nuclear.com info nuggets - November 15, 2003

* Advanced reactors around the world
Dr. Debu Majumdar (DOE-senior nuclear advisor, Idaho Operations Office), Nuclear Plant Journal
There is a worldwide resurgence in developing a new generation of power reactors. This is expected to result in safer, more cost-competitive and less-proliferating nuclear electricity.

* Residents ask NRC to pull D-B license
Rick Neale (staff writer), Port Clinton News Herald (OH)
Davis-Besse: Twenty-one local residents signed letter urging NRC to revoke FirstEnergy's operating license until all systems and procedures at the plant undergo further review and inspections, among other safety-related requests. The letter also asked that FirstEnergy management "forgo raises and bonuses instead of passing along the costs of their mistakes at Davis-Besse to ratepayers and shareholders." About 100 residents of nearby Kelleys Island signed a similar Davis-Besse petition that was delivered to the NRC in October

* FirstEnergy reaches deal over failed sale
Associated Press/Port Clinton News Herald (OH)
FirstEnergy will receive $198-million as settlement for a deal to sell two coal plants. The company that was to buy the plants went into bankruptcy, and the settlement is part of the restructuring. The output of the two plants has come in handy uring the long Davis-Besse shutdown. They are not currently for sale.

* Two Arrested for Radioactive Sale Attempt
Karel Janicek (AP writer) 1021 EST
On Friday, Czech police arrested two Slovak nationals in the city of Brno who attempted to sell nearly seven pounds of radioactive material to undercover officers working a sting operation. The arrests were made as the men were counting the $700,000 they were paid for the radioactive material. Preliminary analysis indicates that the material includes thorium and uranium.

* House, Senate agree on energy bill to give producers tax breaks, boost ethanol use
H. Josef Hebert (AP writer), Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Hebert drops the ANWR item as potential problem in Senate, but he emphasizes strong objections by Democrats and some Republicans to a provision in the bill that would protect makers of MTBE, a gasoline additive that is contaminating water supplies, from product liability lawsuits.

* House, Senate GOP agree on energy bill
Associated Press/Montana Forum
The Republican conferees have agreed on a bill expected to total more than 1,700 pages. It'll be presented to full conference committee, but Democrats don't have the votes to stop the majority which agreed to the final form.

* Energy bill doubles ethanol use
Associated Press/Quad City Times (IA)
Rep. Tauzin calls it "in essence, a jobs bill". It is estimated to contain $16-20 billion in tax incentives for producers of oil, natural gas, clean coal and nuclear power. Details to be released Saturday, when copy of the bill to be voted on by conference committee will be presented to Democrats.

* Energy bill fight is likely
H. Josef Hebert (AP writer), Knoxville News Sentinel (TN)
The bill to be approved by conference committee is expected to clear the House, but its not a done deal to pass in the Senate. Hebert specifies the failure to allow oil drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Reserve as a possible problem in Senate. nuclear.com is skeptical that any votes will be lost because of this, but Mr. Hebert is no rookie.

* Theft of police badges sparks terrorism alert
Houston Chronicle (TX)
Texas officials report a lot of suspicious activity suggesting that terrorists are intent on obtaining official-looking uniforms, paraphenalia, and vehicles. Also "law enforcement sensitive" alert, issued by the FBI on Nov. 7 said that "al-Qaida may be planning to attack U.S. nuclear facilities using commercial cargo planes loaded with explosives during Ramadan." Ramadan ends Nov. 24.

* Officials OK progress on Browns Ferry nuke reactor restart
Associated Press/Knoxville News Sentinel
... NRC officials are satisfied with a progress report on restarting the Unit 1 reactor by 2007 at Browns Ferry nuclear Power Plant.

* NC senator brings down-home campaign to Orangeburg, blasts Bush presidency
Lee Hendren (T&D Staff Writer), Orangeburg Times Democrat (SC)
Candidate Edwards said the president is "talking out of two sides of his mouth" by urging North Korea and Iran to freeze their nuclear weapons programs at the same time the U.S. "is developing two new kinds of nuclear weapons."

* Voiding the Palestinians: An Allegory
M. Shahid Alam (prof econ, Northeastern U), AMIN (Palestine)
Pro-Palestinian op-ed concludes with worry over prospect that "American-Israeli warmongers, with their fingers on nuclear buttons, push the world over the precipice".

* China, India Conduct Joint Naval Exercise
Belleville News-Democrat (IL)
This was the first joint naval exercises between Chinese ships and the navy of another nation since the founding of the communist People's Republic of China in 1949. It involved such activities as jointly fighting a fire on a ship.

* Nuclear Waste: Lawmakers target law firm -- State Bar urged to probe possible ethics rule violations on Yucca Mountain Project
Steve Tetreault, Las Vegas Review-Journal

* Lawmakers urge State Bar of Nevada to probe Yucca law firm
Las Vegas SUN

* Area 51 - Groom Lake, Nevada -- Area 51 is still a puzzle.
About

* Republicans OK Broad Energy Bill Draft
H. Josef Hebert, Las Vegas SUN

* GOP Set to Release 1,700-Page Energy Bill
Julie Vorman, Reuters

* Showdown looms over energy bill -- GOP pushes ethanol, revamped power grid
Carolyn Lochhead, San Francisco Chronicle

* GOP Hails Deal on Energy Bill
Dan Morgan and Peter Behr, Washington Post

* Utilities, oil companies stand to benefit from GOP energy bill
Seth Borenstein And Sumana Chatterjee, Knight-Ridder

* Ignorance About Energy
Alan Caruba, Intellectual Conservative

* New Energy Plan is Travesty for Consumers and Environment; Congress Should Kill It
Joan Claybrook, Public Citizen

* Letters: Hydrogen Energy Debated
Los Angeles Times

* New INEEL plant near approval
Idaho Statesman