee continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the 1998 privatization of USEC, which runs the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant and a sister facility in Kentucky.
The former federal corporation recently announced plans to close the Portsmouth plant in Piketon, Ohio.
The agreement privatizing USEC called for it to run both the Piketon and Paducah, Ky., plants until at least 2005, but it also contained caveats allowing USEC to close a plant if its financial condition flagged. USEC said its downgraded credit rating met one of those conditions.
But Rep. Tom Bliley, R-Va., chairman of the House Commerce Committee, said last week in a letter to William H. Timbers, USEC president and CEO, that his committee is "continuing its review of USEC privatization and its impact on national security and the domestic uranium industry.''
Bliley told Timbers his committee wants documents and other information related to the privatization. Bliley's committee held a hearing in April to investigate privatization and another reportedly is planned for the fall.
During the Cold War, the Piketon and Paducah plants combined to produce weapons-grade uranium for the nation's nuclear-defense program, with the Piketon plant carrying out the final phase of the operation to manufacture the highly enriched uranium. Now, the plants produce commercial-grade uranium for nuclear-power plants. Nuclear plants supply about 20 percent of the country's electricity.
Bliley said in his letter, dated Tuesday, that he was troubled by published statements by Timbers that USEC's decision to close the Piketon plant was the reason USEC was privatized.
"I can assure you this is not the case,'' Bliley said. "A single operating gaseous diffusion plant with no credible plan for succeeding enrichment technology is not what Congress intended for the privatized company.''
Ohio included in 2001 military spending
President Clinton last week signed into law a 2001 military construction-spending bill that includes $58 million for Ohio projects.
Among the Ohio items are $7 million for a consolidated Navy and Marine Corps Air Reserve Center at Rickenbacker International Airport and $4 million for the first phase of work needed at the Springfield Air National Guard Base to permit construction of a taxiway for F-16 fighter planes.
The legislation was shepherded through Congress by Rep. David L. Hobson, R-Springfield, chairman of the House Appropriation Committee's military construction subcommittee.
The legislation provides $8.8 billion for military family housing, barracks, medical facilities, child- development centers and other projects. The bill is an increase of 4 percent over 2000 military construction funding and is almost $800 million more than the Clinton administration's request.
"This is a solid, responsible piece of legislation which supports our military troops and their families,'' said Hobson, who contends the administration has under-funded military quality-of-life projects.
The military construction bill is the first of 13 annual spending bills signed into law this year.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 1:32:04 AM
The News on Sunday, 16 July 2000
Safety of Chashma Nuclear Power Plant pushed onto Environment Ministry's
agenda
A nuclear accident waiting to happen
Officials say CHASNUPP will generate 300 megawatt (MW) of electricity and
will use only about 12 tons of nuclear fuel annually as compared with the
consumption of about half a million tons of oil every year by a similar
size conventional power plant, thus helping to reduce the country's
dependence on imported oil. Critics believe it may produce significantly
less, judging from the record of the Chinese reactor
Nadeem Iqbal
The Ministry of Environment has taken up the issue of a safety review of
Chashma Nuclear Power Plant with the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
(PAEC) amid a chorus of complaints from environmental organisations and
scientists. Federal Environment Minister Omar Asghar Khan told Political
Economy that his ministry has received a "bundle" of such demands.
On June 20, six non-governmental organisations-the Sustainable Development
Policy Institute, Sungi, Pattan, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and
Research (PILER) Christian Study Centre and The Network-called upon Chief
Executive Gen Pervaiz Musharraf and the Environment Ministry for a thorough
review, with public participation, of the nuclear reactor's safety analysis
report and its environmental impact assessment (EIA).
These groups believe that their demands are legitimate and their members
cite a clause of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997, which
says "The [Pakistan Environmental Protection] Council may, either itself
or on the request of any person or organisation, direct the federal agency
[the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency] or any government agency to
prepare, submit, promote or implement projects for the protection,
conservation, rehabilitation and improvement of the environment, the
prevention and control of pollution, and the sustainable development of
resources, or to undertake research in any specified aspect of
environment."
Although strictly speaking the NGOs' requisition is not a legal
notice-under the Environment Act a complainant can give 30 days' notice to
the EPA to address the issue or take the issue to an environment
tribunal-but the issues raised need to be taken up at the highest level.
The mandatory Environmental Impact Analysis (EIA) of the Chashma plant has
been duly submitted to the EPA by the Atomic Commission. While public
review of EIAs is required under law, an official of the Ministry of
Environment, speaking on condition of anonymity, said "as per rules the
ministry has not been allowed by the concerned authorities to make this
public." Choosing not to elaborate on the 'rules' or specify the
'concerned authorities', the official added that the approval of the
Chashma EIA was conditional and may be "reviewed if required".
The official disclosed that the Atomic Commission had brushed aside all
the complaints and termed them as unfounded. The official stance of PAEC
remains that the facility is absolutely safe, he said. "So actually, the
matter is at a standstill."
CHASNUPP is Pakistan's second nuclear power plant, the first being KANUPP
near Karachi. The plant was built under a turnkey contract signed in
December 1991 with the China National Nuclear Corporation. Nuclear fuel
was loaded into Chashma's reactor between November 22 and 28, 1999. On May
3, 2000, the Chashma Nuclear Power Plant (CHASNUPP) was made critical as
officials announced plans to link it to the national grid for the supply
of electricity. A nuclear reactor becomes critical when the fission chain
reaction is made self-sustaining in a highly-controlled and regulated
manner to produce energy. The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC)
insists that the plant was made ready to go critical after rigorous
testing of various reactor safety systems.
Officials say CHASNUPP will generate 300 megawatt (MW) of electricity and
will use only about 12 tons of nuclear fuel annually as compared with the
consumption of about half a million tons of oil every year by a similar
size conventional power plant, thus helping to reduce the country's
dependence on imported oil.
Critics believe it may produce significantly less, judging from the record
of the Chinese reactor-a prototype for the Chashma plant. The Chinese
facility produces only about half of the power it is designed for. On
average it produces 144 MW, rather than 300 MW, from 1991 to the end of
1995. So Chashma may contribute only one per cent of the 13,000 MW of
electricity that Pakistani consumers need.
The Atomic Commission is reticent about the the final cost of building and
operating the facility at Chashma. Concerns about its estimated
productivity aside, the project has been controversial from the very
beginning due to its location in an area that some experts warn is
earthquake prone. Its location on the sandy banks of the River Indus-the
country's lifeline-as well as its proximity to the Chashma Barrage, a
vital irrigation link on the river some 30 kms south of Mianwali city in
central Punjab, means that in case of a nuclear accident, the whole
irrigation system would be crippled.
"We have reason to believe that the site is earthquake prone, and we found
out that some experts contracted by the PAEC to study the site advised
against building a reactor there," said Dr Nayyar, an associate professor
of physics in Quaid-i-Azam University, who is spearheading the movement
for a safety review using the latest scientific methods.
It is not just NGOs and independent scientists who are pushing for a
review. Muhammad Ali Mirza, a former director general of the Geological
Survey of Pakistan, has also approached the PAEC through the Ministry of
Environment. In a preliminary report on "Seismic risk associated with
Chashma Nuclear Power Plant" (April 2000, co-authored by M Z Babar, K S
Ali Khan and S N Khan), he states that the "seismic activity in and around
the plant area is.. expected to be moderate". Thus, although the risk is
"not as vivid and alarming as propounded by Dr Naiyar (sic) [it is also]
not as simplistic as described by Dr Siddique" (deputy plant general
manager of CHASHNUPP, quoted in the report as saying that the "seismic
risk is minimal and not of much concern").
Dr Mirza concludes that the "sensitive and strategic nature of the project
demands that the issue be resolved in a more serious and professional
manner. Whereas an unfounded scare would result in wastage of billions of
rupees on redesigning/fortification, the evasion of potential risk may
lead to colossal material loss and human suffering".
He suggests a detailed study, focusing on geological and tectonic setting
of the site to assess seismic danger. Talking to Political Economy with
reference to the PAEC's contention that the Commission will only consider
discussing the issue with 'informed persons', Dr Mirza said that he should
be consulted and his concerns taken seriously.
Other major concerns of the environmentalists and scientists are the
design of the reactor, the quality of its components, and the limited
capability of its Chinese supplier to provide technical support in case of
an accident. These concerns have emerged from an independent technical
study carried out by some concerned scientists, explain the environmental
groups in a letter to the ministry.
The response from official quarters is less than forthcoming. "We have
analysed those concerns," said an Environment Ministry officer, "but they
should be addressed to the Nuclear Regulatory Board." He added that his
ministry's primary concern was the dumping of nuclear waste in the open-an
action that the PAEC claims it has prevented so far.
Although this has not been made a major issue by the citizens' groups
lobbying for a review, Zia H Siddique, deputy plant general manager of
CHASHNUPP has admitted that the power plant had a problem regarding the
long-term disposal of nuclear waste, as had been the case in other
countries. The disclosure came at a public debate organised by the SDPI in
Islamabad last year.
Another issue involved is to make the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Board
(PNRB) more independent, autonomous and open to the public. The board
regulates CHASNUPP like all nuclear power facilities. It is completely
dependent on the PAEC for its budget, staff and even its offices; the
chairman of PAEC is also the chairman of PNRB.
Dr Nayyar appreciates the fact that PNRB provided him and two other
professors-Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy and Dr Q Isa Daudpota-access to its 'final
safety analysis report'. "But the objections we raised after going through
it have, so far, not been addressed by the Board," he says.
PAEC officials are understandably less than happy at the attention that
Chashma is getting, more than a decade after it began construction work on
the plant. A PAEC source said that the Commission has contributed
substantially to the Chashma plant, besides training "a team of very
competent experts for operation and maintenance". "The safety and quality
of the plant have been the most important factors in its design and
construction of the plant. Experts from the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) and the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) have
reviewed the plant design and the construction work, and endorsed these to
be of international standard," reads an official handout issued when
Chashma was made critical.
These claims are viewed sceptically by independent scientists, since the
PAEC has not made public the reports by IAEA and WANO, both promoters of
nuclear power. Zia Mian, a physicist at Princeton University's Center For
Energy and Environmental Studies and a visiting fellow at SDPI, who has
been monitoring the Chashma case for over five years, notes that the PAEC
was not responsible for either the nuclear engineering or the power
generation [turbines, etc] at Chashma. The act of refusing to give details
of the tests it has conducted has done nothing for the Commission's
credibility. he adds.
Chashma critics point out that China's Qinshan reactor was tested, started
and then shut down for a year because of all the problems encountered.
Qinshan suffered an accident in 1998 and the plant was closed down for a
year. Dr Mian adds that its claims of concern about safety notwithstanding,
PAEC seemed unaware of the publicly available, official scientific reports
of the repairs at Qinshan which explained why the recent accident happened
and what repairs were undertaken, until they were given these reports by
Dr Mian and Dr Nayyar.
Dr. Nayyar explains: "On the design, our concern is based on the serious
design flaw that was discovered in Qinshan, the parent reactor in China.
Chashma, being Qinshan's prototype, is only the second power reactor made
by China. The difference is that while for Qinshan the major components
were supplied by the Japanese, Korean and the Western manufacturers, all
such crucial components for Chashma were made for the first time by the
Chinese. The problem in the Qinshan reactor in 1998 could not be sorted
out by the Chinese themselves and they had to call in international help.
Eventually the problem was removed by Westinghouse of the US, which
discovered that the problem had arisen as a result of a faulty design.
That makes complete reliance on the Chinese design and technology-as the
PAEC is doing-rather worrisome."
As for the CHASHMA simulator training, it provides confidence only if the
accidents programmed into the simulator are the only ones that will happen.
"All the major accidents at nuclear power plants [Three Mile Island, and
Chernobyl] were those nobody expected to happen," says Dr Mian. "They were
not programmed into the training simulators at these plants, and operators
had misplaced confidence. By definition, unforeseen things cannot be fed
into a simulator." He fears that given China's limited experience with
this kind of nuclear power plant, it is likely only the most basic things
have been programmed into the Chashma simulator.
About the larger safety culture of PAEC, he noted that PAEC has released
little public information, but recalled a former PAEC engineer who was
cited in the technical journal Nucleonics Week [2 November 1989] as saying
that PAEC operators at KANUPP were "ignorant of risk and think nothing of
danger."
The Ministry of Environment managed to arrange a meeting between the
concerned professors and PAEC officials but the two parties could not
amicably resolve the issue. Last December the Sustainable Development
Policy Institute also arranged a debate on the issue. The deputy plant
general manager of CHASNUPP addressed the citizens' fears, saying that the
PAEC had closely monitored the construction of the power project, ensuring
that it met international standards.
"There are multiple barriers and there is no chance of any nuclear
disaster. Risks have been assessed and the plant has been built
accordingly," he said. At least ten experts from the International Atomic
Energy Agency have reviewed the project for safety, he claimed. The PAEC's
installations are open for inspection to international and national
experts, provided they have complete knowledge of nuclear technology, Zia
H Siddique said. However, PAEC has not so far published any of its own
reports and studies on Chashma or those of the international bodies.
Dr Siddique's conviction of there being "no chance of a nuclear disaster"
at Chashma is not shared by those who are aware of the major disasters at
nuclear plants in America and in Russia. Their worries are heightened by
the fact that in Pakistan there is no planning for what to do if an
accident happens.
The final safety analysis report of the Chashma project clearly stipulates
that there would be extensive involvement of the local civil
administration in conducting drills to cope with a serious accident at
Chashma. "Neither the Ministry of Environment nor the Atomic Energy
Commission have been able to assure us that such drills have indeed been
conducted," says Dr Nayyar. "In fact, we fear that they have never been
held. Consequently, if a serious accident occurs, there will be chaos
everywhere."
Although there is still much to be concerned about, Pakistan's hush-hush
nuclear power generation programme has at last been prised open for public
discussion. While this is a heartening sign in itself, it will finally be
the response of those in power that will convince the people of Pakistan
that their safety matters.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 1:29:18 AM
Funds OK'd for sickened nuclear arms workers
July 14, 2000
FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
WASHINGTON - Nuclear-weapon plant workers made ill by exposure to radiation,
silica, or beryllium could receive medical benefits and at least $200,000
apiece under legislation passed yesterday by the Senate.
However, lawmakers still must convince the House, which is concerned about
the cost to taxpayers.
The compensation program for some of the people sickened while working at
Energy Department facilities was approved as part of a 97-3 Senate vote on a
bill authorizing military programs.
"We owe our DOE workers this much," said Sen. Fred Thompson (R., Tenn.), who
added the proposal to the larger bill. "We have a long road ahead of us if
we're going to ensure that this important compensation package stays in the
bill that heads to the White House this fall."
Estimates were not available of how many workers would be covered; how many
workers would be left out because their illnesses were caused by an excluded
type of exposure, and what the eventual cost might be.
When a Clinton administration compensation plan was proposed, the Energy
Department said 3,000 people might qualify. Both plans cover workers with
radiation-caused cancers and leave out those whose cancers were most likely
related to exposure to chemicals.
A version of the military legislation that passed the House in May offered
nothing for the sickened workers.
Rep. Ted Strickland (D., O.), whose district includes the Portsmouth Gaseous
Diffusion Plant in Piketon, O., said the House has sentiment for doing the
right thing but is concerned about a potential cost of hundreds of millions
of dollars.
"There is pretty general agreement that we ought to take care of people that
have been hurt," he said. "The one question is whether they will feel the
money's there."
Rep. Ed Whitfield (R., Ky.), whose district includes the Paducah Gaseous
Diffusion Plant, said the uncertain cost has been a large stumbling block for
the House staffers who have been reviewing the Senate proposal.
"Any time you don't know the cost of a program, that's a problem," he said.
Resistance to any new entitlement is great enough that backers of a
compensation program are focusing on getting House support for the Senate
language rather than trying to include the left-out workers, both lawmakers
said.
"This is the best chance that we have this year of establishing a
compensation program for employees at these plants," Mr. Whitfield said.
The Energy Department has proposed minimum lump sum payments of $100,000 for
employees of the Department contractors who contracted cancer as a result of
radiation exposure at the weapon plants. The department estimated that
compensation under its plan would cost about $520 million over the first five
years.
During the Cold War, 600,000 people worked at bomb-making and nuclear
material plants across the country. No one knows how many of them were
sickened; chronic beryllium disease and many radiation-linked cancers take
years and sometimes decades to surface.
At the Brush Wellman beryllium plant near Elmore, at least 75 current or
former workers have contracted beryllium disease, a lung ailment caused by
the metal's toxic dust. Brush Wellman historically has supplied beryllium to
the government for use in nuclear bombs and other weapons. House and Senate
lawmakers have vowed that legislation to compensate ailing weapons workers
would cover Brush Wellman workers.
Also yesterday, President Clinton signed a spending bill that includes $10
million for health screening of workers at the Piketon and Paducah plants.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 1:27:08 AM
Rebuttal: Envirocare Was Mischaracterized in Article
July 16, 2000
BY CHARLES JUDD
Although Envirocare of Utah occasionally appears in local newspaper
articles, it has not been our policy to put ourselves on the editorial pages.
However, we feel the need to speak up and correct misinformation about the
company that ran in a recent Salt Lake Tribune article (Sunday, June 25).
In the article, Envirocare was linked to a former employee -- Geoff Ogden
-- who is now deceased. We were greatly saddened to hear of his tragic car
accident and death, and our deepest sympathies have been extended to his
family. Although Envirocare did have affiliation with Ogden in the past, he
resigned from the company when an attractive job opportunity outside Utah
came his way.
Envirocare is a large employer in the Tooele area and has more than 200
employees working at its Utah facility. Through various mechanisms, this
employee base is encouraged to offer suggestions to streamline and improve
upon business practices. We are proud of the fact that employees do feel
comfortable to offer ideas, including Ogden, and that many ideas are
instituted.
In addition, Envirocare allows for concerns regarding business operations
and safety to be brought to the attention of management, as well as to the
attention of the 13 regulatory bodies that oversee the facility. Ogden had
such concerns and followed company procedures.
The NRC and the State of Utah addressed his issues in a formal process,
yet Ogden's filings did not result in any violations. We regret to say that
The Tribune article was not as forthcoming with its coverage of the matter.
Procedures are put in place to protect those who supposedly "whistle
blow" on a company. They are adequate and in place at Envirocare. Some
disciplinary actions were brought against Ogden during his years of
employment at Envirocare but they were in regard to employee matters and not
whistleblowing .
Envirocare encourages its employees to raise any health and safety
concerns they may have, and works diligently to ensure a safe workplace.
Envirocare has a concern for all its employees and welcomes feedback on
the direction the company is taking. Contrary to The Tribune's article, which
quotes a single source, Envirocare employees overwhelmingly support the
company's interest in and recent application to the state for handling of
Class B and Class C low-level radioactive wastes.
Again, in contrast to the article's mischaracterization, Envirocare has a
strong commitment to regulatory and environmental compliance. In fact, the
company has had ongoing training programs for its employees for the last 12
years. These programs cost hundreds of thousands of dollars each year and
demand knowledge of exhaustive regulations for both federal and state
agencies. We require enforcement of the regulations in every step of our
operation, and frankly, in many cases we exceed required levels of
compliance.
Envirocare is proud of its record. There has never been a health or
safety issue that Envirocare has left unaddressed. Unfortunately, The Salt
Lake Tribune left questions unanswered about Envirocare's business practices.
We appreciate the opportunity to set the record straight.
_________
Charles Judd is the president of Envirocare.
=========================================================
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 1:25:58 AM
EPA:33 Million Cleanup Complete at Reed-Keppler Park Superfund
Site
CHICAGO, July 15 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) Region 5 said today that a $33 million cleanup of
radioactively contaminated soil at Reed-Keppler Park (West
Chicago, IL) is now complete.
The cleanup, conducted by Kerr-McGee Chemical LLC, with
oversight by EPA and other agencies, including Illinois Department
of Nuclear Safety (IDNS) and Illinois EPA, addressed an 11-acre
portion of the 100-acre park.
Beginning in 1931, the Lindsay Light & Chemical Co.'s Rare Earths
Facility, 783 Factory St., which processed ore, generated a sand-
like waste material called thorium mill tailings. Between the mid-
1930s and the mid-1960s, some of these materials were used as
fill in low-lying areas or construction projects in the West Chicago
area, including Reed-Keppler park, which at the time was used as
a local dump site.
Operations at the Rare Earths Facility ceased in 1973. (That
property is currently being cleaned up under the regulatory
oversight of the IDNS.) Kerr-McGee acquired the Rare Earths
Facility in 1967.
Potentially harmful levels of radiation at the park were first detected
in 1976. The Reed-Keppler Park site was added to the Superfund
National Priorities List in 1990. Comprehensive EPA investigations
and engineering studies began in 1992. Kerr-McGee began
excavating contaminated materials at Reed-Keppler Park in spring
1997 under a unilateral administrative order.
The cleanup, over the course of three and a half construction
seasons, included excavation of 114,600 cubic yards of
contaminated soil, which was shipped to a radioactive materials
disposal facility in Utah. As part of the project, new parking areas
and a perimeter roadway were constructed, allowing residents to
continue to use other areas of the park without disruption.
The restoration of site landscaping is nearly complete and is
proceeding under an agreement between West Chicago, Kerr-
McGee and the West Chicago Park District, as required by the
EPA unilateral administrative order. This work includes: backfilling
excavated areas to their original elevations; relocating some
utilities; and landscaping to replace removed and damaged
vegetation to make the area suitable for recreational use.
"This site first came to EPA's attention more than 20 years ago.
It's a pleasure to see the cleanup wrapped up and West Chicago
residents using this portion of the park again," said Regional
Administrator Francis X. Lyons. "None of this would have been
possible without tremendous good will, contributions, and in-kind
services from other government agencies, particularly IDNS, Illinois
EPA, the City of West Chicago, and the West Chicago Park
District."
Reed-Keppler Park is one of 4 related Superfund sites in West
Chicago. Cleanup work by Kerr-McGee at the Residential Areas
site began in 1995. To date, 535 contaminated properties have
been cleaned up and restored, with more than 100,000 cubic yards
of radiation contaminated material removed. Another 116 known
contaminated properties are awaiting final cleanup, most of which
should be finished this year. More than 2,100 total properties were
included in the radiation study area, with about 90 still to be
evaluated.
West Chicago and DuPage County officials are working with Kerr-
McGee to reach a voluntary agreement for cleanup of the other two
sites, Kress Creek and the Sewage Treatment Plant, with a
tentative goal of beginning cleanup in 2001.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 1:24:32 AM
Note: Next time your in Las Vegas, why not make a little side trip:
Today: July 15, 2000 at 8:09:25 PDT
Nevada Test Site not forgottenBy Kristen Peterson
LAS VEGAS SUN
Data
WHAT: The Nevada Test Site History Center
WHERE: 2621 Losee Road, North Las Vegas
WHEN: Noon-4 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday
COST: Free
Wearing a souvenir Nevada Test Site baseball cap, Layton O'Neill pointed to a scale model of a building used to disassemble radioactive parts.
"That's the biggest hot cell in the Free World," O'Neill said enthusiastically about the now-vacant Test Site building.
The retired health physicist, who spent years driving through clouds of atomic blasts to detect radiation levels, has hundreds of stories. Depending on which day you visit the Nevada Test Site History Center, you may get an earful.
Wedged into a Energy Department building at 2621 Losee Road in North Las Vegas, the center offers self-guided tours. Former Test Site employees serve as hosts. O'Neill, who schedules the volunteers, occasionally works a shift himself.
"It's a history that needs to be told," said O'Neill, a self-described patriot who says of his career: "I couldn't have done anything better."
>From 1951 to 1992, the Nevada Test Site was where 928 above- and below-ground nuclear tests were conducted. Bombs were dropped from planes, detonated on towers, from balloons and in tunnels. The mushroom clouds from atmospheric blasts could be seen from Las Vegas.
In 1998, six years after President George Bush signed a moratorium that stopped all nuclear weapons test, the Nevada Test Site History Foundation was formed to preserve the site's information. Members have been gathering memorabilia since then.
"Things were being thrown away," O'Neill said. "A couple of guys decided we need to preserve this history."
Among photos of fireballs, mushroom clouds and soldiers in trenches watching the early tests are other memorabilia: A model nuclear reactor, a Davy Crockett nuclear projectile and portable ion chambers used to measure levels of radiation. A model train set featuring Area 25, where nuclear reactors were tested, sits in the corner.
A mannequin's head wears a pair of goggles used to protect against the bright explosions. Next to the head is a black-and-white photo of VIPs wearing the goggles to watch the tests.
"With those on and with my back to the first aerial I ever saw, you could have read a newspaper," said host Jack Busick, who worked as a timing and firing engineer and an assistant test director.
A framed letter from President Harry Truman establishing the Test Site, known then as the Nevada Proving Grounds, hangs near a blow-by-blow photo series of a 16-kiloton atmospheric explosion destroying a house in less than three seconds.
A T-shirt featuring the shot can be purchased in the gift shop, along with coffee cups of the foundation's mushroom-cloud logo, postcards of fireballs and declassified videos of the nuclear age.
More controversial are the earrings in the shape of Little Boy and Fat Man -- bombs dropped on the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. "We can hardly keep them in stock," Ernie Williams, a foundation charter member, said.
Visitors also receive a complimentary sample of a borosilicate glass marble. The glass was proposed as a way of encasing liquid high-level nuclear waste from defense projects -- a technique that was never adopted.
The controversy surrounding the testing at the site 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas and the devastation after bombs were dropped on Japan are not part of the center's displays.
In recent years, some former workers have complained of illness caused by radiation exposure. Legislation compensating them is working its way through Congress. Downwinders -- those living downwind of above-ground atomic blasts at the Test Site who have contracted various diseases -- already receive compensation.
"There is a plan to include that aspect of the Test Site in the final display," O'Neill said.
A future site, a $10.9 million joint venture involving the foundation, the Energy Department and the Desert Research Institute, will be housed on the DRI campus at Swenson Street and Flamingo Road.
The 59,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to open late next year. It will include 8,000 square feet of permanent exhibit space and a smaller area for temporary exhibits. The foundation's recent affiliation with the Smithsonian Institution allows the exchange of items.
The current center is within walking distance of a public reading room and information center where more than 350,000 documents, newspaper clippings and videos can be accessed. All will be transferred to the new site.
The history center opened in July 1999 as a precursor for the new facility, Loretta Helling, an Energy Department spokeswoman, said. Until recently, it was open only on Wednesdays, but still drew more than 500 visitors, Helling said.
"We're getting a lot of people who picked us up on the website," said Williams, a former Test Site worker who conducts daylong tours through the site. "And when they come to town, they want to see this."
Visitors from different states, the United Kingdom and Japan have signed the guest book. Most visitors are from Southern Nevada and many are former Energy Department employees interested in seeing information previously unavailable to them.
"A lot of the people who worked at the Test Site weren't allowed to go to other places," O'Neill said."It was all on a need-to-know basis."
Despite lack of space, the center does offer telling memorabilia of the era. Among items on display are a 1953 Las Vegas High School yearbook, which features a color photo of a fireball from an atmospheric atomic explosion.
On-site computers contain photos of John F. Kennedy's visit to the Test Site; life in Mercury, the small town at the entrance of the Test Site; mannequins posed in mock fallout shelters; and even a look at the Nevada Test Site employees' 1961 Christmas party.
"People on the tours ask what it felt like when that atmospheric shot went off," he said
First there is a bright light, Williams explained. Then a heat wave, then shock waves.
"By the time the shock wave arrives, you can see the stem of the mushroom, then the cloud," he said. "The heat wave feels like a gust of wind coming at you 60 to 80 miles an hour.
"We moved 6.2 million cubic yards of material in 2 1/2 seconds," Williams said, pointing to a crater formed by 104-kiloton explosive buried underground. The explosion was part of a program to test peacetime uses of explosives. The crater is 320 feet deep and 1,280 feet in diameter.
"I think it's great we stopped the war," O'Neill said. "But it's a terrible weapon."
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 1:23:43 AM
NEW REPORT ISSUED: Department of Energy: Uncertainties and Management Problems Have Hindered
Cleanup at Two Nuclear Waste Sites, T-RCED-00-248, July 12, 2000.
Download PDF Copy
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 1:13:36 AM
Power Reactor Event Number: 37178
FACILITY: INDIAN POINT REGION: 1 NOTIFICATION DATE:07/20/2000
UNIT: 3 STATE: NY |NOTIFICATION TIME: 04:28 EDT
RXTYPE: [2] W-4-LP,[3] W-4-LP EVENT DATE: 07/20/2000
EVENT TIME: 03:52[EDT]
NRC NOTIFIED BY: TESORIERO 07/20/2000|
EVENT TEXT
"On July 20, 2000 at 0352 hours a Reactor Coolant system leakrate of
0.30 gpm was calculated. Currently the Charging and Letdown systems are
isolated for maintenance. Investigation revealed the leakage being from
the
Excess Letdown system to the systems isolated for maintenance, which are
located outside Containment. This leakrate exceeds the limit of 0.68 gph
outside Containment and therefore is a condition outside the design basis
of
the plant. The Control Room Ventilation system is inoperable and a 72
hour limiting condition of operation has been entered."
The NRC resident inspector will be informed of this event by the
licensee.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 1:11:39 AM
Indian Point Unit 2 Event From the NRC Web Site
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Workers at Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 2, manually shut down the reactor in Buchanan, N.Y., at 7:29 p.m. on Tuesday, February 15, 2000 following indications of a steam generator tube failure in one of the plant's four steam generators. The plant is operated by Consolidated Edison Company of New York. The steam generators are components that transfer heat from the reactor systems to the power-generating portion of a nuclear power plant. Plant safety systems performed as designed during the shutdown.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 1:09:13 AM
From Weekly Defense Monitor Number 4, Issue #29 (July 21, 2000)
Norwegian Radar Site Controversy Flares Anew
By Tomas Valasek, Senior Analyst, tvalasek@cdi.org
The controversial Vardo X-band radar site in Norway has been targeted by
Russian nuclear missiles, Norwegian press reported this week, quoting
Russian sources. Moscow has previously alleged that the radar is a part
of the U.S.-proposed national missile defense (NMD) system, and as such
violates the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty. X-band radars play
a crucial role in NMD architecture, tracking missile trajectories and
discriminating between warheads and decoys. Norway claims the Vardo
radar's purpose is to monitor space debris.
General Leonid Ivashov, the head of the Defense Ministry's Military
Cooperation section, also warned the same day that Russia would take
unspecified measures "unless Norway closes the radar during Russian
military exercises." The Vardo radar, even if not connected to the NMD
system, could be used to monitor Russian tests and gather information on
the radar signature of Russian missile launches -- information that can
be used to improve performance of the NMD system.
In response, Norway's Defense Minister Sigur Frisvold suggested that
Norway be included in a U.S. missile defense program, ostensibly to
protect against threats from "terrorist nations." However, the timing of
the request a day after the Russian threat to target Vardo with nuclear
missiles makes it abundantly clear that Norway desires protection from a
possible Russian nuclear strike against the Vardo radar.
The Vardo X-band radar was manufactured by Raytheon in the early 1990s.
It operated for three years at Vandenberg Air Force base in California
before being dismantled and moved to Norway. Although the NMD system
plans to use two Europe-bases X-band radars in its latter stages (in
Denmark-administered Greenland and in Great Britain), Vardo does not
appear in U.S. plans. The Norwegian government maintains that the radar's
sole purpose is to monitor space debris. "We have an exceptionally clear
agreement with the Americans. If they wish to use the radar for another
purpose than space surveillance, the whole agreement [on the use of the
radar by the United States] has to be renegotiated," said the project
leader for the Vardo radar, Tom Rykken, in an interview with the
Norwegian daily Bergens Tidende.
However, the radar's unique technical capabilities and its proximity to
Russia -- 40 miles from the border -- aroused suspicions of foul play in
Moscow. "In the opinion of our analysts, the [Vardo radar] station will
function as part of the anti-missile system [NMD]," said General Ivashov.
Russian President Vladimir Putin named Norway alongside Britain and
Denmark when warning the European countries against cooperation with the
United States on NMD. "Washington needs European help, above all from
Britain, Denmark, and Norway. These states risk being drawn into a
process that will lead to an unpredictable destruction of strategic
stability," he said.
The Russo-Norwegian dispute appeared to die down in early summer 2000.
After unsuccessfully requesting access for its experts to the Vardo
station, Russia softened its criticism of Norway. General Vladimir
Yakovlev played down Vardo's role in NMD. "Judging by its technical
characteristics, that radar is not an element of an [anti-ballistic
missile defense] system," he said. However, he added, "the information
obtained by the radar station could be used to develop and improve the
anti-ballistic missile system as it is able to [monitor] routes and sites
for space vehicle launches in the North Sea."
But the crisis flared anew in July, inflamed by suggestions in the United
States to switch from destroying enemy missiles in their final, re-entry
phase, as currently planned, to so-called "boost phase" intercepts. The
latter concept relies on hitting ballistic missiles with intercepts
shortly after they take off when the missiles are still attached to
boosters (thus presenting a much larger and hotter target) and moving
considerably slower. A boost-phase intercept system, however, would
require placing interceptor missiles and radars close to likely launch
sites, on land or on U.S. Navy ships. Norway has ordered five Aegis-class
radar and missile launch systems from the United States. According to the
U.S. Navy, the Aegis system could serve as a backbone of a boost-phase
intercept missile defense system. Russian officials again sounded warning
signals. "If this [Vardo] station works jointly with the radars of
cruisers with guided missiles, which Norway will receive and which can be
hypothetically armed with Aegis anti-missile systems, the systems can be
used to liquidate our missiles at the boost stage," said General Yakovlev.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 12:59:59 AM
Criticality accidents report issuedLOS ALAMOS, N.M., July 19, 2000 Since 1945 there have been 60 criticality accidents world-wide with varying levels of severity, from the most recent, a September 1999 accident in Japan that resulted in the deaths of two workers, to the very first fatal accident during the WWII Manhattan Project. All of these criticality accidents are now chronicled in a new report from the Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory, made public today.
The report, a joint effort of the United States and the Russian Federation, is the latest revision of a report first published in 1967 titled "A Review of Criticality Accidents." It includes significant new information about accidents that occurred in the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Argentina and Japan. The report begins by separating accidents into two distinct categories: process accidents and research reactor accidents.
Separating the two categories is important because of distinct differences between the two. In process accidents, administrative or physical controls are generally in place to prevent any sort of criticality, meaning that when criticality occurs it is wholly unwanted and unexpected. In research reactor accidents, some measure of criticality is purposely achieved, usually during experimentation, and ends up getting out of control somehow.
One of the report's principal authors, Thomas McLaughlin, of the Laboratory's Nuclear Criticality Safety group, says the report serves not only to reconstruct criticality accidents but to also offer information central to the prevention of accidents and the most effective response should an accident occur. "The most important sections of the report deal with observations and lessons learned from process criticality accidents," said McLaughlin. "All criticality accidents are dominated by design, managerial and operational failure, it's important that these issues be the focus for accident prevention."
A criticality accident occurs when the minimum amount of fissile material required to sustain a chain reaction is accidentally brought together. For example, when the nucleus of Uranium-235 disintegrates, two or three neutrons are released, and each is capable of causing another nucleus to disintegrate. However, if the total mass of the U-235 is insufficient to sustain a chain reaction, the neutrons simply escape. In most criticality accidents this chain reaction is very short lived, causing a neutron population spike and resultant radiation, heat and, in many cases, an ethereal "blue flash," a phenomenon of the air surrounding a neutron burst becoming ionized and giving off a flash of blue light.
The first-ever criticality accident resulting in a fatality occurred at Los Alamos' Omega Site on Aug. 21, 1945, and involved a 6.2-kilogram nickel-plated plutonium sphere and neutron-reflecting tungsten-carbide blocks. A critical assembly was created accidentally while the reflecting-blocks were stacked around the Pu sphere. The lone experimenter, Harry Daghlian, while moving a block in order to take a measurement had the block slip and drop onto the center of the assembly, causing a "superprompt" criticality event. Daghlian removed the dropped block by hand to stop the chain reaction and in doing so received a radiation dose estimated at 510 rem. He died 28 days later.
The vast majority of accidents do not result in death, but there have been 21 fatalities from criticality accidents since 1945. Nine of these fatalities were due to process accidents, and 12 resulted from research reactor accidents, according to the report. Of the 21 deaths, seven occurred in the United States, 10 in the Soviet Union, two in Japan, and one each in Yugoslavia and Argentina. There have been no accidents involving the transportation or storage of fissile materials. Only one accident, at the JCO Fuel Fabrication Plant in Tokimura, Japan, resulted in measurable exposures to members of the public, and these were well below allowable annual exposures to workers.
The report, originally scheduled for publication near the end of 1999, was held until now in order to add information from the process accident in Japan. "We felt it was very important to wait until we had the facts from this latest event so they could be added to this new revision," said McLaughlin. "The entire team working on this report wanted to make sure that it was a comprehensive as possible and contained the most up-to-date information."
In addition to McLaughlin, the report's authors are Shean Monahan of LANL, Norman Pruvost of Galaxy Computer Services, Inc., and Vladimir V. Frolov, Boris G. Ryazanov and Victor I. Sviridov all of the Institute of Physics and Power Engineering in Obninsk, Russia,
Los Alamos National Laboratory is operated by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 12:58:57 AM
CITIZENS GROUP READY TO FIGHT NUKE WASTE SITE Salt Lake Tribune -- Saturday, July 22, 2000 by Brent Israelsen
A bipartisan bevy of prominent Utahns is organizing to oppose a plan that would bring much of the nation's high-level nuclear waste to the state's western desert. They call themselves the "Citizens Against Nuclear Waste in Utah," and they aim to foment public opposition to a spent nuclear fuel storage facility proposed for the Goshute Indian Reservation in Skull Valley, 45 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. Gov. Mike Leavitt has fought the idea but recently conceded the state might not be able to stop it. "We want to invite citizens of Utah to join us to stop radioactive waste from being stored on the Goshute Reservation," said Jim McConkie, a Salt Lake City attorney leading the effort. It has the support of former Gov. Norm Bangerter, a Republican, former Salt Lake City Mayor Ted Wilson, a Democrat, and others. The invitation comes none too soon. The proposal to store up to
40,000 metric tons of nuclear waste on the reservation is the subject of a draft environmental impact statement recently released by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which will hold two public hearings next week in Salt Lake City and Grantsville. McConkie, the Democratic candidate for the state Senate seat being vacated by Scott Howell, D-Sandy, said the citizens group will educate the public about the dangers of the Goshute proposal and raise money to support a lawsuit already filed by opposition members within the tribe. Another key goal of the group, McConkie said, is to help the Goshutes find a viable economic-development alternative to the waste storage idea. The Goshutes have a lease agreement with Private Fuel Storage (PFS), a consortium of eight out-of-state electric utility companies looking for a place to dispose of spent-fuel rods from their nuclear power plants. Leon Bear, chairman of the Goshute tribe, said he has had no discussions with Citizens Against Nuclear Waste in Utah but would welcome any alternative ideas for business development on his reservation, one of the most economically disadvantaged in the country. "We're here to make sure our tribe survives. That's the bottom line.
We need an economic base to provide our tribal members with jobs and provide income so they can live," Bear said. But few economic development ideas are likely to be as lucrative as the deal with PFS, which would pay the Goshutes tens of millions of dollars over the next 20 years. Exact financial terms of the deal have not been made public. Bear, however, said the tribe could walk away from the PFS lease agreement. "Nothing is written in stone nowadays, just like the [Indian] treaties with the U.S. government," Bear said. McConkie's group plans to formally announce its formation on Tuesday at the state Capitol Rotunda. It will hold public meetings Wednesday in the Salt Lake City Council Chambers and Thursday at Westminster College. Also on Thursday, the group plans to march from the Salt Lake City-County Building to Little America Hotel for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's public hearing. Besides Bangerter and Wilson, joining McConkie in organizing the citizens group are former U.S. Rep. Wayne Owens; former U.S. Attorney Brent Ward; former U.S. Sens. Jake Garn and Frank Moss; Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan; Midvale Mayor JoAnn Seghini; Murray Mayor Dan Snarr; former Utah Sen. Dave Jones; Utah Sen. Paula Julander; Utah Rep. Ralph Becker; Rabbi Frederick Wenger; Kathleen McConkie-Collinwood, Democratic candidate for Utah's 1st Congressional District; Salt Lake City attorneys Bradley Parker and Robert Bradley; retired Unisys executive Rocky Navarro; actress Anne Sward Hansen; and American Indians Henry Clayton and Alberta Mason. "We're willing to lend our name to a good cause and help out," McConkie said. "This will give voice to the broad majority that is opposed to it. I haven't talked to anyone who wants radioactive waste that takes 10,000 years to [decompose] to be sitting 45 miles from Salt Lake City. Although the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) on Friday issued a media advisory of the citizens group's activities, McConkie said, the group is not affiliated or financially supported by the state. The state, however, is glad to have the help, said DEQ Director Dianne Nielson. DEQ and Leavitt's office have lost several key battles this year in their quest to stop the PFS-Goshute proposal.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 12:57:22 AM
The Columbus Dispatch
Ohio will power up with seven new plants
Sunday, July 23, 2000
Alan Johnson and Bob Dreitzler
Dispatch Staff Reporters
Ohio is on the verge of a $3 billion power surge.
An unprecedented electricity- plant building boom is on the way, triggered by industry deregulation and summertime power shortages.
State regulators have approved seven power-plant proposals, with an investment of $880 million, to generate 2,795 megawatts of electricity. One megawatt can provide electricity for about 1,000 homes during normal usage.
Another 15 power proposals are pending, including projects in Fairfield, Jackson and Pickaway counties.
If everything on the drawing board is approved, Ohio's electricity- generating capacity could jump 30 percent or more, said Kim Wissman, deputy director of utilities for the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. It already has increased 3 percent because of new plants now online.
Unlike traditional large, coal-burning, tall-smokestack power plants, most of the Ohio projects are smaller, natural-gas-fired units using turbines to generate electricity. These "peaking plants'' are typically used to generate power only at times of peak demand, such as very hot or very cold weather.
Although small by industry standards, most of the proposed plants cost more than $100 million to build, offering a boom to many areas of the state.
For example, a Pickaway County farm that usually grows corn and soybeans is the proposed site for a $183 million plant proposed by DPL Energy, a sister corporation of Dayton Power & Light. The company has received the preliminary go- ahead for a 480-megawatt plant south of Adkins Road in northwestern Pickaway County, about 11 miles south of Grove City.
The Ohio Power Siting Board is expected to vote on the proposal in late August or early September; the board's staff members have recommended the project.
The project also must receive an air-quality permit from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, said Kirk Guy, director of peak-generation development for DPL Energy.
The company hopes to begin construction by September and have the power plant ready to operate by June 1, 2002, Guy said.
The Darby Electric Generating Station will consist of six combustion-turbine generators that can operate on natural gas or diesel fuel. Each generator and its accessories will cover an area about 260 feet long and 65 feet wide. Each will have an exhaust stack between 65 and 92 feet high.
The units will be installed side-by-side on about 18 acres of a 141-acre farm that is under option for the project, according to the company's application to the Ohio Power Siting Board.
The site was chosen in part because a 345- kilovolt power transmission line and a large natural-gas line both cross the property, which also has a good groundwater supply.
DPL Energy will feed the power produced into the transmission line jointly owned by Dayton Power & Light, Columbus Southern Power and Cincinnati Gas & Electric.
Guy said the company expects to operate the plant only about 10 percent of the time, and it will be staffed by two employees.
The company is actively considering a half-dozen potential plant sites in Ohio, Guy said. It finished building a 200-megawatt plant near Greenville in western Ohio in June.
The company's application says that generating plants such as the one planned for Pickaway County are needed because peak power demand is growing at a time when many utilities are hesitating to increase their generating capacity and existing equipment is aging.
More than 20 percent of the electricity used in Ohio is generated with equipment that is 40 years old or older, according to a PUCO report cited in the application. Twenty-four percent is generated on equipment 30-39 years old. Only 16 percent is generated on equipment less than 20 years old.
DPL Energy will receive a 10-year, 100 percent tax abatement on its Pickaway County facility, but in return will give about $500,000 a year to the Westfall Local School District and $35,000 a year to Darby Township, beginning after the plant is completed.
Westfall district treasurer Scott E. Glandon said the payments will be the equivalent of about 3.5 mills in property taxes.
A five-year forecast shows the district would be operating in the red within two years without the money the plant will provide, Glandon said. If the plant is built, the district should be able to avoid asking voters to approve a new tax levy, he said.
"It's great news. It's the best news we could have gotten,'' he said.
Wissman said there has been a pent-up demand for more power in Ohio, but the industry was hesitant to invest because of uncertainty about deregulation. That changed last year when Gov. Bob Taft signed a law giving Ohioans the right to pick their electricity supplier beginning Jan. 1, 2001.
The last big power station to be built in Ohio was Zimmer, a former nuclear-power plant near Cincinnati converted to burn coal in 1991.
Ohio's power reserve has dwindled in recent years, contributing to power shortages the past two summers that forced some factories to shut down temporarily and prompted a call for voluntary cutbacks by residential consumers.
Five years ago, Wissman could recite every power application pending in Ohio.
"We have so many pending now, I have to check,'' she said.
Ohio's power surge is not unusual, said Jim Owen, spokesman for the Edison Electric Institute, a Washington, D.C., trade group.
"We're seeing that all across the country. We see it as a national trend because of electricity restructuring the generation portion of our business.''
Copyright © 2000, The Columbus Dispatch
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/24/2000 12:55:49 AM
Sunday, July 23, 2000
July 14, 2000
Senate OKs NTS compensationBy Benjamin Grove
LAS VEGAS SUN
WASHINGTON -- Nevada's nuclear weapons workers would be compensated for
their work-related illnesses according to legislation passed by the Senate
on Thursday.
"These workers deserve compensation for health care costs and lost wages
and to assist those families whose loved ones died as a result of their
work on our nation's nuclear defense program," Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.,
said in a statement.
Roughly 3,000 workers nationwide who built and tested nuclear weapons in 10
states, including Nevada Test Site laborers, would be compensated for
radiation-related health problems, according to a Department of Energy
plan. Workers at the Nevada Test Site, about 65 miles northwest of Las
Vegas, oversaw the nuclear weapons tests between 1951 and 1992.
Doctors have discovered lung scars in some workers that may have been
caused by beryllium, a metal dust, or silica from dust in the Test Site's
underground tunnels.
"This is a matter of simple justice for people who contributed to the
national defense effort of this country and made it possible to prevail in
the Cold War," said Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., who also pushed for the
legislation.
The Department of Energy April 12 announced that it was reversing a
decades-old practice of denying compensation to workers who claimed their
maladies were caused by their government labor.
The DOE called on Congress to begin paying workers who became ill and
compensating families of those who died. In certain instances, workers or
survivors could be eligible for a lump sum up to $200,000.
Congress has struggled to determine how to pay for the compensation
package, which would cost an estimated $400 million or more over five years.
But the Senate Thursday approved legislation that authorizes spending for
the program.
The House has not approved legislation compensating nuclear workers so it's
unclear whether the workers' compensation package would become law this year.
Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said she is optimistic the compensation
language would survive a conference committee.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 4:15:16 AM
Saturday, July 15, 2000
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Yucca feud could end up in Congress
By Tony Batt
Donrey Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- Congress may need to step in and resolve a dispute between federal agencies over radiation standards at Yucca Mountain, according to a government report released Friday.
The report, by the General Accounting Office, concluded that the disagreement between the Environmental Protection Agency and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission may be intractable.
"Given the agencies' historical differences and lack of recent progress, without congressional intervention, they may not resolve their differences," concluded GAO, the chief investigative arm of Congress.
In Las Vegas after returning from his first tour of the Yucca Mountain site Thursday, NRC Chairman Richard Meserve said his agency remains on course to review a license application for the planned repository -- if the Department of Energy submits one. "We would do that subject to guidance provided to us by the Environmental Protection Agency," he said.
"The water circumstances at the site will be of concern to the NRC," Meserve said. "How significant is what we don't know."
In August, the EPA proposed a radiation dose limit of 15 millirems per year from all radiation sources at Yucca Mountain and 4 millirems per year for drinking water systems there. A person is exposed to about 5 millirems of radiation during a typical chest X-ray.
The NRC challenged the EPA's proposal, saying a 25-millirem limit would be safe for all sources of radiation, including groundwater.
The GAO report drew an enthusiastic response from lawmakers who have argued that the EPA is setting unrealistic standards for a proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
"Congress should evaluate legislative approaches to either force EPA and NRC to define one standard or give responsibility to one agency," said Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., who requested the GAO report.
Sen. Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska, said the report shows the EPA standards lack a technical basis.
"Policy has driven the EPA standards, a policy that does not intend for a nuclear waste repository to open," Murkowski said.
Murkowski was the chief sponsor of an unsuccessful bill this year that would have authorized the storage of nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain as early as 2007, three years ahead of schedule.
The bill also would have required EPA to confer with NRC before setting radiation standards and prevented the standards from being enforced until after this year's presidential election. The Senate and House passed the bill, but President Clinton vetoed it. The Senate tried to override the veto in May but came up two votes short.
Nevertheless, the GAO report is expected to fuel future efforts to speed the shipment of 77,000 tons of nuclear waste to Nevada.
"The industry fervently hopes that Congress will recognize the value of the GAO assessment, and that the report will provide the impetus for Congress to act," said Joe Colvin, chief of the Nuclear Energy Institute.
A spokesman for Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the senator believes EPA should set radiation standards at Yucca Mountain. The agency is expected to issue a final version of its standards soon.
"The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is not concerned with the health and safety of Nevadans," said Reid spokesman Mark Schuermann. "Congress already tried to let the NRC set the standards and that was vetoed."
Review-Journal writer Keith Rogers contributed to this report.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 4:13:40 AM
July 14, 2000
Recycling suspension may cost 250 jobs
by Paul Parson
Oak Ridger staff
Opinions are ranging from "it's too early to tell" to serious as officials
began assessing how much Oak Ridge will be affected by U.S. Energy Secretary
Bill Richardson's suspending Thursday the release of potentially contaminated
scrap metals from Department of Energy facilities.
The suspension is part of a new policy aimed at ensuring contaminated
materials are not recycled into consumer products and at improving management
of scrap materials at DOE sites.
In a press release, Richardson said the suspension will remain in effect
until DOE sites can confirm that recycled metal would contain "no detectable
contamination from departmental activities."
Radioactivity can be detected in nature from a variety of materials. Sources
of radioactivity include rocks, soil and the human body.
DOE's metal recycling program has been under fire from environmental groups,
criticized by the steel industry and targeted in a lawsuit by the Paper,
Allied-industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers union. Concerns have centered
on the free release of metals with radioactive contamination, which critics
say could put the American public at risk if exposed while using ordinary
household items made from the metals.
"I am challenging the department's managers to think creatively and come up
with incentives to promote internal reuse and recycling," said Richardson,
who also barred the release earlier this year of any nickel taken from Oak
Ridge facilities.
Locally, DOE spokesman Frank Juan and Lawrence Young, executive director of
the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee, said it will take some
time to ascertain the impact of Richardson's decision on Oak Ridge.
"It's too early to tell," Juan said.
However, Susan Gawarecki, executive director of the Local Oversight
Committee, an Oak Ridge group that reviews environmental activities for local
governments, said Richardson's decision could "cause a lot of problems" at
East Tennessee Technology Park where BNFL is under contract to clean up three
gaseous diffusion processing plants at the Oak Ridge K-25 site.
That contract, awarded in 1997, requires BNFL dismantle, remove and
decontaminate the process equipment and support systems materials within the
three gaseous diffusion plant buildings. A provision in the contract allows
the company to recycle the low-level radioactive metals and keep the money
from sales of the metals.
When contacted for comment, BNFL officials issued a prepared statement
addressing the company's reaction toward the suspension. It states BNFL has
not received any notification or had any discussion with DOE officials as to
what ramifications the suspension would have on the ETTP project.
However, the company's statement adds the suspension will have a "significant
impact on the project and is a departure from the existing contract." BNFL is
currently removing more than a million and a half pounds of materials from
the three buildings on a weekly basis.
"For right now, it's business as usual," BNFL spokesman Norman Hammitt
emphasized.
In Washington, D.C., Richardson's decision was bad news to at least one
elected official. U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-3rd District, who has vocally
opposed the suspension for several months, issued a press statement shortly
after hearing about Richardson's official decision.
"I am dismayed by Secretary Richardson's nonsensical decision to ignore sound
science and solid evidence in what is obviously an election-year effort to
pander to and mobilize key constituencies," Wamp said. "Even worse, this
politically motivated move will cost up to 250 jobs in the Oak Ridge area and
impact more than 950 others at companies in the metals recycling business in
East Tennessee.
"Not only does this blunder cost jobs, it will also cost the taxpayers money.
Costs for the coming year could be increased by upwards of $30 million
because recycling contractors will incur additional expenses for storing and
repackaging wastes that would otherwise have been recycled."
Wamp said he was also "personally disappointed" that Richardson did not
respond to a June 1 letter he wrote citing the scientific and factual
arguments against the suspension. The letter warned Richardson that creating
a moratorium on the recycling of the potentially contaminated metals would be
a "lose-lose-lose" proposal.
However, when contacted for comment in early June, a DOE headquarters
representative told The Oak Ridger that the moratorium was not set in stone
and other options were under consideration.
In addition, a month before Wamp's letter was issued, The Oak Ridger reported
the suspension was being considered, which a local DOE spokesman said was
untrue.
Calls were placed to DOE headquarters in Washinton, D.C., and PACE for
comments this morning, but no one was available for comment.
=========================================================
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 4:12:38 AM
NUCLEAR REACTOR PLAN OK'd
The governor's approval in Hokkaido is the first since the disaster at the uranium processing plant in Tokaimura.
Asahi Shimbun
July 14, 2000
SAPPORO-Plans to build a nuclear reactor in Hokkaido was approved today despite lingering public fears stemming from the criticality disaster last year that killed two workers.
Hokkaido Governor Tatsuya Hori gave the green light to build a new nuclear reactor at Hokkaido Electric Power Co.'s plant near the village of Tomari on the southwest coast of Hokkaido.
In Shimane Prefecture, meanwhile, Governor Nobuyoshi Sumita was to OK a plan in a prefectural assembly session today to build a third reactor at Chugoku Electric Power Co.'s nuclear plant in Kashima.
Hori's approval is the first for a governor since Japan's worst-ever nuclear accident struck JCO Co.'s uranium processing facility in Tokaimura, Ibaraki Prefecture, in September. The accident, caused by apparent time-saving and illegal uranium processing procedures, killed two workers at the facility and shattered public confidence in the government's nuclear power generation policy.
In a special budget committee in the Hokkaido Assembly early today, Hori acknowledged Hokkaido Electric Power Co.'s forecast that a new power source of 900,000 kilowatts will be needed after 2008.
Hori said he had no choice but to approve the reactor project because there are no plans for an alternative energy source.
Under the power company's plan, the 912,000-kilowatt No. 3 reactor will start operating in December 2008.
Around the nation, however, power demand has not grown as expected amid the still-sluggish economy.
But the two plans in Hokkaido and Shimane have proceeded smoothly because the reactors will be added to existing nuclear facilities, power company officials said.
Observers said it is easier for governors to approve additional reactors because local autonomies housing nuclear power plants receive special central government subsidies for a limited period of time. Many small communities rely on the stable income from the subsidies and endorse new reactors to receive fresh funds.
In stark contrast, plans to build nuclear power plants from scratch have faced strong opposition.
Chubu Electric Power Co. scrapped its plan in February to build a nuclear power plant in Ashihama, Mie Prefecture, in line with the prefectural governor's wishes.
Tohoku Electric Power Co. postponed its original plan for a new nuclear plant in Niigata Prefecture until the term of an anti-nuclear mayor ends.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 4:11:32 AM
Ban on radioactive scrap may affect Oak Ridge
Wamp blasts move as 'nonsensical'
July 14, 2000
By Frank Munger, News-Sentinel Oak Ridge bureau
OAK RIDGE -- U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson on Thursday halted the
release of radioactive scrap metals at DOE sites nationwide, a policy move
that could jeopardize BNFL's cleanup project in Oak Ridge.
Richardson's order had been anticipated for months because of heavy pressure
from the metals recycling industry, environmental groups and a union that had
opposed the Oak Ridge project from its inception.
"I am making this decision to ensure American consumers that scrap metal
released from Energy Department facilities for recycling contains no
detectable contamination from departmental activities," Richardson said in a
press statement. "The suspension will remain in effect until our sites can
confirm that they can meet this new more rigorous standard."
The secretary previously barred the release of any nickel taken from the Oak
Ridge facilities, even though the state of Tennessee had reviewed the
recycling program and approved a permit that allowed BNFL to melt the metal
and release it with small amounts of contamination mixed throughout.
The latest DOE order is broad-based and covers all metals with the potential
for any nuclear contamination, whether it's internal or on the surface.
BNFL, a subsidiary of British Nuclear Fuels, signed a $238 million contract
with DOE in 1997 to clean up three huge buildings at the East Tennessee
Technology Park, a former uranium-enrichment plant known as K-25.
The Oak Ridge contract was based on BNFL's ability to take ownership of
metals stripped from old facilities and resell the material on the commercial
market. Money from those sales was supposed to help subsidize the high cost
of cleanup.
After Richardson's earlier moratorium on nickel sales, BNFL asked DOE for
about $40 million to compensate it for the contractual change. That request
is still under negotiation.
The impact of the broader ban is not clear, although some have suggested it
undermines the premise of the BNFL contract and could skew the entire
project.
BNFL and its Oak Ridge recycling unit, Manufacturing Sciences Corp., have
already sold about 8 million pounds of metals cleaned up to acceptable levels
under the previous policy. That volume, however, was only a small fraction of
the thousands of tons that could have been sold on the open market if the
project had been allowed to proceed.
Richardson said he was encouraging DOE's field managers to "think creatively"
and come up with ways to recycle the contaminated metal for uses within the
department, such as containers for nuclear waste.
A BNFL spokesman said Thursday the company had not received any official
notification. BNFL and its contractors employ about 500 people on the cleanup
project.
In a prepared statement, BNFL touted the progress being made at the Oak Ridge
site and said, "This appears to be a decision that will have a significant
impact on the project and is a departure from the existing contract baseline,
but until we have had discussions with the department, we will continue
working on the project as it currently stands."
Richard Miller, policy analyst with the Paper Allied-Industrial Chemical &
Energy Workers, said Richardson deserves "a huge amount of credit" for taking
steps to protect the health of American consumers and the integrity of the
nation's metal recycling industry.
PACE, formerly known as the Oil Chemical and Atomic Workers Union, filed a
lawsuit trying to stop the Oak Ridge project in its early stages. That suit,
which claimed unsafe work practices, was unsuccessful, but the union has
continued to push for greater restrictions on the recycling program.
"Building a market (for recycled metals) inside DOE is really smart," Miller
said. "The fact of the matter is Richardson has done more than any other
secretary in terms of establishing a rational policy for how to deal with
radioactive metals."
U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., whose district includes Oak Ridge, was outraged
by the action and dispatched a letter to Richardson saying it could cost many
Tennesseans their jobs.
"I am dismayed by Secretary Richardson's nonsensical decision to ignore sound
science and solid evidence in what is obviously an election-year effort to
pander to and mobilize key constituencies," Wamp said in a press statement.
"Even worse, this politically motivated move will cost up to 250 jobs in the
Oak Ridge area and impact more than 950 others in the metals recycling
business in East Tennessee."
Wamp said the move would be costly to taxpayers, too, because the cost of
storing and repackaging wastes will rise by $30 million or more.
Frank Munger may be reached at 865-482-9213 or twig1@knoxnews.infi.net.
=========================================================
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 4:10:12 AM
USWA Statement on DOE's New Radioactive Scrap Policy
U.S. Newswire
13 Jul 17:24
USWA Reaction to DOE's New Radioactive Scrap Policy
To: National Desk
Contact: Gary Hubbard of of the United Steelworkers of America,
202-778-4384; email: ghubbard@uswa.org
WASHINGTON, July 13 /U.S. Newswire/ -- George Becker, president of
the United Steelworkers of America (USWA), reacted to today's
announcement by U.S. Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson, who
suspended release of potentially contaminated scrap metals for
recycling from Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear facilities.
--
"Steelworkers at metal producing plants across the country will
be well-served by Secretary Richardson's new policy to be imposed at
DOE sites of potentially radioactively contaminated scrap. This
procedure will afford protection of workers and consumers. It also
provides recognition to our expressed concerns that radioactive metal
scrap is a serious problem demanding development of a rigorous
standard.
"Secretary Richardson deserves full credit for his leadership to
establish this new federal procedure that includes other steps at
improving record keeping and reporting to afford workplace protection
for all Steelworkers.
"We will continue to seek congressional passage of Rep. Ron
Klink's legislation, the Steel and Metals Consumers Radioactivity
Protection Act, or HR 4566, that would address the same concerns
raised by Secretary Richardson."
-0-
/U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/
07/13 17:24
Copyright 2000, U.S. Newswire
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 4:09:02 AM
July 13, 2000
Richardson suspends metal recycling
by Paul Parson
Oak Ridger staff
Energy Secretary Bill Richardson suspended today the release of potentially
contaminated scrap metals from Department of Energy nuclear facilities in an
attempt to ensure contaminated materials are not recycled into consumer
products, but the decision could impact Oak Ridge operations.
Richardson's decision is also aimed at improving DOE's management of scrap
materials at its nuclear weapons production sites.
In a press release, Richardson stated his decision will remain in effect
until the sites can confirm that they meet new, more rigorous standards.
"I am challenging the Department's managers to think creatively and come up
with incentives to promote internal reuse and recycling," he said.
Richardson's decision comes more than a month after Congressman Zach Wamp,
R-3rd District, sent a letter to Richardson stating that a "moratorium" on
the recycling of radioactivity surface-contaminated metals would be a
"lose-lose" proposal for Oak Ridge and for the American taxpayer.
========================================================
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 4:07:48 AM
Another deadly legacy from the Cold War
By LANCE GAY Scripps Howard News Service July 12, 2000
- With the end of the Cold War, the United States is facing a fresh nuclear
headache: what to do with a growing stockpile of unwanted steel and other
metals contaminated by low-level radiation.
The Energy Department and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission say there isn't
space in low-level radiation dumps already set up for hospital X-ray wastes
to handle the estimated 3 million tons of radioactive metals once used in
the structures where nuclear weapons were built and power plants were
generating electricity.
So the government is considering plans to release some lightly contaminated
metals into commercial recycling to be turned into such items as
construction materials, cars, garden spades, baby carriages and frying pans.
Tons of contaminated metals already have been released on a "case by case"
basis.
Labor unions, environmentalists and recyclers are fighting back, insisting
that smelters won't handle anything with even low radiation levels. They
argue that radioactive metal is valueless because there's no market for
items made from it, no matter how small the dose or how cheap the product.
"People should be able to sit down to dinner without worrying their meals
were cooked in contaminated pots,'' said Rep. Ron Klink, D-Pa.
Klink and 22 members of the congressional steel caucus have introduced
legislation to block any further release of radioactive metals and to
require the government to come up with a standard of what levels of
radiation might be safe for the general public. The government has already
issued standards for X-ray technicians and workers in nuclear power plants,
but Klink said there is no government standard for what dosage of radiation
might be safe for the general public.
Since the dangers of radiation are well known, "the risks are too high to
ignore," Klink said. He said he's not a scientist, and doesn't know what
radiation levels might be safe.
Environmentalists and workplace safety experts said there's little agreement
among scientists over what levels of radioactivity above normal "background"
levels are safe. Nor is there any government labeling requirement to tell
consumers that the metals in their dinnerware, cars or baby carriages have
radiation in them, Klink says.
Before considering any new regulations, however, the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission is waiting for the recommendations of a National Academy of
Sciences panel of experts on levels of radioactivity in scrap metal that
might be acceptable for public health reasons.
A June 1988 nuclear commission staff memo said any new rule should allow the
unrestricted release of radioactive metal and other material in nuclear
facilities, "based on realistic scenarios of health effects from low doses."
NRC spokeswoman Mindy Landau said the volume of materials used in nuclear
plants over the last 50 years is increasing as nuclear power plants end
their productive lifespans. The United States has not built a new nuclear
power plant since the Three Mile Island accident in 1979.
Landau said that some closed weapons and nuclear power plants are "in
storage" with radiation-contaminated equipment left on the site until the
government issues new regulations. But she said other parts of closed plants
not exposed to radiation are already being put into the recycling stream.
The Energy Department, which administers the nation's nuclear weapons
plants, is also waiting for new nuclear commission rules before deciding
what to do with an estimated 1.4 million tons of metals coming from
dismantled weapons facilities.
"The commission wants to create some consistency and fold it under a
regulatory scheme,'' Landau said.
Nuclear-contaminated metals have already shown up in some consumer products.
Two years ago, a shipment of 38 cooking pots delivered to the shipyard in
Newport News, Va., tripped off radiation monitors that the Navy uses to
check all cargo. The pots were found to contain small amounts of cobalt-60,
which measured well below the regulatory threshold for being a health
hazard.
The year before, furniture maker La-Z-Boy recalled 6,000 recliners that were
manufactured with Brazilian-made steel parts containing radiation.
The government has also approved some releases of radioactive building
materials. In 1994, the Energy Department approved a proposal by the Energy
Department's Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (cq) in California to release 140
tons of copper wire lightly contaminated with radioactive cobalt-60 to a
local scrap metal recycler.
The recycling industry says those incidents are trivial compared to what
will happen if the government dumps millions of tons of radioactive steel
into the recycling stream. About 95 percent of the steel used in America is
currently recycled.
Steve Larick, chairman of the radiation subcommittee for the Steel
Manufacturers Association, said putting radioactive steel in the commercial
stockpile would undermine public confidence in an industry that recycles
more than $40 billion worth of steel a year.
"Once out of the gate and through several hands, it's going to lose its
traceability" and contaminate other steel products that are radiation-free
as the products are used and recycled. "Over time, it could cycle up and
concentrate."
Larick, the environmental compliance supervisor for steelmaker SMI in
Seguin, Texas, said that like most other American steel firms, his company
won't handle any scrap metal that sets off monitors that detect discarded
items made from radioactive materials like Cesium.
"You have to worry about protecting the people who work for you," Larick
said. "Nobody wants to be around this stuff more than they have to."
He suggests the government should build its own smelters for radioactive
metal and reprocess the material as steel for new nuclear reactors or
containers for nuclear waste, using workers who are trained to handle
radioactive materials.
Larick said federal regulators and nuclear power companies mistakenly
believe the contaminated metal has some value. "But if it's got any
radiation in it, there's not any value to it at all - it's really a negative
value" because it will only end up in scrap yards after being refused by
steel mills, he said.
Mike White, director of health and safety for the United Steelworkers Union
of America, said his union's 600,000 members won't handle radioactive
metals. "It's not safe to recycle,'' he said.
He said commercial steel mills aren't equipped to handle any levels of
radiation and lack the necessary safety equipment.
But government plans are proceeding nonetheless. In May, Nuclear Regulatory
Commission Commissioner Jeffrey Merrifield suggested using the radioactive
steel for an oil pipeline being built under the Beaufort Sea in Alaska.
Diane D'Arriago, director of the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, a
Washington environmental lobbying group, said the only safe course is for
the government to keep control of the material, as it has done for the last
50 years. She said efforts to set a standard that allows any release of even
lightly contaminated material will result in a calamity.
The nuclear commission argues that doses of radioactivity in low-level scrap
is less than that in a chest X-ray or in the potassium content of table salt
substitute. But D'Arragio says plutonium, cesium and strontium aren't
natural but are manmade byproducts of the nuclear age.
"The floodgates are about to open," she said, "and once there is a standard,
there's no way of stopping it from coming out."
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 4:07:05 AM
July 12, 2000
Hanford contractors sued again
New claim seeks $100 billion from
firms accused of exposing Richland-area people Related stories
Karen Dorn Steele - Staff writer
Spokane _ A new civil rights lawsuit seeks $100 billion in
punitive damages from a dozen Hanford contractors accused of
secretly exposing thousands of people to radiation.
The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Spokane, says the
contractors hired by the government to make plutonium for nuclear
bombs "systematically and daily" exposed people living near
Hanford to radiation releases in the 1940s and '50s.
That exposure "increased substantially" their risk of contracting
thyroid disease or cancer, the complaint says.
Seventeen plaintiffs, including Karen L. Ray of Spokane, are
named. Their lawyers are asking the court to expand the complaint
to provide medical monitoring for up to 14,000 other exposed
people.
The new plaintiffs all lived in or near Richland during Hanford's
peak radiation emissions and suffer from a variety of radiation-
related ailments, said attorney Bryan Coluccio of Seattle.
"Some of them had received medical care recently and were asked
by their doctors where they'd lived and whether they'd had any
radiation exposure. Most of them didn't know about the other
lawsuits," Coluccio said.
The five firms bringing the new complaint also are involved in
one of two other major Hanford downwinders' cases filed against
the same contractors in 1990.
That case, named for lead defendant Louis Berg of Republic,
Wash., is on appeal after U.S. District Judge Alan McDonald
tossed out hundreds of claims last August.
One of the firms representing the new Hanford plaintiffs,
Engstrom, Lipscomb & Lack of Los Angeles, also is involved in a
sequel to the $300 million toxic tort case against California
utility Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. featured in the recent
Hollywood movie "Erin Brockovich."
The Hanford contractors named in the lawsuit include major
companies hired by the U.S. government since the 1940s: E.I.
DuPont De Nemours & Co.; General Electric Co.; UNC Nuclear
Industries Inc.; Atlantic Richfield Co.; Atlantic Richfield
Hanford Co.; Rockwell International Corp.; Fluor Daniel Hanford;
Battelle Memorial Institute; Pacific Northwest Laboratory; CH2M
Hill Hanford Group Inc.; Westinghouse Hanford Co. and Lockheed
Martin Corp.
The civil complaint also names the Hanford Environmental Health
Foundation Inc., which worked with the contractors to provide
medical services at Hanford.
The defendants, who are being served with the complaint this
week, could not be reached for comment late Tuesday.
The new case is initially assigned to U.S. District Judge Edward
Shea of Richland.
•Karen Dorn Steele can be reached at 459 5462, or by e-mail at
karend@spokesman.com.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 4:05:38 AM
Clinton signs new nuclear-compensation bill
LV residents, Test Site workers are not covered
By Mary Manning
LAS VEGAS SUN
President Clinton on Tuesday signed an expanded radiation compensation bill
that includes more residents who lived downwind from the Nevada Test Site
during above-ground testing of atomic bombs from 1951 until 1963.
However, the legislation sponsored by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, does not
cover Las Vegas residents who grew up watching the mushroom clouds rise
over the mountains northwest of the valley nor workers at the Test Site, 65
miles northwest of Las Vegas.
Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the new law may cover those living in Lincoln
County, northeast of the Test Site, who have developed cancer after
exposure to the radioactive fallout.
The new law, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of 2000,
also makes it easier for individuals to prove they were injured, Reid said.
It is expected to benefit 9,600 victims not covered under the original law,
passed in 1990.
"Growing up in Searchlight I vividly remember watching the blasts at the
Nevada Test Site, but I also vividly remember the health problems these
blasts caused to people living downwind," Reid said.
The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the new bill will cost about
$750 million over the next five years. As of March 1 the Justice Department
had paid 3,302 claims worth $244 million and denied another 3,500 claims.
Another new feature of the updated act adds to the eligibility list
open-pit uranium miners and those who transported or milled uranium. It
also increases the number of sites where miners and downwinders can seek
compensation.
The House approved the bill last month. The Senate passed it in December.
Some critics have said the legislation does not cover enough illnesses or
increase compensation amounts. Uranium miners who worked after 1971 are not
covered.
While the 1990 law already covered uranium miners in Arizona, New Mexico,
Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and Washington, the extended measure includes
workers from South Dakota, North Dakota, Idaho, Oregon and Texas.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 4:04:40 AM
Wednesday, July 12, 2000
Envirocare to get OK for hotter waste?
By Donna M. Kemp Deseret News staff writer
State environmental regulators say they are on target to complete
a technical review of Envirocare's proposal to accept hotter
radioactive wastes at its Tooele County low-level radioactive
waste dump.
And that, said Bill Sinclair, director of the Division of
Radiation Control, means Utah lawmakers could get the hot potato
dropped on their collective lap when they convene this January.
"We are midstream in the process, and in my view things are going
well," Sinclair told legislators Tuesday. He predicted an
administrative decision could be made as early as September with
public hearings to follow this fall. "It's feasible, but it's a
tight schedule," he said.
Last legislative session, Utah lawmakers passed intent language
urging Sinclair's staff not to drag their feet in processing
Envirocare of Utah's application to accept Class B and C low-
level radioactive wastes. Some in the Legislature saw that as an
attempt to pressure Sinclair into a political decision rather
than a sound scientific one.
The issue has generated considerable controversy on Capitol Hill,
with Envirocare supporters and opponents gearing up for a nasty
fight in January.
On Tuesday, 11 members of the powerful Executive Appropriations
Committee toured the Envirocare facility 70 miles west of Salt
Lake City, where they were briefed by state regulators and
company officials. Sinclair later briefed the Legislative
Management Committee on the same issues and Wednesday gave a
similar presentation to the Natural Resources, Agriculture, and
Environment Committee.
Under current law, any application for waste dumps must first
gain approval from local government leaders, pass regulatory
reviews with the state and then be approved by both the
Legislature and the governor.
Envirocare has already received approval for its proposal from
the Tooele County Commission. The county currently gets $4.5
million a year in fees from Envirocare.
Lawmakers are also interested in how much additional fees and
taxes could be generated for the state if the hotter wastes are
allowed into the state.
"Most legislators haven't taken a position," said Senate Majority
Leader Leonard Blackham, R-Moroni.
However, none of the lawmakers on the tour expressed any concerns
about the Envirocare proposal, and many of them praised
Envirocare's proven track record for safety since the company
opened for business in 1988. It remains the only commercial,
privately owned radioactive waste dump in the nation.
"Envirocare has proven to be a good corporate citizen of the
state," said Sen. Pete Knudson, R-Brigham City.
Currently, Envirocare is licensed to accept only Class A wastes,
which consist of soils contaminated with radioactive byproducts
left over from uranium mining. The Class B and C wastes include
much more radioactive materials from decommissioned power plants,
hospitals and research laboratories.
While Class A wastes arrive at Envirocare by rail, the hotter
wastes would arrive in sealed containers carried on trucks.
Envirocare President Charles Judd explained it to lawmakers this
way: If the radioactivity of Class A waste the company now
accepts were to be a hypothetical "one foot" long, then Class B
waste would be 20 feet long, and Class C waste would be 70 feet
long.
But that is nothing compared to the high-level radioactive wastes
proposed for disposal at nearby Goshute tribal lands. Using the
same yardstick, Judd said the distance would stretch from Salt
Lake City to France.
"There's no comparison," Judd said. "That (high-level waste) is
millions of times more radioactive."
Rep. Greg Curtis, R-Sandy, expressed concern that the public
might perceive the Class B and C wastes as the same as the wastes
targeted for the Goshute lands. Only two other Class B and C
dumps currently exist — in Washington state and South Carolina.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 4:03:32 AM
Civilians exposed to nuclear test radiation to get help
By Mike Amon
Donrey Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- More civilians exposed to radiation from Cold War
nuclear testing will get $75,000 under a bill President Clinton signed
Tuesday.
The new law expands on a 1990 act that compensated people in Nevada,
Arizona and Utah who developed cancer after contact with radioactive
fallout from experiments conducted at the Nevada Test Site. The new law
adds to the list of cancers eligible for compensation, and lengthens the
list of counties in Utah where victims can qualify.
It also extends benefits to uranium and beryllium mine workers in 11
states.
About 9,600 more cancer victims will be eligible for benefits under
the new law, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said.
The bill is targeted at mine workers and "downwinders" who were not
covered in the 1990 law. Downwinders were people exposed to radiation that
drifted away from the Nevada Test Site after nuclear blasts.
Most downwinders who lived in Nevada were compensated through the
1990 law, but many in southwest Utah were not. The law, sponsored by Sen.
Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, added San Juan and Wayne counties in Utah.
New diseases included under the law are silicosis and cancers of the
lung, brain, ovary, male and female breast, colon, bladder and salivary
glands. In Nevada, victims in Nye, Lincoln, White Pine and Lander counties
who developed cancers added to the law can claim up to $75,000. To be
eligible, they must have lived in these counties between Jan. 15, 1951, and
Oct. 31, 1958, for at least a year, or during July 1962.
Family members may make a claim for compensation if the victim has
died. For information about compensation eligibility, call the Department
of Energy toll free at (877) 447-9756.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 3:58:07 AM
The Columbus Dispatch
TAFT URGES CLINTON TO STOP CLOSING OF PIKETON PLANT
Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2000
Byline: Alan Johnson
Source: Dispatch Statehouse Reporter
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Gov. Bob Taft had just 83 seconds with Bill Clinton, but he made the most of it by lobbying the president to stop the "devastation of Ohio families'' triggered by the planned closing of the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant at Piketon.
Clinton made no promises, Taft said.
Ohio's Republican governor had a brief moment to speak with the president yesterday after Clinton addressed the National Governors' Association meeting at Penn State University.
Clinton, a former Democratic governor and NGA chairman, took time, as usual, to make the rounds and talk individually with governors after his 36-minute speech.
Taft, a Republican, seized the opportunity to thrust a letter into Clinton's hands detailing his concerns about USEC's plan to close the Piketon plant, taking with it most of the 1,700 jobs vital to employment-poor southern Ohio.
"He was aware of the situation,'' Taft said later. "He talked about the federal commitment to cleaning up the site.''
However, the president offered no commitment on Taft's request that the federal government press USEC to make good on its promise to keep the Piketon plant open through 2004.
"He's talking about spreading the benefits of the new economy,'' Taft said of Clinton. "Here is an area of Appalachia where they're not bringing in jobs, they're taking jobs out.''
Facing financial trouble, USEC plans to shutter the former federal government uranium-enrichment plant at Piketon, but will keep open a sister plant at Paducah, Ky. The company took over the plants after they were privatized by the federal government.
"I cannot overstate the devastation Ohio families are feeling on the heels of this announcement,'' Taft wrote in his letter to Clinton.
"We continue to find more questions than answers as we investigate the rationale behind USEC's decision,'' the governor said.
Clinton struck a conciliatory, almost nostalgic note in his last speech as president to the nation's governors.
While never mentioning Vice President Al Gore, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, or Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the GOP candidate, Clinton emphasized the importance of the upcoming election in keeping the economy on a roll.
"I hope when you go home, you'll ask the American people in your own states to be really good citizens and think and decide. We may never get this chance again in our lifetimes.''
Clinton said it would be a "huge mistake'' to follow the lead of Republicans in Congress who want to repeal the estate tax and fund other commitments, in the process eating up most of the estimated $1.9 trillion federal surplus.
The president also touted his proposal for a Medicare prescription plan for seniors and urged governors to oversee clean campaigns that have "purged some of the poison out of national politics.''
Republican governors, who outnumber Democrats 30-18 in the NGA, saw little positive about Clinton's address.
New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman called it "the most partisan speech I've ever heard him give.''
"He comes here and talks like he's one of us,'' Wisconsin Gov. Tommy G. Thompson added, "then he goes back to Washington and does the opposite.''
While Taft agreed with the GOP colleagues that Clinton's speech was "partisan in a cleverly disguised manner,'' he nonetheless thanked him for praising Ohio's program to boost health-care benefits for low-income children.
Clinton singled out Ohio for expanding state efforts to sign up youngsters for the federally funded, Children's Health Insurance Program.
Ohio has 71,000 youngsters enrolled in CHIP.
As of July 1, Ohio further upgraded CHIP by expanding the income qualification for parents to 200 percent of the federal poverty level. That is expected to significantly increase the number of youngsters enrolled.
content herein is © 2000 The Columbus Dispatch
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 3:57:24 AM
Columbus Dispatch
BAD FAITH
ENRICHMENT CORP. HAS PROVED UNTRUSTWORTHY
Date: Monday, July 10, 2000
Cynicism runs deep in the beleaguered southern Ohio town of Piketon these days, and why shouldn't it?
Not a year after learning that workers at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant were unknowingly exposed to highly radioactive plutonium during the Cold War and only a few months after layoffs were announced, the community was hard hit with the announcement that the 2,000-employee uranium-enrichment plant will close next year. Bad news in an already economically depressed area.
Bad news but not surprising news.
Two years ago, the public United States Enrichment Corp., which oversaw the plant and its sister facility in Paducah, Ky., was privatized -- a boon for Wall Street, which made many millions of dollars in the transaction, but a bust for workers, who suspected downsizing was coming. A pledge that neither plant would be shut before 2005 was taken by many with a grain of salt.
And rightly so as it turns out.
Energy Secretary Bill Richardson has promised to try to shift as many workers as possible into federally funded jobs cleaning the site, and there is certainly much cleaning to do. But even that promise inspires little excitement yet. Cleaning up the 3,700-acre plant site will take years, to be sure. But it also will take hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars that Congress has yet to appropriate. The money would be well- spent, from public health, environmental and, as a bonus, economic-development perspectives. Congress should see the wisdom in this.
Richardson also said he will recommend changes in the government's relationship with USEC, including possibly replacing the corporation as the government's agent in a key Russian arms-control deal.
For years, USEC has been in charge of a key U.S.-Russian arms deal that involves culling uranium from thousands of Russian nuclear warheads -- an arrangement that helped keep the volatile cargo out of dangerous hands, gave Russia a source of desperately needed cash and provided the United States with nuclear fuel.
William H. Timbers, president and chief executive officer of USEC, has told Richardson that the company is trying to renegotiate the Russian deal. Before privatizing, management insisted it could carry out the Russian deal while operating both the Piketon and Paducah plants.
Nothing that USEC has to say can be taken to heart anymore. It appears USEC can't be trusted to keep its word. It's high time for an investigation, as Gov. Bob Taft has suggested, of whether this company has operated in good faith.
All content herein is © 2000 The Columbus Dispatch
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 3:56:05 AM
Clinton Signs Hatch Bill on Uranium Injury
July 11, 2000
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
President Clinton on Monday signed legislation that would provide $750
million for people injured as a result of their work in uranium mines and
mills.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, offers financial
compensation of up to $100,000 to thousands of people who work with uranium
or who were exposed to dangerous levels of radiation from open-air nuclear
weapons testing at the Nevada Test Site.
If the injured person has died, his or her heirs may be eligible.
Earlier this month, Hatch praised the bill's passage through Congress as
a "major victory for the state of Utah."
Hatch was sponsor of a 1990 law known as the Radiation Exposure
Compensation Act (RECA), which offered financial compensation to people
living directly "downwind" from the Nevada Test Site who were exposed to high
levels of radioactive fallout and to some of those who worked in underground
uranium mines.
The new bill amends RECA to include additional categories of people who
are now known to have suffered health problems as a result of radiation
exposure. For example, workers in underground uranium mines previously were
compensated only if they suffered from certain types of diseases. The
amendments expand the list of eligible diseases.
==========================================================
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 3:54:46 AM
Before Suicide, Ex-Employee Blew Whistle on Envirocare Sunday, June 25, 2000
BY BRENT ISRAELSEN (c) 2000, THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
A whistle-blower who worked for four years at Envirocare of Utah apparently killed himself after months of trouble with the radioactive-waste-disposal company. Geoffrey Ogden lost control of his truck and crashed in Bountiful the afternoon of June 2 after ingesting a large quantity of sleeping pills. He died a short time later. Bountiful police Detective Richard Bliss points to a number of factors leading to the apparent suicide. Ogden, 28, had a history of depression, for which he was being treated, and had divorced a month earlier. Ogden also was struggling with his recent departure from Envirocare, which operates a large radioactive-waste landfill in Tooele County, 80 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. Envirocare -- whose history is replete with regulatory, legal and political turmoil -- was reprimanded in April for intimidating Ogden after he pointed out a problem with a waste shipment. In a Salt Lake Tribune interview April 21, Ogden said his whistle-blowing had landed him in hot water with Envirocare management, which a week before had placed him on administrative leave, ostensibly because he had accessed a pornographic Web site from a work computer. The real reason for the leave, Ogden believed, was to punish him for writing a routine "problem report" that held up a waste shipment received last October at Envirocare's site. "They were upset I wrote the report,'' said Ogden, who at the time of the Tribune interview was contemplating a whistle-blower lawsuit against Envirocare. Under Utah law, employers are prohibited from persecuting or punishing employees who "blow the whistle" on illegality or waste of public money. In practice, however, whistle-blowers are often ostracized, intimidated and discredited by their employers. "You start to feel your self-worth disappear. You question your own judgment. It tears you apart from the inside out," said Frank Hatton-Ward, a former Salt Lake City policeman who was fired after publicly criticizing his department's handling of a serial-murder investi- gation in the late 1980s. As a receiving coordinator for Envirocare, Ogden was responsible for checking the shipping documents to ensure shipments met state and federal license requirements. "We are the first step in the process," Ogden said. The problem he reported was with a waste shipment received Oct. 4 from British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. Ogden said he had written 200 problem reports in his four-year tenure at Envirocare and did not think the one regarding British Nuclear Fuels was a "big deal." But Envirocare officials thought differently. The next day, Ogden was called in to a meeting with Al Rafati, Envirocare's vice president for business development, and Paul Larsen, Envirocare's director of operations. Rafati and Larsen criticized Ogden for writing the problem report. "They said it was not 'customer friendly,' " Ogden said. In a memo describing the meeting with Rafati and Larsen, Ogden wrote that they told him his problem report could drive business away from Envirocare. "They said we needed to become more competitive in the industry and that holding shipments up over minor issues like paperwork would not be good for business. . . . [Rafati] stated that we needed to have more people that could work outside the bubble so that we would stay open, then [Larsen] said that Envirocare rewards people that work outside the bubble." Ogden said he understood "outside the bubble" to mean outside the regulations. British Nuclear Fuels is a valued Envirocare client that could be worth even more money if Envirocare prevails in its request this year to be licensed for "hotter" radioactive waste than its current licenses permit. Two of three staff members who witnessed the confrontation verified Ogden's story, saying Rafati and Larsen acted as though they were threatening to have him fired. The third staff member said the managers' tone was "in your face" but not threatening. Feeling he had been unfairly rebuked by Rafati and Larsen, Ogden complained to Envirocare's quality assurance department. Unsatisfied with that department's response, Ogden in February filed a complaint with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which forwarded the complaint to the Utah Division of Radiation Control. The division conducted an investigation and found no violation of state or federal regulations by Envirocare. However, on April 13, Division Director Bill Sinclair and fellow regulator Dane Finerfrock reprimanded Envirocare President Charles Judd for the company's handling of the Ogden matter, according to documents obtained by The Tribune through the state open-records law. In his report on the meeting, Sinclair wrote, "We indicated to Mr. Judd that we believed the situation of management-staff interaction was such that it could have created a chilling effect on future whistle-blower activities. It appeared that staff could have got the message that 'creating problems or pointing out deficiencies' could result in action by Envirocare, even termination." Judd told The Tribune that Ogden "did the right thing" in writing his problem report of Oct. 4, and that the management's response to it "could have been done better." He said some "actions" have been taken against the management personnel involved but he would not elaborate. On April 13, the same day Sinclair and Finerfrock met with Judd, Envirocare computer sleuths found evidence of a pornographic Web site on the hard drive of a computer that had been used by Ogden. He was immediately placed on administrative leave with pay and resigned a few weeks later. In the Tribune interview, Ogden said he accessed the porn site from an e-mail sent to him by a friend. He acknowledged what he did was wrong but noted that nobody saw the Web site. He said he believed the pornography action against him was simply an excuse for Envirocare to punish him for blowing the whistle on the firm's handling of his British Nuclear Fuels problem report. "I don't keep my mouth shut and do what they want me to," said Ogden, who also complained last year to the Utah Occupational Safety and Health Division about an unrelated matter. That complaint led to a $2,800 fine against Envirocare for failing to protect its workers from biological waste. Judd said there is "absolutely no tie" between Ogden's whistle-blower activities and Envirocare's investigation of the pornography abuse. In the Tribune interview, Ogden said he wanted to clear his name and to see pressure put on Envirocare to do more to protect its employees. "[Envirocare employees] all feel pressure to do stuff that they should not do," he claimed. "Things there are a nightmare." In particular, Ogden worried about Envirocare's application to dispose of so-called class B and class C radioactive wastes, which are hundreds of times more radioactive than the class A wastes the company currently is licensed for. The licensure for class B and C wastes still must be approved by the state Division of Radiation Control, the Legislature and the governor. "From an employee standpoint, no one [at Envirocare] feels good about the B and C [application]," Ogden said. "We have enough trouble keeping A in the box." Though Envirocare has been fined for several violations of its permits in recent years, company officials say there has been no harm to human health or the environment. The company maintains it can safely handle and store class B and C wastes. After leaving Envirocare in April, Ogden became despondent about losing his job and about how the company had treated him, said his ex-wife, Marci Ann Jacobson. "Geoffrey was confrontational, but he loved his job," she said. "It made him feel good. He worked hard. He often worked overtime and brought work home with him. He was loyal to that company." Though the couple had just divorced, they saw each other and talked frequently on amicable terms, she said. On June 2, they had lunch together. After the meal, Jacobson received flowers at work, with a note from Ogden that read, "I'll always love you. Goodbye." A short time later, Ogden called a co-worker at Envirocare to say he had just swallowed several bottles of sleeping pills. About 2:50 p.m., he crashed his pickup truck near 600 E. Center St. and was pronounced dead within an hour. Nobody knows for sure why Ogden would take his life. Envirocare has called the death "tragic," but Judd, who met with Ogden a couple of times in May, says the death was not related to Ogden's dealings with Envirocare. "[Geoff] was very clear there were no conflicts," Judd said.
_________
Tribune reporter Judy Fahys and Kevin Cantera contributed to this story.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 3:53:52 AM
July 10, 2000
Audit says Hanford cleanup delays are 'significantly' increasing risks
by The Associated Press
RICHLAND - Delays in the 30-year, $50 billion effort to clean up hazardous
wastes at the Hanford nuclear reservation are increasing risks at the
nation's most contaminated nuclear site, an Environmental Protection Agency
audit says.
Part of the problem is that regulators - the EPA and the state Ecology
Department - have failed to enforce deadlines set under an agreement with the
U.S. Department of Energy, which owns the 560-square-mile site.
Major delays in pumping and treating Hanford's most-dangerous wastes could
extend the nation's costliest nuclear cleanup by as much as 19 years beyond
the original 2028 deadline, says the yearlong audit by EPA Regional Inspector
General Truman Beeler.
The delays "significantly increase" the risk of leaks from old tanks into
ground water or air, the internal report says.
The document, filed in March, was obtained by Public Employees for
Environmental Responsibility (PEER), a whistle-blowers group with offices in
Washington, D.C., and Olympia, through a public-records request.
The report criticizes the Ecology Department and EPA's regional office in
Seattle for lax enforcement, and urges them to pick up the pace to protect
public health and safety.
The Energy Department has inadequately funded treatment of the tank problems
and has repeatedly missed deadlines to address the hazards they represent,
the audit says.
The EPA and the Ecology Department say they're trying to improve oversight.
"We concur in full with both the facts as presented in each finding and with
the associated recommendations," said Ecology's Mike Wilson and EPA's Richard
Albright in a joint letter to Beeler.
Officials from Hanford's Office of River Protection, which oversees the
tanks, weren't available Friday to respond to the audit, a DOE spokesman
said. Hanford offices were closed yesterday, and calls to officials went
unanswered.
"DOE's history of poor performance, the significance of the environmental
problems . . . and the cost of the cleanup program" underscore the need for
better management, the report says.
Since the audit, the Ecology Department has asked EPA "to help counter
(Department of Energy) resistance," Wilson said.
"The key now is whether Ecology will take action to correct the problems
identified by the audit," said Lea Mitchell, PEER's Olympia director.
For decades, Hanford's primary mission was making plutonium for the nation's
nuclear arsenal. Now it is cleanup.
The audit, conducted from November 1998 to January 2000, focuses on 177
underground tanks at Hanford that contain 60 percent of the government's
most-lethal radioactive waste - leftovers from the Cold War arms race.
At least 1 million gallons of highly toxic and radioactive waste in 67 of
Hanford's 149 old single-wall tanks has already leaked, some reaching ground
water.
The single-wall tanks - built from the 1940s through the 1960s - were
designed to last about 20 years. About 58 of them don't have effective
leak-detection systems, the report says. And the 28 newer double-shell tanks
will exceed their design life by 2028.
Tank leaks and billions of gallons of more diluted contaminants "could reach
the Columbia River in as little as 20 years and continue for the next 5,000
years," the report says.
The audit identified numerous delays and management failures:
The Ecology Department has failed to compel Hanford to meet deadlines. So
plans to stabilize the most fragile tanks have been delayed nine years, to
September 2004.
BNFL Ltd., the British company that was overseeing the design of plants to
convert wastes into glass, was fired this spring after submitting a $15.2
billion estimate - more than double the original $6.9 billion estimate. That
threatens the 2001 deadline for starting glass-plant construction, and final
treatment of tank wastes will take up to 19 years longer than predicted -
possibly until 2047 - the report says.
The Ecology Department hasn't resolved flammable-gas hazards in the tanks and
was slow to flag a hydrogen-gas buildup in million-gallon double-shell tank
SY-101, considered one of the most dangerous.
At least 25 tanks are estimated to be generating enough hydrogen gas to cause
a fire if ignited. If a fire occurred, "there is the potential for up to 22
latent cancer fatalities from direct radiation and inhalation of radioactive
contaminants," the report says.
The Ecology Department has failed to conduct adequate safety inspections on
the tanks.
The tanks will have to be used "significantly beyond" deadlines set by an
August 1999 U.S. District Court-supervised consent order governing cleanup,
the report says.
==========================================================
Seattle Times
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 3:52:40 AM
Hanford plutonium canisters repaired
7/10/2000
By John Stang
Herald staff writer
Hanford recently finished fixing 15 plutonium containers that showed the most
potential to rupture and leak.
The Plutonium Finishing Plant either had repacked the plutonium or baked it
into a more benign powder about a week and a half ago, finishing an overdue
check that began in March of all containers of scrap plutonium in a vault at
PFP.
Those checks and subsequent repair work are to prevent the small canisters
from bulging and leaking -- allowing plutonium particles to escape.
A February memo by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board noted about
two-thirds of the cans of plutonium had not been checked for the potential to
leak in the past 10 years. Since March, that work has been done, leading to
remedial work on the 15 containers, said Pete Knollmeyer, Department of
Energy assistant manager for nuclear materials and facilities stabilization.
The PFP has 4.4 tons of plutonium mingled among 19.6 tons of scrap material
left over from its Cold War production. The facility's mission is to convert
those 4.4 tons into safer forms of plutonium by mid-2004.
This plutonium is in several forms, requiring several methods to convert each
type into a more benign material.
The bulk of the plutonium consists of small chunks stored in sealed, airtight
containers, which are inside slightly bigger airtight containers.
But this leads to a dilemma.
If a sealed container actually is
airtight, that means the plutonium uses up all the trapped oxygen to make
plutonium oxide rust. That creates a vacuum that sucks in the sides of the
can, increasing the risk of its top popping off.
If the canister is not airtight, and outside air finds its way into the
innermost container, that feeds the plutonium oxide layer around the metal,
expanding it to push out the container's walls to cause a crack.
Besides examining paperwork, the primary way to see if the plutonium oxide is
growing is to weigh each container. A weight gain of 5 grams means follow-up
checks are needed.
The paperwork exams identified 35 cans to be X-rayed and checked further.
After that, problems were confirmed with 15 containers.
Four had plastic inside them. Plastic's chemical makeup includes hydrogen,
which could catch fire in an enclosed air space holding radioactive material.
The plastic was removed.
Two cans showed contamination on the outermost canister.
Nine showed weight gains of 5 grams or more.
Of these 15, eight were opened, the plutonium oxide rust was brushed off, and
the metal was repacked in special stainless-steel containers filled with
inert helium gas that won't react chemically with plutonium. The metal is to
stay in those containers until they are shipped for final disposition at
DOE's Savannah River site in Georgia several years from now.
The other seven cans held pockmarked and ragged metal that required baking
into a safer powder in ovenlike "muffle furnaces."
When the 15 canisters were opened inside gloveboxes, four had pieces of metal
that shot sparks just above their surface and glowed red like charcoal
briquettes for up to 412 hours. The reaction was anticipated, and safety
precautions were in place. Two sparking and glowing chunks were baked and two
repacked.
The PFP plans to start in a few months to brush off plutonium oxide layers
from the plutonium in the rest of the canisters -- repacking them in
helium-filled new containers. That work is scheduled to be done in 2001.
In the PFP's other plutonium stabilization measures:
-- Four slightly bigger muffle furnaces are scheduled to join the five
existing ones next January.
-- A process is expected to go online in September to convert plutonium in
most of the PFP's liquids into tiny granules to be filtered out.
Already, the PFP has a "vertical calciner" converting some plutonium-laced
liquids into powder, but this method cannot handle most of the PFP's impure
plutonium solutions.
-- Hanford is mixing contaminated and broken plutonium-button molds with a
cementlike substance. Some ashlike debris from this work will be packed
inside tubes and eventually sent to underground storage in New Mexico.
-- Hanford has a small amount of very radioactive and unstable plutonium
bound within 2-inch "polycubes" of plastic polymers, which could emit
flammable gases in a muffle furnace.
Changing how the ovens heat up enables them to neutralize the polycubes. This
work will be done when the muffle furnaces have slack time.
=======================================================
Tri City Herald
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 3:51:55 AM
July 9, 2000, in The State.
Northern states sending garbage to S.C. megadump
By JOHN MONK
News Columnist
BISHOPVILLE -- In the past year, and with little public notice, South
Carolina has become a major destination for out-of-state household garbage.
Three years ago, South Carolina took in about 400,000 tons of out-of-state
garbage.
This year, it will accept about 1 million tons -- much of it shipped quietly
by rail to tiny Lee County, 40 miles northeast of Columbia.
The increase comes as South Carolina is taking steps to soften its reputation
as the nation's burial ground for two other kinds of waste: radioactive and
hazardous.
In Barnwell County, South Carolina is restricting nuclear waste imports. In
Sumter County, the state is trying to shut a major hazardous-waste facility.
But in Lee County, a private company is operating a mega-dump -- the largest
of 19 S.C. garbage landfills.
From Northern states, the trash is shipped in rail cars to the city of
Florence in the Pee Dee. The cars are sealed, but stink from rotting garbage
sometimes escapes. From Florence, a train carries the waste through
Darlington County to a site south of Bishopville in Lee County.
Lee County has had South Carolina's largest dump since August.
Then, Allied Waste Industries of Arizona won state permission to expand its
Lee County site to accept 1.27 million tons of trash a year, up from 454,000
tons.
The new amount -- 1.27 million tons -- is four times the trash produced each
year by the 500,000 residents of Richland and Lexington counties.
Another way of looking at the Lee landfill's huge size: It is large enough to
handle the garbage from almost 2 million people a year -- half South
Carolina's population.
Allied is one of the nation's largest waste-disposal firms. It operates 340
collection sites and 148 transfer stations in 42 states. The company declined
repeated requests for comment and a tour of its Lee landfill.
"They have nothing to gain by talking to you," says state Sen. Phil Leventis,
D-Sumter, a critic of landfills. "They don't need to schmooze with the
community now that they've got it in their clutches."
Despite Allied's secrecy, S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control
officials, who do random inspections of the Lee County trash, say much of it
comes from New Jersey and Massachusetts.
However, since Allied has transfer stations in those states, the trash could
be coming from anywhere, including New York City, which has big problems
disposing of the 11,000 tons of waste it generates every day. In the next few
years, New York is expected to ship huge amounts of garbage out of state.
Controversy and profit. Lee County officials love the landfill, which covers
200 acres and rises 120 feet in spots, because of the money it generates.
Officials say Lee is a poor county -- 29 percent of its residents live below
poverty level -- that needs the $2 million in cash and benefits Allied pays
each year to operate the dump.
But environmentalists are horrified. They say lax state laws have allowed
South Carolina to become a magnet for the nation's garbage.
"We are subsidizing New Jersey, Massachusetts and other states by allowing
them to trash our state," Leventis says.
High landfill costs up North make South Carolina a cheap and easy place to
bury garbage -- even with railroad shipping expenses.
Allied makes big profits burying out-of-state waste in South Carolina for two
reasons: Rural land is cheap, and costs are low at a high-volume megadump.
"When you go from processing a few hundred tons daily to a few thousand,
there are tremendous cost savings for the operator," says Bill Ferrell, a
Clemson associate professor who has studied landfill costs.
In South Carolina, at a landfill like Lee County's, the cost to bury trash is
about $20 to $30 a ton. In Massachusetts, it can cost up to $100 to bury a
ton. In New York and New Jersey, the cost is $70-plus a ton.
Almost daily, garbage trains arrive at the Lee County dump. Many have 40 or
more cars, each holding some 20 tons of compacted trash.
In fact, the local railroad, the S.C. Central Railroad, recently got an $8
million upgrade of some 17 miles of Lee County track to handle the weight of
the imported garbage.
Lee benefits. Lee County officials say the county receives approximately $1
for every ton buried at the landfill, about $1.3 million a year. By
comparison, the county's budget is $7.3 million a year.
Allied also picks up and buries for free the trash for all Lee County
residents. That's a savings of about $500,000 a year.
"It really helps," says Lee County Council Chairman Charles Arthur Beasley.
The $8 million Allied and the railroad company spent upgrading local railroad
track is also a plus, Beasley says. "Now, when we go to recruit industries,
we've got a rail system that can handle almost any type hauling," Beasley
says.
Others say the landfill hurts South Carolina in many ways. Leventis says all
landfills eventually leak. "It's a time bomb," he says.
DHEC officials say they have a system of monitoring wells that can catch
leaks. The Lee dump is safely operated, they say.
But Columbia environmental lawyer Bob Guild says lax state laws have created
a situation where out-of-state corporations can buy land cheap, install a
high-volume dump and make big profits.
"We've created a waste vacuum that literally sucks waste in from out of
state," Guild says.
Once the state gives permission to build a landfill, it has to accept all
waste shipped to it, as long as the waste is within the landfill's permitted
capacity.
However, DHEC officials say they believed state law would keep landfills
moderate or small-sized. They believed that the law, in effect, directed
landfills to be built largely on the basis of local need. (All new landfills
must be approved by DHEC.)
Hole in the law. However, a loophole in the law allowed some counties --
seeking extra money -- to invite private companies to set up high-volume
landfills. Under state law, private companies must get county approval to
operate a landfill. In an arrangement as in Lee County, Allied makes the
profits and pays the county fees.
However, as of June 23, a new DHEC rule limits landfills to accepting only
the tonnage of waste generated within 75 miles of a landfill. (A week before
the rule went into effect, DHEC approved a 700,000-ton-per-year landfill in
Union County, between Spartanburg and Columbia.)
Under the new rule, it's harder -- but still possible -- to build megadumps
in South Carolina, DHEC solid-waste director Art Braswell says.
Meanwhile, nine counties in the Pee Dee region, including Florence and Horry,
are trying to start a 400,000-ton-a-year landfill in Florence County.
Most of these nine counties now use the Lee landfill. But they worry Allied
will begin raising rates. They also worry that at some point, Lee County's
landfill will be full and have to shut down.
"We don't want to be at the mercy of the big boys," says Florence County
Council Chairman Tom Smith.
DHEC officials say they might refuse to grant a permit for the proposed
Florence landfill. It is within 75 miles of Lee County's landfill, as well as
Richland County's landfill. "They are going to have a tough time
demonstrating need," Braswell says.
In part, that's because South Carolina has plenty of landfill capacity.
Its 19 landfills are allowed to take in 7.6 million tons a year. But state
residents only generate 3.6 million tons of household waste each year.
But that leaves plenty of room for out-of-state trash to come our way.
Meanwhile, environmentalists see problems resulting from South Carolina's
open-arms garbage policy.
"We need to stop creating capacity in South Carolina for other states'
waste," says Jane Laureau of the S.C. Coastal Conservation League.
Leventis says DHEC doesn't really know what is being imported in all those
railroad cars. Despite DHEC's assertions its inspections can catch illegal
waste, Leventis says those efforts are insufficient.
"The people in New York and New Jersey regard us as a rug they can sweep
stuff under," Leventis says.
=========================================================
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 3:51:13 AM
Ohio's Greatest Home Newspaper
Options for toxic trash dwindling
S. Carolina landfill to close in 2008
Monday, July 10, 2000
Michael Hawthorne
Dispatch Environment Reporter
Black barrels filled with low-level radioactive waste from research projects at Ohio State University sit in a nondescript campus warehouse, waiting to be hauled to a licensed dump.
OSU's options for disposal soon will be whittled to a single facility. For the second time in a decade, a South Carolina landfill plans to restrict shipments of the toxic trash from nuclear power plants, universities, drug companies and hospitals.
Unlike five years ago, when then- Ohio Gov. George V. Voinovich pushed unsuccessfully to build a large disposal facility in the Buckeye State, generators of low-level radioactive waste aren't warning that they face a crisis.
The last threat to close the Barnwell, S.C., dump prompted power plants, research centers and other producers to reduce the waste generated. They also reduced their costs by sending what remains to a Tennessee company that compacts the waste before shipping it to Barnwell.
"We're shipping far less than we did a few years ago,'' said Bob Peterson, OSU's radiation safety officer. "That doesn't mean the research has stopped. We've just gotten smarter about how we deal with the waste.''
Among other things, scientists use radioactive materials to trace how other substances move through the human body. Much of OSU's waste consists of contaminated clothing and instruments used in medical research, diagnosis and treatment, some of which can be stored on campus until it loses its radioactivity and can be sent to a conventional landfill.
Low-level radioactive waste also includes tools, clothing and resin filters used in nuclear-power plants but not spent fuel rods or other highly radioactive materials.
Ohio and five other states -- Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin -- spent $5 million on a failed effort to build a regional dump for low-level radioactive waste.
The leadership of the multistate effort said the dump no longer was needed, but political opposition from environmentalists and community activists was strong in Ohio and in other states that scuttled plans for similar facilities across the country.
Holmes Brown, a Washington, D.C., consultant who advised the regional waste compacts, said most producers are flocking to another dump in a Utah desert that recently applied to take all types of low-level radioactive trash.
The South Carolina facility also will remain open to other states until 2008, although the state plans to discourage shipments by increasing its dumping fees.
"If prices start to go up too much, you might see people start talking about building another facility,'' Brown said. "But we still face the same problems. New disposal sites are incredibly expensive to build and politically troublesome projects to undertake.''
Battelle, another Columbus-area generator of low-level radioactive waste, already is shipping to the Utah dump, said Frank Hood, the company's vice president for environment, safety and health.
Electric companies once were the chief proponents of building regional dumps, as well as the biggest producers of low-level waste. They backed off as they began to dramatically reduce the amount of waste produced.
Ohio's two nuclear-power plants, for instance, shipped 2,400 cubic feet of low-level waste last year, down from 17,000 cubic feet in 1998, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
Medical institutions now account for 85 percent of the low-level waste generated in Ohio.
"It's certainly not a crisis for us as long as the Utah facility is open,'' said Todd Schneider, spokesman for Akron-based FirstEnergy, owner of the Perry and Davis-Besse nuclear-power plants.
South Carolina is moving to shut off access to the Barnwell dump to leave space for waste created when that state's nuclear-power plants are decommissioned.
It's unlikely that Ohio would host a waste facility if pressure builds again for regional dumps. In addition to political opposition, one study found that 80 percent of the state is not geologically or hydrologically suited to safely contain the waste while it slowly decays.
Copyright © 2000, The Columbus Dispatch
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 3:50:17 AM
July 7, 2000
Cleaning up: Is it a matter of mine over money?
Cash-poor firm seen as risk to environment
By KELLIE B. GORMLY
Associated Press
DALLAS -- People in New Mexico and South Texas are concerned about the
environment because a uranium mining company has threatened to file for
bankruptcy.
The Dallas-based Uranium Resources, Inc., which announced in May that it was
running out of money and may file for bankruptcy, does not have the financial
resources to clean up after mining projects, complained 30 people who staged
a protest outside the company headquarters.
The protesters are afraid the company's financial straits will cause more
contamination of the environment, particularly in the drinking water, and
endanger the health of residents near the mines.
The protesters -- many of them from as far away as New Mexico -- gathered in
North Dallas on Friday to demand that Uranium Resources cease further mining
operations in New Mexico Navajo communities and parts of South Texas.
"The company is really a paper tiger," said Jaime Chavez, coordinator of
Water Information Network in Albuquerque, N.M., one of the groups that
demonstrated.
"It is subject to the fluctuations of the market," Chavez continued. "They
cannot provide the guarantee that they will be able to clean up in the long
term."
Even if the company were not on shaky financial ground, the groups --
including the Eastern Navajo Dine Against Uranium Mining and South Texas
Opposes Pollution -- said they would still oppose their mining operations for
health, environmental and spiritual reasons.
"We don't need any more devastation," said Kathleen Tsosie, a resident of
Crownpoint, N.M., who told spectators she knows many people who believe
uranium mining caused their cancer and other diseases.
The presidents of both Uranium Resources, Inc., and subsidiary Hydro
Resources, Inc., which handles much of the mining projects, were out of town
Friday.
Company policy prohibits commenting to the media unless representatives
witnessed the news conference or protests, said Tom Ehrlich, the company's
vice president and chief financial officer, in a phone interview.
The groups' demonstration included a few theatrical presentations, such as
singing a Native American song with a drum.
Some participants satirized the situation by passing out money and saying
that potential health problems from uranium were not serious.
A spokesman for Texas state Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, said the state
needs to crack down on companies that create radioactive pollution.
"You have to realize how much they have taken advantage of the Southwest,"
said Les Breeding, a spokesman for Burnam.
========================================================
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 3:48:21 AM
July 9, 2000
Plan to store nuclear waste on reservation stirs passions
Tom Meersman / Star Tribune
SKULL VALLEY, UTAH -- Leon Bear picked up some of the chalky soil of the
western Utah desert and crushed it gently into his palm. A light puff from
his lips and it vanished into the air, leaving a ghostly powder covering his
hand.
"That's why they call us the Goshutes," he said with a smile. "Our name means
'dusty people,' because my people always had this dust on them when they
roamed the desert country."
Bear is not content to allow his economically disadvantaged 124-member band
to languish in the dust any longer. As chief, he wants them to have
computers, better education, a health clinic, a decent water system, new
homes and jobs.
So he signed a lease in 1997 to accept as much as half of the nation's highly
radioactive spent fuel from nuclear power plants in dozens of states,
including Minnesota. They plan to store it for the next 20 years, or twice
that long if necessary, on part of the tribe's 18,600-acre reservation about
70 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, until a permanent site is built.
"We're doing it as an economic venture," said Bear. "The benefits that'll
come out of it for our people will be substantial."
But as the project moves closer to reality, opposition is building like a
prairie dust storm.
The deal, which was signed by Minnesota-based Northern States Power Co. and a
coalition of utility companies, has torn the small Goshute band apart and
prompted charges of environmental racism.
Critics say NSP and its utility partners are taking advantage of an
economically desperate community to dump unwanted and dangerous wastes.
"Northern States Power is just fortunate enough to have found a weak tribe
that's going to put up with them and their partner utilities and their
wastes," said Margene Bullcreek, a Goshute tribal member opposed to the
project.
But Scott Northard, NSP nuclear assets director, said the criticisms are
unfounded. "To say that we put them [the Goshutes] up to this is not a fair
characterization," he said. "They began this on their own, they did research
on their own, and they satisfied themselves about the safety of this before
they ever talked to us."
The utilities say they desperately need a temporary site to store nuclear
waste, and that the Utah project will not pose a danger.
Yet the deal also has angered Utah state officials, including the governor
and the congressional delegation, who have vowed to challenge it in court if
necessary.
And it has jolted some Utah residents to the realization that the desert just
west of Salt Lake City, long a place of bombing ranges, military aircraft and
weapons testing, has become a national disposal zone for all things
hazardous: industrial materials, chemical and biological weapons and
low-level radioactive wastes.
In late June, 60 people testified about the project at a two-day public
hearing in Salt Lake City -- 80 percent of their testimony was in opposition.
"This is so typical of what happens on reservations these days," said Alberta
Mason, a Navaho who is executive director of the nonprofit Environmental
Justice Foundation in Provo, Utah. "There are very few successful economic
development projects, and tribes face a choice between gambling casinos or
nuclear wastes, because they bring the quickest cash revenue," she said.
"There have got to be better choices for us."
Space crunch
The rationale for the Utah project is that the nation's 103 nuclear power
plants are running out of space to store nuclear waste. The spent fuel will
remain dangerously radioactive for tens of thousands of years, and a
permanent federal repository will not be open until at least 2010, or even
2015, possibly at a site that scientists are studying at Yucca Mountain, Nev.
"This [the Utah project] is the bridge to Yucca Mountain," said NSP's
Northard, who is also the utility group's project manager for the Utah site.
"It is safe, efficient, economic and sound national policy to do this." NSP
has contributed about $5 million to the initiative during the past six years
as part of a coalition of eight sponsoring utilities, known as Private Fuel
Storage of La Crosse, Wis.
If they don't resolve the waste problem, some utilities may be forced to shut
down their nuclear plants prematurely. In Minnesota, NSP's Prairie Island
nuclear plant in Red Wing is licensed to operate until about 2014; but it
only has the capacity to store its nuclear waste through 2007, officials say.
The $3.1 billion Utah project would establish the first centralized storage
area of its kind in the nation, and it would set off the largest mass
movement of spent nuclear fuel in history: 4,000 casks from utilities in as
many as 31 states, filled with spent nuclear fuel that has been stored
underwater in pools in many cases since the Nixon administration.
For many critics, the biggest issue is safety.
"I have a hard time understanding why it is necessary to move this waste from
one temporary site to another temporary site," said Jeri Roos, a resident of
Provo, just south of Salt Lake City. "Every time the casks are moved, there's
potential for danger and damage to them, and I would think we would want to
move them as little as possible."
But others say it doesn't make sense to leave the wastes scattered across the
country. Said Calvin Andrus, an engineering consultant on waste issues:
"Which is more sensible: to store casks temporarily in a remote desert
environment on concrete pads, or to leave them in relatively vulnerable pools
in plants near major metropolitan areas?"
But Kerry Cartier, of the Utah-based Native American Tribal Organization,
said the project does not have the blessing of other tribes.
"After the U.S. government has stolen most of our lands, your government
believes that whatever Indian land is left is still good to be used as a
garbage dump for your nuclear wastes that no one else with any good sense
wants," Cartier said. "I cannot speak the words to tell you how absolutely
abhorrent this concept is to me."
Scott Peterson, a spokesman for the Nuclear Energy Institute, an industry
trade association, said that storing spent nuclear fuel in casks has been
demonstrated to be safe at 21 nuclear plant sites, and that containers must
meet rigorous safety standards.
"If it's so safe, keep it where it is," responded Roos. "The people of Utah
do not want it here."
Tribal hopes
The Goshute tribe has been interested in storing nuclear wastes since 1990,
Bear said. Some members have traveled to Minnesota, Sweden, England and Japan
to see how radioactive material is handled and managed.
Although the financial details have been kept confidential, Bear and others
say the nuclear waste project will bring prosperity to the reservation,
including 42 full-time jobs. He said that 85 percent of the band's eligible
voters have signed a resolution of support for the project.
"We'd like to have a lot of nice things like you white people," said Arlene
Bear Wash, one of the older residents of the reservation and a supporter of
the project. "Drive nice cars and have nice homes and have a lot of things
and food and all that."
"I'm for it," said Miranda Wash, who left Skull Valley to work near Salt Lake
City. "I want to move back to the reservation to get a job."
But tribal member Sammy Blackbear is skeptical. "The tribe has never seen the
lease, and it has never voted on the lease," he said. "It's not a lot of
land, but it's ours, and it goes against our culture and religion to bring
something like this [nuclear waste] to Skull Valley."
"The real issue is not the money," said Bullcreek, who wants to stop the
project. "The real issue is who we are as Native Americans and what we
believe in. If we accept these wastes, we're going to lose our tradition and
our need to keep the air, water and animals clean."
Blackbear and others have filed a lawsuit against the Bureau of Indian
Affairs for conditionally approving the lease without adequate environmental
or financial review. Blackbear also has accused Leon Bear of not consulting
with the tribe.
But Bear said his critics represent only a small minority of the tribe. "They
want the reservation to revert to the way it was," he said. "They want to
live the old days all over again, and that's not going to happen."
A remote rangeland
There's no question that Skull Valley is remote. Only about 25 tribal members
live on the reservation, most of them in a village of half a dozen modest
houses and an equal number of trailers. Some homes have no running water, and
the only commercial establishment is a small tribally owned convenience store
and gas station.
The proposed site, which has not yet received a federal license, is 3.5 miles
away from the village.
A draft environmental impact study by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
called the site "undeveloped rangeland which has no unique habitats, no
wetlands and no surface water bodies or aquatic resources."
The study also estimated that someone living along the fenceline of the
820-acre site would receive minimal exposure to radiation, "not more than a
small fraction of the normal background [naturally occurring] radiation dose
in the United States."
A wider circle
Many outside the reservation say they emphathize with the tribe's dilemma,
and respect its sovereign status, but strongly oppose the plan.
"What the Goshutes do on their own land is their business as long as it
doesn't affect us," said Maryann Webster, an artist in Salt Lake City. "But
this affects all the surrounding areas. This is not just a sovereign issue
here."
Dianne Nielson, executive director of the Utah Department of Environmental
Quality, said the state has dozens of concerns about the project. Among them:
The area's susceptibility to earthquakes, and the "questionable seismic data"
that Nielson said the utility coalition has used to design the facility.
The difficulty of keeping an outdoor, above-ground storage facility secure
from terrorists.
The proximity to military testing areas.
The lack of financial details about many aspects of the deal, including who
would be liable in case of accidents.
The lack of funding for local and state emergency response and equipment.
The absence of contingency plans in case of wildfires, which occur regularly
in Skull Valley.
The licensing process used by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which
includes closed-door sessions to keep most financial information private.
More than anything else, Nielson said, there's no guarantee that the waste,
if delivered to Skull Valley, will ever leave. She said the history of
nuclear waste is littered with broken promises.
Congress directed the federal Department of Energy to take title to the waste
by 1998 and dispose of it. That hasn't happened, even though utilities have
sued the government, lobbied for legislative changes, and tried
unsuccessfully to send the spent fuel to a private storage area on the
Mescalero Apache Indian reservation in New Mexico in the mid-1990s.
"All of that effort by powerful companies, yet none of that has moved the
waste," Nielson said. "If the government's promise to the utilities wasn't
good enough, what on earth are we offering here to assure that the PFS
[Private Fuel Storage] facility will be temporary?"
Cartier, of the Utah tribal organization, agreed. "This nuclear waste dump is
supposed to be temporary, but there's nowhere else to move its contents," he
said. "That kind of temporary means permanent."
Peterson of the Nuclear Energy Institute said there's reason for optimism
about finding a permanent site elsewhere. Last year the U.S. Department of
Energy started a project in New Mexico to store radioactive military waste
deep underground, he said, and there's no reason to believe that the
government couldn't find a suitable spot for commercial nuclear waste, too.
What's ahead
Northard, of NSP, said that many of Utah's concerns will be addressed in more
detail in hearings before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) makes a
final decision about the license, probably late next year. If approved, the
site could begin accepting waste by 2003.
Nielson said the state of Utah will appeal any NRC decision that grants a
license for the project, and that it ultimately will take it to federal court.
Bear is particularly unhappy with Utah's opposition, which he regards as an
inappropriate and illegal intrusion into the tribe's sovereign affairs. "It's
a sad state of affairs when the state of Utah doesn't look at its own laws
that they have on the books," he said. "According to Utah's Constitution,
they say they won't bother Indian lands."
In fact, said Bear, the state of Utah had no qualms about granting permits to
several hazardous waste landfills and storage areas within 30 to 50 miles of
the reservation.
"It's environmental injustice to deny us this economic development on our own
land," Bear said. "It's up to the NRC whether we get the license, not the
state of Utah, and it's going to be done through scientific facts, not
politics."
-- Staff writer Tom Meersman can be reached by email at:
meersman@startribune.com
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 3:47:29 AM
July 9, 2000
$4.4 billion final price tag for cleanup of Rocky Flats
BOULDER, Colo. - The final cleanup of Rocky Flats will take six more years
and $4.4 billion, a new report says.
The 11,000-page document, released Friday, is the most comprehensive analysis
to date.
The "Closure Project Baseline" describes the scope, cost and schedule for
cleanup of the former nuclear weapons plant south of Boulder. It concedes
many questions remain unanswered.
"What is going on at Rocky Flats is a first-of-a-kind effort," said Troy
Timmons, manager of closure project development for Kaiser-Hill, the company
managing cleanup at Rocky Flats. "As such, past experience can only take you
so far."
Few people outside of Kaiser-Hill have had access to the cleanup plan, but it
is certain to be controversial. Activists and watchdog groups are eagerly
awaiting their copies.
Paul Golan, deputy site manager for the U.S. Department of Energy, which owns
the Flats, says the document's cleanup date of 2006 and cost of $4.4 billion
represent a best-case scenario. Cleanup might cost more and take more time,
because workers are likely to uncover unexpected sources of contamination as
they knock down buildings, for example.
Kaiser-Hill officials have already started requesting adjustments to the plan.
Because the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, a nuclear waste dump near Carlsbad,
N.M., is not yet accepting certain kinds of waste, Flats workers must store
and maintain thousands of waste drums on site longer than planned.
"When circumstances occur that are beyond our control that would affect the
cost and schedule, we negotiate with DOE for adjustments to either cost or
schedule," Timmons said. He said he did not know how much more time or money
Kaiser-Hill has requested to deal with drum storage.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 3:46:29 AM
Greenpeace
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GREENPEACE ACTIVISTS REMAIN IN DETENTION
NEAR MARSHALL ISLANDS MISSILE LAUNCH
SITE
Seven arrestees at Vandenberg call for end to Star
Wars program
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE—July 8, 2000 – Altogether
nine Greenpeace activists were arrested yesterday for challenging
the Pentagon’s Star Wars missile program.
On the Marshall Islands two activists were arrested following their
occupation of the Star Wars interceptor missile launch site
yesterday. And at Vandenberg Air Force Base seven Greenpeace
activists were arrested, some less than one quarter of a mile from
the Minuteman II missile launch site. The last arrests were made
just one hour before the scheduled launch.
The seven are charged with trespassing and are due to appear in
Federal Court at Vandenberg Air Force Base on August 17th.
In the Marshall Islands, James Roof of Missoula, Montana and
Meike Huelsman of Hamburg, Germany are being detained by U.S.
Marshalls and have yet to be charged.
On Kwajalein atoll, the activists occupied the launch site for the
Star Wars interceptor missile one hour and a half before the test
was scheduled to begin. They held a banner reading, “Stop Star
Wars”, then notified Air Force authorities of their presence in the
area.
Greenpeace vowed to carry on its campaign to stop the Star Wars
program before it ignites a new nuclear arms race.
“I wanted to do everything I can to challenge this irresponsible and
dangerous program,” said Vandenberg arrestee Anastasia Pfarr, 25 of
Washington DC. “If this program goes ahead, the world will be a much more
dangerous place.”
Lawrence Turk, a registered nurse from Missoula, Montana was in
the Vandenberg launch site for a total of four days. “ President
Clinton must take his finger off the Star Wars button and scrap the
whole program. Star Wars won’t protect the United States --- it
puts this country and the entire world at risk.”
Greenpeace expressed little surprise the last night’s controversial
test was a failure. “Star Wars is pork in space,” said Greenpeace
USA campaign director Steve Shallhorn.” It’s a boondoggle for
aerospace companies like Boeing who expect to make millions of
dollars off a misguided program that will ignite a news arms race.”
CONTACT: Mary MacNutt: 202-255-9560; Steve Shallhorn:
416-569-7867
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 3:45:39 AM
========================================
DONORS DOUBLE OFFER TO SEAL UP CHERNOBYL
========================================
MOSKOW, Russia, July 6, 2000 (Independent)
Construction of a new concrete "sarcophagus" over
the nuclear reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power
plant in the Ukraine is likely to go ahead after donor
countries promised yesterday to double their
contributions. The project is expected to cost $768m
(£490m).
Representatives of 37 countries attending a
conference in Berlin announced that an additional
$320m had been pledged on top of $393m already
promised. Most of the money was offered by European
Union and G7 countries.
The new project is part of a broader scheme to
decommission Chernobyl, which is still producing
electric power from its remaining reactors, and render
it safe. Ukraine recently promised during a visit by
President Clinton to close down the plant on 15
December 2000.
Ukraine will also need to complete two new reactors
elsewhere and construct waste storage sites. The total
cost may be as high as $2bn. Ukraine still gets 8 per
cent of its electricity from Chernobyl and half of its
electric power supply comes from nuclear power
stations.
========
THE NEWS
========
Morning News edited by Aleksandar Stan
AIM, Belgrade, July 7, 2000 12:45
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 3:43:50 AM
Audit rips DOE contractors' handling of hazardous wastes
July 7, 2000
By Frank Munger, News-Sentinel Oak Ridge bureau
OAK RIDGE -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge contractors have done
a poor job of characterizing hazardous and radioactive wastes in storage,
thus complicating current-day treatment decisions and wasting money,
according to an audit by DOE's Office of Inspector General.
The IG report said the contractors that generated the wastes did not
accurately record the weight or volume and in many instances did not provide
a good physical description of the waste put into storage containers.
For instance, DOE's Oak Ridge inventory of "mixed" waste -- which contains
both hazardous chemicals and radioactive elements -- was overstated by at
least 1.1 million pounds "because contractor employees included the weight of
storage containers in their weight calculations," the audit report said.
In some cases, inventory records were not updated when the waste containers
were emptied, further exaggerating the problem.
DOE contractors also overstated the volume of mixed waste while understating
the volume of low-level radioactive waste by using improper conversion
factors to determine the waste density.
The IG report concluded: "The department could not rely on the (Oak Ridge)
data to make informed decisions regarding the amount of mixed and low-level
waste to be treated or disposed of, and avoidable costs were incurred."
Because of the problem, DOE plans to spend about a half-million dollars this
year to visually inspect about 6,500 containers to ensure their contents are
accurately characterized.
DOE generally agreed with the report's findings and promised to adopt the
IG's recommendation for new waste procedures, some of which were being
developed even before the audit.
Mark Musolf, a spokesman for Bechtel Jacobs, the Oak Ridge contractor that
operates DOE's cleanup and waste-management program, emphasized that most of
the waste characterization was done before Bechtel Jacobs got the contract in
late 1997.
Also, at the time that some of the wastes were generated, many of the
currently used disposal requirements were not yet enacted, he said.
"We've instituted programs to make sure that the current waste generators
are accurately characterizing the wastes with an eye toward disposal," Musolf
said.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 3:37:02 AM
Friday, July 21, 2000
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Decision may ease push for Yucca
Mountain
By Tony Batt
Donrey Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- The Department of Energy announced an agreement
Thursday with a Philadelphia utility that may affect efforts
to store nuclear
waste at Yucca Mountain.
The agreement would allow the PECO Energy Company to reduce its
payments into a federal fund for nuclear waste storage in
compensation for the
Energy Department's failure to meet a Jan. 31, 1998, deadline
for accepting
highly radioactive spent fuel from the nation's utilities.
PECO operates the Peach Bottom Plant, a nuclear power
facility 65 miles
southwest of Philadelphia.
"Today's agreement demonstrates that the department and
the utilities can
reach a resolution regarding our delay without resorting to costly and
protracted litigation, and I hope it will be a precedent for
additional settlement
negotiations with other utilities," Energy Secretary Bill
Richardson said in a
news release.
This is the first time a nuclear utility has negotiated
a settlement with the
Energy Department regarding the missed deadline for waste
storage. If other
utilities follow PECO, it could ease pressure in Congress to
speed nuclear
waste storage at Yucca Mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
Several utilities have sued the department, and the
government may have
to pay as much as $80 billion if the lawsuits are successful.
The removal of a settlement provision for utilities was
one of the reasons
cited by President Clinton for vetoing a bill in April that
would have allowed
nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain as early as 2007.
"This may be the first chink in the armor," said Sen.
Richard Bryan,
D-Nev., a leading opponent of a Yucca Mountain repository.
"Until now, the
nuclear utilities have presented a united front in their
confrontation with us."
But a spokesman for the nuclear power industry said the
PECO agreement
is unlikely to slow efforts to open the Yucca Mountain repository.
"This is simply a contractual matter between two parties
over the cost of
one plant," said Steven Unglesbee of the Nuclear Energy
Institute. "From the
industry's perspective, we will continue to work to make the
government meet
its obligation by building a repository."
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 3:36:11 AM
.
THE STATESMAN (INDIA)
July 11, 2000
MLAs crossparty lines on N-power plant
CALCUTTA, July 11. - Friends and foes changed sides today on the proposed
nuclear power plant in the state during the Assembly debate on the power
budget.
Mr Tapan Hore of the RSP strongly opposed the proposal while Mr Saugata Roy
and Mr Biplab Roy Chowdhury of the Congress supported the power minister,
Mr Mrinal Banerjee.
Mr Hore said the peak demand in the state was 7,500 MW but would go up to
10,000 MW by 2012. But this demand could be met from thermal, hydel and
non-conventional energy sources like solar power and windmills.
He rejected the argument that nuclear power was cheap, and pointed out that
it would cost a lot to clear the spent fuel passed into the sea.
The RSP leader cited a UN report on the Chernobyl disaster to underline the
dangers inherent in nuclear power plants. He said he was not just voicing
his personal opposition to the project, but his party's as well.
Copyright 2000 The Statesman (India).
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 3:35:29 AM
Financial Times
20 July 2000
Pakistan to consider using nukes if attacked
By Adam Tanner - 20 Jul 2000 12:32GMT
BERLIN, July 20 (Reuters) - Pakistan would consider using nuclear weapons
first if attacked by conventional forces, its deputy foreign minister said
on Thursday.
There is no way Pakistan can hold out any assurance that it will not use
any nuclear weapons if its existence is threatened, said Inam ul Haque, the
highest-ranking Pakistani official to visit Germany since nuclear tests in
1998.
There is no such assurance on the part of India either, he said during a
breakfast briefing for journalists.
Pakistan carried out nuclear tests in May 1998 in response to similar
tests from arch-rival India, which drew worldwide criticism and sanctions.
India has said it is committed to a no-first nuclear use policy.
Haque added that NATO maintained a first-use threat to deter a Soviet
attack during the Cold War. At the time, NATO worried about the possibility
of an overwhelming conventional ground attack on western Europe.
Haque's remarks, at the start of a visit aiming at improving ties with
Germany, appeared to go further than Pakistan's nuclear policy of
responsibility and restraint.
Speaking to journalists before a meeting with his German counterpart
Wolfgang Ischinger, Haque defended Pakistan's development of nuclear
weapons.
India, we believe, is a hegemonic power, he said. Our nuclear programme
has been a response to our security threat perceptions....Nuclear weapons
are weapons of deterrence.
COUP LED TO FURTHER ISOLATION
Already isolated over its nuclear development programme, Pakistan drew
further international condemnation after army chief General Pervez
Musharraf ousted democratically elected prime minister Nawaz Sharif in a
bloodless coup last October.
Haque said the coup was a necessary reaction to what he called Sharif's
efforts to build a dictatorship in Pakistan, but added the military leaders
would restore democracy by 2002. In the meantime they needed outside
financial help, he said.
Major economic assistance to Pakistan has dried up, he said. The reserves
of the government are $1.5 billion. This is not a very large figure.
The European Union condemned the military coup in October and suspended a
new cooperation pact in protest.
We need to re-engage with the members of the European Union, both
individually and as the European Union, Haque said.
Germany has given $3.7 billion in direct aid to Pakistan since 1961, but
the assistance has stopped with the recent sanctions. Trade has also fallen
sharply in recent years.
It is possible that business do not feel too confident doing business in
Pakistan, Haque said.
Pakistan is also seeking to reschedule its debts again by next year, when
$3.5 to $4 billion is due to foreign creditors. It owes a total of $32
billion in external debts.
Pakistan would like a multi-year arrangement, Haque said. Discussions are
now going on.
Pakistan's inability to broaden its tax base and boost domestic fuel
prices had already caused the International Monetary Fund to put a hold on
a $1.56 billion loan programme before the October coup.
(c) 2000 Reuters Limited.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 3:34:02 AM
Thursday July 20, 4:39 pm Eastern Time
US Energy Dept allows PECO nuke waste payment delays
WASHINGTON, July 20 (Reuters) - U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson on
Thursday said the government has agreed to allow PECO Energy Co (NYSE:PE -
news) to defer up to $80 million in nuclear waste fee payments for its Peach
Bottom plant in Pennsylvania, to compensate for the Energy Department's
failure to store its waste.
The agreement was hailed by Richardson as a way to avoid continued
litigation between utilities and the government over how to pay for and
store 40,000 tons of waste currently sitting on-site at more than 80 nuclear
plants across the nation.
The Energy Department has been contractually obliged to store spent fuel
from commercial nuclear plants since 1998, but has not done so, and has also
not decided on where and when a permanent nuclear repository is to be built.
``Today's agreement demonstrates that the department and the utilities can
reach a resolution regarding our delay without resorting to costly and
protracted litigation, and I hope it will be a precedent for additional
settlement negotiations with other utilities,'' Richardson said in a
statement.
The deal allows PECO to reduce the projected charges paid into the Nuclear
Waste Fund to reflect costs reasonably incurred by the company due to the
department's delay.
PECO could be able to make an adjustment of their charges by up to $80
million over the next 10 years.
``This contract amendment is a positive step forward that will provide for
the appropriate reimbursement of costs that result from delays in siting the
repository without impairing the Nuclear Waste Fund,'' said Corbin McNeill,
Jr., chairman, president and chief executive of PECO.
Next year, the energy secretary must decide whether to recommend the Yucca
Mountain site in the Nevada desert as the site for the permanent geologic
repository based on continued scientific and technical studies.
Congressional Republicans have tried unsuccessful the last two years to pass
legislation making Yucca Mountain the repository site, with nuclear fuel
shipments to start as early as the year 2007.
President Clinton, however, has vetoed the plan, objecting to environmental
concerns about radiation exposure standards.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 3:33:00 AM
The Christian Science Monitor
FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2000
China's nuclear-power program loses steam
Sources say the next five-year plan may pull the plug on building more
atomic plants.
Kevin Platt
Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
BEIJING
China has long vowed to become one of the biggest nuclear-energy powers on
the planet. Less than three years ago, it was touting plans to spend as
much as $100 billion on new nuclear plants.
But today, there is a battle going on in Beijing's corridors of power over
the future of atomic energy in China. Some Chinese officials are indicating
that an unpublished ban on the import of commercial reactors may be
extended for the foreseeable future.
"China has declared a moratorium on new [nuclear power] plant orders for
the next three to four years," says Michael Marriotte, who monitors China's
energy plans for the Washington-based Nuclear Information and Resource
Service.
Indeed, a Western diplomat says there are growing reports that China, which
now has three commercial nuclear power units operating and eight more under
construction, may impose a ban on any new facilities for the duration of
the next five-year plan, which covers the period 2001-2005.
If the ban is extended indefinitely, it could mark the beginning of the end
for US and other Western nuclear-plant builders whose markets have dried up
at home. If lifted, the Chinese market could spark a major renaissance for
the nuclear industry, say American and European experts in the field.
Just a few years ago, China looked like the nuclear industry's salvation.
American plant designers had state-of-the art technology but "faced dying
demand in the US," says Wu Yong, an executive at Westinghouse Electric
China.
And China saw the rapid development of nuclear plants "as an important
status symbol of a major world power," says a Western diplomat based in
Beijing. It wanted to build as many as 50 new plants to meet the energy
needs of its fast-growing economy.
The government-run China Daily reported in November 1997 that "China is
spending $60 to $100 billion in constructing nuclear power stations in the
next 25 years." It added that "US companies will take a big slice of the
Chinese market."
With so much money at stake, Westinghouse and other major energy companies
lobbied long and hard for Washington to lift a standing ban on
nuclear-technology transfers to Beijing. The ban was imposed in the
mid-1980s after US intelligence reports that China was supplying nuclear
technology to Pakistan, North Korea, and other countries believed to be
focused on developing atomic weapons.
It was lifted in early 1998, after President Clinton certified that Beijing
was no longer engaged in nuclear proliferation.
But just as the signing of the US-China nuclear-cooperation pact seemed to
be opening Beijing's doors to sales of American plants, China's first major
nuclear facility malfunction caused its first environmentally conscious
premier to order a slowdown in new plant construction.
After a July 1998 incident at the Qinshan nuclear power plant in eastern
Zhejiang province, Premier "Zhu Rongji said, 'Let's put nuclear power on
hold right now and put our emphasis on other power sources,' " says the
Western diplomat.
Daniel Lipman, an executive at Westinghouse's headquarters in Beijing, says
the freeze on new orders applies to all foreign plant builders, and is not
aimed specifically at the US.
Qinshan, China's first domestically built plant, was shut down for more
than a year after mechanical defects were found in its reactor, the
diplomat says.
He says that bolts, monitoring tubes and fuel rods had been damaged due to
faulty construction of the reactor, and adds: "Qinshan opened Chinese eyes
to the complexity of building these things." An official at the China
National Nuclear Corp., the country's top nuclear regulatory agency, says
"there were no injuries or any leak of radiation during the incident at
Qinshan."
The official, surnamed Jin, adds China National has since ordered
stepped-up inspections of all nuclear power plants and fuel suppliers.
Although China's potential suppliers of nuclear technology in the West are
alarmed at the ban on wholesale plant imports, they need not fear the rise
of "No Nukes" protests.
"I've never seen any sign of an anti-nuclear movement here," says the
diplomat.
Dai Qing, one of China's most ardent environmental activists, says there's
a good reason for the lack of an anti-nuclear outcry following the Qinshan
shutdown.
"Nuclear power stations and their operations are classified as top secret
by the state," says Ms. Dai, who is also an investigative reporter. "Even
China's leading nuclear scientists could find no outlet in the state-run
media here to publish anti-nuclear articles," she adds.
Indeed, not until after Qinshan resumed operations last autumn did Chinese
newspapers gave sketchy accounts of a "mechanical hitch" at the site.
The lack of an anti-nuclear movement here added to the halo surrounding the
Chinese market for Western plant manufacturers.
In China, Mr. Marriotte says, "when the public knows nothing about nuclear
technology or its dangers, there's not going to be any fear of broad-based
opposition to new plants."
Westinghouse and other American power companies hope that China will revive
plans for high-speed development of nuclear power, and they have many
allies within the Chinese government.
"Many provinces would like to build nuclear power plants because they bring
the central government's investment, new jobs, etc.," says the diplomat.
In Beijing, "the Chinese have competing government agencies in regulating
nuclear power," he says. "All these entities have a different opinion and a
different vested interest in promoting nuclear power or putting it on the
back burner."
The Western diplomat and Chinese officials agree that the short-term future
of nuclear power expansion will depend on the depth of Premier Zhu's
determination to slow down the nuclear industry and his ability to
withstand pressure from pro-nuclear forces in the Communist Party and
government.
But after Zhu, who is slated to retire in 2002, steps down, the issue of
rapid nuclear power growth could again become an open question.
"China still has the potential to become the largest market in the world
for nuclear power stations," the diplomat said.
For the dwindling number of plant makers, "There's really nowhere else to
go except Asia," Marriotte adds.
Peer de Rijk, a nuclear power expert at the Amsterdam-based World
Information Service on Energy, says China's decision on whether to extend
or end its ban on new plant orders could break or make the remaining
nuclear energy firms in the US and Europe."China's decision on the
moratorium will be one of the most important factors in the future of the
nuclear power industry," he says.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 3:32:17 AM
Wednesday July 19 9:54 PM ET
Radioactive Runoff Seen in N.M. Lab
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - Scientists have reported radioactive storm runoff in a
fire-denuded area above the Los Alamos nuclear laboratory.
The first significant thunderstorm to hit Los Alamos after a fire burned
through the area this spring flushed higher-than-average levels of radiation
down Los Alamos Canyon early last month, the lab reported Tuesday.
It's not water used for drinking, lab officials said.
Preliminary, uncorroborated data suggest the storm moved plutonium,
cesium-137, strontium-90 and other contaminants - still within allowable
health standards. But in areas of the canyon, overall combined radioactivity
rose above levels that would trigger a cleanup of drinking water - if
drinking water were at issue.
A team of state, lab and University of New Mexico officials are about to
begin sampling storm runoff around Los Alamos.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 3:31:38 AM
Las Vegas SUN
Prime Nuclear Storage Base Closes
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ROMULUS, N.Y. (AP) -- Tucked in rolling farmland between two of the
fjordlike Finger Lakes, the Seneca Army Depot evoked pride and fury in the
1980s when defense analysts revealed it was home to the nation's largest
Army stockpile of nuclear missiles.
But after 59 years as a major East Coast storage site for everything from
bullets to radar-evading cruise missiles, post-Cold War budget cuts are
finally shuttering the place. The flag came down Thursday morning, and the
last military commander was shipping out.
"If you told somebody you worked at the depot, it meant something. There
was a lot of pride in that," said Fred Kaufman, 58, a maintenance chief who
retired this month after 24 years at the base, visible from his home in
this western New York village.
The 11,000-acre base was the site of tempestuous protests, where
demonstrators camped for years outside the razor-wire perimeter, and rumors
abounded about what sort of weapons were inside the "Q Area" ringed with
signs warning that "Deadly Force is Authorized."
More than 900 protesters were arrested in 1983. Two years later, weaponry
experts confirmed decades-old suspicions that nuclear missiles were stored
at Seneca. The Army never acknowledged nor denied the presence of such
weapons.
"I never felt the soldiers were my enemies -- they were just doing their
job and I felt a lot of them were misguided," said Lucinda Sangree, a
protester who stayed at the Women's Encampment for a Future of Peace and
Justice next to the base. Begun in 1982, the camp dissolved a decade later
when major cutbacks in the U.S. nuclear arsenal began.
"This is a mankind struggle -- through our generation and the next few
generations -- to get a peaceful world, one that doesn't involve weapons,"
said Sangree, 69, a retired sociologist in Rochester. "There are still
thousands of nuclear missiles out there."
In their 1985 book "Nuclear Battlefields," William Arkin and Richard
Fieldhouse numbered the nation's nuclear weapons arsenal at 26,000, with
1,265 warheads kept at Seneca.
"At that time, it was so controversial to reveal this information that the
Reagan administration was even threatening to put me in jail," recalled
Arkin, a former Army intelligence analyst. "That was a different era."
The depot stored as many as 3,000 warheads in the late 1960s, and the last
of them were removed by 1993, Arkin said. During the 1991 Gulf War, 15,000
tons of conventional ammunition left the base but were never shipped back.
"That was kind of the beginning of the end," said Bruce Johnson, the base
commander's civilian executive assistant.
All but 300 of the depot's 1,000 civilian employees were laid off in 1993
and nearly all 600 military personnel were transferred. In 1995, the depot
was one of 57 military bases the Pentagon recommended for closure by 2001.
There is a mess: An estimated $79 million is being spent for an
environmental cleanup of mainly solvents and heavy metals. No evidence of
radioactive contamination has been found.
Another fight of sorts has cropped up over what to do with the site, which
the state has chosen for the 1,500-inmate Five Points prison. It is
scheduled to open Aug. 28 and create 638 full-time jobs.
"I'm very much in sympathy with the economic plight of people in western
New York, but I'm very sad to see New York state having such an investment
in the prison industry," Sangree said.
"At first I was really against the prison," Kaufman said. "But it'll be a
plus. Believe me, if you drove by, you wouldn't know it's there."
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 3:30:31 AM
=================================
CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR PLANT RESTARTED
=================================
KIEV, Ukraine, July 18, 2000 (The Associated Press)
The only working reactor at the Chernobyl atomic
power plant, site of the world's worst nuclear
accident, was restarted this week after repairs, plant
officials said Tuesday.
The reactor was shut down due to flooding caused by
a storm July 10; two of its electric generators needed
repairs.
On Monday evening, one electric generator was
restarted. The other needs further work, the Chernobyl
press service reported. The reactor will work at 50
percent of capacity until the second generator is
restarted July 24, the press service said.
A reactor at Chernobyl exploded and caught fire
in 1986, contaminating large areas in Ukraine, Russia
and Belarus and spewing a radioactive cloud across
Europe. At least 8,000 people have died as a result of
the disaster, most of them from radiation-related
diseases, according to Ukrainian officials. An
estimated 3.4 million people in Ukraine still suffer
from its effects.
Ukraine has promised to permanently shut down
the plant's only working reactor on Dec. 15.
========
THE NEWS
========
Morning News edited by Aleksandar Stan
AIM, Belgrade, July 19, 2000 11:40
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 3:28:30 AM
WEDNESDAY JULY 12, 4:29 PM EASTERN TIME
NEW YORK, July 12 (Reuters) - On the eve of the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission's (NRC) impending decision on Consolidated
Edison Inc.'s (NYSE:ED - news) application to restart its idled
Indian Point 2 nuclear reactor, three members of the U.S.
Congress asked the agency on Monday to delay its decision.
The New York Representatives, Sue Kelly, Benjamin Gilman and Nita
Lowey, who have been working with the NRC to ensure the safety of
Indian Point 2 prior to restart, have asked the federal agency to
deny Con Ed's restart request prior to replacing the unit's steam
generators.
Indian Point 2, in Buchanan, N.Y., on the shores of the Hudson
River about 35 miles north of New York City, shut on February 15
when radioactive water leaked from a crack in one of the
thousands of tubes inside one of the steam generators.
A steam generator, which stands about 70 feet high and 40 feet
wide, transfers heat from the reactor systems to the
power-generating portion of a nuclear power plant.
After repairing the leaky steam generator tube, Con Ed asked the
NRC for permission to restart the reactor in early June. The NRC,
which was expected to make a decision by the end of June, has
delayed due to the time needed to evaluate the hundreds of pages
which constitute Con Ed's application.
After the radiation leak, the NRC opened investigations to
discover the causes of the incident, which shed light on several
problems with Con Ed's operation of the plant.
The investigation also uncovered past problems with the NRC's
oversight of Con Ed as the operator of the plant, leading the
agency to open an internal investigation into its own past
activities.
After the NRC opened the internal investigation, the New York
Representatives asked the U.S. Inspector General to open an
investigation of the NRC.
And, the New York Representatives also asked the U.S. General
Accounting Office (GAO) to study the history and safety of Indian
Point 2.
In their July 11 letter, the Congress members asked the NRC to
delay any decision on Con Ed's restart application until after
the Inspector General and the GAO have completed their
investigations.
In the past, the NRC's Regional Administrator, Hubert Miller, has
said the agency would coordinate its efforts with the Inspector
General, but would not necessarily wait for the Inspector General
to file its report before deciding on Con Ed's application.
Many wholesale electricity traders said the NRC would have to
make a decision soon or it will likely not matter because the
traders expect Con Ed will withdraw its application.
``Con Ed only needs the plant in service for the months of July
and August. Even if the NRC gives the go ahead, the plant won't
be on line until the third week of July at best,'' one
Houston-based electricity trader said.
``Once we get into the fourth week of July, it really won't be
worth the political and financial trouble for Con Ed to keep
fighting. They'll probably just withdraw their application and
start replacing the steam generators,'' the Houston-based trader
said.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 3:27:47 AM
Tri-City Herald
7/14/2000
'Privatization' at DOE sites not working, report finds
By John Stang Herald staff writer
The Department of Energy's "privatization" concept has flopped so far, a recent federal General Accounting Office report concluded.
"DOE's privatization initiative has had little success in achieving cost savings, keeping the projects moving forward on schedule or getting improvements in contractors' performance," the report said.
The report covers the GAO's June 22 testimony to the U.S. House Commerce Committee's subcommittee on oversight and investigations. The GAO serves as the investigative arm of Congress.
The GAO looked at three DOE privatized projects -- including Hanford's troubled radioactive waste glassification project. The other two projects are at DOE's Idaho Falls site.
DOE designed the privatization concept for very long, complicated projects. Under the concept, the hired company would pay all upfront costs and would not be repaid for its expenses and profits until specific goals are met. The idea is to get private money invested in cleanup projects with federal money not being used until the goals are actually accomplished. This is supposed to be an incentive to get work done on time and within budget in nationwide cleanup programs notorious for delays and cost overruns.
However, DOE's two biggest privatization projects have failed, and a third is showing its first signs of struggling. These projects are:
n BNFL Inc.'s effort to build Hanford plants to convert the site's radioactive tank wastes into glass. Construction was supposed to begin in 2001, with glassification to run from
2007 to 2018. The original cost estimate was $6.9 billion -- which was supposed to be a $2.1 billion to $3.5 billion savings over using a conventional contract.
But the high financing costs for an 18-year project plus design changes caused BNFL to submit a revised $15.2 billion estimate in April. That led DOE to fire BNFL. DOE is trying to hire a new company under a more conventional contract by January 2001.
n Lockheed Martin's efforts to clean up a one-acre plutonium-laced burial site called "Pit 9" at DOE's Idaho Falls site.
The supposedly $200 million project was run from 1996 to
1999 and saved $134 million. But Lockheed's performance problems got it fired in 1998, with the cleanup work still not done. Now, DOE and Lockheed are fighting in court, with DOE trying to recover $54 million already paid to Lockheed, and the company claiming DOE owes it another $271 million.
n BNFL's efforts to set up a mixed waste treatment plant at Idaho Falls, to be operated from 2003 to 2018. This $876 million project is supposedly $670 million cheaper than what could be done under a conventional contract.
So far, DOE is happy with BNFL, but some permitting and legal problems could delay construction. The GAO is not sure if those problems could delay the overall project. Delays would likely increase the price tag, the report said.
The GAO found common problems at all three projects.
The required work grew in all three. The wastes had not been thoroughly studied. Some technical and regulatory issues were unresolved when plans were made. Schedules were unrealistic. DOE erroneously thought a privatized project's costs would not grow once it was started, the GAO concluded.
Also, the GAO noted all the contractors had major problems in lining up private investors -- other than their own companies -- to pay for the upfront costs while waiting several years for returns on their investments.
And in all three cases, DOE limited the options to set up and finance contracts -- comparing a privatized approach only with a conventional cost-reimbursement contract without performance incentives. That shut out many avenues and comparisons DOE should have explored, the GAO report said.
Finally, the GAO wondered if DOE effectively supervised a privatized contract, citing Hanford's tank waste project as an example. The GAO noted DOE became aware of BNFL's estimate approaching the $15 billion mark only a few weeks before it was submitted.
"This lack of awareness raises questions about the adequacy of DOE's expertise to oversee this aspect of the project," the report said.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 3:26:57 AM
Tri-City Herald editorial
July 16, 2000
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/opinion/2000/0716-1.html
Hanford audit underscores obvious
The recent federal audit focusing on Hanford's underground
tanks revealed something that shouldn't be news to anyone.
Hanford cleanup, projected to be a 30-year job when the
Tri-Party Agreement was signed in 1989, might well not be
completed for an additional 47 years hence.
The audit by Truman Beeler, the Environmental Protection
Agency's regional inspector general, blames the Department
of Energy's inadequate funding and management of the tank
farms cleanup as well as accuses its regulators - the EPA
and the state Department of Ecology - for lax enforcement of
milestones.
Beeler's report says the delays "significantly increase" the
risk of leaks from the deteriorating tanks into the air or
ground water. About 1 million gallons of radioactive waste
already have leaked from 67 of Hanford's 149 single-shelled
tanks. Most of those tanks are well beyond their design
life, and for many, there is no way to monitor leaks.
In responding to Beeler's report, top EPA and Ecology
officials concurred with his findings. And, in comments to a
Herald reporter, they vowed to do better.
We hope they can, but it's hard not to be cynical about
their chances.
Key to the tank farm cleanup is construction of the proposed
Hanford Waste Vitrification Project. Under the so-called
privatization plan, a private company was to build plants
that would turn liquid radioactive wastes from the tanks
into glass logs, a more stable and safer long-term storage
condition.
But the company, BNFL Inc., recently was fired from the
project. Although the Energy Department generally liked the
design work BNFL had done, the company's final cost estimate
of $15.2 billion over 18 years - more than double the
original estimate - was unpalatable.
The BNFL example was among those cited in another report
released last week by the General Accounting Office, which
blasted the Energy Department's dabbling with the
privatization concept. Under the approach, private companies
pay the upfront costs and later are reimbursed by the
government. In the BNFL case, the company was not to be
reimbursed until it produced its first glass log sometime
around 2007.
The Energy Department plans to hire a new Hanford
vitrification plant contractor under a more conventional
contract by January, but the switch poses serious obstacles
to the department meeting its 2007 milestone of starting to
turn the waste into logs.
Recently, because the Energy Department didn't want to
commit to specific, interim milestones leading up to actual
glass log production, the state Ecology Department
unilaterally imposed milestones, as is its right under the
Tri-Party Agreement.
This dispute alone indicates the difficulty regulators have
in enforcing cleanup deadlines. If nothing else, the EPA's
federal audit adds up the batch of minor setbacks and mixes
in the batch of major delays to provide a picture of
long-term delays that could pose serious problems for our
community and environment.
It should be a wake-up call that no more serious delays,
mistakes and mismanagement can be allowed.
The Energy Department, its contractors, the EPA and the
Ecology Department must do more than resolve to do better.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 3:24:43 AM
Tri-City Herald
July 22, 2000
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/2000/0722/story2.html
DOE again delays decision on FFTF
By Les Blumenthal
and Annette Cary
Herald staff writers
WASHINGTON -- The Department of Energy again put off a
decision on restarting the Fast Flux Test Facility at
Hanford, this time in a long-awaited draft environmental
study due out next week.
"A preferred alternative has not yet been identified," the
department said after months of looking at restarting the
research reactor and reviewing the best ways to supply the
nation with medical and industrial isotopes, to provide a
plutonium 238 power source for space missions and to conduct
nuclear research.
DOE is waiting for two more key reports, both expected in
August, and wants to hear from the public before picking a
preferred alternative, said Matt Nerzig, a Washington, D.C.,
DOE spokesman.
The report due next week offered no major reasons not to use
FFTF for those three missions and, in fact, hinted it might
be the best alternative.
"Due to its large core size, flux spectrum, demonstrated
testing capability and rated power level, it would be able
to concurrently support the projected plutonium 238 needs,
production of medical and industrial isotopes and nuclear
research and development related to a broad range of
materials, advanced reactors, advance fuels and waste
transmutation," the draft said.
The draft environmental impact statement said it was
uncertain whether existing department facilities could
handle the new missions without disrupting current programs
and projects. Two new accelerators might have to be built in
order to handle isotope and plutonium 238 needs, it said,
and a new research reactor may not have the same
capabilities as FFTF.
A copy of the environmental study's 65-page executive
summary was obtained Friday by the McClatchy Newspapers'
Washington, D.C., bureau.
The study was hand-delivered to congressional offices, but
there was little immediate comment as aides took the boxload
of documents home to study over the weekend.
The draft study will be followed by a cost analysis of the
various alternatives that is expected in early August and a
special report on nuclear nonproliferation issues that is
expected later in the month.
Those reports and the lack of a preferred alternative this
month likely will push a decision on a preferred alternative
past the November elections and could rush the DOE to meet
its announced plan of publishing a record of decision in
mid-December.
"The secretary is determined to make a decision by the end
of the year," Nerzig said.
Once the draft is officially released, there will be a
45-day public comment and review period. A series of public
hearings will be held, including ones in Seattle and
Richland.
"The fact that there is no preferred alternative makes it
even more important for people to share their views," said
Jennifer Scott, spokeswoman for Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash.,
who has supported a restart.
Citizens for Medical Isotopes plans informational meetings
at 5 p.m. each Monday at the Shilo Inn in Richland until the
Richland public hearing.
Heart of America Northwest is organizing opposition to a
restart and also plans workshops before the hearings.
After the public hearings, DOE will have to review the
comments and prepare a final environmental study, which it
says will include a preferred alternative. The record of
decision would be the final step.
The FFTF was built in the 1970s as part of the nation's
since-canceled breeder reactor program, but it is still the
department's most modern reactor. The 400-megawatt reactor
and its support facilities would cost more than $2.5 billion
to build today.
Although it has had no mission for a decade, the FFTF has
remained on standby and its sodium coolant has not been
drained. Once the sodium is removed, the reactor cannot be
restarted.
The reactor costs about $35 million to $40 million annually
to maintain.
Supporters of restarting the reactor say it could be a
much-needed source of medical and industrial isotopes,
provide an important facility for all types of nuclear
research and produce a power source for satellites and
deep-space probes. It also could provide up to 1,000
well-paid jobs if restarted.
Opponents say restarting FFTF would detract from efforts to
clean up Hanford and running it would produce more waste.
The draft environmental impact statement concluded the
additional nuclear waste produced by running the reactor for
35 years could easily be handled at Hanford.
"It would be unlikely that there would be major impacts on
waste management at Hanford because sufficient capacity
would exist to manage the site wastes," the report said.
The report also said the more than 35,000 pounds of highly
radioactive spent fuel the reactor would use over the years
could be stored at the site without difficulty.
If restarted, FFTF probably could accomplish most of its
missions while running at only one-fourth of its rated power
level, the report said. Over the years, FFTF already has
demonstrated its capability to handle the proposed missions,
the report added.
The report found that "during its 10 years of operation, the
reactor facility has also supported large and varied test
programs for industry, nuclear energy, medical isotope
applications and research, space nuclear power and fusion
research programs.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 1:06:59 AM
NRC Nixes Restart
Of Nuke Plant
By JIM FITZGERALD
Associated Press Writer
Con Edison has failed to persuade the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that it
can safely restart the Indian Point 2 nuclear power plant, site of a
radioactive leak five months ago.
The commission said yesterday that the utility's plan for getting the
northern Westchester plant back on line - without replacing its original
steam generators - was unsatisfactory, and it demanded more information
before deciding whether to grant permission.
Con Ed had hoped to get the reactor back up in time to meet some of the
region's peak summer demand for electricity, but the commission's move makes
that unlikely.
"They've missed the summer," said James Riccio, senior analyst at Public
Citizen in Washington. "It could be the NRC is telling Con Ed they might as
well put in the new generators." Company spokesman Joseph Petta insisted
that the utility had already insured "the safe and reliable operation of the
plant," but said it would meet the NRC's requirements.
The company has had replacement generators on hand since the 1980s and said
last month that it planned to begin installing them later this year.
Installation would take two and a half to three months, Petta said.
"Today's action by the NRC only confirms my belief that Con Edison has kept
our community in the dark and has put its bottom line above the public
safety," said Rep. Sue Kelly (R-Katonah), whose congressional district
includes the power plant in Buchanan.
Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano said, "Like the NRC, we have
serious safety concerns and only the replacement of the steam generators can
satisfy those concerns."
Coincidentally, a handful of activists from communities near the reactor
were outside the company's headquarters in lower Manhattan demonstrating
yesterday against Con Ed's restart plan. Four people, including one wearing
a radiation suit, chained themselves to the front doors and were arrested.
Mark Jacobs, director of the Westchester People's Action Coalition, said at
the scene that the NRC's letter to Con Ed was "a step in the right
direction, but the NRC needs to go further and tell Con Ed they can't reopen
at all."
Original Publication Date: 7/21/00
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 12:57:23 AM
July 21, 2000
Nuclear Agency Delays Reopening of Con Ed's Indian Point 2 Plant
By MATTHEW L. WALD with RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA
WASHINGTON, July 20 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission today said that Con
Edison was not ready to reopen the Indian Point 2 nuclear reactor with its
existing steam generators. The decision makes it less likely that the plant
will resume operations this summer and more likely that consumers will see
higher utility bills.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, in a letter sent to plant managers today,
asked for extensive further analysis of the steam generators, one of which
caused an accident that shut down the plant on Feb. 15. The commission staff
said that the accuracy of the instrument for measuring flaws in the tube
walls had been determined by using a tube at another reactor and that the
tubes at Indian Point might differ.
A spokesman for the company, Joseph P. Petta, said, "Right now the immediate
focus is getting these answers to the N.R.C." But he said that the company
might try to reduce the uncertainty by sealing off the tubes most likely to
leak, or that it might go ahead with replacing the steam generators
immediately, a step that would preclude operation for months. "We haven't
ruled anything out," Mr. Petta said.
But critics said that the company could have saved its customers money by
replacing the generators months or even years ago. Loss of the plant for the
rest of the summer would also increase the risk of the region's running
short of power during the season when heat waves can challenge the system's
ability to produce enough electricity.
"Seemingly, this is the opportunity for Con Ed to go ahead and do the right
thing and replace the steam generators, and not put the public at any
greater risk than they have to be," said James P. Riccio, a nuclear expert
at the Critical Mass Energy Project, a nonprofit group founded by Ralph
Nader that had petitioned the regulatory commission to keep the plant shut.
"If they had replaced the steam generators in February, they would be making
money hand over fist right now. Instead, they're paying it out hand over
fist."
Representative Sue Kelly, a Republican of Katonah whose district includes
the plant, said: "Today's action by the N.R.C. only confirms my belief that
Con Edison has kept our community in the dark and has put its bottom line
above the public's safety. Con Ed needs to do the right thing and install
the new steam generators now."
After the February accident, the company inspected the steam generators and
asked for permission to run the plant for up to 10 months. But it also said
it planned to shut down and replace the steam generators in the fall.
It now faces the prospect of buying replacement power through the
high-demand, high-cost weeks of late July through early September, while it
repairs the steam generators to the satisfaction of the regulators or
installs replacement generators already at the plant site, in Buchanan,
N.Y., on the east bank of the Hudson River near Peekskill.
Costs are higher this summer because oil and natural gas, the substitutes,
are up in price. And because New York State has deregulated its utilities,
power costs now vary much more sharply according to the time of year. Con Ed
has sold off nearly all of its own generators, and is seeking to sell Indian
Point.
The steam generators are giant heat exchangers. Indian Point 2 heats water
in the nuclear core and then pumps it into the steam generators, into
thousands of thin-walled metal tubes. Outside the tubes, clean,
nonradioactive water is pumped in and boiled into steam, which is used to
spin a turbine, which turns a generator that makes electricity. In February,
one of the tubes leaked water from the core, which is contaminated with
radioactive material, into the clean, non-radioactive steam. Con Ed said the
release of radiation was too small to be measured, but the plant has been
shut for analysis and repairs ever since.
Steam generators are designed with extra tubes so bad ones can be plugged.
But that, too, could take days or weeks; the company may simply decide to go
ahead and replace the generators.
In actions unrelated to the decision by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
the Assembly speaker and an assemblyman from a district near the plant asked
the State Public Service Commission to impose $195 million in costs, for the
shutdown and for a blackout in Upper Manhattan last summer, on Con Ed's
shareholders rather than its ratepayers.
Two Democratic assemblymen, Richard L. Brodsky of Westchester County,
chairman of the Environmental Conservation Committee, and Adriano Espaillat
of Manhattan, have filed a complaint with the state's Public Service
Commission, charging that the accident resulted from Con Edison's own
"imprudency." If the commission agreed, it could force the company to refund
the money to customers.
Today, Mr. Brodsky and Mr. Espaillat, joined by Speaker Sheldon Silver, a
Manhattan Democrat, proposed a settlement for $195 million, the first time
they have put a dollar figure on it. The figure, more than double the record
payout of that type, covers expenses only through Aug. 1.
The Legislature has passed a bill that would disallow many of the same
charges, and that bill was formally delivered today to Gov. George E.
Pataki, a Republican. That puts Mr. Pataki squarely on the spot, because he
must decide in the next two weeks whether to sign the bill, and because he
controls the Public Service Commission, which will determine the fate of the
imprudency complaint and today's offer.
The assemblymen say that Con Edison's failure to replace the steam
generators when other reactor owners did was imprudent. About half of the
$195 million figure is the cost of providing power to replace the electrical
output that was lost when the plant shut down. Some of it stems from
expenses the company has incurred over the last decade to keep the
generators running, including occasional shutdowns for maintenance. And $45
million would go to settle claims made after last summer's blackout in
Washington Heights.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 12:56:08 AM
County seeks Indian Point sale analysis
By GLENN BLAIN
The Journal News
Publication date: 7/21/2000
WHITE PLAINS -- Westchester County is preparing a lawsuit against the New
York Power Authority arguing that the agency improperly declared that the
sale of Indian Point 3 would not have an adverse impact on the local
environment.
The Power Authority declared that the sale of the nuclear power plant to New
Orleans-based Entergy Corp. would not harm the surrounding area before its
preliminary analysis of the transaction's impact was complete, Westchester
County Attorney Alan Scheinkman said yesterday. The analysis was required
under the state's Environmental Quality Review Act.
"We think the process has got to go back to square one and they have to do a
full preliminary analysis," Scheinkman said. "They have to take an honest
look at this."
Power Authority spokesman Steve Shoenholz said it would be irresponsible for
the agency to comment on a lawsuit that has not been filed yet, but NYPA is
confident that the environmental review was done properly.
Scheinkman, acting on behalf of Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano,
asked the Board of Legislators for authorization to file the lawsuit. The
board is scheduled to raise the issue at a special meeting Monday evening.
NYPA agreed in March to sell Indian Point 3 in Buchanan and the James A.
Fitzpatrick nuclear plant in Oswego County to Entergy for $967 million.
Authority officials hope to complete the sale by the end of the year.
Scheinkman said the county continues to have discussions with both NYPA and
Entergy about the environmental impact and it's still possible that a
settlement could be reached before the case goes before a judge.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 12:55:29 AM
Johnston isle radiation is called tolerable
Honolulu Star-Bulletin Hawaii News
Thursday, July 13, 2000
By Harold Morse Star-Bulletin
A Defense Threat Reduction Agency team has downplayed possible
radiation dangers to people or wildlife on Johnston Atoll, site
of two nuclear- armed missile mishaps that left some residual
weapons-grade plutonium in the immediate environment.
It also minimized or ruled out danger of this radioactive
material reaching Hawaii or other Pacific islands on winds or
ocean currents.
Its low levels on Johnston Atoll itself would not pose a danger
to any other populated areas, and since the material is three
times as heavy as lead, ocean currents could never carry it, said
John Esterl, senior health physicist, Defense Threat Reduction
Agency, Albuquerque, N.M.
The team told an audience of about 45 at Farrington High School
that the proposed final soil cleanup level, technically termed
"40 picocuries per gram of transuranic alpha-emitting isotopes
(plutonium)," poses no real danger to people or wildlife.
The agency provided this information and a justification to the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; the U.S. Air Force, present
custodians of Johnston Atoll; and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, responsible for the Johnston Atoll National Wildlife
Refuge. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is scheduled to take
over the atoll in 2005.
The next step is final disposition of the material, on which
another public meeting will be held here at a time and place to
be announced.
Harry Stumpf, Defense Threat Reduction Agency senior
environmental engineer, said last night there are eight to 10
options for disposition, including leaving it where it is in the
24-acre radiological control area on the north side of Johnston
Island, one of the four islands of Johnston Atoll. Other options
would include the more expensive one of removing the contaminated
soil and transporting it to a U.S. mainland dump.
Stumpf and others said there is little evidence low dosages or
radiation at Johnston Atoll cause any health effects. The level
or radiation dosage is about what an airline passenger would be
exposed to on two round-trip flights coast to coast, the agency
team said.
Radiological material was dispersed over the atoll from two
aborted missile launches during high-altitude nuclear weapons
testing in 1962. Cleanup efforts have been ongoing since then.
An "acceptable level of concentration" of weapons-grade plutonium
remains, said Kathryn Higley, associate professor of radiation
health physics, Oregon State University, under a research
contract for Johnston Atoll assessment.
The atoll, located 825 miles southwest of Honolulu, became a
national wildlife refuge in 1926 and came under Navy jurisdiction
in 1941. More recently, it has been the site of chemical weapons
incineration.
The Army's Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System is
scheduled to phase out with closing procedures beginning in
January. Over the past 10 years, more than 3.8 million pounds of
chemical weapons have been destroyed.
c2000 Honolulu Star-Bulletin
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 12:54:30 AM
Friday, July 21, 2000
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Decision may ease push for Yucca
Mountain
By Tony Batt
Donrey Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- The Department of Energy announced an agreement
Thursday with a Philadelphia utility that may affect efforts
to store nuclear
waste at Yucca Mountain.
The agreement would allow the PECO Energy Company to reduce its
payments into a federal fund for nuclear waste storage in
compensation for the
Energy Department's failure to meet a Jan. 31, 1998, deadline
for accepting
highly radioactive spent fuel from the nation's utilities.
PECO operates the Peach Bottom Plant, a nuclear power
facility 65 miles
southwest of Philadelphia.
"Today's agreement demonstrates that the department and
the utilities can
reach a resolution regarding our delay without resorting to costly and
protracted litigation, and I hope it will be a precedent for
additional settlement
negotiations with other utilities," Energy Secretary Bill
Richardson said in a
news release.
This is the first time a nuclear utility has negotiated
a settlement with the
Energy Department regarding the missed deadline for waste
storage. If other
utilities follow PECO, it could ease pressure in Congress to
speed nuclear
waste storage at Yucca Mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
Several utilities have sued the department, and the
government may have
to pay as much as $80 billion if the lawsuits are successful.
The removal of a settlement provision for utilities was
one of the reasons
cited by President Clinton for vetoing a bill in April that
would have allowed
nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain as early as 2007.
"This may be the first chink in the armor," said Sen.
Richard Bryan,
D-Nev., a leading opponent of a Yucca Mountain repository.
"Until now, the
nuclear utilities have presented a united front in their
confrontation with us."
But a spokesman for the nuclear power industry said the
PECO agreement
is unlikely to slow efforts to open the Yucca Mountain repository.
"This is simply a contractual matter between two parties
over the cost of
one plant," said Steven Unglesbee of the Nuclear Energy
Institute. "From the
industry's perspective, we will continue to work to make the
government meet
its obligation by building a repository."
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 12:46:43 AM
July 21, 2000
BNFL workers are sent home
Fallout from metals recycling suspension may cost 300 jobs
by Paul Parson and Laura Beth Chandler
Oak Ridger staff
More than 300 people involved in various cleanup projects at the Oak Ridge
K-25 plant suffered the consequence Thursday of Energy Secretary Bill
Richardson's recent moratorium on recycled metals.
They were sent home from work.
In addition, a group of 20 temporary employees at Manufacturing Sciences
Corp. were sent home Wednesday and then told Thursday that they were being
laid off.
However, officials are saying they will be back on the job in some form or
another on Monday.
James McAnally, general manager for BNFL Inc., said this morning that no
permanent employees were let go, but 20 employees for Manufacturing Sciences
Corp. and 300 trade and labor people were sent home and will be back Monday,
since they only work four days a week. He added there would be work for the
employees to do Monday.
DOE spokesman Frank Juan said this morning the workers were sent home by BNFL
so management could pull together and look into how to manage the cleanup
under the suspension issued by Richardson.
Juan added that BNFL officials said the one-day furlough was needed because
the company had a low supervisor-to-employee ratio and BNFL's management
needed to regroup and decide on managing strategies under the suspension.
"We gave a letter (to BNFL) saying they have to suspend recycling activities,
but (the one-day furlough) was (BNFL's) decision," Juan said. "We are
concerned about the appropriateness of how they did that, and we are checking
into it."
BNFL, which has a contract to clean up three gaseous diffusion processing
plants at the Oak Ridge K-25 site, was officially ordered Wednesday by DOE to
stop releasing potentially contaminated materials from its cleanup work. The
notification follows last Thursday's suspension by Richardson on the release
of scrap metals from DOE facilities.
The suspension in question is part of a new policy aimed at ensuring
contaminated materials are not recycled into consumer products and at
improving management of scrap materials at DOE sites, according to Richardson.
When announcing the suspension, he added it will remain in effect until DOE
sites can confirm that recycled metal would contain "no detectable
contamination from departmental activities."
Richardson's moratorium hit BNFL the hardest and two employees associated
with that company shared their concerns with The Oak Ridger this morning.
Loretta Peterman, a survey technician for Manufacturing Sciences Corp. in Oak
Ridge, came into work Wednesday and was sent back home because of
Richardson's moratorium.
Peterman said all but two of the temporary workers sent home Wednesday were
called and told not to come to work. But, because of an oversight, she was
not called. She went home after being told to return the next morning.
When Peterman came to work Thursday, she and 19 other Manufacturing Sciences
Corp. employees who were working through CDI Temporary Services were told the
company was going to have to let them go.
"We all planned to go full-time with the company," Peterman said. "The
supervisor said he didn't even know if he'd get to keep his job. Everybody's
sure it will affect them shortly. They're hoping to hold onto their jobs as
long as they can."
Peterman said she would like to tell Richardson that his decision is not just
affecting those in East Tennessee but "thousands of lives all over the U.S."
Oliver Riels, a health physics technician at Manufacturing Sciences Corp.,
said, "It just snowballed yesterday morning. We don't know if we have a job.
There are rumors of the next lay-off because 95 percent of our workers are
DOE."
Riels said Richardson's decision has had a "whole big ripple effect," which
has not only laid off the temporary workers but also some of the truck
drivers who haul materials for MSC.
"I liked my job, and I had no fear whatsoever of what I was doing or being
subjected to radiation. The company takes precautions. I would have no
arguments to use this metal. It's better to decontaminate it than to leave it
radioactive," Peterman said.
BNFL isn't the only company doing cleanup work on the ETTP site.
Frank Jarvis of Coy Construction said he just finished a contract with BNFL
and his 10 workers were not affected by the layoff.
However, David Eaker, vice president of ToxCo, has seven employees working on
a metal recycling project at K-25 and they had to stop work Thursday. Eaker
said he was notified by DOE representatives to stop working, and he was given
no indication as to when his company could start working again.
"Our project will be off until DOE is able to work through this," Eaker said,
who is not surprised by, nor supportive of, the suspension.
In nine months, ToxCo has recycled seven and a half million pounds of
"clean/noncontaminated" materials, Eaker said.
"The material we're releasing is clean," Eaker said. "It doesn't make sense.
Why would you stop recycling something that's clean."
Eaker said his employees are voicing concerns.
"I've had to talk to them continuously," he said.
When Eaker's employees return to the site Monday, the will have work to do.
"We have been able to accumulate enough work for two to four weeks," he said.
"After that, we have a direct 100 percent impact."
Congressman Zach Wamp, R-3rd District, who has been opposed to the moratorium
since it was announced last Thursday, said his Oak Ridge congressional office
received a number of phone calls from irate BNFL workers who were sent home
Thursday.
In a press release, Wamp said he called Richardson Thursday to express his
"strong opposition" to the moratorium on recycling and asked Richardson to
quickly respond to the "hard working employees who have been hurt by the
decision."
"It is outrageous that in addition to the unjustified decision to stop
recycling, DOE did not have any plan to take care of the hundreds of
employees of BNFL and the many small businesses that are working together on
this massive cleanup project," Wamp said.
"I let him know that the BNFL workers sent home [Thursday] as a result of his
decision last week have a right to be upset and told him that at least -- in
decency -- they need to be told soon what DOE's game plan is. It is
inexcusable to leave these dedicated workers in limbo.
"The massive cleanup at East Tennessee Technology Park, which has been
approved by both federal and state regulators, is safe and benefits the
nation's taxpayers.
"The Clinton-Gore administration has bungled this whole issue -- first
touting recycling in Oak Ridge as a win-win situation, then shutting it down
and turning it into a lose-lose situation -- all in Vice President Gore's
backyard.
"We must turn up the heat on the administration so that needed clean up of
the cold war legacy in Oak Ridge can continue," Wamp said.
And, while workers are expected to be back at ETTP site Monday, BNFL and DOE
officials are scheduled to have discussions next week about the suspension.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 12:45:40 AM
Friday, July 21, 2000
Lab Chemical Found in Water
By Ian Hoffman Journal Staff Writer
For the first time ever, the federal nuclear-weapons lab in Los
Alamos has admitted to finding one of its
chemicals in a drinking-water well.
Known as perchlorate, the chemical cropped up in a Pueblo Canyon
well at extremely low levels — two to
three parts per billion — that aren't thought to endanger human
health, according to independent scientists. The
well is one of seven supplying 12,000 people.
"At these levels, I have not found any evidence of adverse health
effects," said Ron Voorhees, New Mexico's
deputy state epidemiologist.
"This is not anything that poses any danger to the public," said
Tim Glasco, deputy utilities manager for Los
Alamos County. "Your water is safe to drink."
Yet the fact that perchlorate was found at all in a drinking-water
well is remarkable and could be a warning sign
of vast contamination slowly moving into Los Alamos County's water
supply, according to state and private water
scientists.
To date, the U.S. Department of Energy has ruled out any
ground-water cleanup at its Los Alamos National
Laboratory. The perchlorate finding, coming on top of other
contamination in Los Alamos' water-supply aquifer,
makes such a cleanup more and more likely.
Perchlorate is a nonradioactive chemical more commonly found where
aerospace and defense contractors
make rocket engines. It also has been a staple of nuclear research at
Los Alamos National Laboratory since the
Manhattan Project.
In the 1940s and '50s, scientists at the now-defunct Technical
Area 45 used the chemical in analyses of
plutonium and other radioactive metals, then flushed the remains
untreated into Acid Canyon.
Lab scientists suspect the perchlorate found in late June and
early July was released a half century ago from
Technical Area 45. If so, the chemical has seeped eastward more than
three miles and trickled downward through
1,000 feet of rock, mixing with several underground bodies of water.
Water scientists found it in a deep and
powerful well that draws on a quarter-mile thick swath of soggy rock,
an underground reservoir for unknown
billions of gallons of water.
Any toxin to travel that far and survive huge amounts of dilution
could be a clue that heavier concentrations —
and perhaps more dangerous contaminants — could end up in Los Alamos
County's water.
In January, state water scientists reported finding a low but
undeniable level of radioactive tritium in Otowi-1,
the same drinking-water well where the perchlorate was found. They
also found another radioactive element,
strontium-90, in a second well.
"It is clear that a highly contaminated band of water is present
in the upper portions of these two wells because
they are very deep, and there is a great deal of dilution," said Greg
Mello, a hydrologist who leads the Los
Alamos Study Group, a nonprofit nuclear disarmament group in Santa Fe.
"It is logical to assume the perchlorate
is a harbinger for other things."
Los Alamos lab scientists plan to test all surface and ground
waters for the chemical, plus drill new test wells.
Getting a grip on the extent and levels of contamination will take
years, said Dave Rogers, a lab hydrologist.
Mello argues that is a mistake.
"The answer is not to study the deep aquifer in detail but to act,
to remediate the shallow aquifer" that is the
easiest-to-reach source of contamination, he said. "The answer is
prevention, not scientific hand-wringing after the
fact. Los Alamos should be using its cleanup budget to clean up."
Ammonium perchlorate is a main ingredient in matches, solid rocket
fuel and fireworks and has been found in
the water supplies for 15 million people in the United States,
primarily near rocket-engine factories and testing
sites in California, Nevada and Utah.
Given to rats at doses 100 to 1,000 times greater than those in
Los Alamos' drinking water, perchlorate causes
changes in the thyroid gland that can dampen production of hormones
needed for metabolism and development.
Effects on humans still are being studied, but scientists worry
about perchlorate because doctors used to use
the chemical to treat overactive thyroids. As a result, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency declared
perchlorate a "contaminant of concern" in 1998 and is performing
research to set its own health advisory level.
The chemical has been dumped in five Los Alamos canyons over time.
Today, the lab flushes liquid waste
containing perchlorate into Mortandad Canyon at levels up to 66 parts
per billion. That is almost four times the
"health advisory" level of 18 ppb at which California regulators
advise water systems to shut down. New Mexico
has no standard or advisory level for perchlorate.
The lab is testing all Los Alamos drinking-water wells quarterly
to see whether the concentrations go up or
down. Los Alamos' Glasco said the county probably won't use any well
showing levels above 18 ppb.
For now, said Voorhees of the New Mexico Department of Health,
"the levels in the Los Alamos drinking
water are much less than the (California) current action level ...
Once it gets diluted (in the Los Alamos water
system), it goes down proportionally. So I don't think the levels in
Los Alamos are of health concern at this time."
State environmental regulators are keeping an eye on perchlorate
in Los Alamos' water. "It's not a health issue,
though it's something we're very concerned about and are following,"
said Bill Bartels, acting drinking-water chief
for the New Mexico Environment Department.
Some state officials are thinking about proposing a water standard
for perchlorate. An aquifer underneath a
"burn pit" at White Sands Missile Range shows perchlorate at 25,000
ppb, and the chemical has turned up at
lesser concentrations near defense sites elsewhere in the state. But
state law allows regulators to step in despite
the lack of a water-quality standard if they feel human health or
water supplies are at risk.
"This is a time when the regulatory screw apparently needs to be
tightened," Mello said. "The answer, instead,
is real enforcement by our state regulatory authorities who have been
unwilling to use their ample powers under
law."
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 12:43:50 AM
Part 2 of 2---
======================================================
The Dow managers could have reduced the amount of plutonium in the production
areas or cut back on production in order to lower the radiation doses that
workers were receiving. Instead they decided to increase the shielding
surrounding the glove boxes and other areas where plutonium was stored.
Ironically, the shielding -- made of a type of Plexiglas that plant officials
knew was flammable -- only served to fan the flames of a disastrous fire.
At 10:10 p.m. on September 11, 1957, watchmen Earl Irvin and R.D. Anderson
were strolling through Room 179 of Building C when they smelled a strange
odor similar to burning rubber. The two men hurried next door, to Room 180,
where machining and inspection of plutonium parts destined for Los Alamos or
Lawrence Livermore lab were done. There they saw flames eighteen inches high
shooting from a glove box. Inside were plutonium "skulls," or massive casting
residues. The skulls were burning, a pair of neoprene gloves had all but
melted, and the glass was crumbling.
The men immediately called the on-site fire department. Two minutes later,
Lieutenant V.F. Eminger and Pumper No. 2 arrived. While one of the watchmen
was helping Eminger into protective gear -- a bunker coat, asbestos gloves,
booties and a Chemox mask -- Robert Vandegrift, the shift supervisor, met him
at the door of Room 180 and forbade him to enter. Eminger's eyes widened with
surprise, and he glanced toward the fire. "As I stood there, the fire gained
great momentum in the right corner of the room near the lathe," he wrote in a
statement appended to a bulky report on the 1957 fire, which remained
classified for nearly forty years.
Vandegrift, as it turned out, was apparently furious that the two watchmen
had called the fire department before notifying him. "You should have called
me first, and it would be up to me to call the fire department," he yelled at
one of the watchmen. Then he yanked a respirator onto his face and told the
lieutenant to follow him into the burning room. The heat was so intense that
they could advance only a few feet before they had to fire their canisters of
carbon dioxide into the flames. The carbon dioxide did nothing to quench the
blaze, however, and the men backed out of the room and held a "hurried
council" in the hallway. While they huddled, I.B. Venable, the building
superintendent, gave orders by telephone to turn the exhaust fans on high
speed. Venable wanted to protect the people fighting the blaze, but the
well-intended gesture only helped fuel the flames.
As the conflagration worsened, plant officials were confronted with a
terrifying choice: Should they unroll the water hoses? It was the logical
solution, but one freighted with danger. When plutonium and water are mixed
together, they can go critical -- begin fissioning and cause a nuclear
explosion. But the flames were spreading toward the air ducts, and there was
nothing else to do. Vandegrift ordered the firemen to spray water on the
ceiling and floors. The temperature dropped immediately, and for a minute
everyone thought the worst was over.
Suddenly there was an explosion. Vandegrift and Eminger were blown back
through the doors. The blast apparently had been triggered by unvented gases
emitted by the burning materials in the glove boxes. "The explosion," wrote
another witness, "had the characteristics that would be noted if one threw a
match into gasoline." Fortunately, no one was hurt.
A minute later the power went out and the fans stopped turning. But the fire
was still going strong. The blaze roared through the ventilation ducts and
finally reached a floor-to-ceiling bank of filters on the second floor. This
bank of filters consisted of 620 paper filters that were each two feet high
and two feet wide. They had never been changed since the building had begun
operating, and untold grams of plutonium had accumulated on their surfaces.
The filters burned furiously, enveloping the area in a thick, impenetrable
smoke. At 10:39 p.m., a firefighter standing outside saw a column of smoke,
eighty to a hundred feet high and "very dark in color" pouring from the
stack.
Vandegrift and Eminger ran outside, put on new coveralls and new Chemox masks
and returned to the building. Other firefighters, clad in bulky coats and
respirators, rushed to the scene. Finally, at 2 a.m., some five hours later,
the fire was brought under control. But it wasn't until 11:28 that morning
that the flames were doused for good.
The wind had been kittenish and unpredictable during the fire, blowing in
every direction before finally stabilizing in a southwesterly flow at about 8
a.m. Site monitors detected an alarming increase of short-lived radioactivity
about mid-morning. The people in buildings 776 and 777 were ordered to put on
respirators. Plant managers considered sending workers home, but decided
against it because they thought the "psychic damage would be greater than the
real harm." Health officials swabbed the noses and throats of 88 workers and
also took three fecal samples, two blood samples and one urine sample. All
showed "positive indications" of plutonium exposure.
In the official account of the fire, which was not released to the public
until February 24, 1993, plant officials pointed out several reasons for the
fire's severity: The room was too crowded and filled with too much plutonium;
the fire detection system had been intentionally disabled; the glove boxes
and filters had been constructed from materials that Dow Chemical knew were
flammable.
But there was one lingering question that the classified report neatly
sidestepped: How much plutonium was spewed into the surrounding countryside?
With not one whit of evidence, T.S. Chapman, director of the plant's health
physics and medical department, declared, "For all practical purposes, the
plutonium contamination resulting from the fire is negligible."
But attorneys for Marcus Church, a nearby rancher who had reluctantly sold
the AEC some of the original land upon which the plant was located, didn't
believe it. Church had run into legal difficulties when he had tried to sell
off other parcels to a developer. So he hired a battery of lawyers and
scientists to investigate Rocky Flats and filed a lawsuit in 1975 against the
government and Dow Chemical, alleging they had defiled his land with
plutonium and numerous other toxins. It was a groundbreaking investigation
and the first sustained effort to peel back the wall of secrecy that had
surrounded the plant for many years. Using subpoena power and the Freedom of
Information Act, the Church team obtained memos, internal reports, charts and
maps that revealed the plant's dangerous and reckless activities. Many of
those activities were subsequently outlined in a 500-page, pre-trial
statement.
Despite the burning filters and the thick column of black smoke chugging from
the stack, plant officials estimated that less than a gram of plutonium was
released to the environment during the 1957 fire. But attorneys representing
Church, sifting through technical reports and data describing the
plutonium-laden filters, calculated that as much as fourteen kilograms could
have escaped. Others put the release somewhere in between. Eventually, Rocky
Flats officials were forced to acknowledge in interrogatories filed with the
court that they had "no known data or information tending to confirm or deny
the truth of the estimate of the one gram value."
After the fire, much of the plutonium work was moved into adjoining
buildings, 776-777. This complex, which housed foundry, assembly and
inspection operations, was so vast that yellow arrows had been painted on the
floors so visitors could find their way out.
At the foundry, plutonium was forged into ingots, which could weigh roughly
between fifteen and eighteen pounds. The feed material came from several
sources: virgin plutonium from Hanford or Savannah River, another production
facility in South Carolina; and "recycled" plutonium from aging warheads in
the stockpile. The so-called site returns were shipped back to Rocky Flats
every eight years or so when a small percentage of the plutonium molecules
within the core decayed into americium, a "daughter" product that was
extremely radioactive. Using a chemical process, the americium was separated
from the plutonium. For a few years, Rocky Flats officials were able to
resell the americium, which was used in smoke alarms and for various
diagnostic procedures, but the radioactive material was consigned to the
trash heap when demand dropped off in the '70s.
After the plutonium was forged, it was sent to the fabrication department
where the metal was pressed, cut, drilled and milled into the hollow
hemispheres. Leftover pieces were then placed in chip cans and returned to
the foundry, where the loose shards were pressed into briquettes --
hamburger-sized patties weighing a little over three pounds.
The completed plutonium components then went to an assembly department for
inspection, final cleaning and drilling, and packaging. The assembly
department also had the onerous and dangerous task of chopping up the
plutonium cores taken from the old warheads and sending them back for
reprocessing.
The completed cores were then shipped in specially designed railroad cars to
the Pantex plant in Amarillo, Texas. At that facility, the core was
surrounded with a layer of explosives and inserted into warheads that were
deployed throughout the world.
The safety record was no better in the 776-777 complex than it was in
Building C. Fires, explosions and accidents occurred frequently as Dow
officials rushed to meet production schedules and collect their bonuses.
Plutonium salts caught fire. Plutonium dust ignited. Plutonium chips,
plutonium metals and plutonium-encrusted molds burst into flames.
Incinerators exploded. Oils caught fire. Tanks burned. Lines ruptured.
Furnaces blew up. Even radioactive sludge erupted in flames.
The workers soon became so inured to burning plutonium -- which glowed like
charcoal briquettes -- that they simply dunked the material in oil or tossed
it into a pan and let it burn itself out. "If it does happen, it is nothing
to get excited about," a supervisor once told government officials.
Radioactive debris collected in the corners of glove boxes and small crevices
of machines. When workers finally got around to cleaning the 4 High Mill Pit,
a milling machine that was big as a room, they found some 74 kilograms of
sludge containing 13 kilograms of plutonium -- enough to make several nuclear
weapons. The machine had been in operation for ten years and had never been
cleaned.
The workers fared no better. They were cut, scraped, burned, scalded and
exposed on untold occasions. In his 1982 paper, Putzier chronicled a few of
the more serious incidents: In 1963, a fire in a filtrate recovery box
exposes workers to significant amounts of plutonium and readings of 25,000
counts per minute; in 1964, a degreasing explosion in Building 776
contaminates numerous employees and results in "amputations"; in 1965, a
blaze in a lathe coolant system exposes 400 workers to high concentrations of
airborne plutonium.
--------------------------
Dow Chemical and the AEC, it seems, had learned nothing from the 1957 fire.
The rooms were crammed with plutonium, and the workers were still receiving
significant overexposures from gamma rays, beta rays and neutrons, all of
which ricochet through human cells, tearing up the delicate latticework of
chemical bonds. Rather than keep exposures as low as possible, one government
document noted, Rocky Flats managers allowed employees to receive the maximum
amounts set by the AEC. In 1966, 87 workers received in excess of five rem,
and in 1967, 88 workers received doses exceeding the five-rem mark, a figure
which represented 80 percent of all the overexposures in the entire U.S.
weapons complex. Geiger counters stationed a foot from the glove boxes were
recording as much as 1.6 millirem per hour from gamma radiation and 8.3
millirem per hour from fast neutrons. Hand exposures ranged anywhere from 20
to 50 roentgens, wrote Putzier.
Dow knew unequivocally that workers were being dangerously overexposed. But
the company was trying to develop more efficient production methods in order
to "reduce costs of plutonium," according to a government document.
Batch sizes were larger, ingots were bigger, and more plutonium was present
on the production lines. "In effect, in a fully loaded state, the conveyor
was running on an almost continuous basis and the material comprised a large
number of sources of radiation contributing to the overall ambient radiation
levels. This was a major source of the exposures to foundry and fabrication
personnel," Putzier wrote.
Instead of slowing down production, Dow Chemical decided to add more
Plexiglas and Benelex, a mud-colored plastic that was cheap and easy to
install. In all, some 1,170,000 pounds of Plexiglas and Benelex were added to
the glove boxes. While the extra shielding did cut down on exposures, the
material made it impossible to see what was within the glove boxes or
adequately clean the area. Incredibly, Dow officials proceeded with the
installation of Benelex, despite the fact that one of their own engineers had
warned that the material was "combustible."
The uncontrolled growth, off-the-cuff decisions and callous disregard for
even the most modest of precautions paved the way for one of the worst fires
in AEC history, a conflagration that came within a hair's breadth of
contaminating hundreds of thousands of Denver residents with potentially
lethal doses of plutonium.
The fire began on the afternoon of Sunday, May 11, 1969. It was Mother's Day,
and only a few people were working. According to the official AEC accident
report, the blaze began when a plutonium briquette in a storage can ignited,
but Rowland Felt, one of the officials investigating the fire, now says the
fire was actually ignited when some plutonium-contaminated rags caught fire.
At the time, thousands of pounds of plutonium were sitting on the conveyor
lines or in storage areas waiting to be processed. In addition to the loosely
pressed briquettes, there were slabs of plutonium metal thick as steaks, as
well as partially hewn hemispheres that resembled derby hats. Throughout that
Sunday morning, the briquettes smoldered and glowed. A security guard on his
regular patrol thought the building seemed a little warm and heard some
"popping" sounds, but didn't bother to report them. Meanwhile, the heat from
the burning briquettes continued to build, finally tripping the building's
heat detectors at 2:27 p.m.
Two minutes later, fire captain Wayne Jesser and three firefighters were on
the scene. As soon as Jesser saw smoke, he went back outside, grabbed an
airpack and called for help. During those few seconds, the fire gained
momentum, shooting down a line of glove boxes. Jesser instructed one of his
men to empty a canister of carbon dioxide at one end of the flames while he
raced to the other end to corral the blaze. But once again, the carbon
dioxide had no effect. The fire leapt to the overhead conveyors, then to the
ceiling and the rolling mill in the center line. Soon the entire area was
engulfed in thick black smoke. One of the firemen heard two loud reports,
like rifle shots, and saw two large fireballs hurtling out of the blackness.
Although Jesser knew full well the dangers of pouring water on the plutonium,
he had no choice but to order his men to roll out the hoses. Firefighter
Howard Skov, who was right behind Jesser, later told fire investigators that
he fell to his knees and prayed before obeying orders. "I will be honest with
you," he said. "I got down on my hands and knees, because I looked in back of
me to see which way I was going to go, because I...I didn't know what to
expect, because I thought when I opened her, I thought she was going to go or
I was going to go."
The firemen aimed the nozzles toward the ceiling so the water would not fall
directly on the blaze. When stray drops fell onto the plutonium, the
radioactive metal crackled and sizzled, erupting in a shower of sparks.
Little by little, the firefighters were able to douse the blaze. But this was
no ordinary fire. No sooner would they knock down the bright yellow flames in
one spot than the fire would break out in another. The rancid smoke was
horrible, unlike anything the firefighters had ever experienced; several
later said the odor seemed to linger for days in their throats and mouths. On
the second floor, firemen rolling out hoses heard a loud noise and felt the
floor shaking.
With the airpacks strapped to their backs, the firefighters had a difficult
time maneuvering in the crowded production area. They used up oxygen quickly
and had to go back outside every twenty minutes to get new bottles. The smoke
was so thick that they fought the blaze on instinct alone and found their way
to exits by groping along the fire hoses or crawling on their hands and
knees, following the yellow arrows that pointed the way out.
Conditions were equally chaotic outside. Within an hour, dozens of
supervisors, radiation monitors and workers had been rounded up and ordered
to the plant. A "hot" area was cordoned off for the firefighters. As the
first wave of firemen stumbled out, sweating and exhausted, a phalanx of
workers stripped off their clothing and suited them up again with freshly
cleaned masks, hoods, double pairs of coveralls, booties, gloves and full
bottles of oxygen. Some of the fireman grew alarmingly contaminated, with
more than 100,000 counts per minute detected near noses and mouths.
Nevertheless, the firefighters staggered back into the burning building four,
five, six more times before being ordered to the medical department for
decontamination and as many as three showers.
An hour or so after the fire began, the bystanders saw the first puff of
smoke drifting out of the building. They donned respirators and watched as
the whitish cloud rolled over the buildings and south toward the
Denver-Boulder Turnpike. "Boy, it made our hearts sink," remembered one
employee. "We saw this smoke coming out of there, and it was really
bilious...I ran for my Volkswagen and I had the window down, and I figured if
[the car] was going to get crapped up, I would just get it crapped up outside
and I would roll my windows up and I didn't want my golf clubs to get hot..."
The roof of the burning building was a shockingly flimsy affair composed
mostly of metal, plywood and Styrofoam. Parts of it had been damaged by wind
and were being held in place by concrete blocks. Firefighters poured water on
the surface and maintained an around-the-clock watch. The roof grew soft from
the heat but managed to hold. Finally, at 8 p.m., the blaze was brought under
control.
After the fire, the Atomic Energy Commission sent a raft of investigators,
including Rowland Felt, to Rocky Flats to find out what had happened. The
visitors toured the two devastated buildings, but they were limited in what
they could see because the electricity wasn't working and the buildings were
so contaminated they could remain inside for only a few minutes at a time. To
reconstruct what had happened, Felt says, they relied heavily on photographs
that they snapped on their brief forays.
For weeks the investigatory board interviewed supervisors, workers, fireman
and plant officials. Eventually the findings and the transcripts of those
interviews were assembled into multiple volumes and made public. (Many of
them can be read at the DOE's public reading room at Front Range Community
College.) Perhaps the most damning of their conclusions was that Rocky Flats,
the nation's sole supplier of nuclear pits, did not even meet the minimum
fire standards set by the Atomic Energy Commission. There were no overhead
sprinklers or fire breaks, and the heat-detection system on the briquette
cans had been rendered all but worthless when the extra shielding had been
installed.
Toward the end of their investigation, the board summoned several of the
plant's top officials and asked them what arrangements, if any, had been made
with local authorities for protecting Denver and its suburban neighbors in
the event of a future disaster. The plant manager and his sidekicks admitted
they had made no plans for contacting neighboring fire departments, the
sheriff's department, highway patrol or hospitals. In a remarkable display of
hubris, they also added that they had no intention of developing any such
plan in the future because such disasters simply couldn't occur at Rocky
Flats. "I don't think we belong here if we could cause that type of an
accident to our surrounding people. I think that's an impossibility," opined
Charles Piltingsrud, Dow's manager of health physics.
But General E.B.Giller, head of the AEC's Division of Military Applications,
was less sanguine when yanked before Congress several months later. If the
fire had breached the roof, he admitted, "hundreds of square miles could be
involved in radiation exposure and involve cleanup at an astronomical cost as
well as creating a very intense reaction by the general public..."
The 1969 fire marked the end of Rocky Flat's ability to operate with complete
impunity. Scientists, reporters and congressmen began asking questions; the
horrifying implications of the blaze gradually dawned on the public. Some $22
million dollars' worth of plutonium had gone up in smoke, and the fire had
caused $45 million in damages, making it one of the worst industrial
accidents in AEC history. But, once again, Rocky Flats officials hemmed and
hawed when asked to quantify how much of the plutonium had escaped into
neighboring communities. The fact was, Church lawyers later told the court,
"no one knows the amount of plutonium released in the 1969 fire."
When questioned by fire investigators, though, health physicist Charles
Piltingsrud did admit that the Rocky Flats plant had released plenty of
plutonium over the previous seventeen years. "One doesn't release or dare
release the fact that we are, indeed, distributing plutonium throughout the
environment," he confided. "If one took the average concentration per liter
of air discharged from our plant, multiplied by the vast cubic feet or meters
of air that we release, we release phenomenal amounts of plutonium."
But in the years to come, the plant spent millions of dollars denying that
very thing.
Next week: Front Range residents finally learn the hazards of having a
nuclear-weapons plant for a neighbor.
=====================================================
END
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 12:42:41 AM
7/21/2000
DOE moratorium delays cleanup and effort to recycle Oak Ridge site's metals
Associated Press
OAK RIDGE -- About 300 workers were sent home yesterday from a major cleanup
site in Oak Ridge in response to an Energy Department moratorium against
recycling radioactive metals.
The action by contractor British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. occurred at the East
Tennessee Technology Park, a former uranium enrichment plant that is being
converted into an industrial park. About half the work force was affected.
BNFL is cleaning up three large buildings at the DOE site. As part of its
contract, BNFL was allowed to keep radioactive scrap metal for recycling and
resale.
Last week, however, Energy Secretary Bill Richardson issued a moratorium on
recycling any contaminated metals from DOE sites.
Recycling critics argued that no contaminated materials should be allowed to
enter the marketplace, where they could become consumer items such as cooking
pans and dental braces.
DOE spokesman Frank Juan said the workers were sent home while managers
discussed how to deal with the moratorium. Juan said the workers should be
back on the job today.
But U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., who represents Oak Ridge, complained to
Richardson that DOE should have told BNFL what to expect before issuing the
moratorium.
"It is inexcusable to leave these dedicated workers in limbo," Wamp said.
BNFL spokesman Norman Hammitt did not return a call for comment.
posted by Leah Fretwell 7/23/2000 12:16:46 AM
US Code as of: 01/05/99
Sec. 107. Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use
Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.