Daschle says he may fail to block nuclear dump

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

Daschle says he may fail to block nuclear dump

North Korea asks Russia to build nuclear plant

Anti-nuclear activists stop German fuel train

Chapman Valley moves closer to nuclear-free status

Britain under fire over radioactive emissions

Sydney may host nuclear reprocessing plant

2nd Hole Found in Cap at Nuke Plant

Senate OKs Renewable Energy Measure

American Ecology Field Services Awarded $5 Million Cleanup Contract 

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



Daschle says he may fail to block nuclear dump

  

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said 

Wednesday he may be unable to block a White House plan to bury 70,000 

tons of nuclear waste at a Nevada site opposed by environmentals, who 

cite the risk of ground water contamination and the dangers of 

transporting the waste. 



The proposed Yucca Mountain waste site, about 90 miles northwest of 

Las Vegas, would permanently hold 70,000 tons of radioactive material 

generated by the nation's nuclear power plants. 



President Bush endorsed the Yucca Mountain project last month, over 

the objections of state officials and environmental groups worried 

about the risks of trucking radioactive material over long distances 

and the risk of groundwater contamination from the radiactive waste. 



Daschle told reporters he recently learned of a provision in federal 

law regarding nuclear waste disposal that would permit approval of 

the plan with a simple majority vote in the Senate. 



Daschle's Democrats now control the Senate, but just barely. The 

chamber is divided among 50 Democrats, 49 Republicans and one 

independent, Sen. James Jeffords of Vermont. 



Daschle said he had erroneously figured he could stop the plan by 

requiring a 60-vote majority, which is typically required for most 

major legislation. 



"When I said in Nevada many months ago that, as long as Democrats 

were in control, it was not going to be an issue that had much 

viability, I was not aware that this legislation -- when we drafted 

it decades ago -- is under an expedited procedure," Daschle said. 



That means any senator can call the measure for a vote, he said, and 

once on the floor "it only takes a majority vote" to pass it. 



The Senate leader said only two Senate Republicans oppose the Yucca 

Mountain dump site, John Ensign of Nevada and Ben Nighthorse Campbell 

of Colorado. 



Daschle said about 30 Senate Democrats oppose the plan. He hopes to 

increase that number with the help of Senate Democratic Whip Harry 

Reid of Nevada. 



Ensign said it was his understanding, based on conversations with the 

current as well as a past Senate parliamentarian, that Daschle could 

prevent a vote. 



"Tom Daschle can keep this from coming to the floor," Ensign said in 

a telephone interview. "He promised he would and all Nevadans expect 

him to keep his word." 



Ensign said Senate rules and tradition dictate that the majority 

leader controls the floor. 



Daschle spokeswoman Ranit Schmelzer, advised of Ensign's comments, 

stuck to the majority leader's position that any senator could bring 

up this matter and get passage with a simply majority. 



"It is very important that we get Republican support to stop this" 

proposed project, Schmelzer said, echoing the Senate majority 

leader's plea. 



Spent nuclear fuel, high-level radioactive waste and excess plutonium 

from U.S. nuclear power plants are now stored at more than 131 sites 

throughout the nation. 



Utilities contend they are running out of space to hold the waste and 

say the U.S. government must live up to a 1982 federal law mandating 

that a national repository be built. 



By law, Nevada's state government has the right to appeal Bush's 

Yucca Mountain decision to Congress. The state last month filed a 

federal lawsuit contending there is not enough scientific evidence to 

show the site is geologically safe. 



The Nuclear Regulatory Commission must also approve a license for the 

site, which the Energy Department hopes to activate by 2010. 

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



North Korea asks Russia to build nuclear plant

  

MOSCOW, March 21 (Reuters) - North Korea, branded part of an "axis of 

evil" by U.S. President George W. Bush, has asked Moscow to build a 

nuclear power station, but Russian officials said on Thursday no deal 

had been struck. 



A spokesman for Industry Minister Ilya Klebanov told Reuters that a 

high-ranking North Korean delegation, visiting Moscow earlier this 

week, had "expressed a desire for Russia to build a nuclear power 

station in North Korea." 



But he said the meeting had been only an exchange of opinions and no 

formal documents had been signed. Pyongyang also asked Russia for 

help in upgrading infrastructure and energy plants built with 

Moscow's assistance in the Soviet era. 



The talks between Moscow and Pyongyang come as Washington said for 

the first time that it was unable to confirm North Korea was abiding 

by a 1994 agreement designed to contain its weapons programmes. 



Last week North Korea threatened to pull out of the deal altogether 

in response to a U.S. nuclear review that sketched contingency plans 

for U.S. use of nuclear weapons against seven countries, including 

North Korea. 



The review also singled out Russia as a possible target. 



Under the 1994 agreement, North Korea was to halt its nuclear 

programme in exchange for oil and Western-built light-water reactors, 

whose fuel is harder to convert to military use. 



Pyongyang has often said it is keen to take reactors from Russia, 

which has also supplied India and Iran with light-water reactors. 



Russia had in the early 1980s agreed to build a nuclear plant in 

North Korea, but the deal was put on hold indefinately after the 

demise of Soviet Union in 1991. 



Russia established ties with South Korea later that year, angering 

the Communist North and chilling relations with its former ally. But 

a visit to Russia by North Korea's reclusive Stalinist leader Kim 

Jong-il in August 2001 served to rekindle neighbourly links. 

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



Anti-nuclear activists stop German fuel train

  

HAMBURG, Germany, March 21 (Reuters) - German anti-nuclear activists 

held up a train carrying spent nuclear fuel rods bound for a British 

reprocessing centre for four hours on Thursday before authorities 

cleared the track, police said. 



Environmental activists from the Robin Wood group said the cargo from 

the northern German power plant in Kruemmel, destined for the 

Sellafield reprocessing plant, had been stopped between the towns of 

Escheburg and Bergedorf. 



Four activists chained themselves to the track. The organisation said 

250 protesters had taken part in the demonstration. 



A spokeswoman for the federal border police said the blockade had 

been ended after four hours. She said six demonstrators had been 

detained and the convoy resumed its journey without further 

disturbances. 



The train carrying three containers will collect further nuclear 

waste at the Brokdorf, Grohnde and Neckarwestheim power plants before 

crossing into France. From there the material will be taken to 

Britain. 



In recent years, tens of thousands of German anti-nuclear activists 

have tried to stop a number of transports of nuclear waste heading to 

reprocessing plants in France and Britain as well as thwart the 

return of the reprocessed fuel rods. 

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



Chapman Valley moves closer to nuclear-free status



Australian Broadcasting Company - Mar 21-  The shire of Chapman 

Valley is closer to becoming a nuclear-free  community.  



The shire's chief executive, Maurice Battilana, says the council has  

accepted changes to the nuclear-free town planning amendment 

suggested  by the Department of Planning and Infrastructure. 



The shire's earlier attempts to become nuclear-free were blocked by 

the  former planning minister, Graeme Kierath. 



Mr Battilana says the proposal must now go to the Department of  

Environmental Protection and back to Planning and Infrastructure 

before  being opened for public comment. 



He says the process has progressed since Labor took office. 



"The previous minister just was totally opposed to it, for they were 

his  reasons and he obviously got advice from the Crown solicitor's 

office  that it wasn't legal, our advice was contrary," he said. 



"The new minister has accepted our advice as being correct and has 

moved  the process forward." 

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



Britain under fire over radioactive emissions

  

BERGEN, Norway, March 21 (Reuters) - Britain found itself having to 

fight off accusations that it was causing a health risk by pumping 

radioactive waste into the sea at the start of a summit of North Sea 

states on Wednesday. 



Norway wants the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant in northern 

England to stop emissions into the sea. On Tuesday, Norway's Prime 

Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik urged people to demonstrate against 

Sellafield. 



Environment Minister Michael Meacher, representing Britain at the 

conference, told reporters that Sellafield was not a health threat. 



"The average dose to anyone who is consuming fish which may have been 

caught in the Irish Sea or the North Sea...is exceedingly low and 

cannot possibly affect the public health," he said. 



Meacher said the two-day conference starting on Wednesday should 

focus on how to prevent invasive alien species, ranging from algae to 

crabs, from entering the North Sea and displacing existing species. 



Ecological quality objectives and ways to save fish like cod and 

mackerel from overfishing should also be discussed, he said. 



Norwegian Environment Minister Boerge Brende said Meacher's arguments 

were unconvincing: 



"It seems very paradoxical when the British are saying they do not 

want to clean and store the discharges on land due to possible future 

environment problems -- but instead are flushing it straight out to 

sea." 



Meacher said he would face any protests head on. 



"I would not be the first time I've been scapegoated in my life, but 

I have come here with a broad back and I am sure we will be able to 

make our case," he said. 



"The protesters will hopefully do nothing more than shouting and in 

that case I will talk back vigorously." 



Meacher said the British government would make a final decision on a 

possible storage plan for nuclear discharges from Sellafield "very 

soon." 



The North Sea conference is held every five years, gathering 

representatives from Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the 

Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Britain and the European 

Union to agree common policies for the protection of the North Sea 

environment. 

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



Sydney may host nuclear reprocessing plant



Australian Broadcasting Company - Mar 20 -   The Australian Democrats 

claim legal action in Argentina could lead to  Sydney hosting a 

nuclear reprocessing plant, as well as a new reactor.  



A judge is yet to decide whether to pursue the case put by 

Argentinean  prosecutors for a court investigation into the contract 

to replace the  Lucas Heights reactor. 



The prosecutors' report says the nuclear cooperation agreement with  

Australia and the contract with Argentinean company INVAP might 

breach  the constitution by importing radioactive waste. 



The Argentinean ambassador to Australia, Nestor Stancanelli, says  

international agreements say reactor spent fuel rods are not nuclear  

waste, so the government's accepted that Lucas heights spent rods 

could  be conditioned in Argentina if necessary. 



Democrats energy spokeswoman Lynne Alison says the case could lead to 

a  reprocessing plant and indefinite waste storage as well as a new 

reactor  in Sydney's southern suburbs.  

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



2nd Hole Found in Cap at Nuke Plant

  

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) - A second hole has been found in a steel cap that 

covers a nuclear power plant's reactor vessel, the Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission said Tuesday. 



The hole is smaller than one found two weeks ago that federal 

inspectors said was the largest ever discovered on top of a U.S. 

nuclear plant reactor. The holes at the Davis-Besse nuclear plant do 

not pose a safety threat, agency spokesman Jan Strasma said. 



``This may provide more information about the cause and how the other 

cavity developed,'' Strasma said. 



Two weeks ago, inspectors at the Davis-Besse nuclear plant found that 

leaking boric acid caused a 6-inch hole in a steel cap near a cracked 

control rod nozzle. The hole was stopped by a layer of steel 

impervious to the acid. 



Even if the acid had penetrated the massive cap and allowed steam to 

escape, safety systems would have immediately cooled the 

reactor, Strasma said. The steam would contain some radioactive 

material, but would have been confined by the reactor containment 

building. 



The second cavity is about 1 3/4 inch deep, Strasma said. Workers 

will need to take out the nozzle to determine its exact size. 



It wasn't known how long the two nozzles have been leaking. 



After the first hole was found, the regulatory commission alerted the 

nation's 102 other commercial nuclear plants to watch for 

similar problems. Strasma said Tuesday no other plant had found 

problems. 

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



Senate OKs Renewable Energy Measure

  

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate agreed Thursday to require, as part of 

broad energy bill, that all investor-owned electric utilities 

generate some of their power from renewable energy sources such as 

solar, wind or wood and agricultural scraps. 



The Senate turned back, by a 40-58 vote, an attempt by Sen. Jon Kyl, 

R-Ariz., to strip from the legislation a requirement that at 

least 10 percent of electric power come from renewable sources. 



Kyl had argued that the decision on whether to impose a so-called 

``renewable portfolio'' on utilities should be left up to the states 

since, he argued, renewables are more likely to be used in certain 

regions of the country. A dozen states already require some 

percentage of power be from renewables and at least nine states are 

considering such a requirement. 



In an attempt to garner broader support, Sen. Jeff Bingaman, R-N.M., 

said he planned to offer changes in the provision that would 

exempt municipal power companies and electric cooperatives and 

include other provisions to make it easier for utilities to comply. 



Currently less than 2 percent of electricity comes from renewable 

sources: solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal sources or 

biomass such as wood waste, grasses or agricultural residues. 



About 70 percent of electricity is generated from coal or natural 

gas, another 20 percent comes from nuclear power plants and much 

of the rest from hydroelectric dams, which are not considered a 

renewable source under the Senate legislation. 



``That's too much concentration. That's not smart,'' said Bingaman, 

urging approval of his renewable energy requirement. 



Last week, the Senate rejected a more ambitious proposal that would 

have required one-fifth of the nation's electricity come from 

renewable sources by 2020. ``It's hard to understand why we would not 

want to have cleaner energy,'' said Sen. James Jeffords, I-

Vt., sponsor of that proposal. 



The White House has opposed any renewable requirement, maintaining 

that the issue was best left up to the states. 



Kyl called the requirement ``basically an energy tax'' because it 

would raise the cost of electricity. Jeffords disputed the claim, 

citing 

an Energy Department study that said that while power costs may 

increase of some utilities, they likely would not pass the increase 

on to customers. 



The Edison Electric Institute, which represents the investor-owned 

utilities, lobbied aggressively against the proposal. 



Environmentalists had favored Jefford's proposal for a 20-percent 

renewable requirement and said that Bingaman's compromise would 

probably produce much less than a 10 percent increase in renewable 

use because of its broad exemptions and other provisions. 



``The increase in renewable energy may actually be only about 4.2 to 

4.5 percent by 2020'' because of the exemptions, said 

Catherine Morrison of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, a 

grassroots environmental advocacy group. She said that's not that 

much more than is likely to be used without a federal requirement. 

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



American Ecology Field Services Awarded $5 Million Cleanup Contract 



BOISE, Idaho--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 20, 2002--Steve Romano, 

President and Chief Executive Officer of American Ecology 

Corporation (Nasdaq:ECOL), today announced that the Company's Field 

Services division was awarded a $5 million contract to 

decommission a nuclear equipment recycling facility owned by a 

British Nuclear Fuels, Ltd. (BNFL) subsidiary in Oak Ridge, 

Tennessee. 



"This large, competitively bid award highlights the continued 

expansion of American Ecology's remediation services business," 

Romano stated, adding "The same highly trained team that successfully 

decommissioned a closed nuclear facility in Oak Ridge 

under contract to the State of Tennessee is now hard at work at the 

new job site." 



The contract includes large nuclear component removal, 

decontamination, and decommissioning of the Manufacturing Sciences 

Corporation Recycle Facility, a wholly owned subsidiary of BNFL. The 

Recycle Facility previously processed radioactively 

contaminated materials and equipment from nuclear power plants. BNFL 

is among the premier international organizations operating 

in the nuclear area. 



"In addition to its own profitable operations, our Field Services 

Division also directs additional business to our fixed waste 

processing and disposal facilities, " Romano concluded. 



American Ecology Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides 

radioactive, PCB, hazardous and non-hazardous waste services to 

commercial and government customers throughout the United States, 

such as nuclear power plants, steel mills, medical and academic 

institutions and petro-chemical facilities. Headquartered in Boise, 

Idaho, the Company is the oldest radioactive and hazardous waste 

services Company in the United States. Sandy Perle

Director, Technical

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service

ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue

Costa Mesa, CA 92626



Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100  Extension 2306

Fax:(714) 668-3149



E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net

E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com



Personal Website: http://sandy-travels.com

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







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