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Iran Reportedly Resumes Building Nuclear Equipment
Index:
Iran Reportedly Resumes Building Nuclear Equipment
Audit: Groundwater Cleaning Ineffective
RPT-German minister questions N-plant smokescreen plan
Global Dosimetry Solutions, Inc., Names Sander Perle as Sr. VP
Global Dosimetry Solutions, Inc., Promotes Louis Biacchi as VP
Utility to Pay $90M Over Blackout Suits
U.S. nuclear sub catches fire in Sasebo
=============================
Iran Reportedly Resumes Building Nuclear Equipment
Uranium Centrifuges Can Be Used to Make Atomic Weapons
VIENNA, Austria (July 27) -- Iran is once again building centrifuges
that can be used to make nuclear weaponry, breaking the U.N. nuclear
watchdog agency's seals on the equipment in a show of defiance
against international efforts to monitor its program, diplomats said
Tuesday.
Iran has not restarted enriching uranium with the centrifuges - a
step that would raise further alarm. But the resumption of centrifuge
construction is likely to push European nations, which have been
seeking a negotiated resolution, closer to the United States' more
confrontational stance.
The United States accuses Tehran of seeking to develop nuclear
weapons and wants the U.N. Security Council to take up the issue.
Iran denies the charge and says the centrifuges are part of a nuclear
program aimed only at producing energy.
Under international pressure last year, the Islamic republic agreed
to stop enriching uranium and stop making centrifuges, in a deal
reached with Britain, France and Germany.
But the moratorium ended several weeks ago, when Tehran - angry over
international perusal of its nuclear program - broke seals placed on
enrichment equipment by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the
diplomats told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Iranian officials then resumed assembling and installing centrifuges,
which can enrich uranium fuel for generating power or developing
warheads, the diplomats said.
The diplomats - all familiar with Iran's nuclear dossier - cautioned
against equating Tehran's move with the removal of IAEA seals on
nuclear equipment by North Korea two years ago as it expelled agency
inspectors and declared itself no longer bound by the Nuclear
Nonproliferation Treaty.
Unlike in North Korea, the seals on Iran's equipment ''were not a
legal requirement,'' one diplomat said. Tehran notified the IAEA of
its decision to break the seals, the diplomat said.
Iran continues to respect its pledge not to resume nuclear
enrichment, said the diplomat.
Still, the move reflected Iranian defiance of international
constraints on the country's nuclear program.
For the past year, the IAEA has been carrying out stringent
inspections of Iranian facilities, raising evidence that strengthened
suspicions about Tehran's nuclear ambitions. In June, the IAEA's
Board of Governors rebuked Tehran in a sharply phrased resolution
indicating it felt too many unanswered questions remained.
Iranian officials are tentatively scheduled to meet in the next few
days with British, French and German officials in Paris or another
European capital to try and salvage their deal. But Tehran's decision
to resume work on its centrifuges makes any agreement unlikely.
The Iranians are ''driving the European Three into the U.S. camp,''
said one Western diplomat.
Israel noted the Iranian step with concern, its chief of staff Lt.
Gen. Moshe Yaalon said.
''Iran in essence broke the rules of the game, Yaalon said on Israeli
state-run television. ''We have to pay serious attention to Iran's
intention to arm itself with nuclear capabilities. This should not
only concern Israel, but all the countries of the free world.''
Iran already announced last month that it had planned to restart the
program in response to the IAEA rebuke - a decision that led
Washington to sound out allies on calling a special session of the
IAEA Board of Governors, said another diplomat. The Security Council
can only get involved if the board asks it to take up Iran's case.
The Americans dropped the idea because of lack of backing but hope
the resumption of Iran's nuclear activities will give them the
support they need at the next regular board session, starting Sept.
13, he said.
Iran has not publicly announced that it has resumed building
centrifuges. But President Mohammad Khatami told reporters in Tehran
earlier this month that ''there is no impediment to doing this
work.''
Sources at Iran's state-run television recently told the AP that the
country's top nuclear negotiator, Hasan Rowhani, said Iran restarted
building centrifuges June 29 but that the broadcaster was told not to
transmit his comments - apparently out of concern over international
reaction.
Most of the IAEA's concerns about Iran's nuclear program focus on
traces of highly enriched uranium found at several sites and the
extent and nature of work on the advanced P-2 centrifuge.
Iran has grudgingly acknowledged working with the P-2, but said its
activities were purely experimental. It says the minute amounts of
enriched uranium were from equipment bought on the nuclear black
market.
IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei has indirectly questioned such
assertions.
-------------------
Audit: Groundwater Cleaning Ineffective
YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) - The U.S. Department of Energy has not made
significant progress in treating contaminated groundwater at the
Hanford nuclear reservation, a federal audit concluded.
The agency has estimated that 80 square miles of Hanford's
groundwater were contaminated at levels exceeding state and federal
drinking water standards during decades of plutonium production for
the nation's nuclear weapons arsenal.
The study released Tuesday by the Energy Department's inspector
general reviewed the effectiveness of the agency's methods for water
treatment. Those so-called pump-and-treat systems siphon contaminated
water out of the ground, run it through filters and re-inject it.
Those systems have been "largely ineffective," the audit concluded.
The department has spent more than $85 million over the past eight
years and will continue to spend about $8 million annually to operate
the systems, the audit said.
More than $230 million is scheduled to be spent on the surface
barriers.
For 40 years, the 586-square-mile reservation in south-central
Washington made plutonium for the nation's nuclear weapons, beginning
with the top-secret Manhattan Project to build an atomic bomb.
Today, it is the nation's most contaminated nuclear site. Cleanup
costs are expected to total $50 billion to $60 billion, with the work
to be finished by 2035.
-----------------
RPT-German minister questions N-plant smokescreen plan
BERLIN, July 28 (Reuters) - A system to protect German nuclear power
stations from terrorist attacks by surrounding them in a smokescreen
won't be effective enough, Environment Minister Juergen Trittin was
quoted as saying on Wednesday.
German energy firms E.ON , RWE , EnBW and Vattenfall Europe have
asked utilities and arms firm Rheinmetall to supply and build a
defence system to counter attacks that use passenger aircraft.
Trittin told the Financial Times Deutschland newspaper the plan would
help reduce the likelihood of a disaster but more needed to be done.
"The smokescreen plan, in its current form, is not sufficient to
significantly improve the protection of nuclear power plants," he
said. "We have therefore asked state authorities to come up with
improvements."
Countries with nuclear plants worldwide have been investigating how
to protect their reactors from attacks after militants flew planes
into buildings in New York and Washington DC in September 2001.
Some countries have considered installing anti-aircraft missiles at
power plants. Rheinmetall will equip Germany's 18 active nuclear
reactors with smoke machines.
At the touch of a button, the reactors will be enveloped in smoke
within seconds, depriving pilots of visibility. The system, which has
been tested successfully, could be in operation by the end of 2005.
Power companies have declined to give any more details on the system,
however, for fear of diminishing its effectiveness.
Approval from local authorities in the relevant German states must
still be obtained. The companies expect to obtain the go-ahead as
early as this year.
----------------
Global Dosimetry Solutions, Inc., Names Sander Perle as Sr. VP
Technical Operations
COSTA MESA, Calif., July 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Dosimetry
Solutions, Inc. (GDS) a leading provider of dosimetry services
(analytical determination of exposure to ionizing radiation) has
announced the promotion of Sander Perle as Senior Vice President of
Technical Operations. Formerly the Vice President of Technical
Operations, Sandy was responsible for directing worldwide technical
and regulatory activities. In his new capacity, he will play a
broader role with respect to product development and corporate
strategy.
Sandy has been a key member of the GDS team since joining the company
in 1996. Prior to joining GDS, Sandy spent 21 years within the
nuclear power industry and four years as a supervisor in a state
radiological program. He is currently the Chair of the Health Physics
Society Standards Committee; past Chair of the Electronic Media
Committee; member of the Symposium Committee; sits on the ANSI N13.32
Working Group; serves as a member of the NCRP Corporate Resource
Development Committee; and is Secretary for the Council on Ionizing
Radiation Measurements and Standards (CIRMS). Sandy is also a NVLAP
Technical Expert, and has been conducting on-site assessments since
1993. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and a
Master's degree in Radiological Physics from the University of Miami.
"Sandy is one of the leading experts in the dosimetry industry," said
Thomas Logan, CEO of Global Dosimetry." His experience and the
respect he has earned throughout the community will be further
leveraged as we continue to advance our leadership role in the
industry."
"I look forward to continuing to strengthen GDS's reputation as a
worldwide leader in dosimetry services," said Perle. "GDS brings a
high level of commitment and passion to the dosimetry industry as a
whole and I am pleased to play an active role in our continued growth
and success."
-------------------
Global Dosimetry Solutions, Inc., Promotes Louis Biacchi as VP
Worldwide Sales
COSTA MESA, Calif., July 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Dosimetry
Solutions, Inc. (GDS) a leading provider of dosimetry services
(analytical determination of exposure to ionizing radiation) has
announced the promotion of Louis Biacchi to Vice President of
Worldwide Sales. Formerly the Director of Worldwide sales for large
accounts, Biacchi's new role will include responsibility for the
management and sales of all GDS accounts including small office
medical practices, and industrial applications.
Lou's career with GDS spans over 10 years. He began his career as
Program Manager of the TLD product line, before transitioning to
sales in 1997. In 1998, he became North American Sales Manager, and
in 1999 he was promoted to Director. Lou graduated from Bloomsburg
University with a BS in Health Physics.
"Lou is a dynamic leader with a proven track record of
accomplishments," said Thomas Logan, CEO of Global Dosimetry. "His
success is directly attributable to an uncompromising customer focus,
coupled with a tremendous knowledge base."
"I look forward to taking on the new challenges and responsibilities
of this position and further contributing to the success of GDS,"
said Biacchi, "My goal is to continually improve customer
satisfaction, while we enhance what is already the finest service
available in the dosimetry marketplace."
----------------
Utility to Pay $90M Over Blackout Suits
AKRON, Ohio (AP) - FirstEnergy Corp. has agreed to pay $89.9 million
to settle shareholder lawsuits stemming from last summer's blackout,
an extended outage at its Davis-Besse nuclear power plant and its
earnings restatement.
FirstEnergy said Tuesday that its insurers would pay $71.9 million of
the settlement, and the company's $17.9 million share would result in
a charge against second-quarter earnings of 3 cents per share.
"With this behind us, we can continue focusing our efforts on
providing our customers with reliable and affordable electric
service, and building value for our shareholders," said Anthony J.
Alexander, president and CEO.
The utility said the agreement didn't amount to an admission of
wrongdoing.
The various federal court securities lawsuits had been consolidated,
according to FirstEnergy, which said two lawsuits also were pending
in state courts.
The settlement is subject to court approval.
In April, a joint U.S.-Canadian task force report on the Aug. 14
blackout leveled much of the blame on FirstEnergy lines and
procedures. The blackout affected 50 million customers across the
upper Midwest, New England, New York and Ontario.
Last August, the Philadelphia law firm of Berger & Montague sued
FirstEnergy on behalf of anyone who may have purchased stock in the
company between April 24, 2002, and last Aug. 5, when it announced
plans to restate its earnings. The restatement reduced FirstEnergy's
income by $99 million.
The lawsuit claimed the company had misrepresented its earnings and
accounting issues.
At the time, FirstEnergy attributed the restatement to an accounting
adjustment and called it "a matter of changing the way certain items
were accounted for."
The Davis-Besse plant, located along Lake Erie about 30 miles east of
Toledo, started producing electricity again in March after it was
shut down for more than two years. A month after it was closed for
routine maintenance in February 2002, inspectors found corrosion on
the reactor vessel, where leaking boric acid had eaten almost through
a 6-inch-thick steel cap.
Akron-based FirstEnergy, the nation's fourth-largest investor-owned
utility, has 16 power plants and annual revenue of more than $12
billion. It provides service in an area from Ohio to New Jersey.
Attorneys who handled the various lawsuits could not be reached for
comment. Messages seeking comment were left at the Philadelphia firm
after regular business hours Tuesday and with Cleveland and San Diego
law firms that also had sued FirstEnergy.
----------------
U.S. nuclear sub catches fire in Sasebo
FUKUOKA, July 28 (Kyodo) - The U.S. nuclear-powered submarine La
Jolla caught fire early Wednesday at a naval base in Sasebo, Nagasaki
Prefecture, but the blaze was soon extinguished by crew members
without any injuries reported, local firefighters said.
The U.S. side reported the incident to the Sasebo municipal
government around 11:40 a.m., and Mayor Akira Mitsutake called for an
investigation into the cause and measures to prevent a recurrence.
The fire started in a cable that supplies electricity to the 6,080-
ton submarine from land, eventually burning some areas near the
vessel's hatch.
After receiving a call at 3:13 a.m. from a citizen living near the
base who reported hearing a loud noise and seeing smoke near the
submarine, the local fire department immediately contacted its U.S.
Navy counterpart to confirm it.
The Navy firefighters explained then the fire was an electricity-
related problem but had been quickly extinguished, the department
said, adding they did not request its help.
The submarine has been making a port call in Sasebo since Monday to
load food and other supplies.
------------------------------------
Sandy Perle
Senior Vice President, Technical Operations
Global Dosimetry Solutions, Inc.
3300 Hyland Avenue
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100 Extension 2306
Fax:(714) 668-3149
E-Mail: sperle@dosimetry.com
E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net
Personal Website: http://sandy-travels.com/
Global Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com/
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