[ RadSafe ] Persian Gulf States To Move Ahead With Nuclear Energy Plans

Sun Feb 11 11:51:13 CST 2007

Index:

Persian Gulf States To Move Ahead With Nuclear Energy Plans 
Radiation Facts Get Thumbs Up (note comments from Radsafe members)
Company plans nuclear plant
Students form human chain around Bushehr nuclear power plant  
Radiation Detectors Tested in NYC
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Persian Gulf States To Move Ahead With Nuclear Energy Plans 

DUBAI (AP) Feb 11 --The six Gulf Arab states are moving ahead with 
plans to explore development of their first nuclear energy plants, 
with representatives planning to seek help from the U.N.'s nuclear 
watchdog later this month, the secretary- general of the Gulf 
Cooperation Council said Sunday.

Abdul Rahman al-Attiyah said he and other GCC officials would travel 
to the Vienna headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency 
Feb. 22 to seek help planning the six-nation Arab bloc's first foray 
into nuclear power.

The GCC announced its intention to study a peaceful nuclear program 
in December, but has revealed few details about its plans.

"We are going to meet them and talk to them about the framework and 
frames of reference for the study," al-Attiyah told The Associated 
Press. "The GCC will make nuclear progress for peaceful purposes."

The GCC's nuclear bid comes as Arab leaders of the Persian Gulf have 
expressed unease with Iran's contentious nuclear program and 
Washington's hardline response that many here fear could lead to war. 
Iran has long vowed its nuclear program is for producing energy, but 
U.S. officials accuse Tehran of seeking weapons.

Now Gulf leaders appear to be readying to create their own nuclear 
sector, perhaps in response to Iran's progress in the field. Analysts 
say the advance of civilian nuclear technology could spill over into 
military areas in the volatile region.

No Arab country currently has a nuclear energy capability but several 
engage in nuclear research. Egypt decided in 2006 to restart its long-
stalled nuclear energy program. Israel is the only Middle Eastern 
country with nuclear weapons and a civilian nuclear energy program.

Al-Attiyah said the huge energy needs of the fast-growing Gulf 
countries warranted development of nuclear energy. In particular, 
Gulf countries expend vast amounts of oil and gas in desalination, 
turning sea water into drinking water.

"Nuclear technology is legal as long as it's for peaceful purposes: 
for electricity, desalination and agriculture," al-Attiyah said. The 
GCC countries - Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, 
Bahrain and Oman - are signatories of the Nuclear Nonproliferation 
Treaty that prohibits development of atomic weapons. Each nation 
would need the all-clear from the IAEA to develop a nuclear industry 
and uphold obligations under the treaty.

Al-Attiyah said the GCC wanted to involve the IAEA in its program 
from the beginning, to make its nuclear bid "a transparent process, 
within international standards." Iran has been accused of obscuring 
its nuclear developments from IAEA inspectors.

Al-Attiyah said the GCC's decision to develop nuclear power wasn't a 
bid to keep pace with Iran.

"It will never be a reaction" to Iran, he said. "The intention is to 
benefit from nuclear progress as long as it is for peaceful 
purposes."

In Dubai last month, U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political 
Affairs Nicholas Burns said Washington would be a "willing partner" 
in support of civilian nuclear power programs among its six Gulf Arab 
allies, saying President George W. Bush's administration supports 
nuclear energy as a means to combat global warming.
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Radiation Facts Get Thumbs Up (note comments from Radsafe members)

By Lee Benson Deseret Morning News - Feb 9

I do not know an isotope from a rem. Let's get that clear right up 
front. I am not a physicist, scientist or Ph.D. I know way more about 
the infield fly rule than atoms and gamma rays. 

After quoting retired health physicist Blaine Howard about the 
relative safety of the proposed Divine Strake blast in Nevada, I 
heard from a lot of people who do know about such things. 

It wasn't the first time. Over the past several years, whenever I 
have quoted professionals who suggest that the public's fear of 
things nuclear is often not grounded in science, I typically receive 
a thumbs up from the scientific community. 

Among the latest responses: 

-- "Thanks again for enlightening us on the issue of radiation. As a 
person who deals with P32 in experiments (the best way to track the 
movements of DNA with gels) and X-rays in patients, your willingness 
to cite sound reasoning is very welcome." -- John D. Kriesel, M.D. 

-- "Blaine Howard is correct. In all these matters, one has to be a 
little suspicious of the political objectives behind some of the fear-
mongers who prey on the public's trust." -- Darrell R. Fisher, Ph.D. 

 -- "While the press often exaggerates the effects of radiation 
exposure, here is an article that gets it right." -- Wesley R. Van 
Pelt, Ph.D., CIH (Certified Industrial Hygienist), CHP (Certified 
Health Physicist). 

-- "Your article should calm irrational fears. It's also interesting 
to note that ANY explosion will send radioactivity into the air 
because all soil contains some natural radioactivity." -- Glenn 
Marshall, CHP. 

-- "Congratulations for writing on Utah radiation after interviewing 
a health physicist. I am a science reporter and former secretary to 
the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board of India. I have tried to allay 
the unfounded fears of the members of the public who always believe 
that radiation is more harmful than any other agent." -- K.S. 
Parthasarathy, Ph.D. (Mubai, India). 

-- "I agree with and endorse (Blaine Howard's) main points. Thus 
agreeing makes me a member of a small minority. Nevertheless I 
believe my credentials are such that my opinions should carry at 
least a little weight. I received BS and MS degrees from BYU in 
physics and mathematics. There followed four years of nuclear physics 
research experience with the Air Force. In 1967 I received a Ph.D. 
degree in nuclear physics from the University of Utah. 

Thereafter I worked for 30 years at the Los Alamos National 
Laboratory, specializing in measurements of radioactive substances. 
After returning to live permanently again in Utah after 43 years I 
was deeply disappointed (appalled might be the better word) at how 
seriously undereducated with respect to ionizing radiation most of 
the people in Utah are, and how violently emotional some are in 
opposition to something they seem to know very little. If I may say 
so, the attitude of many who oppose nuclear anything (Divine Strake, 
storage of nuclear waste, nuclear power and etc.) is roughly 
equivalent to wanting to permanently close all the swimming pools of 
Utah because people drowned because of careless lifeguards over fifty 
years ago." -- Jack Parker, Ph.D. 

Lee Benson's column runs Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Please 
send e-mail to benson at desnews.com and faxes to 801-237-2527.
---------------

Company plans nuclear plant

BOISE, Idaho (AP) Feb 11 -- An alternative energy company has 
announced an agreement to buy 4,000 acres of remote land along the 
Snake River to build a proposed nuclear power plant.

Virginia-based Alternate Energy Holdings Inc. in December announced 
plans to build a 1,500-megawatt nuclear plant in southwestern Idaho. 
The company, created last year, also said it was considering the 
possibility making the facility a co-generation nuclear and ethanol 
plant.

The company signed the land purchase agreement with a farmer on Feb. 
1. The purchase price was about $20 million, Alternate Energy 
Holdings CEO Don Gillispie said Thursday. The agreement should be 
finalized by the end of March.

Gillispie declined to identify the farmer.

"We believe that nuclear power is one of the cleanest sources of 
energy, and one of the large-scale sources of energy," he said. 
"We're very excited about this opportunity."

If built, the plant would be the first commercial nuclear power plant 
in Idaho. The closest community to the proposed plant is Bruneau, 
south of the city of Mountain Home and west of the popular Bruneau 
Dunes State Park.

According to its Web site, Alternate Energy Holdings was created by 
former executives in the utility and finance industries to expand 
clean energy sources. The company went public Sept. 20.

Jeremy Maxand, executive director of the nuclear watchdog group Snake 
River Alliance, said any community where a project like this has been 
proposed deserves full disclosure up front on issues like water use 
and waste management.

"Idahoans should be very wary of any company that seeks to purchase 
thousands of acres of land to build a nuclear reactor before a full 
open discussion with the public and elected officials," Maxand said 
in a statement.

The only commercial nuclear plant in the region sits near the Hanford 
nuclear reservation in southeastern Washington. Electricity 
ratepayers in the Northwest also are still repaying the costs 
associated with a series of nuclear plants proposed in the 1980s but 
never built.

However, Northwest states have some of the cheapest power rates in 
the country due to their reliance on hydropower. Idaho and Washington 
ranked among the top five states for low rates last year, while 
Montana and Oregon were tied for 12th.
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Students form human chain around Bushehr nuclear power plant  

Bushehr, Feb 10, IRNA - Some 2,000 students of various provincial 
universities and schools formed a human chain around Bushehr nuclear 
power plant in this southern province on Saturday to demonstrate 
their support for Iran's peaceful nuclear activities. 

The students carried placards stating their support for Iran's 
legitimate right to achieve peaceful nuclear technology and voiced 
their readiness to defend the scientific achievements of their 
compatriots even at the expense of their own lives. 

"Iran is not after nuclear weapons and will confront all threats to 
the nation through unwavering support," said Ali Zeinabi, a 
provincial security official who was at the site of this nuclear 
plant. 

Meanwhile, the head of security for the nuclear power plant, Reza 
Fatahi, told IRNA that the manifest support of students to Iran's 
peaceful nuclear activities will further boost efforts of the 
country's nuclear scientists to achieve more successes. 
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Radiation Detectors Tested in NYC

NEW YORK, NY February 09, 2007 -New York City is about to become the 
testing ground for new radiation-identifying technology. Starting 
this spring, the US government will evaluate detection machines at 
the port terminal on Staten Island.

These machines can tell the difference between naturally occurring 
radiation and dirty-bomb ingredients. The New York Times reports that 
the federal government will also install a network of radiation 
alarms at bridges, tunnels and roads within a 50-mile radius of the 
city. Both radiation detection programs could be expanded to other 
cities if successful.

The Times reports that critics in Congress are concerned the programs 
are too expensive and don't accomplish enough.

----------------------------------------------------------------
Sandy Perle 
Senior Vice President, Technical Operations 
Global Dosimetry Solutions, Inc. 
2652 McGaw Avenue
Irvine, CA 92614

Tel: (949) 296-2306 / (888) 437-1714 Extension 2306 
Fax:(949) 296-1144

Global Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com/ 
Personal Website: http://sandy-travels.com/ 