Nuclear News (12/98) review

["Dan Hill" <dhill@mde.state.md.us>]

An article in the December issue of Nuclear News, the professional publication of the American Nuclear Society, is titled: "Waste Management" on pp.43-49 in Vol. 41, No. 13 (1998).

This is an interesting discussion of a possible repeal of low-level waste compact law (GAO study mentioned), and TX LLW site license denied with alternatives; Senator Frank Murkowski (Alaska) wrote a letter dated September 7, 1998 to James F. Hinchman of the GAO citing a number of "circumstances that raise doubt about whether the LLRWPA can be implemented in a timely manner".

In October, Energy Secretary Bill Richardson received a letter dated September 8, 1998 asking that payments to the Nuclear Waste Fund be deferred.  Richardson replied to the letter from the state utility commissioners and colleagues on October 14, 1998 - "but did not tell them what they wanted to hear".  In view of a proposed deferral of NWF funds made by former Sec'y Pena (5/98), Richardson is quoted as saying "In this circumstance, this does not seem to me to be an appropriate time to take the action you request".

Also, in the same issue there is a reference to the IAEA set up as a contact nexas for Y2K and its impact on nuclear power and research reactors.  Dates of interest are:

 January 1, 1999 - which could affect computers using "99" as the final record in a file or list; 

 August 22, 1999 - which could affect systems using the Global Positioning System 10-bit register that counts weeks since 1980 rolling over from its max. value to zero on this date;

 September 9, 1999 - for systems that use "9999" to mark the end of a list or file; and
 
 Other dates such as 2/29/2000, 3/1/2000, 12/31/2000 and 1/1/2001 could cause problems for systems that do not recognize 2000 as a leap year.

(non-technical review)

 See you on-line next year, maybe?, maybe not? !!

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