Putin to allow nuclear fuel imports - minister

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@EARTHLINK.NET>]

Index:



Putin to allow nuclear fuel imports - minister

Uranium Processor to Pay $16.3M

American assumes top post at Hiroshima atomic institute

Japan launches study on space solar power as energy source

Toshiko Akiyoshi to play requiem for Hiroshima A-bomb victims

Exelon seeks to renew operating licenses for Pa. nukes

Federal Regulator Gives Davis-Besse Positive Ratings

Federal Regulator Gives Beaver Valley Positive Ratings

Federal Regulator Gives Perry Plant Positive Ratings

Nuclear ship Mutsu's spent fuel on route to Tokaimura

Nuke reglators release Virginia plant renewal plans

BNFL has not secured new MOX orders from Japanese clients

U.S. Studying Nuclear Test Site

PSEG Nuclear: Salem Station Water Discharge Permit Is Reasonable

=======================================



Putin to allow nuclear fuel imports - minister

  

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's top nuclear official said Tuesday that 

President Vladimir Putin will soon sign a bill permitting nuclear 

fuel imports, a move environmentalists say would turn Russia into the 

world's nuclear dump. 



Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev told reporters 

Putin could amend the bill, which has been approved in parliament, to 

set up a special commission to oversee contracts for nuclear fuel 

imports. 



He said Russia could earn $20 billon over 10 years for storing and 

reprocessing 20,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel, an amount equal to 10 

percent of the world total, back into usable nuclear material that 

can power reactors. 



The plan has been strongly criticized by ecologists and liberal 

politicians who fear the imports would not be properly controlled and 

could create environmental hazards. 



However, Rumyantsev said a campaign against the bill was 

"manipulation of the population." Russia had extensive experience in 

safely transporting, storing and reprocessing spent nuclear fuel, he 

said. 



"We have not had even a single case of an emergency situation during 

25 years," Rumyantsev said. 



Under the bill, cash-strapped Russia would be able to accept money to 

store other countries' spent nuclear reactor fuel until 2021, when 

proceeds from the trade are expected to be sufficient to allow Russia 

to build new plants to reprocess the spent fuel. 



Rumyantsev acknowledged, however, that some countries had responded 

guardedly to the bill, which may place limits on the scale of the 

trade. 



"These are optimistic forecasts as some countries have been quite 

restrained in their response to the approval of this law in the 

Russian Duma (lower house of parliament)," he said. 



Critics say the ministry may never win contracts to earn enough cash 

for the task and suspect it might leave the spent fuel in the ground 

indefinitely, or start importing nuclear waste that cannot be 

reprocessed or reused. 



Rumyantsev said there were four nuclear fuel storage sites in Russia 

with a capacity for 4,000 tonnes. Other sites are slated for 

reconstruction to boost capacity to 9,000 tonnes. 



Rumyantsev said he was not alarmed by scepticism shown by other 

countries and expected to hold talks with countries involved in the 

nuclear market. 



"The first statements are always political. I accept it calmly," he 

said. 

----------------



Uranium Processor to Pay $16.3M



DENVER (AP) - A uranium processing company has been ordered to pay 

$16.3 million to 32 people who suffered radiation poisoning and other 

health problems while living near its mill. 



A jury reached the decision Thursday against the Cotter Corp. Three 

plaintiffs have died since the lawsuit was filed 10 years ago. 



``I'm elated. Finally, the Cotter Corporation is being held 

accountable,'' said Joe Dodge, 67, whose wife, Thelma, died of 

radiation-induced leukemia. Dodge, the original plaintiff in the 

lawsuit, owned a ranch next to the mill outside Canon City, 115 miles 

south of Denver. 



``This is justice for the death of our mother,'' his daughter Rhonda 

Butson said. ``Cotter has been terrible. They still don't think 

they've done anything wrong.'' 



The lawyer for Denver-based Cotter said the company would appeal. 



``They will never see this money,'' John Watson said. ``We feel 

completely confident that the 10th Circuit (Court of Appeals) will 

overturn this verdict.'' 



This is the fourth trial involving pollution claims against the 

Cotter Mill, which produced uranium fuel for nuclear power plants 

around the world for almost 30 years. It was declared a Superfund 

site in 1984 and closed three years later. 



Thirteen plaintiffs won a multi-million dollar lawsuit in 1998, but 

it was overturned on appeal and retried as part of this case. Another 

case in 1992 was settled and a case in 2000 is being appealed. 



The mill ground uranium into a powder and formed it into 

``yellowcake'' biscuits for shipment. Testimony during the seven-week 

trial showed the fine radioactive dust drifted across Dodge's horse 

farm, clotheslines, houses and into the soil and water. 



The mill also handled heavy metals such as arsenic, cobalt, nickel 

and lead. 



``People lost everything,'' said attorney Suzelle Smith. ``Joe Dodge 

lost his wife and his horses. He lost his farm. People lost 

vegetables. They had birth defects, disfigurements.'' 



Sonja and Don Luna's son Brett, 28, was born with a cleft palate, 

respiratory problems and mental retardation. 



``I thought my heart was going to burst when they announced the 

verdicts,'' said Don Luna. ``This is for Brett. We won't be around 

forever to care for him. He will have to have help all his life. He 

doesn't deserve what he has.'' 



``I cried for two days,'' said juror Sandy Todd. ``We just tried to 

do the right thing.'' 

---------------



American assumes top post at Hiroshima atomic institute



HIROSHIMA, July 2 (Kyodo) - Burton Bennet, a U.S. physicist, gave his 

first news conference Monday as the new chief of a Japan-U.S. 

institute in Hiroshima for research on long-term health effects of 

atomic bomb sufferers. 



Bennet, 61, expressed his gratitude to A-bomb victims for cooperating 

with the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) in research 

studies, and said he hopes to further improve relations with them as 

well as with local hospitals and other research bodies. 



Bennet will serve a four-year term of office as head of the 

institute, which is funded by both the Japanese and the U.S. 

governments, beginning Sunday. The institute, based in Hiroshima, has 

laboratories in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the two Japanese cities 

A-bombed toward the close of World War II by the United States. 



He was until last year the secretary to the U.N. Scientific Committee 

on the Effects of Atomic Radiation and is the first American to be 

named chairman of the institute since its predecessor, the Atomic 

Bomb Casualty Commission, transformed itself into RERF in 1975. 

----------------



Japan launches study on space solar power as energy source



TOKYO, July 3 (Kyodo) - The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry 

(METI) said Tuesday it has launched a two-year feasibility study on 

developing solar power in space as an alternative source of energy. 



The ministry aims to realize by 2040 a system of power generation 

using satellites that can send electricity to Earth by microwaves. 



Each satellite would have a 1-kilowatt capacity, equivalent to power 

generation by a nuclear plant, a ministry official said. 



The envisaged system will also be 10 times more efficient than solar 

power systems on Earth because of its indifference to sunlight and 

will emit no heat-trapping carbon dioxide, METI said. 



An expert group will study the system's feasibility in view of 

economy, the effect of radio waves on the human body and technology, 

using 50 million yen from the budget for fiscal 2001, METI said. 



It will also draw up an actual development program for the ministry 

to launch if the study determines it feasible. 



The basic idea of generating solar power in space was first developed 

in 1979 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

(NASA), but it was deemed unfeasible then because of the huge costs 

involved. 



Technological advances have made it more realistic recently and NASA 

resumed its study in 1998. A similar study is also under way at the 

National Space Development Agency of Japan, METI said. 

----------------



Toshiko Akiyoshi to play requiem for Hiroshima A-bomb victims



NEW YORK, July 2 (Kyodo) - Japanese jazz pianist and composer Toshiko 

Akiyoshi said Monday she has completed her newest composition, 

''HIROSHIMA, Rising from the Abyss,'' and plans to perform the 

requiem in a world debut in Hiroshima on Aug. 6, the 56th anniversary 

of the world's first atomic bomb attack. 



The theme of ''HIROSHIMA'' is antiwar, anti-nuclear weapon, and the 

message is world peace. '''HIROSHIMA' is a good piece to play at the 

beginning of the 21st century,'' Akiyoshi told a news conference in 

New York. 



The 70-year-old Japanese musician, bandleader of Toshiko Akiyoshi 

Jazz Orchestra, is the first Japanese inducted to the International 

Jazz Hall of Fame, in 1999. 



''HIROSHIMA'' is Akiyoshi's second requiem. She also wrote 

''Minamata,'' a requiem for the souls of the people who died from 

industrial mercury poisoning in the southern Japanese main island 

Kyushu in the 1950s. 



Akiyoshi dismisses the notion that writing a requiem about the atomic 

bomb experience with America soul music is ironic. 



''I do not infer the Japan-U.S. relationship in my jazz. Instead, I 

want people to have hopes all the time and Hiroshima is the symbol of 

hope and peace,'' she said. 



Akiyoshi said she was inspired to write ''HIROSHIMA'' by a photo 

collection on the Hiroshima atomic bomb she received from a Buddhist 

priest in Hiroshima who asked her to write a requiem in honor of the 

Hiroshima A-bomb victims. 



She said when she saw the picture of a woman who survived the A-bomb 

attack in an underground shelter, she was so impressed by her eyes 

with peace and beauty that she decided to write the requiem. 



According to Akiyoshi, ''HIROSHIMA'' is a story about the entire 

Hiroshima experience, from the beginning of the war, the bombing, the 

survivorstales and hopes. Each movement of the 40-minute composition 

is preceded by a narration. 



''I will look for a high school girl in Hiroshima to serve as the 

narrator,'' Akiyoshi said. 



The Hiroshima performance by the 17-member Akiyoshi jazz band will 

feature Japanese famous jazz drummer George Kawaguchi and Korean 

flutist Won Jang Hyun. 



''The traditional Korean flute is very sentimental. It sounds like 

people crying. I wanted to include this because the lives of many 

Koreans were also affected by the atomic bomb,'' Akiyoshi said. 

''HIROSHIMA'' will be performed at Hiroshima Koseinenkin Hall, e CD 

will be released both in Japan and the United States. 

----------------



Exelon seeks to renew operating licenses for Pa. nukes

  

NEW YORK, July 2 (Reuters) - Exelon Nuclear <EXC.N> said in a 

statement Monday it applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

(NRC) to renew the operating licenses for Peach Bottom Atomic Power 

Station Units 2 and 3 in York County, Pa. 



On June 30, 1999, Exelon notified the NRC that it intended to file 

for renewal of the operating licenses for Peach Bottom Units 2 and 3. 



If approved, Unit 2's license would be extended from 2013 to 2033 and 

Unit 3's from 2014 to 2034. 



"A 20-year extension in Peach Bottom's operating license is an 

investment in 2,200 megawatts of clean, emission-free electricity and 

helps to ensure an economical and reliable source of power for 

southeastern Pennsylvania for years to come," said Oliver D. 

Kingsley, president and chief nuclear officer, Exelon Nuclear. 



The Peach Bottom License Renewal Team reviewed more than 100 plant 

systems and 40,000 plant components and determined that Peach Bottom 

has solid programs in place to maintain safe and reliable operation 

and maintenance of the plant. 



The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is expected to take about two years 

to thoroughly review the license renewal application before 

determining whether to grant the license extensions.     The NRC has 

approved six license renewals to date: Constellation Energy's <CEG.N> 

Calvert Cliffs 1 and 2 in Maryland; Duke's <DUK.N> Oconee 1, 2 and 3 

in South Carolina; and Entergy's <ETR.N> Arkansas Nuclear One in 

Arkansas. 



The Peach Bottom plant employs 700 full-time Exelon employees and 

about 200 long-term contractors. 



In 2000, the plant generated the most electricity in its 25-year 

history, with Unit 2 and 3 producing almost 19 million megawatt hours 

of electricity, at a capacity factor of 94.2 percent. 



Peach Bottom also had more than 3.5 million work hours without a lost 

work-day incident in personnel industrial safety. 



Each of Peach Bottom's two 1,100-megawatt boiling water reactors can 

produce enough electricity for more than 600,000 homes. 



The total cost of obtaining the renewed licenses for Peach Bottom 

will be about $18 million, including the NRC review, or about $8 per 

kilowatt hour. 



This compares to a cost of $500 to $1,000 per kilowatt hour to 

replace that capacity with a new natural gas or coal-fired power 

plant. 



Exelon Nuclear also has notified the NRC that it intends to file for 

license renewal for its Dresden and Quad Cities stations in Illinois. 





Peach Bottom is jointly owned by Exelon Corp. (46.25 percent), Public 

Service Enterprise Group Inc. <PEG.N> (46.25 percent) and Conectiv 

<CIV.N> (7.5 percent). 



Exelon Nuclear, a unit of Exelon Corp., operates 17 generation units 

in three states, making it the largest nuclear generating company in 

the U.S. and the third largest in the world. 



Exelon Corp. is one of the nation's largest electric utilities with 

more than $15 billion in annual revenues. 



Exelon distributes electricity to approximately five million 

customers in Illinois and Pennsylvania and gas to 425,000 customers 

in the Philadelphia area. 

---------------



Federal Regulator Gives Davis-Besse Positive Ratings in Annual 

'Report Card'

  

July 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station scored 

positive ratings in its most recent performance report from the 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The report indicated plant 

personnel met all regulatory goals in such areas as plant operations, 

radiation safety, emergency planning and plant security. 



The report covered the period from April 2, 2000 through March 31, 

2001. During that time, the NRC conducted numerous targeted 

inspections at Davis- Besse in addition to the daily monitoring done 

by the commission's inspectors stationed at the plant. 



Davis-Besse began its current operating cycle in May 2000, after 

personnel refueled the plant's reactor. Since then, the plant has 

operated with a 100-percent capacity factor and a 100-percent 

availability factor, generating more than 8.7 million megawatt-hours 

of electricity. 



Additionally, employees continue to best the plant's safety record by 

working more than 4.7 million hours without a lost-time accident. 



"Davis-Besse is among the best performers in the country, thanks to 

the efforts of our employees," says Guy Campbell, FirstEnergy Nuclear 

Operating Company Vice President at Davis-Besse. "And we intend to 

continue to be safe, reliable and efficient. We'll achieve that," he 

added, "because we hold ourselves to increasingly higher performance 

standards in all areas of our operation." 



The Davis-Besse Plant is owned by FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) of 

Akron, Ohio, and operated by its subsidiary, FENOC.  FENOC also 

operates the Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station in Shippingport, 

Pennsylvania, and the Perry Nuclear Power Plant in Perry, Ohio. 

FirstEnergy is a diversified energy services company with more than 

$18 billion in assets and more than $7 billion in annual revenues. 

The company's electric utilities - The Illuminating Company, Ohio 

Edison, Toledo Edison and Penn Power - comprise the nation's 10th 

largest investor-owned electric system. 

----------------



Federal Regulator Gives Beaver Valley Positive Ratings in Annual 

'Report Card'

  

July 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Beaver Valley Power Station scored positive 

ratings in its most recent performance report from the Nuclear 

Regulatory Commission (NRC). The report indicated plant personnel met 

all regulatory goals in such areas as plant operations, radiation 

safety, emergency planning and plant security. 



The report covered the period from April 2, 2000 through March 31, 

2001. During that time, the NRC conducted numerous targeted 

inspections at Beaver Valley in addition to the daily monitoring done 

by the commission's inspectors stationed at the plant. 



During the report period, Beaver Valley personnel refueled reactors 

at both of the station's two units.  Excluding these planned 

refuelings, the plant operated with a 97-percent capacity factor and 

a 98-percent availability factor, generating more than 13 million 

megawatt-hours of electricity. 



In 2000, the station also completed its shortest refueling outage - 

32 days - and one of the shortest in the industry.  Additionally, 

Beaver Valley employees worked more than 2.5 million hours during 

2000 without a lost-time accident, giving the plant one of the best 

industrial safety records in the nuclear industry. 



"Our employees are committed to excellence in operations," says Lew 

W. Myers, FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC) Senior Vice 

President at Beaver Valley.  "Our top priorities are safety, 

reliability and personnel training.  Each year our employees build 

upon the prior year's results in order to achieve higher levels of 

performance and to ensure continued safe and efficient service to our 

customers and communities." 



Beaver Valley Power Station is owned by FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) 

of Akron, Ohio, and operated by its subsidiary, FENOC.  FENOC also 

operates the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Oak Harbor, Ohio, 

and the Perry Nuclear Power Plant in Perry, Ohio.  FirstEnergy is a 

diversified energy services company with more than $18 billion in 

assets and more than $7 billion in annual revenues. The company's 

electric utilities - The Illuminating Company, Ohio Edison, Toledo 

Edison and Penn Power - comprise the nation's 10th largest investor-

owned electric system. 

-----------------



Federal Regulator Gives Perry Plant Positive Ratings in Annual 

'Report Card'



July 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The Perry Power Plant scored positive ratings 

in its most recent performance report from the Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission (NRC).  The report said plant personnel met all regulatory 

goals in such areas as plant operations, radiation safety, emergency 

planning and plant security. 



The report covered the period from April 2, 2000 through March 

31,2001. During that time, the NRC conducted numerous target 

inspections at the Perry Plant in addition to the daily monitoring 

done by the commission's inspectors stationed at the plant. 



In 2000, the Perry Plant posted a 96.8 percent availability factor 

and a 94.9-percent capacity factor, generating more than 10.4 million 

megawatt-hours of electricity.  The plant completed its shortest 

refueling ever - 34 days - in March 2001.  Additionally, Perry 

employees worked nearly 2.5 million hours since February 2000 without 

a lost time accident. 



"This annual NRC report is one of the most important in our industry, 

giving us  performance results in all aspects of our operations," 

says John Wood, FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC) Vice 

President at Perry.  "Perry's results indicate that our top priority -

 safe operations - continue to be the cornerstone for success. The 

credit goes to our hardworking employees, who are dedicated to these 

important principles." 



The Perry Power Plant is owned by FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) of 

Akron, Ohio, and operated by its subsidiary, FENOC. FENOC also 

operates the Davis- Besse Nuclear Power Station in Oak Harbor, Ohio, 

and the Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station in Shippingport, 

Pennsylvania.  FirstEnergy is a diversified energy services company 

with more than $18 billion in assets and more than $7 billion in 

annual revenues.  The company's electric utilities - The Illuminating 

Company, Ohio Edison, Toledo Edison and Penn Power - comprise the 

nation's 10th largest investor-owned electric system. 

-----------------



Nuclear ship Mutsu's spent fuel on route to Tokaimura



MUTSU, Japan, June 30 (Kyodo) - A ship carrying the first batch of 

spent nuclear fuel unloaded earlier from the nuclear ship Mutsu left 

a port in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Saturday bound 

for an atomic energy research institute in Tokaimura, Ibarki 

Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo. 



The 1,300-ton Hinoura Maru left Sekinehama port carrying around 0.9 

ton of the some 2.6 tons of spent nuclear fuel stored at the Mutsu 

Establishment in Mutsu, Aomori Prefecture, of Tokyo-based Japan 

Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI). 



JAERI plans to deliver the remainder of the fuel to the Tokai 

Research Establishment in two further shipments by the end of this 

fiscal year on March 31, 2002. 



JAERI, citing security concerns, has declined to disclose details of 

the vessel's route and schedule but sources monitoring the shipment 

said the first batch will reach Tokaimura, some 120 kilometers 

northeast of Tokyo, around Monday. 



The fuel was originally to be shipped last year, but the schedule was 

pushed back in the wake of the 1999 nuclear accident at Tokaimura, 

Japan's worst nuclear disaster in which two people died. 



>From around 2006, the fuel is scheduled to be reprocessed at the 

Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute's reprocessing plant in 

Tokaimura to extract uranium and plutonium. 



The nuclear ship Mutsu was built as Japan's first nuclear ship in 

1969, but in 1974 experienced a radiation leakage accident. In 1991, 

it finished a series of test voyages, and the nuclear reactor was 

removed in 1995. 

----------------



Nuke reglators release Virginia plant renewal plans

  

WASHINGTON, June 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission on Friday said it is making available the 20-year license 

renewal extension applications filed on May 29 for four nuclear units 

in Virginia. 



Virginia Electric Power Company, a unit of Richmond, Va.-based energy 

holding company Dominion Resources <D.N>, filed for the renewals for 

its North Anna Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2, and the Surry Nuclear 

Station, Units 1 and 2. 



North Anna reactors are each rated at 921 megawatts and located in 

Mineral, Va. The Surry plants are located in Gravel Neck, Va., and 

are 800 megawatts each. 



Current operating licenses for the North Anna facilities expire on 

April 1, 2018, for Unit 1 and August 21, 2020, for Unit 2. 



Surry Unit 1 expires on May 25, 2012, and the license for Unit 2 

expires on January 29, 2013. 



Copies of the applications are located on the NRC Web site: 

http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/REACTOR/LR/index.html. 



NRC staff are currently conducting an initial review of the 

applications to determine whether they contain enough information for 

the required formal review. 



If the applications have sufficient information, the NRC will 

formally file them and announce an opportunity for a hearing. 

--------------



BNFL has not secured new MOX orders from Japanese clients



LONDON, June 29 (Kyodo) - British Nuclear Fuels PLC (BNFL) has failed 

to secure new orders for plutonium-uranium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel 

from prospective Japanese clients, local Japanese officials familiar 

with the MOX fuel project said Friday. 



Without new orders from Japanese clients, BNFL could face a major 

blow to its business strategy as the company has invested heavily in 

new MOX production equipment in anticipation of MOX orders from 

Japanese nuclear power plant operators. 



A delegation from the Kashiwazaki city assembly in Niigata 

Prefecture, home to the so-call ''pluthermal'' nuclear project 

promoted by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), said Japanese power 

companies have assured their stockholders in stockholders meetings in 

Japan this week that they have not placed any MOX order with NBFL nor 

have they entered into contract negotiations. 



According to the Kashiwazaki delegation, which is currently on a 

visit to London to investigate MOX safety issues, the management of 

TEPCO and Kansai Electric Power Co. made the assurances at 

stockholders meetings on Wednesday and Thursday. 



The Kashiwazaki delegation also met with energy officials at the 

British Trade and Industry Department on Friday urging them to 

release production quality data on MOX production at BNFL. 



The British side promised to get the information from NBLF and send 

the data to Japan through the British Embassy in Tokyo, members of 

the delegation said. 



In Tokyo, Japanese government officials said the government task 

force on the pluthermal project, which involves using MOX fuel in 

conventional nuclear reactors, agreed on Friday to make a decision in 

August on how to respond to the rejection of the pluthermal project 

in a local Niigata plebiscite held late last month. 



Villagers in Kariwa, Niigata rejected the pluthermal project in a 

referendum held on May 28. The decision prompted TEPCO to suspend its 

pluthermal project at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant, which 

straddles Kashiwazaki and Kariwa. 

----------------



U.S. Studying Nuclear Test Site



WASHINGTON (AP) - The Energy Department is studying ways to improve 

the Nevada Test Site's readiness to resume nuclear weapons trials in 

case the Bush administration decides testing is needed, officials 

said Friday. 



Joe Davis, a department spokesman, said there has been no change to 

the requirement, set in 1994, to be capable of resuming testing 

within 24 to 36 months of a presidential decision to test. He said 

the department is reviewing whether the readiness level can be 

improved, for the sake of efficiency. 



Some have concluded from reports on the review that the 

administration is contemplating resuming nuclear testing. 



``It would be wrong to interpret it that way,'' he said. 



Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy secretary of defense, on Friday said the 

administration does not plan to order a resumption of testing, which 

was halted in 1992. He could not rule out that it might one day be 

necessary. 



``I'm not aware of a need to resume testing at this time,'' Wolfowitz 

said in an interview with radio reporters. If questions arose about 

the reliability or safety of nuclear warheads and underground blasts 

were required to resolve those questions, the administration would 

contemplate testing, he said. 



That also was the policy of the Clinton administration, and it is the 

reason why the Energy Department is required by Congress to maintain 

the scientific and other capabilities to resume testing. 



Prior to the U.S. decision in 1992 to place a moratorium on nuclear 

testing, it was the Pentagon's view that periodic testing was an 

indispensable tool in ensuring that nuclear weapons were reliable. 

But rapid advances in computer simulation and other technologies have 

made it possible to collect vast amounts of safety and reliability 

data without testing. 



Asked about the matter on Thursday, White House spokesman Ari 

Fleischer said the review of the Nevada Test Site's readiness was 

strictly a technical matter. 



``It does not have anything to do with resumption of nuclear tests,'' 

Fleischer said. ``The president is going to continue the 

moratorium.'' 



The secretaries of defense and energy are required by law to certify 

to the president each year whether there are nuclear weapons safety 

or reliability concerns that would require a return to nuclear 

testing. 



John Gordon, head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, an 

arm of the Energy Department, said in testimony to a House Armed 

Services subcommittee on Wednesday that the most recent assessment 

confirmed that the nuclear weapons stockpile is safe and reliable and 

that no nuclear testing is needed. 



Gordon said confirmation was possible because of technological 

advances, which can also help maintain the readiness of the Nevada 

Test Site, a protected federal range of 1,350 square miles situated 

65 miles northwest of Las Vegas. 



``We are conducting an internal review on how we can improve 

significantly our readiness posture to conduct a nuclear test, should 

we ever be so directed,'' Gordon told the panel. ``This is not a 

proposal to conduct a test, but I am not comfortable with not being 

able to conduct a test within three years.'' 



An Energy Department spokeswoman, Lisa Cutler, said Friday the 

current 24-36 months standard for readiness ``may be inadequate,'' 

but the department has not made a final decision on reducing it. 



Darwin Morgan, a spokesman for the Nevada Test Site, said the 

readiness of the site is under constant review to ensure that the 

lead time for nuclear testing does not exceed the 24-36 month 

standard. 



``If we can reduce the lead time, great,'' but it would be done for 

the sake of improving efficiency, not in anticipation of a 

presidential decision to resume testing, Morgan said. 



On the Net: 



Energy Department's Nevada operations office at 

http://www.nv.doe.gov/ 

------------------



PSEG Nuclear: Salem Station Water Discharge Permit Is Reasonable, 

Well-Balanced Decision

  

NEWARK, N.J., June 29 /PRNewswire/ -- PSEG Nuclear, operator of Salem 

Generating Station (Lower Alloways Creek, NJ), said the station's 

renewed water discharge permit issued today by the NJ Department of 

Environmental Protection (NJDEP) represents a well-reasoned and 

properly balanced decision that will protect the environment and 

serve the public interest. 



Frank Cassidy, president and chief operating officer of PSEG Power, 

said the permit continues the technological and conservation 

innovations implemented under terms and conditions of a 1994 water 

discharge permit, including wetlands restoration and other components 

of the Estuary Enhancement Program, and requires additional measures 

to study the feasibility of fish protection technology, conduct 

biological monitoring programs, construct additional fish ladders, 

and fund construction of artificial reefs. 



PSEG Power is the parent company of PSEG Nuclear and is a subsidiary 

of PSEG (NYSE: PEG), a diversified energy holding company with 

headquarters in Newark, NJ. PSEG also is the parent company of Public 

Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G). 



Cassidy said NJDEP's decision is based on an exhaustive body of 

evidence and supports the conclusion that Salem station's cooling 

water system -- with provisions of the renewed water discharge permit 

-- represents best technology available and will protect aquatic 

populations in the river and provide permanent improvements to the 

ecology of the region." 



Salem station has been operating under a water discharge permit 

issued by NJDEP in 1994. The renewed permit will take effect on Sept. 

1, 2001 for a period of five years. PSEG Nuclear filed the permit 

renewal application in March, 1999. 



A major component of the Estuary Enhancement Program is restoration, 

enhancement, and preservation of more than 20,000 acres (32 square 

miles) of degraded wetlands and uplands along the Delaware estuary, 

the largest privately funded wetlands restoration project in the U.S. 

Other aspects of the program include construction of eight fish 

ladders that have opened up approximately 700 acres and more than 100 

miles of aquatic habitat; upgrading of Salem station's cooling water 

intake system to state-of-the art standards; studies of under water 

sound technology with the potential to deter fish from entering the 

station's intake area; and the most comprehensive biological 

monitoring program of the Delaware Estuary ever under taken. PSEG 

Nuclear also has enhanced its wetlands restoration sites through 

construction of more than $1 million worth of new public use 

facilities and the funding of environmental education and research 

programs. 



The federal Clean Water Act requires that terms and conditions of 

water discharge permits assure the protection and propagation of 

balanced and indigenous fish populations. The U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency delegates authority for enforcing these provisions 

to state agencies such as NJDEP. 



Salem station, Cassidy said, provides 2,200 megawatts (MW) of 

electric generating capacity -- enough to serve the needs of 

approximately 1.5 million households -- and plays a major role in the 

effort to supply 26 million residents of New Jersey, Delaware, 

Pennsylvania, and Maryland with reliable and affordable electric 

energy. 



"It's also important to note," he said, "that Salem station makes 

important contributions to improving regional air quality. In a 

typical year, replacing Salem station's 2,200 MW of nuclear 

generating capacity with electricity generated by burning fossil 

fuels would result in putting into the environment an additional 

20,000 tons of nitrogen oxide, 70,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, and 10 

million tons of carbon dioxide." 



PSEG Power is an independent power producer with more than 17,000 MW 

of electric generating capacity in operation, construction, or 

advanced development. 

---------------



Entergy Nuclear Revises Closing Date for Indian Point 2 Acquisition



NEW ORLEANS, July 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR) 

today said it expects to close its acquisition of the Indian Point 2 

nuclear plant in mid-September 2001.  The September closing date 

reflects the revised operating license transfer date provided by the 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Entergy had previously estimated that 

the acquisition of Indian Point 2, a 970 MW nuclear plant being 

purchased from Consolidated Edison, would close around mid-year 2001. 





Entergy confirmed that the revised closing date does not impact its 

previously issued earnings guidance for the year 2001. 



The nuclear businesses of Entergy Corporation are headquartered in 

Jackson, Miss.  Entergy, a global energy company based in New 

Orleans, is the third largest power generator in the nation with more 

than 30,000 megawatts of generating capacity, about $10 billion in 

annual revenue and nearly 2.6 million customers.  In addition to the 

three plants operated by Entergy Nuclear Northeast, Entergy has 

operated five power reactors at four locations in Arkansas, 

Mississippi and Louisiana under regulatory jurisdictions for more 

than 20 years. 



Entergy's on-line address is www.entergy.com



------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sandy Perle					Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100   				    	

Director, Technical				Extension 2306 				     	

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service		Fax:(714) 668-3149 	                   		    

ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc.			E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net 				                           

ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue  		E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com          	          

Costa Mesa, CA 92626                    



Personal Website: http://www.geocities.com/scperle

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com



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