European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 11, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse The stars and stripes Friday. November 11,1988hazardous material licensing lax at arc Gao study says Washington a the nuclear regulatory commission Grants licenses for handling radioactive material without verifying claims or inspecting facilities making in Overly vulnerable to dishonest or careless applicants a congressional Ftp on said wednesday. The general accounting office said it discovered a series of continuing and Sorn times chronic prob lems with the Way the arc hands out licenses and oversees businesses Alk they re licensed. Arc usually docs not verify License application information visit the facility before granting a License or have specific detailed criteria for its License review Era to determine when a denial is warranted the Gao report said. As a result arc is Overly vulnerable to dishonest or careless applicants. All of these weaknesses or problems increase the Public s risk of exposure the congressional investigative Agency said rep. Edward Feighan a Ohto had asked for the Cao investigation after the accidental spill of radioactive material that had been smuggled onto Wright Pat Terson fab near Dayton Ohio. Feighan i us n is paiement calling on the arc to Lake immediate action to Correct deficiencies identified in the report we have every right to expect Quick response Froman Agency that oversees hazardous materials licensing. Unfortunately there is Little in the Gao report to suggest that the arc has corrected critical problems identified Over the last 16 years Feighan said. Arc spokesman John Kopack said the Agency would not discuss the report until after the Agency stiff Bud reviewed in. The report noted that the arc has limited re sources 25 full time License reviewers and 36 inspectors versus 7,700 licenses for Industrial and other uses of radioactive materials. When new developments a recall for instance Force the arc to turn its Atten Tion elsewhere backlogs grow the Gao said. In addition to granting licenses without verifying applicants claims or visiting facilities the report said the arc does t have checklists to determine when a License application should be denied or when repeat violators should get extra penalties. Does t make sure licence holders can afford to clean up after an Accident. Takes too Long to renew licenses and make inspections because of Large backlogs. In one Case inc arc took Aboul seven years to renew a License for St. Paul 3m company the Gao report said. In inc interim the company was allowed to Market devices later found to be defective and recalled in the Case that led to the Gao inquiry the arc gave a radioactive materials handling License to a 10th Grade dropout without checking his claims about train ing and experience. The Agency Learned . Haynes of Newark Ohio had lied Only after in had already issued the License which enabled Haynes to use radioactive material to change the color of diamonds. Despite this finding Haynes was not Only allowed to keep the License but it was amended to permit Hilo use larger quantities of americium in any form he report said. Haynes illegally disposed of some of his radioactive waste at a High Security munitions area of Wright Pat Terson fab. Two accidental discharges there forced the air Force to tear Down a storage building and invest $1 million to decontaminate the urea. The environmental Protection Agency s superfund paid out $385,000 to clean up Haynes contaminated Home. Elizabeth Taylor s son granted . Visa despite drug conviction Washington -.-. The administration wrongly supports the principal goals of this legislation and reaffirms ils commit Mentlo use existing authority to achieve these ends,1 Rea Gan said in a statement. However enactment of the Bill would set up Federal nutrition efforts on the wrong course. \. The Bill would create a substantial amount of unnecessary and Complex Federal bureaucracy that would hamper the achievement of the Bill s goals he said the Bill gave shared responsibility for the program to departments of agriculture and health and human services and would also have created an administrator of nutrition monitoring an Isle Agency Board and an advisory Council. -. The creation of so much new Federal bureaucracy would hinder rather than Aid performance of Federal nutrition related functions Reagan said. The Bill would also impose a substantial new Bur Den on the american taxpayer in future years to pay for Federal government wants by requiring thai a Grant program be established As a result of the study he said. ".-. A experience shows that Federal govern ment begins handing out Money under a new Gran program a political constituency develops that de mands greater funding for that program inc presi Dent said. Greater Security should be Given to the need for the proposed new Grant programs before the Yare locked in a a future expansion of the Federal Bud set.".-. Yale exhibit celebrates o Neill s 100th birthday new Haven Conn a the 100th an nov Crary of Eugene o Neill s birth is to be commemorated at Yale University with an exhibition showing How the writer Drew upon his family for the characters in his plays. The display which was to open thursday and run through dec. 21at the Beinecke Library contains photographs biographical and literary materials from the University s extensive o Neill collection. Highlights include a diagram o Neill made showing his relationships with his family and he original manuscript of Long Day s journey into night tilled new London o Neill the author of the iceman a Moon for the misbegotten and a wilderness among other plays won the 1936nobel prize for literature and four pulitzer prizes. He died in 1953. 52 flies within 150 feet of airline commuter plane Marquette Mich. Api an air Forceb-52 bomber and a commuter air plane new within 150 feel of each other but authorities said wednesday the aircraft were not in danger of colliding. My heart rate s Slid up said Terence drown a passenger on Northwest airline flight the incident occurred at 3 20 . Tuesday about 10 minutes before the commuter plane was to land at the Marquette county Airport on a flight from Detroit the 52 was stationed at . Sawyer fab about 15 mites Southeast of the Airport said sol. Anita Bailey a Sawyer spokeswoman. Officials with Simmons airlines which oper ates cot Muier flights under contract wit Northwest airlines did not believe the planes came close enough to warrant a report. Bailey said adding thai the air Force did t either. In was t ouster s last Saddle but it still sold for $22,000 san Francisco a a Saddle that be longed to Gen. George a cd scr was auctioned Tor $22,000, and it was t even the one he was on during his lost stand at Lille Bighorn in.1876. ,. ,.the event at Gutter iced & Butterfield s auction House Drew about 300 collectors of Western americana who paid a total of 1424,155 at the auction. " the auction s main items were those connected with the Little Bighorn Battle where Cus Ter his brother and 265 members of he 7th cavalry were massacred by an Indian Force Esti mated to have been As much As 5,000 Strong. A letter Custer wrote to president Ulysses asking permission to visit him was sold for 52,250.,.-, a photograph of Cutler in boots and gauntlets went for $550, while one of sitting Bull the Sioux chief who helped prepare Indian warriors far the fight sold for j700. Judge says gotta dance and school Board toes line Purdy to. A the Board reluctantly agreed to break its Century old ban on school dances in time for a december Homecoming but the Board members Are still hoping an appeals court will reinstate the prohibition. " " Carolyn Flummerfelt a Parent who has Bee fighting for students trying to stage their first school dance said she has waited a Long Lime to hear the Board Grant approval the six Board members unanimously voted wednesday to suspend the ban until an appeals court makes a ruling on . District judge rus sell Clark s order allowing the dance. The Purdy school system entered in a town of about 900 people r 50 Miles Southwest of Springfield has about-160 students in its High school " ,
