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March 4, 2009
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ticker timeline 20:59 Eastern Time Wednesday
March 4, 2009 |
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Italy aims to end plural voting from Italy News latest RSS headlines -
Big News Network.com |
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Saturn has small moon hidden in ring from AP Top Science News At 5:42 a.m. EST
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Canadians Fiercely Debate Their Role In Afghanistan (AUDIO) from The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com
by The Huffington Post News Editors |
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Ford Moves to Restructure Debt from NYT > Automobiles by By NICK BUNKLEY
and BILL VLASIC |
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US lawmakers look to halt Syrian meddling in Lebanon from Lebanon News latest RSS headlines
- Big News Network.com |
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US delivers ammunition to Lebanese army from Lebanon News latest RSS headlines
- Big News Network.com |
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UN Security Council voices strong support to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon from Lebanon News latest RSS headlines
- Big News Network.com |
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LEBANON: March 14 to launch election campaign from Lebanon News latest RSS headlines
- Big News Network.com |
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Austria Development Bank announces soft, long-term financing for Dominican Republic from Jamaica News latest RSS headlines
- Big News Network.com |
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Obama taps experienced emergency boss as FEMA chief from Reuters: Politics |
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TRANSCRIPT: State of the Coast Guard Address from iCommandant by noreply@blogger.com
(iCommandant) |
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Cohen says Obama outreach to Russia was the right move from CNN Political Ticker by rsinderbrand |
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Obama orders overhaul of `broken' US contracting from AP Top Political News At 5:39 a.m.
EST by By BEN FELLER |
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Clinton wants "serious" talks with Russia on shield from Russia News latest RSS headlines -
Big News Network.com |
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Siemens teams up with Russia for slice of nuclear pie from Russia News latest RSS headlines -
Big News Network.com |
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NATO Would Aim For High-Level Russia Meeting Soon from Russia News latest RSS headlines -
Big News Network.com |
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Clinton speaks up for Abbas, and aid for Gaza from Palestinian News latest RSS headlines
- Big News Network.com |
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UK Government Boycotts Israeli Leviev over Settlement Construction from Palestinian News latest RSS headlines
- Big News Network.com |
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Clinton visits West Bank, discusses peace from Palestinian News latest RSS headlines
- Big News Network.com |
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Syrian leader wants peace talks with Israel from Palestinian News latest RSS headlines
- Big News Network.com |
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Clinton calls for more aid in Gaza from Palestinian News latest RSS headlines
- Big News Network.com |
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Seven Merrill execs subpoenaed in New York on pay from Reuters: Business News |
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Philippines president committed to peace from Philippines News latest RSS headlines
- Big News Network.com |
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Czech Senate may vote on Lisbon treaty in March - senator Cunek from Portugal News latest RSS headlines
- Big News Network.com |
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China's parliament to start annual session from China |
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McConnell vows health care cooperation from Politico.com: congress by Carrie Budoff
Brown |
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NATO seen backing Russia ties to form broad front from Reuters: Top News |
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Dubai electricity bills soar 66% in a year from UAE News latest RSS headlines - Big
News Network.com |
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UAE: Crisis leaves world awash in crude from UAE News latest RSS headlines - Big
News Network.com |
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WTO chief hopes for trade talks during early summer months from UAE News latest RSS headlines - Big
News Network.com |
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Gulf Air says it expects to break even in 2010 from UAE News latest RSS headlines - Big
News Network.com |
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from UAE News latest RSS headlines - Big
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UAE: Public spending is best bet for Asia from UAE News latest RSS headlines - Big
News Network.com |
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UAE to introduce three-year budget cycle from UAE News latest RSS headlines - Big
News Network.com |
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UAE: Water investment in UAE reaches $9 trillion from UAE News latest RSS headlines - Big
News Network.com |
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VENEZUELA: Chavez orders takeover of Cargill Venezuela unit from Reuters: International News |
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VIDEO: Obama targets government waste from CNN.com - Video |
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Equities Climb On Hopes That China Will Bulk Up Stimulus Package from Argentina News latest RSS headlines
- Big News Network.com |
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Think tank links Hizbullah to South American piracy from Argentina News latest RSS headlines
- Big News Network.com |
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NASA plans to launch shuttle one day earlier from Reuters: Science News |
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Malaysian co picks up stake in Synergy Foods from Malaysia News latest RSS headlines
- Big News Network.com |
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IL: Chicago board eyes mail-in special elections from Chicago Breaking News |
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ticker timeline 19:59 Eastern Time Wednesday
March 4, 2009 |
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IL: Top Cook County prosecutor seeks firearms oversight bill from Chicago Breaking News |
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House panel approves FDA tobacco oversight from Reuters: Politics |
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Clinton criticizes Israel over East Jerusalem demolition from Reuters: Politics |
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Congress to examine mark-to-market accounting: source from Reuters: Politics |
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Turkey May Allow US To Use Bases For Iraq Pullout - Minister from Iraq News latest RSS headlines - Big
News Network.com |
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Iraq To Assume Oil Security Responsibility from Iraq News latest RSS headlines - Big
News Network.com |
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RAF unit returns to Scotland from Iraq from Iraq News latest RSS headlines - Big
News Network.com |
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Supreme Court strikes down "preemption" argument for drugmaker Wyeth from Scientific American |
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Kenya may get crisis cash from IMF from Kenya News latest RSS headlines -
Big News Network.com |
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Malaysian official condemns current Israel administration from Iran News latest RSS headlines - Big
News Network.com |
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Abbas urges Iran to stop interfering in Palestinian affairs from Iran News latest RSS headlines - Big
News Network.com |
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UK PM calls on Iran to suspend its nuclear programme from Iran News latest RSS headlines - Big
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Iran says nuclear plant to start operating by Sept from Iran News latest RSS headlines - Big
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Clinton says U.S. may consult Iran on Afghanistan from Iran News latest RSS headlines - Big
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IAEA says Iran strays from non-proliferation obligations from Iran News latest RSS headlines - Big
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Senators mull Iran nuclear threat, diplomatic efforts from Iran News latest RSS headlines - Big
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Iran stirring division in Arab world from Iran News latest RSS headlines - Big
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Japan harks back to age of innocence from Japan News latest RSS headlines -
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from Japan News latest RSS headlines -
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from Japan News latest RSS headlines -
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JAPAN: Cash handout a waste, many voters say from Japan News latest RSS headlines -
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Speaking out on the future of Burma from Japan News latest RSS headlines -
Big News Network.com |
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JAPAN: Falling fuel costs to ease power bills from Japan News latest RSS headlines -
Big News Network.com |
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JAPAN: Hitachi to suggest unpaid holiday each month from Japan News latest RSS headlines -
Big News Network.com |
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Honda, Mazda eyeing state loans from Japan News latest RSS headlines -
Big News Network.com |
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Mitsubishi and Citroen to Develop Electric Vehicle from Japan News latest RSS headlines -
Big News Network.com |
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Wall Street rebounds after five days of losses from France24 - Business |
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Mexico stocks jump 4 pct on China data, global rally from Mexico News latest RSS headlines -
Big News Network.com |
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Colleges warn students about Mexico travel from Mexico News latest RSS headlines -
Big News Network.com |
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from France News latest RSS headlines -
Big News Network.com |
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Ecuador Attaches Output of French Oil Company from France News latest RSS headlines -
Big News Network.com |
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Ukrainian PM condemns raid on state gas firm from France News latest RSS headlines -
Big News Network.com |
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FRANCE: Obama hopes to visit D-Day invasion beaches from France News latest RSS headlines -
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Asteroid's passing was a cosmic near-miss from AP Top Science News At 5:42 a.m. EST
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Clinton opposes destruction of Palestinian homes in Jerusalem from Saudi Arabia News latest RSS headlines
- Big News Network.com |
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SAUDI ARABIA: Israel resumes assassinations attacks; Two Islamic Jihad men die from Saudi Arabia News latest RSS headlines
- Big News Network.com |
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Saudi foreign minister visits Syria, meets Assad from Saudi Arabia News latest RSS headlines
- Big News Network.com |
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Maersk hikes Med/U.S., Asia/Latin America rates from Brazil News latest RSS headlines -
Big News Network.com |
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Brazil Oil Regulator Denies Petrobras E&P Extensions from Brazil News latest RSS headlines -
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Gates/Afghan
Elections Wed, 04 Mar 2009 17:04:54 -0600 Afghan President Hamid Karzai is moving up his country's national elections by four months. |
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Around
the Services Wed, 04 Mar 2009 17:42:34 -0600 A blast rocks an entry control point to one of the largest coalition bases in Afghanistan. Plus, the National Guard preps for hurricane season. |
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Rove,
Conyers reach deal on testimony The Hill - Washington,DC,USA Conyers wants Rove and Meiers to testify as part of an investigation into the attorney firings, which Democrats charge was politically motivated. |
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This information has recently been updated,
and is now available. |
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DoD
Identifies Marine Casualty Wed, 04 Mar 2009 17:43:00 -0600 |
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D-Day 65th Anniversary National Commemoration March 4, 2009 ABILENE, Kan. - The Eisenhower Presidential
Library and Museum is proud to announce its partnership with
the "Big Red One" 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley's
United Service Organizations (USO) to mark the 65th anniversary
of D-Day. The three-day national commemoration will be held June
5 - 7, 2009, on the grounds of the Eisenhower Presidential Library
and Museum. To learn how you can assist in underwriting
costs of the National D-Day commemoration activities, please
contact the Library at 785-263-6700 or toll free 1-877-RING IKE.
You can also visit the web site at www.eisenhower.archives.gov.
The Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, a nonpartisan
federal institution, is one of twelve presidential libraries
operated by the National Archives and Records Administration. |
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ticker timeline 18:59 Eastern Time Wednesday
March 4, 2009 |
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from The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com
by The Huffington Post News Editors |
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Rep. Carolyn Maloney: A Woman Who Got it Right from The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com
by Rep. Carolyn Maloney |
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Canada Urges Sudan to Cooperate with International Criminal Court from Canada News Centre - National News
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ISRAEL: 'Israel seriously considering military action against Iran' from JPost Front Page Top Stories |
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White House forum to diagnose health care ills from AP Top Political News At 5:39 a.m.
EST by By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR |
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Can the U.S. Lead World to Climate Change Treaty? from Scientific American |
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VIDEO: How housing rescue works from CNN.com - Video |
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VIDEO: Feingold pushes line-item veto from CNN.com - Video |
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Rove, Miers to talk in U.S. attorneys probe from CNN Political Ticker by rsinderbrand |
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CANADA: Court orders Ottawa to help Canadian on death row from CBC | Video |
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High-Level Feuding Behind Raid on Ukraine Energy Company from NYT > World by By DAVID L. STERN |
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EPA Region 7 Invites Job Applicants to March 18 Career Expo from U.S. EPA News |
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WA: Faculty on Board measure passes House from Washington House Democrats |
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WA: House passes bill to make more repairs to school buildings from Washington House Democrats |
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from United Nations Press Releases and
Meetings Coverage |
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WA: Public meeting about proposed Protection Island Aquatic Reserve to be held March 25 in Gardiner from Access Washington News |
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WSDOT updates Methow Airport layout plan from Access Washington News |
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Environmental Health Services for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Summer Internship with Environmental Health Services! - Find out about a new 10-week summer environmental internship for juniors and seniors majoring in Environmental Health. Interns gain environmental health experience and an understanding of environmental health work at the local, state, regional, tribal, and federal levels. Application deadline is March 20, 2009. Environmental Public Health Leadership Development – Guest columnist Kate Wright discusses the
1-year Environmental Public Health Leadership Institute (EPHLI)
program in the March issue of the Journal of Environmental Health.
During the program, EPHLI scholars create an individual leadership
development plan and a practice project that improves systemic
environmental public health at the national, regional, state,
or local levels using theory, models, and methods presented in
the curriculum. 2009 National Environmental Public Health Conference - Healthy People in a Healthy Environment, October
26-28, 2009, Atlanta |
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USCIS.gov Home Page for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services This information has recently been updated,
and is now available. |
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State
of the Coast Guard Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:55:13 -0600 |
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U.S.
Department of State Statement on the Assassinations in Guinea-Bissau
Acting Department Spokesman, Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC March 2, 2009 |
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Geithner
Pledges ‘Ambitious’ Crackdown on Tax Havens Bloomberg - USA British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, speaking to a joint session of the US Congress today, urged world governments to “outlaw shadow banking systems and ... |
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UST Home Page for U.S. Department of Justice This information has recently been updated,
and is now available. |
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UST Approved Debtor Education Providers for U.S. Department of Justice This information has recently been updated,
and is now available. |
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UST Approved Credit Counseling Agencies for U.S. Department of Justice This information has recently been updated,
and is now available. |
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UST Means Testing for U.S. Department of Justice This information has recently been updated,
and is now available. |
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ICC
Arrest Warrant Issued For Sudanese President Bashir Acting Deputy Department Spokesman, Office of the Spokesman Bureau of Public Affairs Washington, DC March 4, 2009 |
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Africa:
Daily Press Briefing - March 4 Acting Deputy Department Spokesman March 4, 2009 |
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Remarks
With Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Secretary of State Ramallah, West Bank March 4, 2009 |
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Scheduled Events for U.S. Department of Homeland Security This information has recently been updated,
and is now available. |
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Mullen
Notes Importance of U.S. Relationship With Brazil Tue, 03 Mar 2009 06:51:00 -0600 |
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Remarks
at AMIDEAST for Access English Language Scholarship Program Secretary of State AMIDEAST Office Ramallah, West Bank March 4, 2009 |
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Legal
Schnauzer: Does Obama Aide Have a Conflict Involving Rove? By legalschnauzer Alabama attorney Jill Simpson, best known as a Republican whistleblower in the Siegelman case, says White House Counsel Greg Craig has a conflict in matters involving Rove and perhaps other Bush administration officials. In an exclusive story at Locust Fork ... |
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Ares
I Drogue Parachute Mon, 02 Mar 2009 23:00:00 -0600 The Ares drogue parachute successfully extracted the main parachute, which enabled the recovery of the 50,000-pound test drop article. This... |
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Velvet
Revolution’s investigation of the crimes of Karl Rove and
Mike Connell By admin |
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What's New at HCUP User Support for Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) This information has recently been updated,
and is now available. |
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Articles of Interest for Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) This information has recently been updated,
and is now available. |
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What's
New at AHRQ for Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) This information has recently been updated, and is now available. |
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NASA
Sets March 6 News Briefing About Next Space Shuttle Mission Tue, 03 Mar 2009 23:00:00 -0600 NASA will hold a news conference Friday, March 6, following a review of space shuttle Discovery's readiness for flight and an assessment of shuttle flow control valve testing and inspection. |
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AHRQ
Radio Series - Toolkit Helps Reduce Medication Errors in Hospitals Wed, 04 Mar 2009 07:00:00 -0600 |
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Export Requirements for Meat & Poultry Products for USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service The export requirements for Sri Lanka have
been revised. This information has recently been updated. |
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Clinton
suggests U.S. options are open on Iran Los Angeles Times - CA,USA Nasser Nasser / AP Nasser Nasser / AP US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton talks to Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al Faisal at aa Gaza Strip ... |
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Clinton:
US Has 'Unrelenting Commitment' to Israeli Security Voice of America - USA By VOA News US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton shared what she called her country's "unrelenting commitment" to Israel's security, during her first visit ... |
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Clinton
says missile shield to protect from Iran Reuters - USA JERUSALEM, March 3 (Reuters) - Secretary of StateHillary Clinton reiterated the United States' intention to prevent Iran acquiring nuclear weapons on ... |
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Clinton
says two US officials to hold talks in Syria Reuters - USA JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday the Obama administration would send two US officials to Syria for preliminary talks ... |
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Joint
Chiefs of Staff Chairman Tours Brazilian Amazon Command Tue, 03 Mar 2009 07:27:00 -0600 |
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Bayer CropScience to pay penalty for environmental violations Terri White white.terri-a@epa.gov 215-814-5523
Note: If a link above doesn't work, please
copy and paste the URL into a browser. |
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Cms.hhs.gov- Rural Health Open Door Forum for Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) This information has recently been updated,
and is now available. |
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EPA completes removal action at Strube warehouses Contact: Terri White white.terri-a@epa.gov 215-814-5523 PHILADELPHIA (February 27, 2009) -- The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has completed its oversight
and removal of radioactive materials from eight warehouses located
at seven sites in Lancaster County. The sites are owned and operated
by Strube, Inc., and were used to store military aircraft instruments
and other related items. |
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CDER's Small Business Assistance Bulletin Small Business Assistance (SBA) in the
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) provides assistance
to businesses with less than 500 employees in the development
of new pharmaceutical products. Through an extensive outreach
program SBA provides guidance and information to small pharmaceutical
businesses through its ListServ, Q&A's, workshops, and website.
The ListServ provides current information from CDER/FDA via e-mail
on a biweekly basis that is relevant to small pharmaceutical
businesses which includes Federal Register notices, guidances,
workshop announcements, etc. The following information is being
sent to you via e-mail. 1. FDA Small Pharmaceutical Business Assistance
Educational Forum Public Workshop, April 23, 2009. The Food and
Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
(CDER), Small Business Assistance will have a public workshop
on April 23, 2009. from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m in Jamaica, NY.
There is no registration fee. The workshop is to provide information
to small pharmaceutical businesses about FDA's premarket requirements;
good manufacturing practices; OTC and generic drug issues. http://www.fda.gov/cder/meeting/small_business_2009.pdf
2. Maximum Civil Money Penalty. The Food and Drug Administration announced in a Federal Register notice of February 24, 2009, that the agency is confirming the effective date of March 27, 2009, for the direct final rule that appeared in the Federal Register of November 12, 2008 (73 FR 66750). The direct final rule amends the agency's regulations to update the statutory citations regarding the new civil monetary penalties prescribed by the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 (FDAAA), amends the regulations to include the new FDAAA penalties, and adjusts the preceding maximum civil penalty amounts for inflation as prescribed by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 (FCPIAA). This document confirms the effective date
of the direct final rule. http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/E9-3831.pdf
3. Listing of OTC Ingredients--New Addition
to the OTC website.. http://www.fda.gov/cder/Offices/OTC/industry.htm#active1
4. CDER Organizational Chart Updated. http://www.fda.gov/cder/cderorg/cder-all.pdf
5. The March Small Business Advocate. The
Small Business Advocate is a publication of the Small Business
Administration. http://www.sba.gov/advo/march09.pdf
6. New Guidance. The Food and Drug Administration
announced in a Federal Register notice of February 20, 2009,
the availability of a draft guidance for industry entitled ``Influenza:
Developing Drugs for Treatment and/or Prophylaxis.'' Recent concerns
about the possibility of pandemic spread of novel influenza strains
have increased interest in influenza drug development for both
seasonal and pandemic settings. The purpose of this guidance
is to assist sponsors in all phases of influenza drug development
and to address questions FDA often receives regarding the potential
for emergency use of influenza drugs for the treatment and/or
prophylaxis of influenza. http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/E9-3554.pdf
and http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/FDA-2009-D-0044-gdl.pdf
7. The 11th Annual National Institute of
Health's Small Business Innovation Research Conference will be
June 30 - July 1, 2009 in 8. Is it a Cosmetic or Drug? A FDA website
that is very popular with small pharmaceutical businesses. The
website provides information on the legal difference between
a cosmetic and a drug. http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-218.html
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Office of Disability Employment Policy - In Focus for United States Department of Labor This information has recently been updated,
and is now available. |
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US-CERT Current Activity Opera Software Releases Opera Browser 9.64 Original release date: March 3, 2009 at
8:48 am Opera Software has released Opera 9.64
to address multiple US-CERT encourages users to review the
Opera browser Changelog Relevant Url(s): <http://www.opera.com/docs/changelogs/> ==== |
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U.S.
Treasury, Federal Reserve Board Announce Launch of Term Asset-Backed
Securities Loan Facility March 3, 2009 tg-45 |
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Troops
Earn U.S. Citizenship in Iraq Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:26:00 -0600 |
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Another
Milestone Met in Eliminating Backlogs in FBI Name Checks Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:11:04 -0600 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that, working in close partnership with the FBI, the backlog for FBI name checks pending more than six months has been eliminated. This is the fourth milestone met by the agency as part of its joint plan with the FBI to completely eliminate the backlog of pending name checks. |
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MD
Senate set for divisive debate on the death penalty Baltimore Sun - United States Yet some senators said he has been discouraging them from approving a procedural move needed to bring repeal legislation to the Senate floor. ... |
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Blagojevich
to Pen Book About the Dark Side of Politics FOXNews - USA Blagojevich, who was accused of trying to trade President Obama's former Senate seat for money and political favors, signed a six-figure book deal Monday, ... |
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'Christmas
in May' Awaits Deployed Troops Tue, 03 Mar 2009 08:27:00 -0600 |
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FDIC.GOV Financial Institution Letter
Summary: Directors and officers of financial institutions are responsible for overseeing their institutions' operations in a safe and sound manner. For an institution that is in a weakened financial condition, it is even more critical that management administer the institution in such a way to stabilize the risk profile and strengthen the financial condition. Institutions rated 3, 4 or 5 are expected to limit balance sheet growth and take actions to improve their risk profile while they work to remedy their problems. Institutions rated 3, 4 or 5 that engage in material growth strategies, especially those that are funded with volatile liabilities or temporarily expanded FDIC insurance or liability guarantees pose a significant risk to the deposit insurance fund and will be subject to heightened supervisory review and enforcement. Distribution: |
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U.S. EPA investigates Visalia soil and groundwater contamination March 3, 2009 The EPA will host a media availability for reporters to gather video & audio of well installation on Tuesday March 3 at 1:30 p.m near the corner of West Acequia Avenue & South Willis Street in Visalia. Subject matter experts will be on-hand to provide a brief update and participate in a Q & A session with the media. Reporters who would like to attend should RSVP via email to simms.mary@epa.gov in advance. Please include name, affiliation, and contact
information. |
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HELSINKI COMMISSION TO HOLD HEARING ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND TRADE POLICIES 234 Ford House Office Building www.csce.gov (Washington, D.C.) Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (the Helsinki Commission) and Co-Chairman Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL), will hold a hearing entitled, “Green and Mean: Can the new U.S. economy be both climate-friendly and competitive?” The hearing will be on Tuesday, March 10, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. in Room 428A of the Russell Senate Office Building. The hearing will examine the impact of climate remediation policies on carbon-intensive U.S. industries, and the need to create climate-friendly economic and trade policies. The hearing will also address how the financial crisis impacts the implementation of climate-friendly policies within the United States and among our major trading partners; and how U.S. leadership on climate change can effectively drive action in other countries, in particular the participating States of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The following witnesses are scheduled to testify: Mr. Robert Bradley, Director of International Climate Policy, World Resources Institute Mr. Trevor Houser, Visiting Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics Mr. Richard D. Morgenstern, Senior Fellow, Resources for the Future The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, is a U.S. Government agency that monitors progress in the implementation of the provisions of the 1975 Helsinki Accords. The Commission consists of nine members from the United States Senate, nine from the House of Representatives, and one member each from the Departments of State, Defense and Commerce. # # # |
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USAF Manpower, Personnel and Services News Release No. 022 Officials announce senior master sergeant selections RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas – Air Force officials have selected 1,450 of 13,216 eligible master sergeants for promotion to senior master sergeant for a selection rate of 10.97 percent. Last year's selection rate was 8.77 percent. The average score for those selected was 661.49, which was based on the following point averages: 32.65 for time in grade, 21.24 for time in service, 135 for enlisted performance reports, 21.27 for decorations, 64.44 for Air Force supervisory examination and 386.89 for board score. The promotion list will be released publicly March 5 at 8 a.m. CST on the Air Force Personnel Center’s Web site. Later that day, at 9 a.m. CST, Airmen can access their score notices on the virtual Military Personnel Flight and on the Air Force Portal. As with previous promotion lists, the senior master sergeant selections are tentative until the data verification process is complete, which is no later than 10 days after the promotion release date. AFPC officials will notify Airmen, via their military personnel sections, if their selection is in question. Those selected for senior master sergeant will be promoted according to their promotion sequence number beginning in April 2009. This will be the first release, under the Web-based promotion release process, to feature early notification for senior raters, which is in response to Air Force senior leaders expressing that they would like early notification of the senior NCO lists. This early notification will now be available for the master sergeant, senior master sergeant and chief master sergeant promotion lists. Senior raters were recently informed about the process and were given instructions on how to access the list. For more information, call the Total Force Service Center at (800) 525-0102. -- 30 -- |
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James
P. Kelly Named Director of National Intrepid Center of Excellence
Sun, 01 Mar 2009 18:00:00 -0600 |
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Labeling News & Events for TTB.gov We recently updated this information to
announce the return of the COLAs Online eNews quarterly newsletter,
and is now available. |
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Protected
Critical Infrastructure Information (PCII) Program for U.S. Department
of Homeland Security This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Added: Notice: Information on the California Appellate Court Ruling Regarding the Critical Infrastructure Information Act of 2002 and PCII Protections |
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Interview
with the President Mon, 02 Mar 2009 11:50:31 -0600 |
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New
Mental Health Clinic in Afghanistan Sun, 01 Mar 2009 18:00:00 -0600 There is a way service members in Afghanistan can break away from their high stress environment in order to stay focused. |
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Federal
Aid Programs For Washington Disaster Recovery Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:46:46 -0600 Following is a summary of key federal disaster aid programs that can be made available as needed and warranted under President Obama's major disaster declaration issued for Washington. |
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Houston Press Releases for Federal Bureau of Investigation This information has recently been updated,
and is now available. |
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Oklahoma City Press Releases for Federal Bureau of Investigation This information has recently been updated,
and is now available. |
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VACANCY: NE9-1411-02-4F230729-P Library Assistant OFFICE OF NAVAL INTELLIGENCE 1 vacancy - Suitland, MD This position is located at the Office of Naval Intelligence OPEN PERIOD: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 SALARY RANGE: 41,210.00 - 75,864.00 USD per year SERIES & GRADE: IA-1411-2 KEY REQUIREMENTS: |
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Reservists
Return Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:29:36 -0600 It was a happy homecoming for 75 Air Force Reservists who returned from Iraq Saturday. |
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NATO
Drawdown in Kosovo Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:29:47 -0600 NATO's top commander in Kosovo says the military alliance is considering a cutback in the number of peacekeepers within a year. |
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Face
of Defense: Lieutenant Realizes Dream of Becoming U.S. Citizen
Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:52:00 -0600 |
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Videos
Capture U.S. Missions, Afghan Life Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:57:00 -0600 |
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Secretary
of Defense and Canadian Minister of Defense Media Availability
Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:54:00 -0600 |
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UBS
Tells Senate It Won’t Turn Over More Names in IRS Lawsuit Bloomberg - USA 19 to pay $780 million and disclose some client names to avoid prosecution for allegedly helping wealthy Americans avoid taxes. ... |
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DoD
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NRC NEWS Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov Site: http://www.nrc.gov The Role of a Strong Regulator in Safe and Secure Nuclear Energy Remarks by the Honorable Peter B. Lyons Commissioner U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Warren K. Sinclair Keynote Address 2009 National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurement (NCRP) Annual Meeting Bethesda, Maryland March 2, 2009 Good morning. I am pleased and honored to be delivering the 6th Annual Warren K. Sinclair Keynote Address. The thoughts that I offer you today are from the perspective of a nuclear regulator. My principal message is that a strong independent regulatory authority is not only valuable but necessary for any country that utilizes nuclear energy in its quest for energy diversity and security. Specifically, I will address the value of the independent role played by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the NRC’s licensing process for new reactors, the current status of our new reactor licensing work, some of the current challenges, and what the future may hold for us. One caveat, my remarks today are my personal views, and may not represent the collective view of the Commission. The NRC To understand the importance of the independent role of the NRC, one needs to first understand a little of the agency’s history. The birth of commercial nuclear power in the United States (U.S.) was under the oversight of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) which Congress created in 1954. At that time, AEC's regulatory mandate was to ensure public health and safety without imposing excessive requirements that might inhibit the growth of the industry. This was a difficult balance to achieve for a single agency in an industry giving birth to a radically new technology. During the 1960s, an increasing number of critics charged that AEC's regulations were insufficiently rigorous in several important areas. By the early 1970s, AEC's regulatory programs had come under such strong attack that Congress decided to abolish the agency. Supporters and critics of nuclear power agreed that the promotional and regulatory duties of the AEC should be separated and assigned to different agencies. In 1974, Congress did just that – assigning the regulatory function to the NRC. The NRC became the regulator for nuclear power reactors, as well as the regulator of all civilian use of radioactive materials, including fuel enrichment facilities, industrial and medical applications, and waste disposal facilities. The promotional role was assigned to the Energy Research Development Administration, or ERDA, with a single administrator, appointed through the traditional political routes and serving at the pleasure of the President. This latter agency eventually became the Department of Energy (DOE). The point of reviewing this history is to emphasize that Congress understood the need for an independent regulatory authority. In addition, instead of a single administrator, Congress chose a Commission composed of a Chairman and four Commissioners to lead the NRC. It is clear that Congress understood the advantage of a regulatory authority whose policy-making is improved through a collegial process with each Commissioner serving a fixed term of office. Such a process results in policies that have generally greater support and stability over time. Today, the NRC is a strong and technically competent regulatory authority, highly regarded within the international community of nuclear regulators. However, we are constantly looking for ways to improve. My discussions with senior executives of the nuclear power industry indicate that they understand and appreciate the value of an independent and technically strong regulator, particularly in assuring the public that nuclear plants are being operated safely and securely. I believe that the level of public assurance depends on the NRC being a fair but tough regulator. Our job is to ask the tough questions and make the tough calls; however, we must do so in an environment that strives to be as open and transparent as possible. Thus, we make significant efforts to open our regulatory processes to public scrutiny and participation wherever appropriate. This includes utilizing input from organizations such as the NCRP to provide the scientific basis, which provides the foundation for our regulatory decisions. The nuclear industry recognizes that any possibility of construction of new nuclear power plants in the U.S. depends directly on continued public assurance of safe and secure operations of existing power reactors in operation today. That said, we objectively evaluate the science and weigh the risks so as not to impose unnecessary regulatory burdens on our licensees. As we pursue our strategic mission to ensure that licensees continue to maintain adequate safety and security, we also pursue our strategic objective of organizational excellence to ensure that our regulatory actions are open, effective, and timely. New Reactor Licensing In an effort to improve efficiency and eliminate potential regulatory risks for licensing, construction and ultimately the operation of new reactors, the NRC is implementing the 10 CFR Part 52 licensing process. Initially developed almost 20 years ago, this process, which we are now using for the first time, involves design certifications, early site permits and combined licenses. In order to provide you with an overview of our process, I will briefly explain each of these three elements. The design certification process allows a reactor vendor to submit a design to the NRC for review and certification that is independent of a site. Safety reviews of these designs require an essentially complete design. Certified designs actually become part of our regulations. Forthat reason, public notice and public comment opportunities apply to the NRC’s review of these applications. To date, we have certified four designs. The early site permit process, on the other hand, allows an applicant to apply for a site permit independent of any particular design. In reviewing an early site permit application, the NRC staff considers site safety issues, environmental protection issues, and plans for coping with emergencies, independent of the review of a specific nuclear plant design. During this process, the NRC also allows public and other stakeholder involvement through public meetings and opportunities to request a hearing on the issuance of an early site permit. A combined license, or COL, authorizes both construction and conditional operation of a nuclear power reactor. Although not required, the simplest form of a combined license application, and the most expeditious for the staff to review, combines a certified plant design and an approved early site permit. The Part 52 process does not require either a certified design or an early site permit; however, prior to the issuance of a COL the staff will have reviewed the application for characteristics of the site, including surrounding population, seismology, meteorology, geology and hydrology; design of the nuclear plant; anticipated response of the plant to hypothetical accidents; plant operations including the applicant's technical qualifications to operate the plant; discharges from the plant into the environment (i.e., radiological effluents); and emergency plans. As with the design certification process and the early site permit process, the COL process allow for public and other stakeholder participation through public meetings and hearings. New Reactor Activities The NRC currently has 17 combined license applications for 26 reactors using five designs. To accommodate this extraordinary increase in regulatory review workload, the NRC staff is implementing a design-centered approach to facilitate parallel review of multiple standardized combined license applications. This approach is directly dependent upon the industry’s commitment to standardize COL applications for a specific reactor design. I believe this approach to licensing is crucial to completing timely reviews for multiple applications. It is based on the principle of “one issue, one review, one position” for multiple COL applications, and it is intended to optimize the NRC’s review effort and the resources needed. The benefits of a design-centered licensing review will be achieved only to the extent that the reactor vendor and the utilities standardize the pertinent sections of the applications. In addition, reactor vendors and COL applicants must submit applications that are complete and meet very high-quality, technical standards. We will not compromise our standards to expedite approvals. The NRC staff has developed guidance to assist the COL applicant’s understanding of what is necessary to meet our standards. Future applicants should be paying close attention and learning from the NRC’s assessment of the first applications. In addition to the licensing activities, both the NRC and the U.S. nuclear industry have a lot of work ahead of us in preparing for new construction under the new licensing and approval process addressed in Part 52 of our regulations. The NRC has been developing and will be implementing its new Construction Inspection Program. Our inspection focus will be centered out of our Atlanta regional office. Much of the efficiency and timeliness of our inspection activities will depend on how well industry adheres to the necessary high-quality standards required for a nuclear plant. As the NRC continues to develop our inspection program and train our inspectors, we are using lessons learned from our regulatory partners in other countries, such as Finland, France, Taiwan, and Japan, who have very current experience. We are also exploring ways to test construction inspection methods using the current construction of Watts Bar 2. This facility was licensed for construction in 1973 under the 10 CFR Part 50 licensing process but stalled at approximately eighty percent completion in 1988. After a new plant is built under the Part 52 process, the Commission must find that all necessary inspections, tests, and analyses have been performed and associated acceptance criteria have been met before granting authorization to load fuel and begin operations. To put the NRC’s tasks in perspective, we estimate that each design certification review will require roughly 160,000 hours over about 42 months. A COL application is initially expected to require approximately 88,000 hours over about 30 months of review and 12 months of public hearings. In addition, our current estimate for inspections during an anticipated four-year construction phase of a single reactor plant is 35,000 inspection hours. As you can see, the level of regulatory effort is substantial; however, this effort can not divert the NRC’s attention from the safe and secure operation of existing reactors. Challenges Let me turn now to a few of the important challenges that face both the NRC and Industry. As you consider the importance and impact of each of these challenges, I offer a timeless perspective from Alfred North Whitehead. “The art of progress is to preserve order amid change and to preserve change amid order.” This simple statement serves to underscore the importance of maintaining the safety of the nation’s operating reactors as we move forward with challenges associated with the design, construction and operation of new reactors. First among these challenges is for industry to ensure that applications submitted to the NRC for design certifications and licenses for new plants are fully complete and of high quality. Prior to the NRC being able to determine an application review schedule, the staff conducts an acceptance review to assure the application contains sufficient information to support the review process. Complete, high-quality applications should help bring regulatory predictability to our technical review schedules. Adhering to these review schedules, to the extent possible, is the challenge to the NRC. Another challenge for industry is to maintain standardization. The extent to which new plants are standardized – throughout their design, licensing, construction, and operation – will have a significant impact on improved regulatory consistency and effectiveness, as well as life-cycle efficiencies for both the NRC and the licensees. This will be particularly true in the more technically-complex areas such as digital I&C and safety systems. With new reactor designs come new construction techniques. One example is the utilization of modular construction. Some of the new designs feature modules that can be built off-site, transported to the site, installed and then tested. This approach stands in contrast to the previous generation of plants that were “stick built” on the final site. The scope of how new construction techniques will be employed is not fully known at this time. However, licensees implementing these techniques need to be mindful of the role of the regulator and the requirements of the part 52 licensing process. They must assure that the NRC access and oversight is adequate to support the Commission’s finding that the plant was built in accordance with the license and the regulations. The NRC is working to understand the scope of these activities in order to be able to provide appropriate and timely oversight. In addition to new construction techniques, technological advances in digital control and human interface systems add complexity to the design of these systems. Fueled by almost daily enhancements in the consumer electronics arena, designers and operators alike want to incorporate elements of these improvements in the control systems for new and existing reactors. All new reactors that may be built in the U.S. are expected to utilize a digitized, integrated control room and digital safety systems and controls. This technology holds the promise of significant improvements in safety and human-machine interface, but brings new complexities that must be thoroughly understood and accounted for in the safety analysis and design of the plant. Such a rapidly evolving technology presents continuing challenges for The NRC to maintain stable regulatory requirements that address the new technical issues. We are working closely with experts in this field, with our applicants, and with the industry to ensure that our safety requirements are adequate and understood. The global economy has also produced new reactor designs that are being marketed internationally. This has created challenges and opportunities for greater cooperation among regulatory authorities. The NRC is actively engaged in a variety of international organizations and initiatives, including those involving research agreements, operating experience exchanges, improvement of regulatory practices, and commonalities among standards. As global nuclear power plant licensing and construction activities expand using new globally standardized reactor designs, we should also find new ways to expand our global regulatory exchanges. The globalization of the nuclear supply chain has created an unprecedented diversity of global sources for nuclear components. This makes it increasingly important for regulatory bodies, as well as industry consensus standards organizations, to carefully coordinate to ensure both consistency and satisfaction of the standards. This isn’t an academic or hypothetical point. The NRC has previously identified counterfeit and deficient parts and continues to seek better ways of monitoring the increasing globalization of the nuclear supply chain through our international collaborations. Quality control issues in the 1970s contributed to halting several nuclear plants under construction. In today’s global manufacturing economy, global collaboration will be imperative to the nuclear industry. The global supply chain complicates the tasks of licensees and the NRC to oversee the manufacturing of components, such as the reactor vessel, the reactor vessel head, or the pressurizer, as they are being manufactured abroad. Similar to the issues related to modular construction, licensees and vendors need to be mindful of the regulatory requirements and the need for licensees to oversee and document manufacturing activities necessary to support the NRC’s independent review of these items. As procurement of nuclear grade components becomes more difficult, the industry will turn to increased use of commercial-grade dedication. As background, since the late 1980s the NRC has endorsed a process by which off-the-shelf commercial grade components are thoroughly examined and tested to ensure that they meet the high quality standards necessary for safety-related use in a nuclear power plant. We call this process “commercial grade dedication.” One reason for establishing this process is that the number of American Society of Mechanical Engineer’s Nuclear Certificates held worldwide fell sharply from nearly 600 in 1980, to under 250 in 1990. Although these numbers have started to rebound in the recent years, the total world wide is still below 200. More strikingly, the decline was due almost entirely to the loss of nuclear certificates among American companies. The number of certificates held by other nations has remained at about 100 since 1980, but the number of American certificate holders today is only one-fifth of what it was 28 years ago. We expect that commercial grade dedication will be utilized during the construction of new nuclear plants. Possible pitfalls with the use of the commercial grade dedication process include hiring inexperienced contractors who don’t understand the importance of nuclear-grade quality standards. Examples of this have occurred in plants under construction overseas, but a recent example in the U.S. came from the NRC’s oversight inspection of the construction of the mixed-oxide, or MOX, nuclear fuel facility being built in North Carolina for DOE. In this example, a contractor for the MOX facility had been hired to perform commercial grade dedication on rebar, and we found significant inadequacies in its performance. Dedicating something like rebar seems to be a far simpler task than will be needed for dedicating more complicated components. The contractors, vendors, and licensees that will perform such dedication need to get it right the first time. On a positive note, I was very encouraged by the turnout of approximately 500 industry representatives for a recent the NRC-sponsored workshop on vendor oversight issues. During the two-day workshop, the NRC highlighted key regulatory requirements and clarified its expectations for ways that vendors and licensees can comply with these regulations. The workshop also provided the opportunity for vendors and licensees to discuss issues and ask questions. Another challenge is that following 9/11 many new requirements to enhance the security of nuclear power plants in the U.S. have been implemented. Substantial enhancements have been made. The NRC is confident in the adequacy of security at operating reactors today and that new reactor designs will achieve this level of security with less reliance on operator actions. We continue to collaborate and strengthen our communications with other federal, state, and local agencies to monitor and assess potential threats. In addition, our open regulatory processes are continuing to provide for further dialogue with the public on security requirements. The NRC’s decision process to further strengthen our security requirements, if necessary, is technically thorough, systematic, and fully collaborative with other agencies. Such careful consideration is needed due to the potential impact that security changes could have on safety measures. For example, if it were deemed necessary to improve security by installing locks on doors leading to certain safety equipment, consideration must also be given to the fact that such barriers may slow or prevent access by plant personnel during a non-security event. This is a simple example of a much larger set of important regulatory considerations that together must ensure that both safety and security are achieved in harmony with each other. Complexities, such as the digital systems, serve to underscore the ongoing challenge of building up the necessary quality workforce and the educational infrastructure to maintain it. The human capital challenge that confronts the nuclear industry, academia, and the NRC is immense. Future projections indicate that we need more trained workers, but many factors limit our ability to rapidly increase this workforce. One such factor is the expected retirement of the current workforce. It has been estimated that about 35 percent of those working at U.S. nuclear utilities will be eligible for retirement in the next 5 to 10 years and that 90,000 new workers will be needed by 2011, just to continue operating the existing plants. Within the NRC, approximately 15 percent of our workforce is currently retirement eligible and that number increases to 33 percent becoming eligible within the next five years. The potential labor shortage not only affects utilities and the NRC, but also impacts the entire nuclear infrastructure, including national laboratories, other Federal and state agencies, nuclear technology vendors and manufacturing companies, nuclear construction companies, and university nuclear engineering departments. However, I am pleased to note that the NRC has made significant progress in this arena as we increased our staff to handle the new applications. For the past three years, the NRC has added over 200 new hires a year above attrition to assure our ability to meet the demands of new reactor licensing. These new hires represent a mix of senior, mid-career, and entry-level personnel. Additionally, the NRC’s FY 2008 Nuclear Education Scholarship and Fellowship Program provided an additional $15 million to support education in nuclear science, engineering, and related technologies. These funds were used for college scholarships and graduate fellowships in nuclear science, engineering, and health physics; faculty development grants supporting faculty in these academic areas; and scholarships for trade schools in the nuclear-related trades. Statistics collected by DOE indicate that student enrollment and graduation rates in nuclear engineering and radiation health programs are increasing. But even with these increases, there will still be a personnel shortfall, based on the projected demand. Safety Culture & Materials Issues Inherent to the quality workforce is the ongoing challenge to ensure that licensees maintain strong safety cultures within their organizations. The NRC’s Davis-Besse Lessons Learned Task Force concluded that a lack of safety culture was a root cause leading to the reactor head degradation you see on the screen. Nuclear plant safety performance should not be judged only by numerical measures. Even when such measures reflect good performance, the plant operator must constantly maintain a continuous commitment to safety that always supersedes production goals. Commitment to safety should be reflected in the vision of the most senior managers at every plant and required of every employee in the organization. Management at all levels should actively ensure that every employee feels free to express his or her views and concerns regarding safety, without fear of reprisal. This has an enormous benefit in helping to ensure that all aspects of an issue are fully explored before making decisions. A strong safety culture is vital to safe operations, and one ongoing area reliant on safety culture involves aging effects on materials. In addition to the Davis-Besse issue, we have experienced other challenges, such as cracking in dissimilar metal welds. As a result of the Davis-Besse reactor head degradation, the NRC enhanced its inspection program utilized by resident inspectors permanently posted to every nuclear reactor site. These enhancements strengthened the inspector’s abilities to monitor a licensee’s safety culture. The new construction inspection program, currently under development, will also have dedicated resident inspectors at the construction sites and efforts are ongoing to determine the role of safety culture in this program. Any organization that does not have current nuclear experience and is interested in building nuclear plants must accept the need to constantly foster a strong safety culture in its nuclear organization. This is non-negotiable. Perhaps no aspect of nuclear technologies causes greater public apprehension than the health effects of radiation. If any of you heard my remarks to the NCRP council members in April 2007, you know of my deep personal interest in better understanding the health effects of low doses of radiation. With this audience, I don’t need to remind you that the scientific underpinnings for the use of the linear no-threshold, or LNT, hypothesis at low doses are sadly lacking. In those remarks two years ago, I noted my frustration at the continued use of the LNT model in the name of “prudent regulation.” You also heard my frustration with the repeated misuse of “collective dose,” contrary to recommendations of NCRP and ICRP, in ways designed to frighten the public with unjustified statements of risk among large populations. Today, I can’t say what should be used in place of the linear no-threshold model, but the excellent program on low dose effects sponsored by DOE, with its focus on understanding low dose effects at the molecular level, is at least able to provide a solid basis for questioning the LNT model. It remains my earnest hope that the research progress in the DOE program, which directly impacts many of the key issues studied by the NCRP, will eventually lead to a better understanding of the actual relationship. In the meantime, I worry that the absence of better knowledge and the use of the so-called “prudent” LNT model leads to conclusions that may unduly alarm the public, may lead some to defer or avoid vital medical procedures, and may waste public funds in massive cleanup programs. I hope I don’t need to convince folks in this audience that your work and the public are very well served by continued research in this complex field. The NCRP and other organizations that deal with radiation, including the NRC, will be challenged by the anticipated final release of the new average dose levels within the U.S. New dose estimates would almost double the 360 mrem dose that has been used as the national average for many years. Careful discussion and public education efforts will be important to place these new figures in context with the source of the increase, the increased use of radiation-based technologies in medical diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Certainly those same technologies have opened new medical opportunities and many more patients can be helped with these evolving procedures. At the same time, it may be important in our discussions to reemphasize that such procedures should not be lightly undertaken and that undergoing some of the newer procedures without medical justification may be cause for concern. The Future Turning now to the future, provided that continued safety is demonstrated by the nations that operate reactors, reactor technology can be expected to progress, either more or less rapidly depending on marketplace factors, toward new generations of designs with demonstrably greater safety and potentially greater utility, especially for small modular types. Keeping up with the advancing technology, so as to permit adequate safety reviews, will be a challenge for the NRC – but one for which we are starting to prepare. Increasing concern for carbon-free electrical power and process heat may drive further interests in both new plants and in extending the operation of existing units. The requirement of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 for DOE to develop a next generation nuclear plant is one example of an initiative that will further advance nuclear technologies. Future challenges will include developing the licensing framework and expertise necessary for reviews of these advanced technologies. As such, the NRC staff has already begun to consider a path forward, including modification of existing regulations and possible new rulemakings to address the safety and security requirements needed for these new technologies. Another area of future challenge is related to spent fuel and waste management in the U.S. Management of both high- and low-level waste from these facilities may challenge industry, the NRC, and the Agreement States. This past June, the NRC received a license application from DOE for a deep, geological, permanent repository for high-level waste and spent fuel. The issues related to spent fuel management have precipitated a lot of thinking about the advantages of recycling spent nuclear fuel. Potentially this could significantly reduce the volume and toxicity of waste placed in a repository. Additionally, it could significantly expand the amount of usable fuel that can be extracted from the earth. Finally, it could substantially enhance proliferation resistance over existing recycling technologies. But it will come only with a substantial investment in the necessary research to develop the commercially usable technologies that would be needed. Low-level waste issues may also present special challenges, especially since the Barnwell site closed to out-of-compact wastes last year. Many states could be without disposal for Classes B and C wastes, a far from ideal situation. The NRC and the states will be faced, in all probability, with assuring that the absence of disposal capacity for such wastes does not translate into unsafe storage of such wastes by the licensees generating it. The NRC may even need to consider the first-time use of the provisions in 10 CFR Part 62, regarding emergency access to low-level waste disposal facilities. In anticipation of this development, the NRC and the Agreement States are taking steps that will help to mitigate the impact of the closure of Barnwell. The NRC has issued revised low-level waste storage guidance for materials licensees. In addition, the nuclear power industry is developing low-level waste storage guidance, which it intends to submit to the NRC for review and comment in the near future. Closing In closing, I hope I have accomplished four things today. First, I hope you can agree that the maintenance of a strong and independent nuclear regulator is not only necessary, but adds significant value to public confidence and assurance. Second, you should appreciate the amount of new licensing work that the NRC is expecting and has started, and our commitment to performing effective safety reviews in an efficient and timely manner. Third, you should appreciate the challenges that face the nuclear industry as well as the NRC. Some of these challenges rely on continued progress by the NCRP. And, fourth, you should have a better understanding of how the NRC continues to evolve in meeting our mission of protecting public health and safety and the environment. We are anticipating our challenges, learning from experience, preparing for the demands of new licensing work, collaborating internationally in an expanding global environment, ensuring that safety and security measures stay in harmony, and promoting a strong safety culture. Thank you for your attention. |
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ETA - Advisories - Unemployment Insurance Program Letters (UIPL) for United States Department of Labor This information has recently been updated.
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DMIS Update: Follow Up to DMIS SIG Program The Live Meeting recording and PowerPoint from Wednesday's DMIS SIG Program are now available for download from: http://www.disasterhelp.gov/disastermanagement/library/archive/presentations.shtm The Live Meeting recording is a large file
in Windows Media Video (.wmv) format and requires Windows Media
Player or Windows Media Components for QuickTime
or a similar product to view. Thanks to all who participated. Regards, |
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Eurasian
Secret Services Daily Review The Ministry of Defence of Romania says it has started an official investigation at the unit where Achim has been working to establish the circumstances of the leakage of military information, according to Realitatea TV. .... After the media reported that Jovica Stanisic, now a defendant at the Hague’s war crimes tribunal, had collaborated with the United States CIA from 1992 through 2000, there are suspicions that there are still spies in Serbia’s state top even today, ... |
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