NucNews - September 7, 2005 -------- NUCLEAR -------- accidents and safety Chernobyl's Mental Scars Prove Hard to Heal Story by Francois Murphy REUTERS AUSTRIA: September 7, 2005 http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/32389/newsDate/7-Sep-2005/story.htm VIENNA - Thousands of people caught up in the world's worst nuclear accident at Chernobyl remain mentally scarred 19 years on, wrongly believing they will die young and overly dependent on handouts, UN officials said on Tuesday. The 1986 explosion at the Ukrainian nuclear reactor at Chernobyl spewed a cloud of radioactivity over Europe and the Soviet Union, killing 56 people to date, UN agencies said on Monday. Roughly 4,000 would die in total because of radiation exposure at the time, fewer than previously thought, they added. The greatest damage to health caused by the disaster was psychological, the Chernobyl Forum, made up of eight UN agencies and the governments of the worst-hit countries -- Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, said in its report, which included the death toll figures. "Fear of radiation is a far greater threat to the affected individuals than radiation itself," U.N Assistant Secretary General Kalman Mizsei told a conference on Chernobyl. This was largely because of poor information about the real dangers of exposure to radiation among the 350,000 people evacuated from their homes after the disaster who can, with very few exceptions, lead normal lives, he said. Apart from emergency workers and staff at the plant exposed to high radiation doses shortly after the accident, and the 4,000 people, mainly children, who developed thyroid cancer but virtually all of whom recovered, no profound negative health impact had been found, the forum said. The forum aims to provide an authoritative account of the effects of Chernobyl as the 20th anniversary of the disaster approches. Greenpeace, however, has criticised its findings as contradictory and said research was omitted from the report. "Overall mental health problems manifest as negative self-assessment of health, belief in a shortened life expectancy, lack of initiative, and dependency on assistance from the state," said World Health Organization (WHO) director Roberto Bertollini, representing WHO regional director Marc Danzon. DEEPLY TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE "Exposed populations have anxiety levels that were twice as high as controls and they were 3-4 times more likely to report multiple unexplained physical symptoms and subjective poor health than were unaffected control groups," Bertollini added, reading from a speech written by Danzon. Relocation was for many a "deeply traumatic experience" which often left people unemployed and feeling they had no place in society and had little control over their lives, the report said, adding that a "dependency culture" had developed. The forum recommended better informing those affected by the accident of the lower-than-expected health risks. Benefits in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine to victims had been expanded to 7 million people. This benefits system needed to be overhauled to focus on those most in need of it, it said. "The low, virtually riskless levels of radiation faced by most Chernobyl area residents should prompt a radical overhaul of Chernobyl benefits and privileges," the UN's Mizsei said. ---- Chernobyl Helped make Nuclear Plants Safer - IAEA Story by Francois Murphy REUTERS AUSTRIA: September 7, 2005 http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/32397/newsDate/7-Sep-2005/story.htm VIENNA - The world's worst nuclear accident at Chernobyl in 1986 helped improve nuclear safety by showing the importance of international cooperation, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday. The explosion at a Ukrainian nuclear reactor at Chernobyl spewed a cloud of radioactivity over Europe and the Soviet Union, killing 56 people to date, UN agencies said on Monday. Roughly 4,000 would die in total because of radiation exposure at the time, fewer than previously thought, they added. "What might be considered one of the few positive aspects of 'Chernobyl's legacy' is today's global safety regime," International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei said in a statement. "The first lesson that emerged from Chernobyl was the direct relevance of international cooperation to nuclear safety ... It also made clear that nuclear and radiological risks transcend national borders -- that 'an accident anywhere is an accident everywhere'," the statement said. The statement, delivered by IAEA deputy director general Tomihiro Taniguchi at a conference on Chernobyl, was backed by the Chernobyl Forum made up of UN agencies and the governments of the worst-hit countries -- Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. The IAEA oversees nuclear safety and polices the global pact against the spread of nuclear weapons -- the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty -- but also promotes the peaceful use of nuclear energy. A report by the Chernobyl Forum released on Monday, which provided the expected death toll of 4,000, said roughly 350,000 people in Belarus, Ukraine and Russia were evacuated from their homes because of the disaster. "Since that time, international cooperation has become a hallmark of nuclear safety, resulting in innumerable peer reviews, safety upgrades, bilateral and multilateral assistance efforts, safety conventions, and the body of globally recognised IAEA safety standards," the statement said. The Forum aims to provide an authoritative account on Chernobyl's effects so a scientific consensus can be reached. ElBaradei said that now, 19 years after Chernobyl, the nuclear industry had regained a reputation for safety. "It has taken nearly two decades of strong safety performance to repair the industry's reputation," he added. -------- china Russian-Chinese Experimental Fast Reactor to be ready by end of 2006 16:33 | 07/ 09/ 2005 (RIA Novosti) http://en.rian.ru/business/20050907/41326472.html MOSCOW, September 7 - The construction of the China Experimental Fast Reactor (CEFR), a joint Russian-Chinese project, will be finished by the end of 2006, the Russian Federal Nuclear Agency said Wednesday. The 65-megawatt reactor is being built in China under an inter-governmental agreement signed on July 18, 2000 between China and Russia. Fuel for starting the reactor has already been delivered and the main components have already been installed in the building containing the reactor. Parts of the main body of the reactor are being transported to the assembling area. -------- india India, EU agree to enhance nuclear co-op 2005-09-07 16:59:57 (Xinhuanet) http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-09/07/content_3457138.htm NEW DELHI, Sept. 7 -- India and the European Union signed a Joint Action Plan at their sixth summit Wednesday, in which they pledged to secure India's participation in the ITER nuclear fusion project jointly. The two sides signed the action plan after a meeting here between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The International Thermo nuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER)project to build a fusion reactor by pooling scientific and financial resources has included the United States, the European Union, Russia, South Korea, China, Japan and Switzerland. They also agreed to conclude a framework agreement on India's participation in the Galileo satellite navigation system as was agreed upon at the last summit at The Hague last year, according to a joint political declaration after the meeting. The Galileo satellite positioning and navigation services system project is a joint initiative of the EU and the European Space Agency, regarded as a rival to the US Global Positioning System. China and Israel have already signed for the project. "As part of the joint efforts to fight terrorism we will establish contacts between India-EU counter-terrorism coordinators to work towards blocking access to terrorist funding and cooperatein the fight against money laundering," said the joint political declaration. An India-EU security dialogue on global and regional issues, disarmament and non-proliferation will also be established. According to the action plan, the two sides will establish a high-level trade group, explore ways of increasing bilateral trade flows including negotiations on a comprehensive trade and investment agreement. The European Union delegation also included Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, and Javier Solana, EU secretary general. Tony Blair, whose country holds the rotating chair of EU president, arrived here Tuesday night for a two-day visit. -------- iran Iran seeks to soothe West's nuclear concerns Wed Sep 7, 2005 5:36 AM ET (Reuters) http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticleSearch.aspx?storyID=115971+07-Sep-2005+RTRS&srch=nuclear ISLAMABAD - Iran's top nuclear negotiator sought to soothe international unease over his country's nuclear programme during a visit to Pakistan on Wednesday, days after a U.N. watchdog confirmed Tehran had resumed uranium conversion. Ali Larijani has been seeking support from non-Western nations for Iran's plan to pursue what it says is a programme designed for power generation and not atomic weapons. "Having stated this principle that we are determined to have nuclear technology... We are fully prepared to have any international negotiations, discussions to remove the international concerns," Larijani said after meeting Pakistan's Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has a fresh initiative that will "facilitate work to assure the international community of the exclusively peaceful (nature) of our activities," Larijani told reporters, without expanding on what that initiative contained. Larijani, appointed last month by Iran's new president, was due to meet Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and Foreign Minister Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri, after his talks with Aziz. Iran is facing mounting diplomatic pressure after an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report issued last Friday confirmed Tehran had resumed uranium conversion, one of several activities previously suspended under a deal with three European Union nations -- France, Britain and Germany. Larijani said his government was continuing to discuss its nuclear programme with the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, and hold negotiations with other countries. TALKS CLOSE TO COLLAPSE But, a senior EU diplomat told reporters in Brussels on Tuesday that the negotiating process, begun with Iran in Paris last November, appeared to be at an end. He said the next logical step was for the IAEA to report Iran's nuclear programme to the U.N. Security Council, although discussions on sanctions against Iran were a long way off. The IAEA board meets in Vienna on September 19. The United States and the Europeans are trying to reach a broad consensus for reporting the Iranian case to the Security Council, but Russian and Chinese support are in doubt. Iran could develop bomb-making capability in as little as five years, although the International Institute of Strategic Studies reckons a 15-year time frame was more likely. The assessment is in line with British estimates, although U.S. intelligence reports have been more conservative, with a study last month putting the date for a bomb at 2015. Pakistan, the only Islamic country with nuclear weapons, is opposed to any use of force against its western neighbour, and Larijani voiced his appreciation of Islamabad's stance. Washington has not ruled out using force to stop Iran's nuclear programme although its main ally Britain has said such action would be inconceivable. Pakistan said last March that a now disgraced scientist regarded as the father of its own atomic bomb, Abdul Qadeer Khan, had supplied Iran with centrifuges that can be used to produce enriched uranium for nuclear power plants or weapons. Khan is under house arrest after admitting in early 2004 to his role in an international black market in nuclear parts. -------- japan Japan's Plutonium from spent fuel at 43 tons The Japan Times: Sept. 7, 2005 http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20050907b4.htm Japan's stockpile of plutonium extracted and separated from spent nuclear fuel increased to 43.1 tons as of the end of 2004, up 2.5 tons from the previous year, the government reported to the Atomic Energy Commission on Tuesday. Most of the increase was from reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, conducted in Britain. Of the total amount, 37.4 tons were stored overseas. The government plans to use the reprocessed plutonium to produce plutonium-uranium mixed oxide fuel for use in plutonium-thermal nuclear power plants in the future. -------- latinamerica Brazil Likely To Build More Nuclear Plants, Minister Says September 07, 2005 — By Michael Astor, Associated Press http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=8722 RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Brazil's Minister of Science and Technology said Tuesday he believed the country would approve plans to build more nuclear reactors later this year, drawing howls of protest from environmental groups. Sergio Rezende said plans to spend US$13 billion (euro10.41 billion) over the next 17 years to build seven nuclear reactors were also being considered by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. "I commented on the subject at a recent meeting of ministers with President Lula and he agreed that theme was important and strategic for the country," Rezende was quoted as saying by the official government news agency. Rezende said the money would be spent to complete the long-stalled Angra 3 nuclear plant as well two other large-scale reactors and four smaller ones. Brazil already has two nuclear reactors, Angra 1 and Angra 2, situated on the coast some 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Rio de Janeiro, but work on Angra 3 has been stalled for years due to budget problems and concerns over the safety and economic viability of nuclear energy. "It would be a very big historical error to write off this technology. For that reason, we will conclude the discussion that will define the nuclear area as strategic for the country," Rezende told the Radiobras agency. "The decision about Angra 3 and other plants is part of the Brazilian Nuclear Program which I expect will be approved by the end of the year." The environmental group Greenpeace, however, said nuclear energy was outmode and dangerous. "It would be foolishness to approve a nuclear program that is expensive, unsafe, dirty and unnecessary," Marcelo Furtado, director of Greenpeace's Brazilian nuclear campaign said. "I hope President Lula listens to the Brazilian population and rejects this proposal. According to Greenpeace, a recent opinion poll showed 82 percent of Brazilians were opposed to building more nuclear plants. "We could invest these 30 billion reals (US$13 billion; euro10.41 billion) in education, health, fighting hunger and above all sustainable projects with positive impact on society and the environment," Furtado added. Brazil's first nuclear plant, Angra I cost about US$6 billion (euro4.8 billion) to build and Angra II cost some US$14 billion (euro11.2 billion). The stalled Angra 3 plant has already cost the government over US$1 billion (euro800 million) though it is far from complete. The two operational plants supply about 4.3 percent of Brazil's electrical energy. Brazil's nuclear program has been the subject of recent controversy after the government announced last year that it planned to begin enriching uranium for use in its nuclear plants. Initially, the government denied inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency access to the uranium enriching centrifuges over fears of industrial espionage. Eventually, a deal was reached that allowed inspectors access to the plant without a full view of the centrifuges ending the impasse. -------- russia Russia satisfied with atomic power plant safety exercises 15:01 | 07/ 09/ 2005 (RIA Novosti) http://en.rian.ru/business/20050907/41325323.html MOSCOW, September 7 - Head of the Federal Atomic Energy Agency Alexander Rumyantsev is satisfied with the on-going comprehensive nuclear power safety exercises, the state-run Rosenergoatom consortium, which operates the nation's nuclear power plants, said in a statement Wednesday. Rumyantsev heard reports on the pace of the exercises being held at the Kola nuclear power plant in northwestern Russia. The plant's personnel are practicing operating special equipment, including robotic devices and measures to protect the residents of adjacent populated areas. The exercises cover NPP anti-accident procedures, including those dealing with the safety of staff and the population. The drill feigns an emergency situation and a plan of urgent action for personnel protection. It is being supervised by the management of Rosenergoatom and the Kola NPP ---- Russia to be the first to sign nuclear terrorism convention 10:12 | 07/ 09/ 2005 (RIA Novosti) http://en.rian.ru/russia/20050907/41321867.html MOSCOW, September 7 - Russia will be the first to sign the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism in New York on September 14, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Yakovenko said Wednesday in an article in the government daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta. The UN General Assembly unanimously adopted the international document, which was proposed by Russia in 1998, on April 13, 2005. Yakovenko said: "The adoption of the convention is the result of systematic, resourceful and energetic work, first of all on the part of Russia." "The convention is largely an innovative document," Yakovenko said, adding that the international community had worked out a document for the first time to prevent certain terrorist attacks. "The convention's adoption shows the resolve and capabilities of the UN member states to adapt the Organization to modern realities and security requirements," the official said. Yakovenko said that many countries would follow Russia's example, first of all the participants in a UN Security Council session at the World Summit 2005, which will be held in New York on September 14-16. An anti-terrorist resolution, which includes a call to countries to make signing the convention a priority, should be adopted at the summit. -------- security NRC, STATES TO COORDINATE INCREASED CONTROLS OVER RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Wednesday, September 07, 2005 http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/news/2005/05-123.html The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the 33 Agreement States are coordinating efforts to increase the control of radioactive materials that could potentially be of use to terrorists. "We believe we have been successful in establishing an approach that achieves the common objective of the NRC and the Agreement States of enhancing controls over certain radioactive materials and enhancing the protection of public health and safety," NRC Chairman Nils J. Diaz said. "This approach will leverage federal and state resources most effectively to increase protection and accountability of these materials." Under the Atomic Energy Act, the NRC has signed agreements with 33 states, relinquishing to the states responsibility for regulating radioactive materials used in academia, industry and medicine. The Agreement States regulate approximately 17,000 materials licensees, of which an estimated 1,650 will be affected by the new requirements. About 550 of the 5,000 NRC licensees in the remaining 17 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico also will be affected. The NRC retains exclusive authority over nuclear power plants, fuel cycle facilities and research reactors; those licensees are not affected by this decision. Over approximately the next 90 days, affected NRC licensees will receive Orders from the agency spelling out increased controls for certain radioactive materials. Over the same period, individual Agreement States will issue their licensees legally binding requirements essentially identical to the NRC’s Orders. Materials covered by these requirements will be consistent with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Code of Conduct for the Safety and Security of Radioactive Materials, which is the internationally recognized standard for categorizing and protecting radioactive materials. -------- space Russia, China to develop space nuclear energy cooperation 16:47 | 07/ 09/ 2005 (RIA Novosti) http://en.rian.ru/russia/20050907/41326624.html MOSCOW, September 7 - Russia and China have signed protocol to develop their cooperation in space nuclear energy, the Federal Atomic Energy Agency Rosatom said Wednesday. This came on the heels of the 9th session of the Russian-Chinese sub-commission for nuclear issues, held within the framework of the bilateral commission for regular meetings of the heads of governments from both countries. The document says that space nuclear energy cooperation is envisioned in an inter-governmental agreement on cooperation for the peaceful use of atomic energy, signed in 1996. The protocol notes that cooperation between Rosatom and the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics in arms conversion has been successful and that nuclear and radiation safety in the peaceful use of atomic energy is a priority and vital area of bilateral cooperation. The Russian-Chinese sub-commission for nuclear issues will hold its tenth session in Beijing sometime in 2006. -------- ukraine EBRD is ready to finance Energoatom 7 September 2005 ForUM http://eng.for-ua.com/news/2005/09/07/153030.html Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has ratified the Purchase Contract on Rivno and Khmelnitsk nuclear power plants between EBRD and Ukraine. 295 deputies of Ukraine voted for the proposal. According to the Contract, EBRD provides Energoatom National nuclear Energy Company with the $42 million credit under condition of state guarantee for the project. The uarantee must be represented by Ministry of Finance of Ukraine. The credit will be spent for modernization of blocs 2 and 4 of the nuclear plants after their construction. Finance Ministry confirmed its readiness to guarantee the credit. -------- u.s. nuc facilities Nuke Reactors on Campuses Keep Low Profile By ALAN SCHER ZAGIER, Associated Press Writer Wed Sep 7, 2005 4:13 PM ET http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050907/ap_on_sc/campus_reactors COLUMBIA, Mo. - For University of Missouri tailgaters, the name of the new parking lot down the hill from Memorial Stadium is little more than a curiosity: Reactor Field, a nod to the nearby nuclear research reactor. The nation's largest university-based reactor keeps an intentionally low local profile, despite its cutting-edge research into promising cancer drugs. But among regulators and nuclear energy watchdogs, it has a troubling distinction: The reactor is one of only two university reactors still unable to switch from highly enriched uranium — an ingredient crucial to building nuclear weapons — to a safer fuel. "These things have been used for education for so long, the operators don't seem to accept they can be used for nuclear weapons," said George Bunn, a professor at Stanford University's Center for International Security and Cooperation who helped negotiate the 1968 global Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. As little as 25 kilograms (about 55 pounds) of highly enriched uranium is needed to build a nuclear bomb on the scale of the one dropped on Hiroshima 60 years ago. Smaller bombs could use as little as 12 kilograms, experts say. The Missouri reactor's federal license limits to five kilograms the amount of unirradiated, or "fresh" highly enriched uranium. The nation's other university reactor with fresh HEU is at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. MIT officials declined to disclose the amount stored there, though previously published reports suggest at least nine kilograms are in the reactor at any given time. The distinction between irradiated and unirradiated fuel is significant. Once uranium-based fuel is doused with radiation, the number of isotopes rapidly increases, making the fuel highly radioactive and unsuitable as a weapon. Research reactors sprouted worldwide in the wake of President Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" program in 1953, including at dozens of American colleges. But by 1978, Cold War tensions and security concerns prompted a Department of Energy initiative to convert research reactors to the low-enriched alternative more commonly found at commercial power reactors. "Domestic and international security concerns dictate very strongly that we halt the use of research reactor fuels which contain highly enriched uranium because of its nuclear explosive properties," then-Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner Victor Gilinsky wrote to the MIT reactor director on Oct. 7, 1983. "Universities, especially, should make every effort to shift away from nuclear explosive fuels." At least 40 research reactors worldwide have already been converted, including those at the University of Michigan, Ohio State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology. The University of Florida and Texas A&M are scheduled to convert their reactors next year, and more federal money is budgeted to speed the work at the University of Wisconsin, Washington, Purdue and Oregon State. The emphasis on conversion of American research reactors only increased after the 2001 terrorist attacks, when the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ordered enhanced security at nuclear sites in the wake of concerns that terrorists would target such power supplies. That leaves Missouri and MIT among the 31 research and test reactors worldwide that cannot switch from highly enriched uranium because of technical limitations, primarily because of smaller reactor core sizes. The Department of Energy has set a target date of 2014 to convert the remaining reactors. At MIT, officials have set aside $50,000 to expedite the conversion process, said reactor director John Bernard. "If that fuel does get through its test phase, we're in a position to move rapidly at that point," he said. "There's no reason not to convert." At Missouri, though, officials hope to upgrade the 10-megawatt reactor to 20 megawatts — an increase contingent on continued use of highly enriched uranium. Reactor director Ralph Butler declined an Associated Press interview request, but in a written response said that a power upgrade would enhance the university's ability to produce radioactive isotopes used for medical diagnosis and treatment. "The majority of isotopes used in the United States today are provided by foreign suppliers," Butler wrote. "The nation needs a consistent, reliable supply of radioactive and stable isotopes for medical, security, space power and research uses." ---- NRC Reorganizes In Anticipation Of Construction Of New Reactors By PATRICIA DADDONA The Day Staff Writer, Waterford, CT Published on 9/7/2005 http://www.theday.com/eng/web/news/re.aspx?re=87a6e295-3dc2-49df-9888-1974609f947a The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is reorganizing its Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation because it expects an influx of applications for new reactors. “The industry needs to start coordinating better so we can better anticipate the workload,” said Neil Sheehan, an NRC spokesman for Region 1, which covers much of the Northeast. “It's pretty clear there's a high level of interest right now, and we are going to get some applications. We just don't know the full breadth of it.” The nuclear reactor regulation office will create more small divisions as it attempts to “consolidate risk assessment” into one division, according to the NRC Web site. Sheehan could not specify how many new applications the federal agency expects, but said that in the Northeast, Constellation Energy has expressed interest in building new plants at the Calvert Cliffs site in Maryland and Nine Mile Point in upstate New York. If approved by the NRC, a site permit would be good for 20 years, according to the agency. NuStart Energy, a consortium promoting new reactor designs in locations around the country, has selected those two sites as finalists where a “new advanced nuclear energy plant” could be built in the next 30 years. NuStart touts “keeping the ‘nuclear option' open (as) a critical piece of our country's energy strategy,” according to its Web site. Dominion of Virginia is one of a few companies already engaged in an early site permitting process for a new reactor at its Northanna, Va., plant, one of three so-called “early permit site” applications. Early permit license applications are expected in 2008, according to the NRC. Dominion is the parent company of Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, which operates Millstone Power Station in Waterford. “We haven't committed to build the new plant” at Northanna, said Pete Hyde, the DNC spokesman. And in Waterford, DNC has “no plans for the foreseeable future” for a fourth reactor at Millstone, he said, but the company “welcomes” the NRC's latest initiative. http://www.nrc.gov http://www.nustartenergy.com http://www.dom.com -------- louisiana NRC ends monitoring of Entergy La. Waterford 3 nuke Wed Sep 7, 2005 7:36 AM ET (Reuters) http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticleSearch.aspx?storyID=138231+07-Sep-2005+RTRS&srch=nuclear http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticleSearch.aspx?storyID=157749+08-Sep-2005+RTRS&srch=nuclear NEW YORK, Sept 7 - The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ended its monitoring of Entergy Corp.'s (ETR.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Waterford 3 nuclear power station in Louisiana on Sept. 6, the nuclear regulator said in an event report. Entergy shut the unit on Aug. 28 as Hurricane Katrina approached southern Louisiana. Electricity traders guessed the NRC announcement meant the unit would soon return to service. The company has said restart depends on the approval of the NRC, the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency and the ability of the grid to accept the reactor's output. The NRC and FEMA have said they will not approve a restart until the off-site evacuation routes are open and emergency sirens are available. The hurricane did not damage the plant. The 1,911 MW Waterford station is located in Taft, in St. Charles Parish, about 30 miles west of New Orleans. There are three units at the Waterford station, including two 411 MW natural gas- and oil-fired units 1 and 2, and the 1,089 MW nuclear unit 3. One MW powers about 800 homes, according to North American averages. Entergy's regulated Entergy Louisiana Inc. subsidiary owns the station. Entergy's subsidiaries own and operate about 30,000 MW of generating capacity, market energy commodities, and transmit and distribute power to 2.6 million customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. -------- nevada NRC PROPOSES TO CHANGE REGULATIONS ON YUCCA MOUNTAIN TO BE CONSISTENT WITH EPA CHANGES U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Wednesday, September 07, 2005 http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/news/2005/05-124.html The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is proposing to amend its regulations to govern the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) proposed high-level radioactive waste disposal facility at Yucca Mountain, Nev. The amendments would adopt the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) recently proposed revisions to its standards for radiation doses that could occur more than 10,000 years after waste disposal. The Energy Policy Act requires the NRC to make its regulations consistent with EPA’s standards for Yucca Mountain. The new EPA standards, published Aug. 22, would leave in place the current standard of a peak dose of 15 millirems for the first 10,000 years following disposal. After 10,000 years, the standard would be 350 millirems. These same EPA values would be contained in the revised NRC regulations. The proposed NRC regulations also indicate that, in demonstrating compliance with the radiation dose standards, DOE must assess the effects of climate changes more than 10,000 years after disposal. The proposal specifies a range of values that DOE should draw from when representing these changes. The climate change analysis would be limited to the effects of increased water flow to the repository as a result of the change (up to approximately 6 times greater than would be expected today), and any resulting release of radioactive materials to the environment. In addition, the proposed NRC changes specify that DOE should calculate radiation doses to workers at the Yucca Mountain facility using current scientific methods, in the same way that EPA is proposing for calculating doses for members of the public. Interested persons may submit comments on the proposed NRC regulations within 60 days of publication of NRC’s proposed rule in the Federal Register, expected shortly. The comments should sent by mail to the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention: Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff; e-mail to SECY@nrc.gov; or fax to the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, at 301-415-1101. -------- ENERGY Energy Agency Adds 800 Number to Gas Gouging Reporting System WASHINGTON, DC, September 7, 2005 (ENS) http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/sep2005/2005-09-07-09.asp#anchor4 The U.S. Department of Energy has expanded its gas gouging reporting system to include a toll-free telephone hotline in response to soaring gasoline prices across the country in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The hotline at 1-800-244-3301 is available to American consumers starting today. "While we’ve largely seen the best of American generosity and unity throughout the recovery effort," said Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman, "we recognize that there are some bad actors that may try to take advantage of the situation." "Consumers are our first line of defense in guarding against gas price gouging," said Bodman. "I can assure you, our Administration - from the President down - takes this issue very seriously. We encourage Americans to report those who are trying to profiteer in this time of national crisis." "Over the past week, we have seen a sharp increase in the number of consumer complaints registered through our gas gouging website," Bodman said. "By expanding the system to include a toll-free phone line, we hope to make it easier for Americans without ready access to the Internet to take action." In addition to calling 1-800-244-3301 consumers will still be able to register complaints at http://gaswatch.energy.gov/. All complaints registered with the Department of Energy will be collated and transmitted to the Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Department of Justice and individual state attorneys general for investigation and prosecution where appropriate. In addition, the administration has used every tool at its disposal to mitigate any disruption in fuel supply. As part of the recovery effort: * The Department of Energy worked quickly to approve requests of loans from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to oil refineries. Within 48 hours of receiving requests, oil was on its way to requesting refineries. As of September 3, loans totaling 12.6 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve have been approved. * The EPA issued a nationwide waiver that allows use of "winter blend" reformulated gasoline throughout the country in place of the "summer blend" that otherwise would have been required through September 15, and that currently is in much shorter supply. This action allowed use of the considerable stock of reformulated gasoline in storage and is already helping to increase the supply of fuels to consumers. * EPA is also allowing the use of diesel fuel which exceeds 500 ppm sulfur content, providing additional fuel for generators used by first responders, aid providers, and essential services. * The Department of Homeland Security waived the Jones Act restrictions on the transportation by ship of petroleum, gasoline and other refined petroleum products. This action will allow additional tankers and barges to transport oil and gasoline into ports around the country that may have seen supply disrupted by pipelines running at lower capacity. * The International Energy Agency has announced that its member countries will make 60 million barrels of petroleum products available on the market. Bodman said the President’s authorization to draw down oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve fulfills the U.S.’s part of this action. * The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service announced that "dyed diesel fuel" normally limited to off-road use would be permitted for road use. This action will bring more diesel supply into the market, enabling transport of essential relief supplies to the affected areas. ---- Multifaceted energy policy must include nuclear Fredericksburg, VA, Free-Lance Star Date published: 9/7/2005 http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2005/092005/09072005/126362 This is in response to a letter ["More nuclear plants and more oil don't make good policy," Aug. 31]. It might be hard for Aviv Goldsmith to remember, but way back in the early 1970s, when nuclear technology was young, the U.S. generated about 20 percent of its electricity from oil. By the 1980s, less than 10 percent of electricity was generated from oil, and today it is virtually nonexistent. In the '70s and '80s, nuclear energy replaced oil in the electrical energy market. Because of advances in hydrogen fuel cells, nuclear stands ready to replace oil yet again as a fuel for automobiles. Today's advanced reactor designs are ideally suited for the production of both electricity and hydrogen, a critical component to our future energy independence. The U.S. imports nearly half of its oil. One would think that if demand is cut by 50 percent, then we would not import any oil at all, but one would be very wrong. The cost of oil production in Saudi Arabia is about 80 cents a barrel. Compare that to the domestic production cost of about $10. If oil demand was reduced, the cheap foreign oil will still be bought first, putting a financial strain on domestic suppliers. Ironically, cutting oil consumption would most likely increase our dependence on foreign oil. Instead of doubling gas mileage, we should stop using oil altogether. As for the waste issue, calling spent nuclear fuel "waste" is like calling used motor oil "waste." More than 90 percent of the energy contained in used nuclear fuel is still there. As with used motor oil, we should recycle this fuel and use it as a source for future energy supplies. The energy bill is right-on in promoting the use of nuclear energy, as well as the use of renewables and encouraging conservation. It puts the U.S. another step closer to energy independence and security. Michael Stuart Hanover -------- alternative energy Grass hailed as potential source of clean energy By Patricia Reaney Wednesday September 7, 12:55 AM (Reuters) http://sg.news.yahoo.com/050906/3/3uriu.html DUBLIN - A tall, decorative plant that can be grown in Europe and the United States could provide a significant amount of energy without contributing to global warming, scientists said on Tuesday. Field trials of the grass called Miscanthus in Illinois showed it could be very effective as an economically and environmentally sustainable energy crop. Professor Steve Long and his colleagues at the University of Illinois obtained a yield of about 60 tonnes per hectare of the tall willowy grass last year. "If about 8 percent of the land area (of the state) was given over to this grass, and assuming only half of those yields were obtained, we would obtain enough dry matter to generate the total electricity used by of the state if Illinois, which includes the city of Chicago," he told a science conference. Professor Mike Jones, of Trinity College in Dublin, said planting the crop on 10 percent of the arable land in Ireland, could meet up to 30 percent of the country's electricity needs. In the United States, scientists are looking at burning the crop in a 50-50 mix with coal to generate electricity. It would be suitable for use in some existing power plants, although others would require modification. The scientists told the British Association for the Advancement of Science conference that the attractive, perennial plant which grows about 14 feet high and similar grasses could provide a means to significantly offset fossil fuel emissions. "As the plant grows it is drawing carbon dioxide out of the air. When you burn it you put that carbon dioxide back, so the net effect on atmospheric CO2 is zero," Long explained. "In terms of Kyoto it would be considered carbon neutral," Long said, referring to the 1997 protocol that demands cuts in greenhouse emissions by 5.2 percent below 1990 levels by 2008-12. The scientists used a sterile hybrid of the plant, which comes from high altitude areas in Japan and produces a silver, feather-like foliage, in the trials so it would not become invasive. "Currently, in those trials that have been carried out, there appears to be no real problem with pests or diseases," according to Jones. Long said biomass crops have not been taken seriously as a means for mitigating rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. "The point we want to make is that these new plants that we have been looking at really could make a major contribution and it doesn't require major technological breakthroughs to do that." -------- energy Gas Subsidies for Iraqis, Gas Taxes for Americans by Rep. Ron Paul, September 7, 2005 Antiwar.com http://www.antiwar.com/paul/?articleid=7171 My constituents in the Texas gulf coast are very concerned about the price of gasoline, especially in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Katrina has left nine gulf coast refineries inoperable, and reduced capacity at four. This will mean the loss of 20 to 40 million barrels of oil in coming months, and prices at the pump well over $3. Congress can help immediately by suspending federal gas taxes, which alone add 18.4 cents to the cost of every gallon. The state of Texas adds another 20 cents per gallon in taxes. Citizens are always asked to sacrifice during crises; why are governments never expected to do the same? Immediate, short-term relief for every American at the pump could be a reality when Congress returns to Washington this week. Congress should pass, and the president should immediately sign, a bill suspending the federal gas tax. This would create pressure for states to do the same. This is the simplest, fastest, and soundest way to drop gas prices and ease the financial impact of Katrina. Wouldn't it be better to leave that money in the pockets of the American public at least temporarily, especially as we're all being asked to provide financial help to hurricane victims? Many people are upset with oil companies, which is understandable given the frustrations of steadily rising gas prices. But the fundamental problem is not a lack of regulation or price gouging, but rather the lack of price competition between oil companies. The maze of regulatory and environmental rules makes it nearly impossible for would-be competitors to explore new domestic sources of oil or build new refineries. When was the last time you heard of a new start-up oil company? This is because of too much government regulation, not too little. History proves time and time again that the best way to provide any good is too allow markets to operate freely. The bulk of our refining capacity is concentrated along the gulf coast, leaving the nation's gas supply vulnerable to annual hurricanes. Without new oil exploration and new refineries, our domestic capacity is fixed. As demand rises with the growth of the U.S. population, we find ourselves increasingly dependent on oil-rich nations – many of which have questionable governments. With worldwide demand for oil increasing, and our domestic supply fixed, we face a new era. We must increase domestic production, pure and simple. We cannot afford to be held hostage by unrealistic environmental rules that threaten to strangle our economy. Existing refineries cannot carry the nation if we hope to maintain reasonable gas prices. Turmoil in the Middle East demonstrates that we cannot depend on OPEC nations to make up for our lack of domestic production. As recently as 2002, before we went into Iraq, oil cost less than $20 per barrel. Now it's nearly $70 per barrel. Before the war, many predicted that a renewed flow of cheap Iraqi oil would benefit American consumers. The opposite has taken place. Iraqi oil production has come to a halt, and OPEC prices have risen steadily over the last few years. Consider this: Iraqis can buy gas for as little as five cents per gallon, courtesy of American taxpayers! We're talking about imported refined gas, because Iraqi refineries are not operating. Iraqi officials, using American tax dollars, buy this fuel from the Saudis or other OPEC nations at market rates. This subsidy to Iraq cost us nearly $3 billion in 2004 alone. What kind of foreign policy justifies using your tax dollars to subsidize gas prices in an oil-rich nation, while prices skyrocket in the U.S.? We must change our priorities and focus our resources on the American people. We cannot count on using military or political influence in the Middle East to keep gas prices low. It is easy to call for drastic government action in the emotional aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but we must not ignore history, logic, and basic economics. The Nixon administration imposed price controls on gasoline, but the result was shortages and long lines at the pump. The price mechanism is necessary to create an incentive for oil companies to increase the amount of refined gasoline available. Price controls also discourage the development of alternative fuels. When President Reagan later lifted price controls, worldwide oil production increased dramatically and gas prices plummeted. Electric, hybrid, and alternative fuel vehicles may be the future, but for the foreseeable future the American economy will continue to depend on oil. We must face this reality and increase the number of domestic refineries, while considering immediate tax relief at the pump. Long term, we must rethink our foreign policy to focus on the interests of American citizens rather than spending billions on nation-building exercises. We are spending more than one billion dollars every week in Iraq, and thousands of National Guard soldiers are assigned there. Those dollars and that manpower are sorely needed in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. -------- OTHER -------- environment New Orleans Floodwaters Contaminated WASHINGTON, DC, September 7, 2005 (ENS) http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/sep2005/2005-09-07-09.asp#anchor1 Bacteria counts for E. coli in New Orleans floodwaters "greatly exceed EPA's recommended levels for contact," the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said today after sampling water in multiple locations and analyzing the samples for chemicals and bacteria. "At these levels, human contact with water should be avoided," the agency said. The EPA is coordinating all sampling activities and data analyses with federal, state, and local agencies. These initial results are just the beginning of extensive sampling efforts and do not represent the condition of all flood waters throughout the area, the agency said. Due to the priority of the search and rescue mission, EPA testing has focused on neighborhoods and not in heavily industrialized areas. Additional chemical sampling was performed for priority pollutants such as volatile organic compounds, semivolatile organic compounds, total metals, pesticides, herbicides, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Results from these analyses were compared to health levels set by the EPA and by the federal Agency for Toxic Substances. Lead concentrations in water exceeded drinking water action levels, the EPA found. These levels are a concern if a child ingests large amounts of flood water. For the additional chemicals tested, the EPA says it has yet to detect contaminant levels that would pose human health risks. The EPA advises emergency response personnel and the public to avoid direct contact with standing water when possible. In the event contact occurs, EPA and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) strongly advise the use of soap and water to clean exposed areas if available. Flood water should not be swallowed and all mouth contact should be avoided, the EPA warned. People should immediately report any symptoms to health professionals. The most likely symptoms are stomachache, fever, vomiting and diarrhea. Preliminary water testing data will be confirmed through additional EPA testing and data analyses to ensure that all data is of the highest quality. EPA says it is "implementing a rigorous scientific process" to ensure that the flood waters of New Orleans are thoroughly sampled for multiple types of key contaminants. ---- Water Returned to Lake Contains Toxic Material By SEWELL CHAN and ANDREW C. REVKIN September 7, 2005 NY TIMES http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/07/national/nationalspecial/07lake.html?ex=1127188800&en=cc98b513abf5eb30&ei=5070&ei=5070&en=a918509a3b3921db&ex=1126756800&emc=eta1&pagewanted=print BATON ROUGE, La., Sept. 6 - While the human and economic toll of Hurricane Katrina continued to mount, New Orleans was beginning to pump back into Lake Pontchartrain the floodwaters that had inundated the city. But this is not the same water that flooded the city. What started flowing back into the lake on Monday and continued spilling into it Tuesday is laced with raw sewage, bacteria, heavy metals, pesticides and toxic chemicals, Louisiana officials said on Tuesday. Whether or not the accelerating pumping of this brew from city streets into coastal waters poses a threat to the ecosystems and fisheries in the brackish bay remains to be seen, the officials said. They added that they could do little more than keep testing and count on the restorative capacity of nature to break down or bury contaminants. Though the state of the lake was a prime issue, it was just one of a host of problems identified in the storm-ravaged region on Tuesday by Louisiana and federal environmental officials. For example, the officials said that although two large oil spills, from damaged storage tanks, were under control, thousands of other smaller spills continued to coat floodwaters in New Orleans with a rainbow sheen. The first samples of the city's floodwaters were taken on Saturday by the Environmental Protection Agency, and results were expected later in the week, officials said. "It's simply unfeasible" to try and hold the pumped water somewhere to filter out pollution, said Michael D. McDaniel, the Louisiana secretary of environmental quality. "We have to get the water out of the city or the nightmare only gets worse," said Dr. McDaniel, who is a biologist. "We can't even get in to save people's lives. How can you put any filtration in place?" Some scientists outside government tended to agree that the risk of long-term damage to the coastal waters was not high. One reason is that the lake is fed by several rivers and flushed by tides through its link to the Gulf of Mexico. There will probably be an "initial toxic slug" entering the lake but that will be diluted and degraded by bacteria, said Frank T. Manheim, a former geochemist for the United States Geological Survey who teaches at George Mason University and was a co-author of a 2002 report on pollution issues in the lake. "I think the lake has withstood has some big hits," he said, including an oxygen-sapping algae bloom after a 1997 flood. He said that most of the long-lived industrial pollutants that can accumulate in organisms and work their way up the food chain have largely been phased out. Overall, though, it was becoming evident that just the flooding of New Orleans had created environmental problems that could take years to resolve, state officials said. Each of the estimated 140,000 to 160,000 homes that were submerged is a potential source of fuel, cleaners, pesticides and other potentially hazardous materials found in garages or under kitchen sinks, officials said. The E.P.A. on Tuesday estimated that more than 200 sewage treatment plants in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama were affected, with almost all of the plants around New Orleans knocked out of action. Hundreds of small manufacturers or other businesses using chemicals or fuels, many with storage tanks held in place by gravity instead of bolts, are probably leaking various chemicals and oils, officials and independent experts said. The E.P.A. and the Department of Health and Human Services issued a joint statement on Tuesday warning people that "every effort should be made to limit contact with floodwater because of potentially elevated levels of contamination associated with raw sewage and other hazardous substances." The statement urged anyone exposed to the water to wash thoroughly with soap and water and alert medical personnel about open cuts. "Early symptoms from exposure to contaminated flood water may include upset stomach, intestinal problems, headache and other flu-like discomfort," the statement said. Officials pointed to a short list of developments they called encouraging: the two largest known oil spills were declared under control, with one slick drifting out into the Gulf of Mexico and away from the state's ravaged coastline, where it will probably degrade over time. As for the lake, "The wonderful thing about nature is its resilience," Dr. McDaniel said. "The bacterial contaminants will not last a long time in the lake. They actually die off pretty fast. The organic material will degrade with natural processes. Metals will probably fall and be captured in the sediments. Nature does a good job. It just takes awhile." Kenneth Chang contributed reporting from New York for this article. ---- Congo's "Hippies of the Forest" Apes Dying out Fast Story by David Lewis REUTERS DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: September 7, 2005 http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/32378/newsDate/7-Sep-2005/story.htm KINSHASA - Pygmy chimpanzees dubbed "hippies of the forest" for resolving conflicts through sex rather than violence are dying out faster than ever in post-war Democratic Republic of Congo, a conservationist said on Tuesday. Bonobos, the rarest of all the great apes, are being killed in large numbers by bands of gunmen two years after the vast central African country's most recent war officially ended. "In 1980, there were about 100,000 bonobos in Congo. In 1990 there were thought to be 10,000," Claudine Andre, founder of the Lola ya Bonobo (Bonobo Paradise) sanctuary just outside Kinshasa, told Reuters in an interview. "Since then we have had two wars, their habitat has been occupied and the post-conflict period has been even harder, so I fear for what the situation is now," she said, adding that she was still receiving orphans after the war. Experts warn bonobos, one of man's closest relatives, could die out within 50 years from poaching, logging and disease. Hundreds of conservationists and policy makers from 23 nations are in Kinshasa this week to map out a survival plan for the world's gorillas, chimpanzees, orang-utans and bonobos. "Bonobos are the species of great ape that is most likely to disappear," Andre said, calling to the orphaned chimpanzees through a fence separating the thickly forested sanctuary from the encroaching outskirts of the crumbling capital. Only found in remote corners of Congo -- a vast and inaccessible country that has been torn apart by a decade of war -- the "forgotten ape" is said by scientists to be one of the least hostile primates. "The bonobo's outlook is to search for peace," Andre said. "All their conflicts are resolved peacefully, often through sex. They are the hippies of the forest." There are around 150 bonobos living in captivity in total but Andre hopes to rehabilitate and release some of her 43 orphans back into the wild. Congo's last war officially ended in 2003 but the process of disarming thousands of fighters in a country the size of Western Europe and integrating them into the national army is faltering, leaving many gunmen near bonobo habitats, armed and hungry. A well-organised bush meat trade and crippling poverty in the forests compound the threat to the apes. "(Bush meat) is demanded by the urban population and as the people in the forests have no option, they are chopping down trees to make charcoal and trapping animals for bush meat," Andre said. "If man destroys his closest cousin, he might destroy all animal species," she added, as a group of young bonobos drank from a bottle, ate bananas and had sex in a cage behind her. -------- ACTIVISTS Turkish Court Rejects Greenpeace Appeal, Forbids 21 Activists from Leaving Country September 07, 2005 — By Associated Press http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=8716 ISTANBUL, Turkey — A Turkish court affirmed Tuesday that 21 Greenpeace activists detained last month while protesting would be prohibited from leaving the country pending further investigation into their case. The activists include two Dutch citizens, an Israeli, a Cypriot and an Australian. Turkish police detained the activists on Aug. 29 after they protested outside the Can coal-fired power station. Some of the activists had climbed up to the plant's cooling tower as part of the protest, said Jim Footner, a spokesman for the group. "It was a completely nonviolent demonstration," Footner said, calling the Turkish court's decision to forbid the protesters from leaving the country "excessive" and "highly surprising."