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Scientists Seek Indestructible Bugs To Eat Nuclear Waste



Index:



Downwinders, nuke testing opponents applaud congressional spending

Study Suggests Chernobyl Affected Sweden

US Congress Keeps Alive Plans For Nev Nuclear Waste Dump

White House denies attempt to change Yucca radiation rules

Global Dosimetry Solutions, Inc., Acquires Proxtronics Dosimetry

Radiation Panic Sparks School Closings

Alliant examines sale of nuclear power plant

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Downwinders, nuke testing opponents applaud congressional spending 

bill



SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Utah's nuclear testing opponents are pleased 

with Congress's $388 billion spending bill, which stripped funding 

for a nuclear bunker-buster bomb and provided an extra $27.8 million 

to cover a shortfall in the program that compensates radioactive 

exposure victims.



The Bush administration had advocated funding for a nuclear bunker-

buster bomb known as the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator, as well as 

new advanced-concepts weapons designs.



The House stripped the funds from its version of the bill earlier 

this year. But key senators insisted on it being added, and the 

deadlock jeopardized funding for a series of energy and water 

projects until the Senate backed down and agreed to dropping the 

research.



Congress passed the huge spending bill Saturday.



Utah Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson, who resisted funding for the 

nuclear programs, called it "a great victory for those downwind of 

the Nevada Test Site."



"Utahns have paid dearly for government deception about the safety of 

nuclear weapons testing," he said. "I am determined to resist that at 

every turn because this fight is not over. This issue will be 

revisited, but today is a satisfying victory."



Downwinders, those sickened by exposure to radioactive fallout from 

Cold War nuclear tests in Nevada, won another victory as Congress 

approved $27.8 million championed by Utah Sens. Bob Bennett and Orrin 

Hatch, to cover a projected shortfall for the Radiation Exposure 

Compensation Act program. The program, which makes a lump payment to 

compensate the victims for their cancers and other illnesses, has run 

out of money in previous years.



"These funds mean Utah downwinders won't receive another IOU from the 

government this year," Bennett said. "This is an obligation the 

government must meet."



The new funding ensures the Radiation Exposure Compensation act will 

be financially solvent through 2007. Utah has the second-largest 

number of compensation act claimants in the United States.



The spending bill in its final form shifts $9 million from research 

into new weapons to improving the reliability and longevity of 

existing nuclear weapons.

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



Study Suggests Chernobyl Affected Sweden



STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) - More than 800 people in northern Sweden may 

have cancer as a result of the fallout that spewed over the region 

after the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986, according to a new 

study by Swedish scientists.



The figure is significantly higher than any previous estimate, and 

the study drew immediate fire from critics who said they doubted the 

accuracy of the results.



The radiation was released on April 26, 1986, when reactor No. 4 at 

Chernobyl nuclear plant exploded and caught fire, contaminating an 

area roughly half the size of Colorado, forcing the resettlement of 

hundreds of thousands of people and ruining some of Europe's most 

fertile farmland.



The study monitored cancer cases among the more than 1.1 million 

people in the northern parts of Sweden who were exposed to the 

radioactive fallout between 1988-1996, and found that the cancer risk 

increased in areas with higher levels of fallout, which was spread by 

winds.



Of the 22,400 cancer cases among the group, 849 can be statistically 

attributed to Chernobyl, said Martin Tondel, a researcher at 

Linkoeping University who headed the study. The findings were first 

published in this month's issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and 

Community Health, a science magazine.



But Leif Moberg, a radiation expert with the Swedish Radiation 

Protection Authority, questioned the findings.



"The radiation dosage that we in Sweden got after the accident was 

too low to produce this many cancer cases," Moberg said, adding it 

was probably too early to see any definite results of Chernobyl. 

"Most cancer cases don't develop until 20, 30 or 50 years later," he 

said.



Tondel, however, said that although the increase of cases can't 

directly be attributed to Chernobyl, he could not see any other 

explanation.



"We've tried our best to explain it in other ways, but we can't," 

Tondel told the AP. "So then you have to believe your data."



Tondel said factors like increased smoking, population density and 

age had all been taken into account in the study.



"With every statistical method we used to look at it, we see an 

increase (in cases) across the board," he said. "That indicates that 

it's a Chernobyl effect."



The Swedish Radiation Protection Authority has previously estimated 

that the fallout will produce about 300 cancer deaths in 50 years.



Moberg said another factor that speaks against the study was that 

there was no significant increase in cases of leukemia or thyroid 

gland cancer, which are usually the most common among radiation 

victims.

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



US Congress Keeps Alive Plans For Nev Nuclear Waste Dump



WASHINGTON (AP)--U.S. lawmakers agreed Friday to provide enough money 

to keep alive plans for a nuclear waste dump in Nevada, but they put 

off trying to resolve a dispute over radiation protection that could 

doom the project if not resolved.



The compromise limits funding for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste 

program to $577 million this fiscal year, the same as last year but 

about two-thirds of the $880 million the Energy Department had said 

it needed to keep the program on track.



The House had approved only $179 million for the project planned for 

the Nevada desert 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, an amount that 

would have essentially shut the program down.



Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., chairman of the Appropriations 

subcommittee dealing with Yucca, worked out a compromise with his 

House counterpart, Rep. David Hobson, R-Ohio, to come up with more 

money and keep the program going as part of an omnibus budget 

package.



Congressional leaders hoped to pass the $388 billion spending 

measure, covering most federal agencies, by Saturday.



While given enough money keep it operating, the Yucca Mountain 

project faces numerous thorny problems that must be resolved next 

year. Already a planned 2010 opening of the waste site is growing 

increasingly unlikely, say program supporters in Congress and the 

Bush administration.



A federal court ruled this year that the facility's proposed 

radiation standards failed to follow National Academy of Sciences 

recommendations as required by Congress. The Environmental Protection 

Agency has been trying to rework its standards to meet the court's 

objection.



The White House tried to get language into the budget legislation 

that would have ended the requirement that EPA follow the Academy's 

recommendations. But Republicans backed away from the issue both 

because they feared it would doom the spending compromise and because 

of the vehement opposition from Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.



Reid, a staunch opponent of the Yucca waste site who will be the 

Senate's Democratic leader next year, vowed to fight any legislative 

provision changing the radiation requirements.



The Energy Department had hoped to submit a license application to 

the Nuclear Regulatory Commission by the end of the year and to 

develop a transportation plan for moving waste to the site beginning 

in 2010.



The Yucca repository, dug into a volcanic ridge near the Nevada Test 

Site, is being built to hold 70,000 tons of used commercial reactor 

fuel and high-level defense waste that has been accumulating at sites 

in 39 states.

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



White House denies attempt to change Yucca radiation rules



WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House on Wednesday denied a report that 

it's pushing Congress to change the radiation standard for the 

proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in an apparent 

attempt to overturn a federal appellate court ruling.



Congressional Quarterly, a Washington publication that tracks action 

on Capitol Hill, reported Tuesday that the White House wanted to 

attach to a spending bill a provision.



The provision would set the radiation standard, which a Washington 

appellate court this year threw out.



Chad Kolton, spokesman for the Office of Management and Budget, 

denied the report, asking "what White House" this proposal came from.



"The president has said the administration will live with the court's 

decision," Kolton said.



President Bush has said he would not ask Congress to change the 

standard, and he pledged to let the court process play out.



The Energy Department and other federal agencies have made it clear 

they are not appealing the ruling to the Supreme Court.



Energy Department spokesman Joe Davis said the Environmental 

Protection Agency would develop an appropriate regulatory response to 

the court's decision, as recommended in the court's opinion.



The federal court ruling was a blow to the administration. It was 

pushing to file a license request this year because it put the key 

standard - how long the mountain is to keep radiation inside - at 

issue and could delay the project.



If Congress passed a law setting a new standard, it would pave the 

way for the administration to move forward on the planned nuclear 

waste repository 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.



Congressional Quarterly also reported that the White House was 

pushing to get more funding for Yucca Mountain by allowing Congress 

to dip directly into the Nuclear Waste Fund.



Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and John Ensign, R-Nev., knew nothing about 

the proposal to change radiation standards.



Ensign was told by the White House on Wednesday that it was only 

pushing for the Nuclear Waste Fund change, spokesman Jack Finn said.

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



Global Dosimetry Solutions, Inc., Acquires Proxtronics Dosimetry



IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Dosimetry Solutions, 

Inc., a leading dosimetry services provider (analytical determination 

of exposure to ionizing radiation), has agreed to acquire the assets 

of Proxtronics Dosimetry, LLC for an undisclosed amount.



Proxtronics began providing personal radiation monitoring services in 

1990 and has since become one of the most recognized names for 

quality and value in the industry. Proxtronics has a broad customer 

base in the United States primarily offering film and TLD 

(Thermoluminescent dosimeters) badge services. "In recent years, we 

have been approached by many in the industry, but only Global 

Dosimetry Solutions has demonstrated the ability to meet or exceed 

the high level of quality and service our customers have come to 

expect", remarked Guy Davis, President of Proxtronics. "GDS is a 

great company with the finest people in the industry, and we are 

confident that our customers will be well served" added Davis.



Global Dosimetry Solutions is majority owned by American Capital 

Strategies, Ltd. (Nasdaq: ACAS), and has been in the personal 

radiation monitoring business for over 30 years. According to Thomas 

Logan, CEO of Global Dosimetry Solutions, "The acquisition of 

Proxtronics is a great complement to our brand, as we share a common 

commitment to quality and to excellence in customer service. As a 

result, we are looking forward to serving our new customers and to 

enhancing the legacy built by Guy and his team at Proxtronics."



Global Dosimetry Solutions will take over current customer contracts 

for all commercial dosimetry processing services and Proxtronics 

customers will be migrated to GDS badge service over the next several 

months. "We recognize the importance of maintaining the integrity of 

current customer contracts and service levels and want to assure 

Proxtronics customers a seamless transition", added Logan. "This deal 

represents a significant extension of our current customer base and 

will make a positive contribution towards our aggressive growth plans 

for 2005."



About Global Dosimetry Solutions



Global Dosimetry Solutions, based in Irvine, California, is one of 

the world's largest providers of radiation dosimetry services. GDS 

offers a full range of services for measuring ionizing radiation 

primarily through film, thermoluminescent and track etch 

technologies. Since early 1970, the company has continually provided 

state-of-the-art personal radiation monitoring services to hospitals, 

medical and dental offices, university and national laboratories, 

nuclear power plants and other industries. GDS provides services to 

more than 500,000 people globally. Global Dosimetry Solutions is 

majority owned by American Capital Strategies, Ltd. (Nasdaq: ACAS), a 

$3.5 billion investment fund headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. For 

more information, please visit: www.dosimetry.com

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



Radiation Panic Sparks School Closings



SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria moved to quell panic on Friday after 

rumors of a nuclear power plant accident in "a nearby country" 

sparked school closings and a dash to pharmacies by people seeking 

anti-radiation remedies.



It was not clear from where the rumors originated, but media reported 

earlier this week of a scare concerning the Cherna Voda plant in 

neighboring Romania and, later, at a reactor in the Russian town of 

Balakovo.



Both countries denied any radiation leaks, but Bulgarians have 

started buying iodine and other anti-radiation remedies in scenes 

reminiscent of 1986, when news of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster 

spread across then-communist eastern Europe by word of mouth amid an 

initial hush-up by the region's Soviet regimes.



Bulgaria's civil defense office said it had received scores of 

worried inquiries.



"This whole thing has been blown way out of proportion," said Civil 

Defense spokeswoman Lilia Kostadinova. "We have been measuring for 

seven days and there has been no increase in radiation levels."



Romanian authorities have said there have been no incidents of any 

type at Cherna Voda, which lies near the country's Danube-river 

border with Bulgaria. Russian authorities have also denied any 

radiation leaks.



Kostadinova said her office had sent a team with Geiger counters to 

at least one school to calm worried administrators, and two 

elementary schools closed in Sofia Thursday. Media said the closures 

had possibly fueled fear. In the Black Sea port of Varna, people were 

buying large quantities of iodine, a reputed antidote to radiation 

exposure.

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



Alliant examines sale of nuclear power plant



CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) - Alliant Energy Corp. executives said they 

will continue to examine options for selling the company's stake in a 

Wisconsin nuclear power plant after a proposed sale was rejected by 

regulators.



The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin rejected the proposed 

purchase of Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant by Richmond, Va.-based 

Dominion Resources from Alliant's Wisconsin Power and Light and 

Wisconsin Public Service Corp. for $220 million.



The power plant is located along Lake Michigan in Carlton, Wis., 

about 35 miles southeast of Green Bay, Wis.



Wisconsin state regulators rejected the sale on a 2-to-1 vote Friday.



A commission statement indicated it was the first time in the state 

that an investor-owned utility would have been sold to an out-of-

state company. The sale would have made the plant a "wholesale 

generation plant and exempted it from state regulation, including 

authority over future sales of the nuclear facility to other 

companies," the commission said.



Madison, Wis.-based Alliant, which owns 41 percent of the plant, and 

Wisconsin Public Service, 59 percent owner of the plant, said they 

were still weighing the implications of the decisions and reviewing 

their options to continue pursuing the sale of the plant.



The Kewaunee plant is not in the rate base of any Iowa customers of 

Alliant, although it is in the rate base of Alliant's utility 

subsidiary in South Beloit, Ill.



"We continue to believe the timing is right to sell the plant," said 

Barbara Swan, Wisconsin Power & Light president. In addition to the 

Kewaunee nuclear plant, Alliant is majority owner of the Duane Arnold 

Energy Center near Palo.



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

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/ 



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