GOVERNMENT & POLICY

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Spent nuclear fuel recycling studied A project to examine new approaches to reducing the nation's growing inventory of stored spent nuclear fuel is under way at the University of Wisconsin and the Department of Energy's Argpnne National Laboratory. The project will be based at the Center for Ad­vanced Nuclear Fuel-Cycles, an initiative funded by the University of Chicago and housed at Argonne. Most spent nuclear fuel is now stored temporarily in secure pools at commercial reactors around the country or in leak-tight steel casks housed in aboveground concrete vaults. The fuel could end up at a planned commercial temporary storage facility in Utah or at the proposed Yucca Mountain high-level waste repository. But these storage options are short-term approaches to dealing with the backend of the nuclear fuel cycle, says Michael L. Corradini, a UW Madison professor of engineer­ing physics and the center's codirector. "We hope to develop a 'sustainable' fuel cycle—that is, an efficient, cost-effective way to reuse current spent nuclear fuel and miriimize its by-products," he says. "Advanced nuclear fuel cycles can be recycled as a source of available energy as demand for uranium increases."

Bill allows U.S. to remain on space station Late last month, the House passed an amended version of a Senate bill (S. 1713) that will allow the U.S. to pay for the use ofRus-sian spacecraft to carry crew and supplies to and from the Interna­tional Space Station (JSS). The bill gives NASA an exemption from the Iran Nonproliferation Act oi 2000, which prohibits the U.S. from paying Russia for spacecraft: use until Russiais deemed to have stopped sending nuclear technol­ogies to Iran and other specified nations (C&EN, April 25, page 18). NASA has been using the Russian Soyuz vehicles to get to [SS under aprior agreement that expired last month. Without the amendment, NASA would no onger be permitted to ride on the Soyuz—which, in addition to taxiing ISS crew members to and from the station, serves as a ifeboat for its crew—and would therefore have to suspend its oc­cupation of the station. The Sen­ate is expected to pass the House version of the bill and send it to the President to sign.

Refineries urged to keep trailers at safe distances The U.S. Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) is strongly urging the pet­rochemical industry to revise its guidelines on the placement of construction trailers at facilities throughout the U.S. "We are calling on the industry to estab­lish rninimum safe distances for trailers to ensure the safety of occupants from fire and explo­sion hazards," CSB Chairman Carolyn W. Merritt said in an Oct. 25 statement. CSB, which faulted BP in the March blast at its Texas City, Texas, refinery (see page 10), noted that the 15 workers who died were in and around trailers that were located too close to hazardous process equipment that released flam­mable hydrocarbons during the restart of a unit that had been shut down for maintenance. Specifically, CSB issued two "ur­gent" safety recommendations to the American Petroleum In­stitute (API) and the National Petrochemical & Refiners As­sociation, which represent most

domestic oil and petrochemical producers. The agency called on API to develop new indus­try guidance "to ensure the safe placement of oc- ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ cupied trailers and i ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ l similartemporary | ^ H H structures away % ̂ ^ B B H from hazardous £^^BÉ^B areas of process i ^ ^ E ^ ^ f l p l an t s . " T h e ^ ^ H j ^ H board's second ^VH^^r recommendation ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ called on the or- . , , ganizationstoim- Merritt mediately contact their members and urge "prompt action to ensure the safe place­ment of occupied trailers."

Modest cuts in C02 could cost $1.00 per ton A new EPA analysis shows that modest cuts in utility emis­sions of carbon dioxide could be achieved at a fairly low cost—as low as $1.00 per ton. The find­ing is part of an extensive EPA comparison of competing legis­lative proposals to curb multiple

air pollutants from the power sector. One proposal, with the smallest cuts in emissions, would implement President Bush's

^ ^ ^ Clear Skies initiative. ^^U A second, championed ι ^ H by Sen. James M.Jef-^ H fords (I-Vt.) would make ^ H steep cuts in pollution ^ H from power plants. A J ^ H third, sponsored by Sen. ^ β | Thomas R. Carper (D-

Del.) falls between Bush's andJeffords' plans in the amount of emission re-ductions. All the propos­

als would curb utilities' releases of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen ox­ides, and mercury; the Carper and Jeffords bills also would mandate C0 2 controls. Not surprisingly, EPA found that the Bush initiative would be the least expensive to implement and the Jeffords plan the most costly. The analysis also showed that tradable emission allow­ances for C02under the Carper proposal would cost $1.00 per ton between 2010 and 2015 and rise to $2.00 per ton in 2020. The EPA analysis is posted at www.epa.gov/airmarkets/mp/ comparisonbriefing.pdf.

GOVERNMENT & POLICY ROUNDUP

• Environmental bioinfor- ation. The industry effort builds matics centers will be estab- on a program, launched in 1998 lished by EPA at the University byEPA,ACC,andEnvironmen-of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, tal Defense, that is providing and the University of Medicine data on 2,222 high-production-& Dentistry of New Jersey, Pis- volume chemicals. cataway. The two schools won $9 million in grants, combined, to • The American Society of merge computer science, biology, Mechanical Engineers is de-and toxicology to predict hazard- veloping a standard to measure ous outcomes from environmen- chemical plant risks. The engi-tal exposure to chemicals. neers' effort parallels an evolving

chemical industry-Department • Toxicity data for 574 sub- of Homeland Security endeavor stances manufactured in amounts on how to assess risks at chemi-greater than 1 million lb annu- cal facilities. Either standard ally will be made public by the could be relied on to determine American Chemistry Council, which facilities merit the strict-the Soap & Detergent Associa- est controls should Congress tion, and the Synthetic Organic pass chemical plant security Chemical ManufacttirersAssco- legislation.

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