EU to pick its site for int'l nuclear fusion project

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

Index:



EU to pick its site for int'l nuclear fusion project

Energy Dept. Accused of Waste Mishandling

Los Alamos Decision Pleases Whistleblower

Greenpeace Launches Anti-Nuclear Parody

DOE to Compete Contracts at New "Idaho National Laboratory";

FBI Presses for Nuclear Plant Security

US reactors still at risk to airborne attack-group

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



EU to pick its site for int'l nuclear fusion project



BRUSSELS, May 1 (Kyodo) - The European Union (EU) told Japan on 

Wednesday that it plans to select one of two sites, in Spain and 

France, respectively, as the EU's candidate site for a major 

international project to generate electric power through nuclear 

fusion, a Japanese official said.



EU Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin revealed the plan during 

talks with visiting Japanese state minister in charge of science and 

technology, Hiroyuki Hosoda, the official said.



Japan's village of Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, is among four 

candidate sites now on the negotiating table for the international 

thermonuclear experimental reactor project. The others are the two EU-

backed sites -- Cadarache in France and Vandellos in Spain -- and 

Canada's Clarington.

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



Energy Dept. Accused of Waste Mishandling



YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) - The Energy Department is violating state law by 

failing to properly manage radioactive waste in unlined trenches at 

the Hanford nuclear reservation, state regulators said Wednesday.



The state Department of Ecology alleges the federal agency has failed 

to identify the waste, store it properly, treat it for stabilization 

or respond to known leaks.



``These wastes pose an imminent and substantial endangerment to the 

public health,'' said Tom Fitzsimmons, director of the Ecology 

Department.



The Energy Department denied the allegations.



``We absolutely do not believe this is true,'' said Colleen Clark, an 

agency spokeswoman in Richland.



The 586-square-mile Hanford reservation was established to make 

plutonium as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project to build an 

atomic bomb during World War II. It produced plutonium for the 

nation's nuclear arsenal for more than 40 years.



The order is part of the state's fight with the government to force 

it to say when and how it will clean up 75,000 barrels of plutonium-

contaminated trash and low-level radioactive waste generated at 

Hanford since 1970.



The order requires that the Energy Department properly retrieve and 

store any of the waste that can be handled by workers by 2010.



Waste handled by robots because of high levels of radioactivity must 

be retrieved and classified by 2014. Similar waste in large 

underground vaults called caissons must be retrieved and classified 

by 2018.



The Energy Department can appeal the order to the state Pollution 

Control Hearings Board.



Clark said the agency is committed to retrieving and disposing of the 

waste. ``The cleanup at Hanford continues to accelerate and we are 

making progress,'' she said.



On the Net:



Washington Department of Ecology: http://www.ecy.wa.gov



Hanford: http://www.hanford.gov

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



Los Alamos Decision Pleases Whistleblower



ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - A whistleblower whose work triggered the 

latest scandal at Los Alamos National Laboratory said Wednesday he 

feels vindicated by the Energy Department's decision to put the lab 

management contract up for bid.



``I knew we were taking on a giant - and we won,'' Glenn Walp said.



Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said he will put the contract up for 

bid for the first time in the lab's 60-year history. He said the 

University of California, which is managing the lab for the 

government until September 2005, bears responsibility for recent 

management failures.



Word of the government's decision spread quickly among lab employees, 

who reacted with guarded relief and skepticism. Interim lab Director 

Pete Nanos said lab employees should ``take heart.''



``We now have the opportunity to build on our success,'' Nanos said. 

``We will continue to show the world that we are the premier nuclear 

weapons laboratory, and that our business processes, program 

management and other administrative efforts will be the equal of our 

scientific excellence.''



Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., called Abraham's announcement premature. 

He also said the decision means the university doesn't have the 

incentive to improve lab management.



``I think it lessens the likelihood that these management reforms 

will be fully implemented,'' he said.



Betty Gunther, a computer programmer who has worked at the lab for 20 

years, said employees were prepared for the decision.



``I think most people are wondering if that's really true and 

everything is going to be secure,'' she said. ``I think most people 

are worried. To say they're going to guarantee the same level of 

benefits is one thing; to see it happen is another.''



University President Richard Atkinson said it remains unclear whether 

university regents will bid on the contract.



Walp said he felt Abraham's move was the only prudent solution based 

on the porous business practices and faulty management system he and 

fellow lab investigator Steve Doran encountered before being fired 

last November.



``I'm elated with what I've heard. ... I've fought a lot of battles, 

but this was a big battle,'' Walp said in a telephone interview from 

his Santa Fe home.



Walp said the irony of Abraham's decision is that the lab could lose 

the very thing - the UC contract - he said some managers purported to 

be protecting when they blocked his and Doran's investigations last 

year.



Gov. Bill Richardson, who renewed UC's contract as energy secretary 

under the Clinton administration, expressed disappointment but said 

he ``will work hard to ensure that the University of California keeps 

the contract beyond 2005,'' spokesman Billy Sparks said.

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



Greenpeace Launches Anti-Nuclear Parody



GENEVA (AP) - In a play on the deck of cards distributed to U.S. 

troops in Iraq, anti-nuclear campaigners on Wednesday issued their 

own most-wanted list - with President Bush replacing Saddam Hussein 

as the ace of spades.



``It's an exact copy (of the U.S. deck) in terms of the design and 

layout,'' said William Peden, spokesman for the disarmament campaign 

at Greenpeace.



But while the U.S. cards were meant to help soldiers capture 

America's most-wanted Iraqi leaders, the Greenpeace deck is meant to 

focus attention on the dangers posed by nuclear arsenals, Peden told 

The Associated Press.



Campaigners are handing out 600 decks to delegates at a two-week 

meeting on the 1968 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The conference 

precedes a review of the 188-nation accord in 2005.



``We haven't had any negative comments - not even from the U.S. 

delegation,'' said Peden. ``They're such a hot item.''



Along with photographs of Bush and seven other leaders are details of 

the number of nuclear weapons their countries possess. The ace of 

spades notes that Bush has around 10,600 weapons.



Russian President Vladimir Putin is the ace of hearts in the 

Greenpeace deck, with around 18,000 nuclear weapons.



French President Jacques Chirac is the ace of clubs, while Britain's 

Tony Blair is the ace of diamonds. The kings feature the leaders of 

China, Pakistan, India and Israel - all countries with nuclear 

weapons.



Most of the rest of the cards contain information about nuclear 

weapons. The two of diamonds notes that 128,000 nuclear weapons have 

been built worldwide since 1945.



``The idea is to provide delegates with something that's not a boring 

piece of paper,'' Peden said. ``It's something interesting and 

innovative that they can actually learn from - so it's an educational 

tool as well.''



``It's actually being used by delegates in their speeches and they 

love it because it's full of short snappy facts about the situation 

of nuclear weapons around the world.''



Under the nonproliferation treaty, the declared nuclear powers of the 

1960s - the United States, China, France, Russia and Britain - were 

meant to reduce their arsenals, halt the spread of nuclear weapons 

and ensure nuclear technology was used only for peaceful purposes. 

However, the accord has failed to stop other nations from becoming 

nuclear powers.



In 2000, during the last review of the nonproliferation treaty, 

participants at a conference at the United Nations identified 13 

steps for wiping out nuclear weapons, including a moratorium on 

nuclear weapons testing, reductions in tactical nuclear weapons and 

greater candor by the nuclear powers in reporting on their nuclear 

arsenals.



Greenpeace is also considering a nuclear-themed version of the party 

game Twister, Peden said. ``It'll have 13 steps. We'd like to get all 

the delegates playing it.''

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



DOE to Compete Contracts at New "Idaho National Laboratory"; Focus on 

New Lab Mission & Accelerating Environmental Cleanup



WASHINGTON, April 30 /U.S. Newswire/ -- U.S. Secretary of Energy 

Spencer Abraham announced today that the Department of Energy will 

compete and award separate contracts to implement the Department's 

plan to revitalize the nuclear energy mission at its Idaho laboratory 

complex and to accelerate the environmental cleanup of the site.



The laboratory, which will be renamed the Idaho National Laboratory, 

will specialize in developing advanced nuclear energy technologies 

and other ways of responding to the Nation's future energy and 

national security requirements.  The Department's Office of Nuclear 

Energy, Science and Technology will manage the lab.



"Our goal, within this decade, is to have this lab emerge as one of 

the premier applied research and nuclear engineering institutions in 

the world, without losing focus on the cleanup work that needs to be 

completed," said Energy Secretary Abraham.  "By separately 

contracting for cleanup under a new contractual framework, the lab 

can develop and mature without distraction from other, equally vital, 

priorities."



Last year, Secretary Abraham announced plans to return the Idaho 

complex to its historic mission of nuclear technology development in 

order to support the Nation's expanding nuclear energy initiatives.  

Since then, the Department has been engaged in comprehensive planning 

for the site's future.  These plans place Idaho at the center of the 

Department's efforts to develop advanced Generation IV nuclear energy 

systems, nuclear hydrogen production technology, advanced fuel cycle 

technologies, as well as to assist NASA in the development and 

testing of space power systems.



The detailed scope of the laboratory contract is in development. As 

currently envisioned, the laboratory will be composed of the current 

Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory and Argonne 

National Laboratory-West, and its work will include:



-- Assembling the capabilities to deliver the research and advance 

the design for a prototype Generation IV nuclear energy system,



-- Establishing a strong science and technology leadership team that 

will partner with the Department to pursue its nuclear technology and 

security vision for the laboratory,



-- Integrating Idaho's current nuclear energy capabilities under a 

single, future-focused, management structure.



The successful bidder is expected to manage the laboratory's research 

and development programs, operate its nuclear facilities and general 

infrastructure, and provide services and required support to other 

users of the site.



The environmental cleanup scope, under the direction of the 

Department's Office of Environmental Management, presently is 

expected to include the remediation of legacy wastes and disposition 

of surplus facilities at the site.  Work is expected to be managed on 

a project basis, focused on prioritizing risk reduction



"Accelerating and completing the clean-up work in Idaho is an 

essential step in building the capability and infrastructure of the 

lab," Secretary Abraham noted.



One of the Department's key objectives will be to reduce the 

footprint and legacy cleanup costs at the site to maximize productive 

use of resources.  The new contracts will be carefully coordinated to 

assure that the environmental work proceeds efficiently and does not 

interfere with research and development at the site.



The decision to compete new contracts reflects the very different 

approach to the conduct of work at the Idaho site, including changes 

in contract scope and structure.  All qualified parties, including 

the incumbent contractors, are encouraged to consider submitting 

proposals on the new contracts.  Competitions are expected to be 

completed coincident with the expiration of the current INEEL 

contract in September 2004.



The Department is currently completing its site and acquisition-

planning activities, after which it will conduct one or more pre-

solicitation conferences to outline its contracting approach and 

schedule, and solicit the views of interested parties. Among the 

planning considerations directed by Secretary Abraham, is the 

identification of opportunities for small businesses to participate 

in both the clean up work and the long-term operation of the new 

laboratory.



Once the procurements are initiated, additional information on these 

procurements and the Department's nuclear energy and environmental 

management initiatives may be found on the Department's nuclear 

program web site, www.nuclear.gov and the Environmental Management 

program home page at www.em.doe.gov.

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



FBI Presses for Nuclear Plant Security



WASHINGTON (AP) - Operators of the nation's nuclear power plants 

should remain vigilant about suspicious activity that could signal a 

potential terrorist attack, the FBI says in its latest terrorism 

bulletin.



Things to watch out for include people who are seen photographing the 

plants or aircraft that fly too close to them, says the bulletin 

circulated Wednesday to about 18,000 state and local law enforcement 

agencies.



The FBI has no specific intelligence that an attack is planned 

against any of the nation's 103 nuclear power plants. But a senior 

FBI official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the bulletin 

is meant to ensure that plant operators and local law enforcement 

personnel remain alert to the possibility.



The FBI's message follows the release Tuesday of new Nuclear 

Regulatory Commission security rules requiring more training for 

guards, placing limits on how many hours they can work and mandating 

additional, classified protective measures to defend against sabotage 

or terrorist attacks.



The FBI bulletin spells out the actions nuclear plant officials 

should take if they see suspicious activity around a plant, such as 

reporting to the Federal Aviation Administration the tail number of 

any plane spotted flying too close.



Since the Sept. 11 attacks, nuclear plants have been at the top of 

U.S. lists of vulnerable sites. When the nation's terror alert status 

was raised to high earlier this month, National Guard troops were 

dispatched to many plants as an extra precaution.



A ``no-fly'' zone was established over all U.S. nuclear plants 

shortly after the terrorist attacks, but it elapsed soon afterward. 

Officials in New York State have asked the federal government to re-

establish such a zone over the Indian Point power plants, located 

about 35 miles north of New York City.

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



US reactors still at risk to airborne attack-group



SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - New security rules  ordered by the U.S. 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission do not spell out safeguards against 

potential airborne attacks on nuclear power plants, an industry 

watchdog group said Wednesday.



Three NRC orders, released Tuesday, directed atomic power plant 

owners to further tighten security at the nation's 103 reactors, a 

top priority at the agency in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks 

on New York City and the Pentagon.



A key order, which the NRC labeled as classified, modifies the kind 

of threat -- known as a "design basis threat" -- a plant owner must 

be ready to defend against, said David Lochbaum, a nuclear safety 

engineer at the Union of Concerned Scientists.



The other orders specified work hours and firearms training and 

qualifications required of armed security guards hired by utilities 

to protect the plants.



"The design basis threat has been a ground-based assault on a plant 

and that's still the case in the new orders, but now the NRC has 

revised it to make it a larger assault with more capable 

adversaries," Lochbaum told Reuters.



An attack from the air on a reactor and other plant facilities, 

including storage areas for used radioactive fuel, is being studied 

separately by the NRC "to define the weak links at the plants," he 

said.



Since the Sept. 11 attacks, some U.S. lawmakers and activist groups 

have called for more security at atomic plants to thwart an airplane 

crash that could split open the reactor or fuel pool and spray deadly 

radioactive materials for miles. 	   



"PROTECT FAMILIES"



"The security around nuclear power plants must be sufficient to 

protect families who live in those areas from potential nuclear 

disasters ... the orders fall short of what is needed in several 

critical areas," said Massachusetts Rep. Edward Markey, senior 

Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and a frequent 

critic of the NRC.



The Nuclear Energy Institute, a pro-nuclear trade group, said a study 

by the Electric Power Research Institute concluded that plant 

buildings housing reactor fuel would protect against a radiation 

release if struck by a large jetliner.



"The NRC has good people working on this and is moving in the right 

direction," said Lochbaum.



Nevertheless, the UCS has urged the NRC to order plant owners to 

measure their facilities against "aerial hazards" and "radiological 

sabotage" to ensure a safe plant shutdown in the event of an attack.



Tough new security, however, would cost hundreds of millions of 

dollars, and taxpayers likely would have to pay the tab.



"Aerial attacks are beyond what plant security guards can defend 

against. The government would have to provide for more  defense and 

paying for that probably would have to come from the Department of 

Homeland Security," said Lochbaum.



The nuclear industry has spent about $370 million on increased 

security since the Sept. 11 attacks, and more upgrades could run 

about $6 million a year at each plant, according to NEI.



"Where does the responsibility end for defense with private guards 

and begin for defense with federal and state law enforcement agencies 

and the military?" asked Mitch Singer, a spokesman for NEI.



The NRC's new security rules went into effect Tuesday, with a 

"transition period" lasting to October 2004.



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

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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