European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 12, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4the stars and stripes wednesday june 12/1991 Washington apr questions about safety at the nations oldest atomic Power Plant Yankee Rowe in Massachusetts threaten to heat up a National debate Over aging nuclear reactors and whether the government should prolong their operating lives. The nuclear regulatory commission later this month is expected to Issue a regulatory blueprint for extending the licenses of Vintage nuclear Power plants that arc nearing the end of their original 40-year licenses. Yankee atomic the operator of the 31-Ycar-old reactor near Rowe mass., plans to submit the first request for a License Extension probably next fall. Its License expires in 2000. But anti nuclear groups not Only oppose the License Extension for Yankee Rowe but last week petitioned the arc to shut Down the reactor. The groups said the Agency a own internal documents suggest the reactors pressure vessel a 30-foot-High steel pot that encloses the uranium fuel has become so Brittle from radiation that it could crack. A a it a probably one of the worst reactor prototypes they could have picked for re licensing a maintained Howard Ris executive director of the Union of concerned scientists a leading anti nuclear group based incest for others Cambridge mass. Nuclear Power advocates say the critics Are Only trying to scuttle the a Rcd a re licensing program. The commission says licenses for As Many As 36 nuclear reactors nearly one third of those operating today will come up for renewal Between 2000 and 2011, although some of those plants Likely will not seek renewals. Utility executives will watch Yankee Rowe proceed Ings closely As they decide the future of their own aging plants Industry experts say. A a it a indicative of what we re going to face a said Scott Peters a spokesman for the . Council for Energy awareness a nuclear Industry lobbying group. A the anti nuclear establishment is going to find objections to All the plants that come up for re licensing because their stated purpose is to Stop nuclear  William Mcgee a spokesman for Yankee atomic characterized efforts to close the Plant As a the next phase of the anti nuclear groups Campaign to Stop the License renewal  he insists the company a analysis shows the Plant is Safe to operate. Anti nuclear groups however maintain that the uncertainties about the Yankee Rowe reactor reflect a Basic problem with older nuclear plants Many of which were licensed two or three decades ago when regulatory requirements were less stringent. California Plant near fault line deemed Safe san Francisco up a the Diablo Canyon nuclear Power Plant is adequately designed to withstand an earthquake on a nearby major fault the nuclear regulatory commission concluded monday. The a Rcd a conclusion was based on a detailed review of the plants seismic program and design which owner operator Pacific Gas amp electric co. Must conduct As a condition of its operating License. The san Luis Obispo county Plant has been under seismic re evaluation since the 1971 discovery of a major seismic fault the Cosgri about three Miles offshore from the site. As a result of the discovery and before issuance of operating licenses the plants design was re evaluated and upgraded to withstand the ground motion that would result from an earthquake of magnitude 7 5 on the Richter scale. Full Power operating licenses for Diablo Canyon units 1 and 2 were issued in 1984 and 1985. Snarls . Air traffic Washington a a Telephone company switching problem crippled a key air traffic control Center for More than an hour monday delaying airline traffic in the nations capital and along much of the East coast. More than half of the radio air to ground frequencies and other communications channels were knocked out at the Washington air route traffic control Center at Leesburg va., the Federal aviation administration said. A fall air planes headed for the Washington area were diverted a said Fred Farrar an Faa spokesman. A we used backup procedures to communicate with the planes. We had other facilities or control centers Contact aircraft on those frequencies that were not functioning. A it turned out to be a switching problem at an american Telephone amp Telegraph co. Facility in Arlington va.,�?� Farrar said. Operations at Washington National Airport and Dulles International Airport in Virginia were affected but not halted. The communications failure began at 1 35 . Edt and ended at 2 45 . Edt. The Leesburg facility controls aircraft using airports in most of Virginia most of Maryland in the Northeast portion of West Virginia most of South Carolina and most of Delaware. Conrail missed inspections of munitions Pentagon says president Bush signals to reporters after returning to the White House on  in form after 2-mile jog Washington up president Bush signalled to reporters that he jogged for two Miles at Camp David md., on monday morning before returning to the White House from the presidential Retreat where he spent most of the weekend. Bush held up two fingers to signal re porters that he was Back in stride when he returned by helicopter to the White House from Camp David in mid morning monday. A George Bush is Back a said assistant White House press Secretary Sean Walsh. Bush has been on medication to treat Graves disease. Washington a a Pentagon report said monday that Conrail missed several required inspections of sensitive a arms shipments carried on its freight lines and lacks sufficient company police to do the Job. A a Security audit ordered by the army a military traffic management come found Conrail failed to perform the inspections when trains were stopped in Yards in april and May. A analysis of Conrail police inspection reports disclosed several inspection gaps of Over one hour a according to an executive summary of the audit performed by two Security firms under contract to the command. Quot Many of these a gaps could be explained and documented. Other explanations for gaps although plausible could not be documented a it said. The report found the freight railroads internal police Force a did not appear to be sufficient to make the required checks without help from train operations personnel. But there  record of hourly checks made by operations people the review found. The military traffic management come oversees All commercial transport of military equipment supplies and personnel in the United states. It ordered the audit in response to Media reports that Conrail police have failed to inspect adequately at least a dozen shipments of tanks bombs and ammunition stopped at rail Yards in five states since january 1991. Documents obtained by the associated press show lapses of up to 45 hours in some cases. It said Conrail procedures Call for placing sensitive shipments on rails that can be watched by Tower operators or kept under surveillance by rail police or train operations personnel a with inspections to be conducted every  the command has called Conrail to appear before a Board of inquiry june 25. The Board will determine what if any action should be taken. Rep. Bill Paxon r-n.y., said he was disappointed by the defense departments review adding that the accompanying statement a raises Many More questions than it  a there is Little Comfort in Reading that there were a no losses to sensitive military shipments during april May 1991,�?� Paxon said. A it does not reveal whether there were losses before or since then or whether the potential for loss still  Paxon has asked for a congressional inquiry into Conrail a handling of arms shipments and asked defense Secretary Dick Cheney to place military police on Conrail trains carrying munitions