European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 2, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 28 the stars and Stripe thursday August 2,1990 Washington not a senior Energy department officials said tuesday that the department had failed to Deal appropriately with radioactive waste tanks at the Hanford nuclear reservation in Washington state. A Senate committe was told that Energy Secretary James d. Watkins had tried and failed to replace a culture of secrecy that had allowed safety problems to fester. The department has shown a a general Lack of discipline and follow up needed to resolve longstanding technical issues a Leo p. Duffy the departments director of the office of environmental restoration and waste management testified tuesday at a hearing of the Senate governmental affairs committee. Duffy was referring to How the department has handled studies by its contractors about hazards at the tanks which hold millions of Gallons of highly radioactive waste at Hanford. Some tanks arc producing explosive gases raising the possibility of a targe release of radiation. With much of the weapons production Complex shut Down because of mechanical or management breakdowns Marty experts classify the tanks As the largest risk in the departments Chain of 17 nuclear weapons plants in 12 states a special inspection team sent to Hanford has found that despite efforts to counter decades of pollution operations there Are still contaminating 20 acres a year More land than is being cleaned up. The teams unreal cased report also faulted maintenance of equipment at the tank farm where 64 million Gallons of highly radioactive waste left Over from bomb fuel product lion has been stored up to 40 years in a method that was intended to be used As an emergency expedient. Arthe hearing tuesday Stephen m. Blush director of the departments office of nuclear safety said contractors had known for 13 years that flammable Gas was being generated in one tank. The 560-Square-mile site is operated for the department of Energy by a subsidiary of the Westinghouse electric corp. It was previously run by Rockwell International and before that by general electric. At the Westinghouse Hanford co., a subsidiary of the Pittsburgh based company Ronald j. Bliss the vice president of waste management and environmental restoration said that Westinghouse had withheld nothing. The director of the Washington slate department of ecology Christine o. Gregoire testified that getting accurate information was still a problem. She said that she was told of the problem with the tanks by Quot informants a and that her department still relied on secret communications from Plant  Page 1. Already has approved a version of the Bill and differences will have to be reconciled before a version can go to Bush. To meet the level of defense spending the House approved in May the panel was forced to make deep cuts in expensive strategic programs. Although support for the b-2 bomber remains in the Senate the panel dealt a serious blow to Bush a plan to build a Fleet of 75 of the radar evading aircraft which at nearly $865 million a copy is the costliest plane Ever built. The death Knell for the bomber began in. The House last week when the commit techs chairman rep. Les Aspin d-wis., said he supported halting production at the 15 planes already funded. On monday night the panel s procurement subcommittee eliminated funds for the bomber in the new fiscal year thus cutting off purchases after the first 15. R a people were surprised the Berlin Wall fell Down a said rep. John Kasich a Ohio co sponsor of legislation to cancel the b-2 program. A it surprising the armed services panel killed a major weapons  nine republicans voted to terminate the stealth bomber Kasich said. Bush had sought $4.6 billion in the budget for two of the Bat like planes next year and advanced procurement of parts for six More in the following year. The Senate armed services committee in its version of the defense Bill approved earlier this month adopted the administration s request. The House panel also agreed to spend Only $2.9 billion on the strategic defense initiative commonly known As Star wars next year a a deep Cut from the $4,7 billion Bush proposed. On another major strategic system Bush had called for $2.1 billion for the multiple warhead my missile and for moving the missiles from fixed underground silos to Railroad cars that could shift location during a crisis. The president also called for $202 million in research Money for the single warhead mid Gilman designed to move on Large Overland trucks. The House panel eliminated All that Money and instead created a $600 million pot for developing the next generation of intercontinental missiles. The committee also called on Bush to report to Congress in 90 Days on which new missile the administration wants a Mobile my or the new midget Man and end the Long running debate Over which project to Back. The committee also approved a a reduction of 129,500 in military personnel including 68,500 from the army ranks 36,500 from the air Force 20,000 from the Navy and 4,500 from the Marine corps. The total reduction from the nearly 2,1 million troops is slightly higher than the 100,000 approved by the Senate armed services committee and is nearly four times the total of 38,000 in the presidents proposed budget. A one of two sea Wolf attack submarines Bush had sought five new Navy destroyers at a Cost of $3.6 billion and $1.2 billion for the 18th Trident missile launching submarine. A a ban on spending any Money to move the 401st tac fighter Wing from Torrejon a Spain to Croton Italy or any other location  from Page a rent contract it is illegal for an american to take Over a Job held by a turkish worker. At in Ciurlik a officials have been warning Community members to prepare for the strike. A a we be advised our people to Stock up on at least a two week Supply of food a said base spokeswoman tech. Sgt. Marty Davis. Quot this is a Good time to go out to your favorite restaurant a she added. The commissary and base Exchange at Izmir air station extended their hours this week to help Brace for the strike said base spokesman capt. Bryan Holt. A Booklet also has been distributed by the Community to help service members find goods and services on the Economy. The 7241 Siab group clinic will also offer for Sale a limited Supply of baby items such As diapers and formula Holt said. Word of the impending strike came after the Union walked away from labor negotiations with the firm of Vinnell Brown and Root which provides base operations maintenance and other services. About 4,000 turkish workers Are employed by the company. Negotiations for a new two year agreement which began in april Center mostly around pay increases. A the unions current demand is for a pay increase of More than 900 percent Over two years a said Andrew Cooley a program manager for Vinnell Brown and Root. A a Vbry a current counterproposal is for a 125 percent pay increase Over a two year  Cooley said that Vinnell Brown and Root is unable to meet the unions demand because it exceeds the prevailing wage rate in the areas around the bases. After negotiations reached an impasse in mid july the Union requested mediation to help resolve the situation. A the official mediator appointed by the turkish ministry of labor has recommended a pay increase based on current inflation plus an additive to enhance the employees purchasing Power Quot Cooley said. Quot this is exactly the method Var used in determining its earlier proposals.�?�. A wage Survey in october 1989 showed that the average pay of the contractors turkish work Force is 21 percent higher than that of comparable employees elsewhere in the country Cooley said. That Survey was taken before the workers received a 20 percent pay raise in  from Page 1 Popadiuk confirmed Robinson was freed and said a we Hope the situation can be resolved in a Quick and peaceful  but smart told reporters a this crisis is far from  he said the government in this Caribbean nation of 1.3 million residents was continuing efforts to win the release of. The others held by former policeman Abu bake and his band of moslem extremists. The hostages were seized fridas but the moslem who a poured the parliament building and the government to station about one mile away. At least nine people were killed. Bakr accused Robinson of corruption and demanded he resign. Robinson emerged at l 20 . And was taken by ambulance to a Hospital smart said. The prime minister suffered a leg wound in the takeover As Well As from exhaustion and the Eye disease glaucoma the attorney general said. Bakr said Robinson agreed to step Down and elections would be held within 40 a its Tor a new go eminent. Robinson announced the same Deal  Nii he in a Telephone Call from inside parliament. He said he agreed to Grant his captors amnesty and denied being coerced. A 6 .-to-noon curfew remained in effect throughout most of Trinidad following earlier massive looting. In the capital of port of Spain with its metropolitan population of 350,000, police patrolled in Telephone company cars and station wagons on loan from a local car dealer. . Ambassador Charles Gargano said in an interview before smart s announcement that he thought the government remained United and in control. I Wenty five hostages most of them station employees remained hostage inside the government to station and 15 government officials m parliament. Bakr s followers took Over both Huil dines Itidal. A spill from Pago 1 Protection for the Texas department of Parks and wildlife. Mckinney predicted the spill would rank As the worst in the Gulf Region. At least 100 Bird species and at least 75 kinds of fish inhabit the Gal Veston Bay area he said. Cleanup Crews used five Skimmer vessels and a vacuum truck to suck up Oil contained by thousands of feet of booms. By monday night about 20,000 Gallons of Oil had been cleaned up. Workers also began cleaning crude on the Dike and at port Bolivar and on Pelican Island next to Galveston Island. Coast guard rear adm. Jim Loy who flew in from new Orleans to Survey the spill said a flyover convinced him the situation was under control. He said he saw streaks of Black Oil at Eagle Point a residential development with private docks 22 Miles North of Galveston that cleanup Crews should have been attacking. Heavy Black Oil was reported on Sandy beaches there tuesday. Coast guard officials said a hearing to determine the cause of the Accident was to begin wednesday morning. In another development state officials urged the Federal government to let them use Oil eating microbes on the spill before the Oil reached the environmentally sensitive marshes. . Environmental Protection Agency spokesman Roger Meacham in Dallas said the technique known As bioremediation is promising but that not enough information exists on its effectiveness or its Impact on Marine life to endorse its Laige scale use in every situation. In Austin land commissioner Garry Mauro criticized the response to the spill. The greek Tanker Shin Oussa collided with two of three barges being towed by the tugboat Chandy n South of redfish Island 15 Miles North of Gal Veston. One Barge nearly Sank and the other listed. Both spewed a cat feed Quot Oil a refinery Oil similar to no. 5 Oil into the Bay. The double hulled Tanker did not lose any of its 29,400-metric-Lon Load of Jet fuel. No Oil has spilled since monday evening officials said. The ship Channel reopened to one Way incoming Barge Traffie. Up to 30 barges have been stacked up along the in Racosta canal near Galveston and about 70 More waited further Down the canal he said