X. ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGY

August 1 three physicians released a study of 53 former workers at the K-25 gaseous diffusion plant. Dr. Richard C. Bird, Jr., one of the researchers, said that a "substantial" number of those studied showed signs of work-related illness. These illnesses, which apparently came from contact with hazardous materials, ranged from asthma to trembling hands. Six of the 53 workers had beryllium sensitization. Most of those examined are too ill to work. Bird recommended that DOE hire outside consultants to examine other workers who are afraid that they became ill because of their work--outside consultants because many workers do not trust agency doctors. (The three physicians were, however, paid by DOE to do the study.) At a press conference the researchers expressed concern about how people like secretaries who worked away from the buildings known to have housed hazardous materials came into contact with these materials. Their study recommends an independent environmental and occupational assessment and an evaluation of possible past and present exposures from the water supply system.

Just before the study was released The Tennessean publicized documents and maps showing that at the K-25 complex, water lines carrying purified drinking water were mistakenly connected with lines carrying impure creek water for fighting fires and cooling machinery. DOE subsequently committed itself to a two-phase study of water at the site. In the first phase, the current water supply was sampled by OMI, the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee’s contractor for the water plant and distribution system, and sent to a state-certified laboratory for analysis. The sampling program aroused criticism. A group of residents and workers put out a press release charging that DOE flushed the system before the samples were drawn and saying that an independent entity should have done the sampling. DOE denies the charge of flushing. The second phase of the study will concern itself with possible impacts from past operations and may be conducted by an independent agency. (Associated Press, 8/1/00; Paul Parson, Oak Ridger, 8/14/00 and 8/17/00)

DOE has agreed to buy back materials affected by the department’s July moratorium on release of potentially surface-contaminated scrap from DOE sites. The company most heavily impacted by the moratorium has been BNFL, which has a contract to clean up three process buildings at the K-25 enrichment plant. Under the contract BNFL can sell contaminated metal and keep the money that it receives for the metal. Before the moratorium, BNFL was "removing more than a million and a half pounds of materials weekly." DOE will store the metal that it buys back at East Tennessee Technology Park. The price that DOE pays will vary from day to day and will be based on the market value at the Birmingham metals market. The first shipment of metal was returned to K-25 by BNFL’s subsidiary Manufacturing Sciences Corp., August 28. (Paul Parson, Oak Ridger, 8/8/00 and 8/29/00)

Two new lawsuits claiming that the federal government and its contractors concealed from workers, hazardous conditions at the plant were filed August 7.

One of the suits is similar to a suit filed by fourteen employees of the Paducah plant last September on behalf of all current and former workers. This suit which sought $10 billion in damages, named only companies as defendants. The new suit, filed in Louisville federal court, makes the same charges as the earlier suit but names as defendants not only companies but dozens of individuals including Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, various others in the government, and decision makers with contractors and suppliers. The plaintiffs are those in the earlier suit.

The other new suit was filed in Paducah on behalf of three former workers who developed benign growths on the pituitary gland. The suit seeks class-action status for all workers who developed radiation-induced tumors and asks for $4 billion in damages. It names individuals in the Atomic Energy Commission; Energy Secretary Bill Richardson; plant operators and suppliers; and managers and supervisors with the contractors and suppliers. ( James Malone, Courier Journal, 8/8/00)

FreshFUEL reported August 7 that work to upgrade the Paducah plant’s enrichment capacity to 5.5% is expected to be finished by the end of this year. Enrichment to that level cannot take place until the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approves the upgrade, which cannot occur until March 1 and then only if USEC has furnished "high quality analyses." USEC would like to obtain experience at the higher level at Paducah before it closes the Portsmouth plant in June. (FreshFUEL, 8/7/00; Michael Knapik, Inside NRC, 7/3/00)

An NRC team will meet with managers of the Paducah plant at the plant monthly to try to keep preparations for the increase in assay moving along smoothly. (Joe Walker, Paducah Sun, 8/2/00)

Greg Cook, spokesperson for Bechtel Jacobs reported that to speed up the packaging of the waste composing Drum Mountain, the bailer, which never functioned correctly, has been removed and two assembly lines have been set up. Crushed drums are now placed in containers, in the form in which they come out of the shredder. Thus more containers than originally planned will be needed. Bechtel Jacobs still hopes to have the drums removed by the end of the year. USEC is carrying out the work under contract to Bechtel Jacobs.

Investigators for the Kentucky Natural Resources Cabinet have had no problems in gaining access to the operation since the cabinet issued a notice of violation because two investigators were held up for more than an hour when trying to enter the site in late July. Also, Cabinet spokesperson Mark York reports, spraying of water on to the waste being handled has ended a problem with dust, the subject of another notice of violation.(Bill Bartleman, Paducah Sun, 8/15/00)

Further excavation

August 21 DOE recommenced digging for evidence that previous plant operators falsified records. Any evidence found will help DOE to determine whether to join as a plaintiff in the whistleblower suit filed by three plant employees in June 1999. The agency is digging near two closed landfills in the area of the North-South diversion ditch. The North-South Diversion Ditch, which carried wastewater from a building where equipment was decontaminated, is the suspect source of one of the contaminated groundwater plumes that is moving towards the Ohio River. DOE has until November to decide whether to join the suit. (Bill Bartleman, Paducah Sun, 8/18/00)

James Malone in an article of August 31 reviewed two subjects on which the Paducah Area Community Reuse Organization (PACRO) is receiving criticism.

In its first year PACRO received $8.4 million from DOE to create jobs for laid off workers. It has made three small business loans and assisted in the creation or retention of 22 jobs, none of which are held by victims of the plant's downsizing. PACRO has promised $5 million to economic-development agencies and industrial parks for construction of roads and buildings and for other improvements designed to attract tenants. DOE expects PACRO to create or retain 242 jobs over a three-year period.

PACRO claims the potential proceeds from the possible sale of 9700 tons of radioactive nickel stored at the plant. The nickel is estimated to be worth $40 million to $80 million. The Site Specific Advisory Board that oversees the cleanup expected any proceeds to be used for the cleanup, as DOE has promised in the past. At present a moratorium on the sale of potentially contaminated metal is in effect while DOE considers not selling the metal but instead recycling it for use within DOE sites.

The recent history of Jimmie Hodges, manager of the Paducah plant until October 1, 1999, illustrates the fact that many government officials leave their positions and then go to work for companies who do business with the government. Hodges was described as a key employee of ELR consultants in a contract proposal that the company submitted to the Paducah Area Community Reuse Organization ( PACRO ) September 10. At that time Hodges was on the board of the organization. It awarded ELR a $200,000 contract in December. ELR is to study ways to use the potentially contaminated nickel at the plant. James Malone in an article in the Courier Journal describing Hodges' move, reviews applicable rules and laws and relates varied opinions about Hodges' actions. Critics of the revolving door say that it undermines DOE's ability to hold contractors accountable. (James Malone, Courier Journal, 8/27/00)

August 24 the Coalition for Health Concerns presented the results of a health survey of people living near the Paducah plant to a meeting of Active Community for Truth (ACT ). ACT is a newly formed group composed of people who live near the plant or have family members who worked at the plant. The survey, funded by a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the Coalition, found illness prevalent among the 77 people who agreed to be interviewed. There were eight cancers, eight miscarriages, and seven premature deliveries of babies. Twenty-seven percent of the people studied had more than 40 of the 240 symptoms about which they were questioned. Tri-State Consulting of Independence, Kentucky, compiled results of the survey. The State Director of Epidemiology and Health Planning, who attended the meeting, said that the findings need to be compared to those on other communities. ( Molly Harper, Paducah Sun, 8/25/00)

August 22 Guillermo Barrientos, the employee of a subcontractor, was severely burned by a chemical explosion at an environmental cleanup research project. The explosion occurred when Barrientos withdrew a vertical device for injecting an oxidant, sodium permanganate, into groundwater contaminated with trichloroethene. He was airlifted to a hospital; another employee was treated on site. A team from DOE’s Oak Ridge Operations Office is investigating the accident and will report by late September. (Oak Ridger, 8/25/00)

Twenty-three senators have sent a letter to Senators John Warner (R-VA) and Carl Levin (D-MI), leaders of the Armed Services Committee, asking that in the conference committee on the Defense Authorization Bill (S2549) senators hold firm in regard to compensation for sick DOE workers. The Senate version of the bill would offer a lump sum payment of $200,000 and medical coverage to workers in DOE’s weapons complex who suffer from silicosis, beryllium sensitivity, or radiation-caused cancer. (See July UEN). Area residents are not covered. The House passed the Defense Authorization Bill without a compensation provision, and many House members are opposed to it. They cite the lack of hearings in the House and regard the bill as overly generous. Congress hopes to adjourn October 6. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) has scheduled a hearing on the compensation issue for September 14 and asks that conferees not consider the compensation portion of the bill until after the hearing (Katherine Rizzo, Associated Press, 8/16/00; Inside Energy, 8/14/00)

A new report from the National Academy of Sciences National Research Council presents a bleak picture of the future of DOE weapons sites. Of 144 sites, 109 will not be returned to unrestricted use. DOE has not yet developed specific plans for long-term stewardship; adequate funding of the long-term stewardship program has not been assured; and there is no guarantee that institutional controls such as fences and restrictive deeds will remain viable over the long term. The likelihood of containment "measures failing….is relatively high." "At many sites future risk from residual wastes cannot be predicted with any confidence because numerous underlying factors that influence the character, extent and severity of long-term risks are not well understood." Thomas Leschine of the University of Washington, chair of the committee that wrote the report, states that DOE needs to develop "a highly reliable organizational model that anticipates failure while taking advantage of new opportunities for further remediation and isolation of contaminants." Mary English of the University of Tennessee adds that "any plans for these sites " will need to be periodically revisited" because of the changing conditions and new technological developments." The report, "Long-Term Institutional Management of U.S. Department of Energy Legacy Wastes Sites" will be published at the end of September. It may be ordered from the National Academy at 1-800-624-6262 or viewed or ordered online at www.national-academies.org

The NRC staff is continuing to evaluate USEC's financial condition, Mindy Landau, a spokesperson for the commission said the week of August 14. The staff is trying to determine whether USEC has, or can be expected to have, the financial resources to ensure that its operation of enrichment plant(s) will ensure the maintenance of a "reliable and domestic source of enrichment services." The NRC's own Office of General Counsel (OGC) is reported to be concerned about the scope of the report and whether the report is necessary. The staff began the review after the downgrading of USEC's credit rating. The NRC is not expected to recommend any course of action, according to Landau. "If there are recommendations or conclusions….they will have to be made by Congress." However, Ted Strickland and John Dingell have sent a letter to the NRC in which they point out that the commission can revoke USEC's certification if the commission determines that USEC does not ensure a domestic source of enriched uranium. (Jonathan Riskind, Columbus Dispatch, 8/21/00; Inside NRC, 7/17/00)

August 9, Congressman Tom Billey, Chairman of the House Commerce Committee, sent a letter to the NRC in which he asked it to furnish the committee by August 24 "all records relating to NRC’s financial review of USEC or any certification or licensing issue relating to USEC since January 1, 2000 . . .." He also asked for records of "all communication" between the NRC and USEC relating to the financial review and any certification or licensing issue. Billey had previously requested a briefing from NRC staff, which indicated that a request for information should instead be sent by letter.

VI. UNITED STATES ENRICHMENT CORPORATION (USEC)

Ownership of the ozone-depleting chemical used as a coolant at the Paducah and Portsmouth plants is in dispute. Congressman Ted Strickland has asked Energy Secretary Bill Richardson to state that USEC must leave the Freon that is now at Portsmouth at Portsmouth when it closes the plant. The Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union (PACE) agrees with Strickland that the Freon should stay where it is. An NRC official had raised the question of ownership during a meeting between the federal agency and USEC. In reply USEC stated that USEC is the owner but declined to elaborate. For environmental reasons, Freon can no longer be manufactured in the United States and cannot be used in new cooling systems. USEC wrote in a September 10 filing with the SEC that it had on hand enough freon to operate two plants through at least 2001. (Bob Dreitzler, Columbus Dispatch, 8/15/00; www.ohio.com/bi/news, 8/31/00)

Congressman Ted Strickland has asked the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) to investigate and hold a hearing on USEC’s agreement with the Ohio Valley Electric Power Corp. (OVEC) in regard to USEC’s summer power allotment. USEC would sell back to OVEC $44 million worth of electricity from the allotment for an after-tax gain of $28 million. OVEC would resell the power and pay USEC from the earnings. Strickland charges USEC with deliberately cutting back on production at Portsmouth to earn money from the electricity sale. USEC spokesperson Elizabeth Stuckle answers that USEC regularly uses less electricity and enriches less uranium at the plant in the summer months because the cost of electricity is higher at that time of year. PUCO has approved similar arrangements in other years, PUCO spokesperson Beth Gianforcaro notes, but will consider Strickland’s request for an investigation and hearing. (James Bradshaw and Jonathan Riskind, Columbus Dispatch, 8/17/00; Associated Press, 8/17/00)

VII. RUSSIAN URANIUM

The Russian-American Nuclear Security Advisory Council released the report Renewing the Partnership: Recommendations for Accelerated Action to Secure Nuclear Material in the Former Soviet Union at a press conference at the Carnegie Endowment for World Peace, August 15. Authors of the report are Oleg Bukharin, Matthew Bunn, and Kenneth L. Luongo. As noted in the March UEN, the report stresses the need to place high priority on the importation of Russian high-enriched uranium. The report and a transcript of the news conference, during which the role of USEC was discussed, can be downloaded from the Web site www.ransac.org

VIII. DEPLETED URANIUM

Supported by a $250,000 grant from the State of Ohio Technology Action Fund, three researchers at Ohio State University are trying to find uses for depleted uranium. They are conducting research on whether depleted uranium can be substituted for the carbon anodes employed in aluminum production; used as an ion conductor in fuel cells, and used as a catalyst in various industrial processes. They seek funding to continue their research. (Katie Davey, Lantern [Ohio State University], 8/21/00)

August 29 DOE announced that it is seeking input from the metals industry in a potential project to recycle up to 60,000 tons of steel per year into waste containers or other items with restricted uses by the department. The carbon and stainless steel, as well as nickel and some alloys, might have low levels of radioactive contamination. The metal would come from DOE facilities. The information supplied by industry will be part of a feasibility study that was initiated by the department in July. The new feasibility study follows a temporary suspension on the sale of potentially contaminated scrap metal that has been in place since July 13. The suspension will continue while the study is underway. Companies capable of performing the melt operations necessary for recycling steel products are encouraged to notify the department of their interest by Sept. 8, 2000. (DOE Press Release, 8/29/00)

The U.S. firm Philtechnics has asked for permission to ship from Britain to the United States some fifty tons of depleted uranium. The uranium is scrap from medical equipment and airplanes that is "lying unmonitored in scrap heaps across Britain." Philtechnics would transfer the usable uranium to the recycling specialist "Manufacturing Sciences Cooperation" (MSC) for its production inventory. "The unusable uranium would be buried at a licensed site in Texas." MSC, which has been owned by British Nuclear Fuels since 1997 and has been receiving contaminated metal from K-25, has recycled 2700 tons of depleted uranium into aircraft counterweights, casks for irradiated fuel, military equipment and other products. Britain has no facilities for recycling the uranium. (Simon Bowers and Paul Brown, Guardian, 8/21/00)

(Also see Oak Ridge)

Centrifuges vs. gaseous diffusion

The report "An Economic Forecast of the French Nuclear Option" released in July notes that France will have to decide before 2010 whether to build a new enrichment plant to replace the Eurodif Gaseous Diffusion Plant at Tricastin. The Eurodif plant , which is owned by a consortium that is controlled 70% by Cogema, began operation in 1979 and is the only uranium enrichment facility in France. The authors of the report chose centrifuge technology for their calculations on an alternative to gaseous diffusion. At present the Eurodif plant absorbs 16-18 billion kilowatt hours of electricity each year, about 2500 kilowatt hours per SWU. The report estimates that between 2020 and 2050, with centrifuge technology , France would use only 0.2-0.4 billion kilowatt hours per year for uranium enrichment. The report was commissioned by Lionel Jospin and written by three French experts. It can be accessed at www.plan.gouv.fr/organisation/seeat/accueilnucleaire.html