Yucca Mountain News Clips
Thursday, September 25, 2003
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Collegiate Times
September 25, 2003
Profs get $1 million research grant
by Erin Zlomek
News Assistant
A group of five Virginia Tech professors has been awarded a $1.07 million grant from the National Science Foundation to conduct research concerning underground construction.
The four-year grant, titled “Adaptive and Real-Time Geologic Mapping’ will be awarded to professors Marte Gutierrez, Matthew Mauldon and Joseph Dove of the civil and environmental engineering department, professor Doug Bowman of the computer science department and professor Erik Westman of the mining and mineral engineering department.
“This is one of the biggest grants I know of in underground construction,’ Gutierrez said. “Hopefully Virginia Tech will be in the forefront for this research.’
Underground excavations are used for both civil and military purposes. Gutierrez and his team said they hope to develop information-technology tools such as virtual reality, digital imaging, computational models and data management.
“We want to show the potential of these tools by applying them to various field sites, as well as applying them to other tunnel and excavation projects in the future,’ Gutierrez said. “They will reduce cost and make underground construction more efficient.’
The disposal of nuclear waste often requires the use of underground excavations. Gutierrez and his team have received permission to visit Yucca Mountain, a nuclear disposal site in Nevada. The group of five professors will also be working at a local site in Virginia.
Westman found the local mine where the team can conduct most of their research. He will use topography to conduct a CAT scan of the actual tunnel face; this will help determine what types of rock are in front of the tunnel face before excavation begins. It will then be Bowman´s job to turn Westman´s CAT scan into a virtual reality experience.
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Las Vegas SUN
September 24, 2003
DOE plans more Yucca answers
By Suzanne Struglinski
<suzanne@lasvegassun.com>
Las Vegas SUN
ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The Energy Department will have more answers to unresolved scientific questions surrounding Yucca Mountain by the end of the month, department officials told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Tuesday.
A high-level nuclear waste dump proposed for the site 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas was approved last year without answers to 293 technical scientific questions, such as how fast water moves through the mountain rock or what the chances are of earthquake or volcanic activity at the site.
The Energy Department had answered almost 100 of those questions, but in June made arrangements with the regulatory commission to resolve most of the remaining 194 questions in 14 related groups, or "bundles." Thirteen issues would still have to be addressed individually.
DOE officials told regulatory commission staff members Tuesday that the first three bundles would be answered by the end of the month, and another two bundles would be sent to the commission by the end of October, with partial data for two other bundles also coming next month.
The resolution of the questions -- commonly called "key technical issue agreements" -- is crucial to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission ultimately approving a license that would allow the department to construct the underground nuclear waste repository.
They address the ability of the dump to to keep the radiation from the nuclear waste from getting to the surrounding environment.
The issues are supposed to be resolved before the department applies for a license to build and operate the dump, expected by December 2004.
By the end of this month, which also marks the end of the government's 2003 fiscal year, the departments aims to deliver answers to question on water flow inside the mountain and effects of radioactivity on soil in the Amargosa Valley, which is downstream of Yucca Mountain, among other questions in the three categories.
Water getting into the repository could enter tunnels storing the waste or drip on the storage casks, corroding metals over time creating cracks in the casks, although DOE scientists have said in the past that it would not happen. Water could also transport radiation into the groundwater, despite legal limits set to protect the water from such exposure.
In October the department plans to submit answers on volcanic events at the site as well as chemical and corrosion data. It will partially answer questions related to water seepage and waste package and drip shield corrosion and then follow up on the matters next spring, Gunter said.
Although volcanoes near the site have not erupted, the department needs to address how any volcanic activity during the next 10,000 years would affect the 77,000 tons of nuclear waste inside the mountain. The volcanic bundle would answer questions on how waste containers would respond to stresses from magma and other related issued.
Bob Loux, director of the Nevada Nuclear Projects Agency, said he is concerned the department is simply checking boxes on a to-do list.
"Their deadline is more important to them than actually gathering up all the technical information on the site," Loux said. "This is an administrative process, not a scientific one."
Donald Beckman with Bechtel SAIC assured the NRC staff that all the key technical issues will be addressed before December 2004. The department will address remaining questions about work scheduled beyond then with partial answers to support the license application, then provide additional information later.
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Las Vegas Review-Journal
September 24, 2003
Reid, others, stand in way of EPA nominee's confirmation
By John Heilprin
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- Utah Republican Gov. Mike Leavitt's past dealings with Democrats and divisive issues, particularly on the national stage, appear to have defused opposition to his nomination as chief of the Environmental Protection Agency.
However, there may be at least one stumbling block: Nevada's senior senator.
Sen. Harry Reid on Tuesday said he will block President Bush's nomination of Leavitt until Bush permits Reid's principal adviser on nuclear power and the Yucca Mountain Project to fill a vacancy on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., recommended in March that Bush appoint the adviser, Gregory Jaczko, to fill an open Democratic seat on the five-member commission.
The White House personnel office sent his name back a month later, suggesting Daschle recommend someone else.
Reid said Tuesday he has yet to hear an explanation, although he assumed it's tied to Jaczko's work in opposition to the Yucca Mountain Project, the nuclear waste repository proposed to be built 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
"It's somewhat unfair what the administration has done to me personally, to the state of Nevada and to the country," Reid said Tuesday as members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee questioned Leavitt.
Reid joined fellow Democrats in using Leavitt's confirmation hearing Tuesday to denounce Bush's environmental policies.
"You've got a lot of guts taking this job, because you're in a big hole to start with," Reid told Leavitt. "You've got a lot to override in this administration's anti-environmental policy. The fact that you've decided to take this job in no way impugns your intelligence."
Leavitt, a former chairman of the National Governors Association, appealed to the Senate to look at his environmental record in judging his fitness.
"I intend to be a straightforward voice that will lay out the facts and call them as I see them," Leavitt told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which plans to vote on the nomination next week.
Reid told Leavitt his opposition is nothing personal.
Leavitt is related to Nevada Supreme Court Justice Myron Leavitt and Reid said he once bought an insurance policy from the governor's father.
But, Jaczko, 32, has been Reid's principal adviser on nuclear issues since 2001. He holds a doctorate in physics and is a Georgetown University lecturer on arms control and nuclear waste issues.
The nuclear power industry opposes Jaczko, contending his association with Reid will color his judgment on nuclear waste issues that come before the NRC. The NRC ultimately will judge whether to license a Yucca repository.
Earlier this month, Reid said he would place procedural holds on all Bush nominees to executive branch jobs until Bush agrees to nominate Jaczko. He said Tuesday he was adding Leavitt to the list.
"They're going to have to make some decision on Dr. Jaczko or give me some reason why he is morally unfit to be a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission," Reid said.
At least four other Democratic senators also have announced holds on the nominee to protest Bush administration environmental actions.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., said she would block Leavitt in response to a report that New Yorkers were not given full details of health risks from air pollution after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
And three senators who are running for the Democrats' presidential nomination, John Edwards of North Carolina, Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut and, as of Tuesday, John Kerry of Massachusetts, all have threatened to use parliamentary means to prevent Leavitt from taking office.
Lieberman said Leavitt has not answered written questions sent to the nominee. He said he would hold up the nomination until he is assured Leavitt will "uphold the EPA's mandate to be an independent advocate for protecting the environment."
Edwards has put a hold on the nominee to protest the Bush administration's clean air policies.
However, the Senate's lone independent, James Jeffords of Vermont, who normally votes with the Democrats, said he would support Leavitt's nomination and expects him to be confirmed. "I think his heart is in the right place, but I'm concerned he'll find himself as frustrated as Administrator Whitman was," Jeffords said.
Leavitt was helped by having previous relationships with many of the committee members, Republican and Democrat alike, who are fellow Westerners or former governors.
"We've got a good man here, but I'd like time ... to examine these issues," said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. He noted "a very large gap" between Leavitt's bipartisanship with the Western Governors' Association and the Bush administration's inattention to Democrats' environmental demands.
Democrats hit Leavitt with questions on administration decisions to ease industries' ability to upgrade facilities without installing the latest air pollution controls, its reversal of a Bush campaign pledge to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant and EPA's credibility and autonomy.
Leavitt said he "answered the president's call" because he passionately believes in the need for a clean and healthy environment. "It was his commitment that attracted me to this goal," Leavitt said, speaking of Bush. "I won't pull punches with him, but I will tell him, sometimes in private, how I feel."
Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault contributed to this report.
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Pahrump Valley Times
September 24, 2003
Plan in hand
Joint Meeting Today Could Shape Draft
By Mark Waite
PVT
Members of the Nye County master plan steering committee got their first look at the draft master Tuesday. Today the public will get a glimpse.
The Tri-Core planning team will provide an outline of the 125-page plan beginning at 10 a.m. at the Pahrump Community Center, during a joint workshop of the Nye County Board of Commissioners, Pahrump Town Board and Pahrump Regional Planning Commission. A question and answer session will follow lunch, with the event expected to last until 4 p.m.
The master plan addresses a multitude of issues.
- Tri-Core planners suggest Nye County acquire more parks and recreational space by obtaining property listed as disposable by the Bureau of Land Management, and requiring developers to set aside park land in master planned communities. They suggest the planning department takes the lead in beautifying Pahrump, particularly along the main gateways to town, highways 160 and 372.
- Planners suggest the county assist in pursuing a comprehensive study for a general aviation airport. More senior-friendly facilities are needed, they said, like nursing homes, assisted living facilities and retirement centers.
- A water conservation ordinance that would regulate landscaping and require retrofitting appliances is suggested in the master plan.
- Tri-Core Planners propose offering developers incentives to build much needed affordable housing, planners say a high percentage of Pahrumpians spend more than 35 percent of their income on housing.
- The preferred zoning map outlines higher density residential zones near major transportation corridors.
- The economic development portion addresses a need for more industrial park land, Tri-Core planners believe Pahrump could capitalize on industries to complement Yucca Mountain, the Nevada Test Site, or be the site of regional distribution centers.
- Tri-Core planners suggest pedestrian, bicycling and equestrian walkways along thoroughfares.
- A chapter on air quality suggests Nye County contact owners of vacant land in an effort to implement dust reduction measures through landscaping, paving or the use of chemical suppressants.
- A land clearing ordinance should be adopted, planners believe, as well as a prohibition on parking in unpaved areas.
- Planners address a potential town center on Highway 160 and Basin Avenue. Development within a mile of the town center should be medium to high density, mixed use, which is pedestrian friendly and includes limits on building height.
- A night sky ordinance should be enacted to direct light fixtures downwards, planners suggest.
- The master plan notes the Pahrump Valley Fire-Rescue Service falls short of standards for facilities and equipment, while the Nye County Sheriff's Office lacks manpower by Federal Bureau of Investigation standards. The master plan proposes county and town officials team up to locate available funding sources designed to provide citizens with the most efficient fire, emergency medical, and law enforcement services.
- The continued drilling of 600 to 700 wells per year would put a significant burden on water supply by 2050, planners state, using a Nye County Water Resources Plan prepared by hydrologist Tom Buqo.
They believe Nye County should work with other agencies to possibly import water in the future.
Planners also warn of potential groundwater contamination due to the existence of, possibly, 20,000 septic systems in the valley. Planners say it might be advantageous to create a municipal sewer system.
MSNBC
September 23, 2003
Panel set to grill EPA nominee
From power plants to pesticides, Leavitt will be tested
By Miguel Llanos
MSNBC
Mike Leavitt was riding high: a third-term governor of Utah, his approval rating was at an impressive 75 percent. But at President Bush´s request, he´s ready to give it up for one of the most bruising jobs in the nation: running the Environmental Protection Agency. Already, his nomination is being held hostage by several Democrats. And even if that´s overcome, Leavitt will be tested on a range of issues — from power plant pollution to pesticides.
The Bush administration has tried to sweeten, or soften, the job offer by promising to lobby Congress to elevate the EPA position to Cabinet level. EPA chiefs have sat in on Cabinet meetings since 1989, but it has always been an informal arrangement.
Still, Cabinet status is no protection against critics like veteran lawmakers and noisy environmentalists.
The bruising began well before Leavitt´s confirmation hearing, set for Tuesday before the Senate environment committee.
Two Democratic presidential candidates — Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut — have joined Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., in vowing to hold Leavitt´s nomination hostage.
Lieberman and Clinton want White House answers to an EPA inspector general´s report that the administration urged the EPA to mislead New Yorkers about the health risks from contaminated air after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
Edwards, for his part, wants to press the president on his policies toward industrial air pollution.
Those policies, it turns out, are the most controversial issue before the EPA. But they´re hardly the only controversy. Below is a look at what Leavitt will inherit if he´s confirmed.
INDUSTRIAL AIR POLLUTION
The issue: Pollutants from smokestack industries like power plants and refineries are regulated via the Clean Air Act. The Bush administration has revised a provision for older, coal-fired plants, allowing them to spend on maintenance without having to also buy costly pollution-cleaning technology.
The president is also lobbying for a “Clear Skies’ law that uses a trading system to regulate nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and mercury emissions from power plants.
What critics say: Several states have sued over the maintenance provision, saying residents downwind from power plants will see increased pollution.
On “Clear Skies,’ critics fear some utilities will continue to run older power plants by buying credits from cleaner ones. They also want carbon dioxide, a gas that many scientists fear is warming the Earth, added to the list of regulated emissions. Legislation by Lieberman and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., would do just that.
CLIMATE CHANGE
The issue: Shortly after taking office, President Bush withdrew the United States from U.N.-backed talks to ratify a treaty requiring industrial nations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases tied to warming.
Arguing that mandatory cuts would cripple the U.S. economy, the president has instead promoted a voluntary reduction by industry as well as developing technology to capture and reduce emissions.
What critics say: The U.S. position has strained ties with the European Union, which wants to go ahead with the climate treaty. At home, the EPA recently declined a petition by environmentalists to list carbon dioxide as a pollutant.
PESTICIDES
The issue: A 1996 law requires the EPA to set pesticide residue standards for children that are 10 times stricter than those for adults.
What critics say: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York last week sued the EPA, alleging failure to carry out that law, a charge the EPA denies.
For New York´s media savvy attorney general, Eliot Spitzer, the EPA was an easy target. “Parents reasonably expect that every effort has been made by the federal government to ensure that pesticide residues in the food they give their children are safe,’ Spitzer said. “Sadly, the Environmental Protection Agency has failed to meet congressional requirements to protect children from the risks of consuming food with unhealthy pesticide residues.’
DIESEL SOOT
The issue: Experts are focusing on diesel engines as a major health concern for people with respiratory problems. The Bush administration has upheld 1997 rules cracking down on diesel, and a new draft EPA study says the science since then indicates even tougher curbs should be adopted.
What critics say: The American Lung Association has welcomed the EPA study but fears pressure from industry could lead the Bush administration to back off tighter standards.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has been lobbying against tougher rules, saying they could cost $50 billion to $150 billion.
WATERWAYS
The issue: The EPA is reviewing what kind of waterways are protected under the Clean Water Act, opening a process that could give states more power to decide what to regulate.
What critics say: The National Wildlife Federation fears such steps “threaten the critical benefits that wetlands and small streams provide us, including natural flood control, drinking water and wildlife habitat.’
It and other critics say that only one-third of the states have water protection laws. And they note EPA studies showing Utah tied for last place in enforcing the Clean Water Act.
Sen. Jim Jeffords, I-Vt., has joined the critics, citing EPA data that Clean Water Act enforcement is faltering under the Bush administration.
Jeffords, a former Republican who now usually votes with Democrats on environmental issues, said that action and related ones represent “the largest step backwards in clean water protection in our nation´s history.’
SUPERFUND
The issue: The EPA has more than 1,200 contaminated sites on its Superfund cleanup list. New cleanups have slowed in recent years, and the Bush administration says that´s because earlier cleanups were the easier ones.
What critics say: Democrats dismiss that explanation, saying the administration just wants to relieve industry of cleanup costs. Those critics want the EPA to direct more efforts to cleanups and to require that the companies that had owned the sites assume more of the cost.
NUCLEAR WASTE
The issue: Congress has approved using the Yucca Mountain repository in Nevada as the nation´s burial site for its commercial nuclear waste. But the repository, still in construction, has to pass environmental reviews.
What critics say: They´re watching to see if Leavitt maintains his loud concerns about nuclear waste shipments and burial. Those concerns stem from his own battle in Utah to block a similar site that proponents want to use until Yucca is ready.
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State of Nevada
Agency for Nuclear Projects
www.state.nv.us/nucwaste/
nwpo@nuc.state.nv.us
775-687-3744
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