CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News, July 23, 2010

Shares jump after Tekmira wins $140m contract
"Shares in Burnaby-based Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp. jumped more than 35 per cent Friday after the company announced Thursday it had won a contract potentially worth $140 million US from the U.S. department of defence to help develop a treatment for the deadly Ebola virus. In the initial phase of the contract -- worth up to $34.7 million US over three years -- Tekmira will work on advancing a treatment that has so far shown to be 100-per-cent effective in monkeys. The aim is to file an investigational new drug application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and completion of a Phase 1 human safety clinical trial. The defence department would then have the option of extending the contract to support the advancement of the Ebola product through clinical development and FDA approval, which could take five to seven years, Tekmira's chief financial officer Ian Mortimer said in an interview. Total potential funding adds up to $140 million US, Mortimer said. The Ebola virus was first discovered in 1976 and there have been only about 1,850 documented human cases so far, mainly in remote regions of Africa. However, given how lethal it is -- killing as many as 90 per cent of those infected -- it is considered a potential agent for biological warfare." (Vancouver Sun; 17Jul10; Fiona Anderson) http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Shares jump after Tekmira wins 140m contract/3290897/story.html

Nanotechnology sensor can detect anthrax spores
"Nanotechnologists at University of Twente's MESA+ research institute have developed a sensor that can detect anthrax spores. The invention is more sensitive and efficient than existing detection methods. The research is being published in the leading scientific journal Angewandte Chemie ('Ratiometric Fluorescent Detection of an Anthrax Biomarker at Molecular Printboards'). [...] Like other detection techniques, the UT sensor measures the presence of dipicolinic acid (DPA), a substance that accounts for between five and fifteen per cent of the dry weight of the spores. The sensor consists of a glass plate to which DPA-sensitive receptors have been attached. When the receptors are brought into contact with anthrax spores, the DPA binds with them. The concentration of the spores can be calculated with fluorescence spectroscopy, by shining ultraviolet light on to the sensor. DPA-bonded receptors will absorb this light and emit blue light, whereas receptors that have no DPA bonding will emit red light. By measuring the ratio of red to blue light in a sample, it is possible to determine the concentration of anthrax spores. The advantage of the sensor is that it does not need calibrating and is more finely tuned than other current methods." (Nanowerk; 19Jul10) http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=17231.php

Senators line up to oppose cuts to bioterror[ism] protection fund
"Seventeen senators have signed a letter denouncing an effort to cut billions in funds for drugs and vaccines intended to thwart bioterrorism. At issue is a House budget bill that would cut up to $2 billion from the Project BioShield Special Reserve Fund. The White House has not objected to the cut, and has criticized the fund. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), who chairs the homeland security committee, issued a statement Thursday protesting the reduction, along with two Republicans, Richard Burr of North Carolina and Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, who authored the law that created the fund in 2004. The statement included a letter signed by seven more Democrats and six more Republicans. [...] Siphoning the funds to other programs, as the House bill would do, 'would be frightfully shortsighted and would jeopardize the security of the American people against a very real and potent threat,' he[Lieberman] said. Bioterrorism experts have called the cut an example of how the Obama White House is failing to thoroughly address the threat of a biological attack, which they say could kill 400,000 Americans and do $2 trillion in economic damage. The probability of such an event is low, the experts acknowledge, but they say the failure to plan for it reflects the same mindset that presaged the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, the Hurricane Katrina disaster in 2005 and the ongoing Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The bipartisan Commission for the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction in January gave the federal government a grade of 'F' for its bioterrorism preparation. There have been few improvements since, said the co-chairman, former Sen. Bob Graham, a Florida Democrat." (Los Angeles Times; 22Jul10; Ken Dilanian) http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sc-dc-0723-bioterror-20100722,0,957642.story

ACIP[Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices] report fine-tunes anthrax vaccine recommendations
"The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today released new details about recommendations its vaccine advisory group made in February for Americans who receive anthrax shots. In a full report on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations, published today in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the CDC outlines five changes, two of which it reported earlier when ACIP made its recommendations back in February. The CDC previously reported changes in the schedule and route of administration for BioThrax, also known as anthrax vaccine adsorbed (AVA), which is the nation's only licensed anthrax vaccine. ACIP had recommended reducing the number of initial doses from six to five and changing the route of administration from subcutaneous to intramuscular. The two recommendations were based on the results of ongoing clinical trials designed to gauge if the long immunization series and side effects can be reduced. The shots are required for US military members who are deployed in high-risk areas such as the Middle East. Some military members have opposed anthrax vaccination because of side effects. Today's MMWR report includes three other recommendations. ACIP recommended AVA as part of postexposure prophylaxis in pregnant women, provided guidance on preexposure vaccination of emergency workers and first responders, and recommended 60 days of antibiotic prophylaxis combined with three AVA doses for optimal postexposure protection of unvaccinated people." (Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy; 22Jul10; Lisa Schnirring) http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/bt/anthrax/news/jul2210recommend-br.html

Baltimore facility key to Emergent's plan to expand beyond biodefense [Baltimore, MD]
"Rockville-based Emergent BioSolutions is planning to make major renovations to a 55,000-square-foot facility in Baltimore that the pharmaceutical company said is key to its plans to expand beyond the biodefense sector. Known as the producer of the only FDA-approved anthrax vaccine, Emergent executives said the company aims to remain competitive by expanding the number and variety of drugs it has on the market. Design plans call for the five existing labs to be combined into two, which are necessary for Emergent to manufacture viral and non-viral vaccines. Emergent may also have its eye on a neighboring lot if plans to expand on the existing property prove insufficient. Emergent has secured a number of sizable government contracts to produce and stockpile its anthrax vaccine, BioThrax, including a $107 million deal with the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority announced Wednesday. [Emergent company chief executive Fuad] El-Hibri said the Baltimore facility will give Emergent additional space to take on more government work, but also to break into the commercial sector. Emergent is testing potential vaccines for more common ailments such as tuberculosis and typhoid." (Washington Post; 19Jul10; Steven Overly) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/16/AR2010071605562.html

AVI BioPharma discloses new contract with U.S. government for potential funding of up to $291 million to advance development of therapeutic candidates for Ebola and Marburg hemorrhagic fever viruses
"[...] On July 14, 2010, AVI BioPharma, Inc. (the 'Company') was awarded a new contract with the U.S. Department of Defense Chemical and Biological Defense Program through the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command for the advanced development of the Company's hemorrhagic fever virus therapeutic candidates, AVI-6002 and AVI-6003, for Ebola and Marburg viruses, respectively. The contract is funded as part of the Transformational Medical Technologies (TMT) program, which was pioneered to develop innovative platform-based solutions countering biological threats. The contract is structured into four segments with potential funding of up to approximately $291 million. Activity under the first segment is to begin immediately and provides for funding to the Company of up to approximately $80 million. After completion of the first segment, and each successive segment, TMT has the option to proceed to the next segment for either or both AVI-6002 and AVI-6003. If TMT exercises its options for all four segments, contract activities would include all clinical and licensure activities necessary to obtain FDA regulatory approval of each therapeutic candidate and would provide for a total funding award to the Company of up to approximately $291 million." (MarketWatch; 16Jul10) http://www.marketwatch.com/story/avi-biopharma-discloses-new-contract-with-us-government-for-potential-funding-of-up-to-291-million-to-advance-development-of-therapeutic-candidates-for-ebola-and-marburg-hemorrhagic-fever-viruses-2010-07-16?reflink=MW_news_stmp

BRI [Biosecurity Research Institute] poses some challenges for Manhattan emergency crews [Manhattan, KS]
"Locked behind gates and security entrances, K[ansas]-State's Biosecurity Research Institute is a mystery to many people. However, the directors want to make sure the right people know their way around. Thursday, ten paramedics and firefighters who would be first on the scene of an emergency got some training at the research lab. 'To bring the first responders in to let them see what the research areas look like, understand the safety measures,' BRI Security Director Lance Luftman says is the reason behind the training. Scientists at the university lab research plant and animal diseases that are a biosafety level three. Those are serious diseases that are transmitted through the air but can be treated. [...] Cameras weren't allowed in the rest of the building, but first responders did get a tour of it all. More research will be starting in the next 30 days and the BRI staff wanted emergency crews to see the layout now because there are no visitors allowed once research begins. The security director says the only emergency they've had was an employee who suffered heat exhaustion last summer. Emergency crews did go through training when the BRI first opened about two years ago, but Luftman says this is the first time for many of the men to go through the building now that the research equipment is in place." (American Broadcasting Corporation: Topeka, KS; 15Jul10; Lindsey Elliott) http://www.ktka.com/news/2010/jul/15/bri-poses-some-challenges-manhattan-emergency-crew/

iGEM [International Genetically Engineered Machines] team helps prevent rogue use of synthetic biology
"A team of students from ENSIMAG [École Nationale Supérieure d'Informatique et de Mathématiques], an engineering school in Grenoble, France, and Virginia Tech is using bioinformatics to implement federal guidance on synthetic genomics. The students' work will help gene synthesis companies and their customers better detect the possible use of manufactured DNA as harmful agents for bioterrorism. Synthetic biology offers huge potential for practical applications in medicine, energy production, agriculture, and other areas. For a few thousand dollars, it is now possible to design custom DNA sequences the size of a viral genome, order these sequences from a DNA manufacturer, and receive the DNA in the mail within a few weeks. Experts are concerned, however, about the potential misuse of these emerging technologies and that is where the student's project could play a key role in preventing synthetic biology malpractice." (Medical News Today; 21Jul10) http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/195304.php

Pueblo, Blue Grass funds pass Senate committee
"The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee last week approved federal funding for chemical weapons disarmament efforts at the last two sites in the United States scheduled to finish destroying their stockpiles (see GSN, May 7). The fiscal 2011 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill contains $65.6 million for building a chemical agent neutralization facility at the Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado. The site holds 2,611 tons of mustard blister agent, which is scheduled to be eliminated by 2017. [...] Construction continues on the neutralization plant along with a facility that would be used to treat hydrolysate waste produced in neutralizing the blister agent (U.S. Senator Mark Udall release, July 20). The Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky would receive $59.4 million in the appropriations bill for construction of a disarmament facility that would destroy the site's stockpile of 523 tons of mustard agent and VX and sarin nerve agents. Chemical disarmament operations at the installation are slated to end in 2021. The appropriations bill now must be approved by the full Senate." (Global Security Newswire; 21Jul10) http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20100721_8345.php

Workshop on int'l aid, protection against chemical weapons held in Beijing
"A training class on international assistance and protection against chemical weapons was opened in Beijing Monday. The week-long workshop is jointly held by the Chinese government and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) with 22 trainees from 21 countries. The class is designed to equip the trainees with better knowledge on protection against chemical weapons and provide a platform to related nations to exchange information and experience. It eyes implementing article 10 of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and helping the involved countries to improve their ability to deal with the threat of chemical weapons and chemical accidents." (People's Daily Online; 19Jul10) http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90776/90785/7071666.html

Convicted Dutch poison gas supplier loses appeal
"The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has rejected an appeal by Dutch chemicals dealer Frans van Anraat. He is serving a 16 and a half year jail term for delivering mustard gas ingredients to Saddam Hussein's regime in the 1980s. Mr Van Anraat had complained to the Strasbourg court that the Dutch judges were not qualified to take on this case because Saddam Hussein was immune to prosecution as a head of state. The court threw out this argument. Van Anraat's chemicals may have been used for the poison gas used by the Baghdad regime against the Kurdish population of Halabja in 1988, which killed thousands of people." (Radio Netherlands Worldwide; 20Jul10) http://www.rnw.nl/english/bulletin/convicted-dutch-poison-gas-supplier-loses-appeal

Hazardous materials leak at Petro Truck Stop [Eloy, AZ]
"The Eloy Fire District responded to a hazardous materials leak at Petro Truck Stop yesterday, July 21 at 1:16 p.m., where six were treated for inhalation of nitric acid and four were hospitalized. Upon arrival of Eloy firefighters at the scene, they found a 300-gallon container of nitric acid that had been leaking while in transit. The leak was caused by a faulty gasket on top of the container. The driver of the truck discovered the leak when he pulled into the truck stop for fuel. After discovering the leak, the driver pulled the truck into a dirt lot away from the other trucks. The Arizona Department of Public Safety also sent two hazardous materials officers to the scene to assist Eloy Fire crews with the call. Six were injured, and four were transported by ground to Casa Grande Regional Medical Center. Belfor Environmental from Mesa Arizona was called to the scene to properly seal the container of nitric acid and cleanup the remaining acid that was spilled. The cleanup and repair was completed at 9:30 p.m. that night." (TriValley Central: Arizona; 22Jul10) http://www.trivalleycentral.com/breaking_news/doc4c487633aec05657051661.txt

Douglas Co. sheriff's searching home find grenade, gasoline dumped on floor [Gardnerville, NV]
"Douglas County Sheriff's deputies responding to reports of a man walking around his Gardnerville yard with a handgun Sunday discovered a grenade and a strong, chemical smell coming from the house. At around 1 p.m., deputies were called to the residence at 1347 East Marion Russell after people saw David Tenca walking around his yard with the gun, Sgt. Bernadette Smith said. Tenca was later stopped driving away from the home, and officers determined that he was in need of mental health assistance, Smith said. After the chemical smell was detected at Tenca's home, the East Fork Fire District were called to investigate and they found a grenade in the front yard, Smith said. The Tahoe Douglas Explosive Ordinance Disposal was then dispatched to investigate. After evacuating several neighboring homes, investigators determined that the grenade was inert and the residence was safe to enter, Smith said. Law enforcement officials then checked the home and found no traces of a laboratory, but did find that gasoline and kerosene has been poured on the floor, Smith said. Weapons belonging to Tenca were removed from the home, and all utilities were shut off while crews worked to ventilate it, Smith said." (Reno Gazette-Journal; 19Jul10) http://www.rgj.com/article/20100719/NEWS01/100719013/1321/news

City to install chemical sensors at port [Providence, RI]
"The City of Providence is preparing to install a new chemical-detection sensor system in the Port of Providence to enhance safety in the area. [...] The chemical detectors, which will be paid for through a $593,000 grant from the Department of Homeland Security, will alert first responders to chemical hazards in the Port. [...] The new sensors will be integrated with PEMA's Port Area Waterside Video Surveillance System (PAWSS), which enables the agency to respond immediately to emergency disasters involving vessels in Narragansett Bay. The system provides emergency response personnel with live camera feeds throughout the bay, between the Port and the entrance to the bay in Newport. PEMA also recently installed a new Port of Providence Emergency Siren Warning System which emits a loud alert and voice message to notify residents and visitors of emergency situations." (WPRI: Providence, RI; 19Jul10; Amanda Mathias) http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/city-of-providence-pema-to-install-chemical-sensors-in-port-of-providence

An untidy exercise at Y-12's Fogbank facility
"According to a recently released June 18 memo by staff of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, there was a full-scale emergency mangement exercise last month at Y-12's Purification Facility -- the place where a classified, non-nuclear material known as Fogbank is produced for use in nuclear warheads. The exercise revealed a number of weaknesses in accident response, although a federal spokesman emphasized that's the purpose of having an emergency exercise. 'My understanding is that the basic expectations for the exercise were met,' said Steven Wyatt of the National Nuclear Security Administration's Y-12 Site office. 'There's always room for improvement.' The DNFSB memo said the exercise was based on a scenario in which acetonitrile (ACN) was pilled. 'The exercise scenario included ignition of the ACN about 30 minutes after the spill and the ACN burning itself out after 15-20 minutes. One of the decomposition products of burning ACN is hydrogen cyanide (HCN) gas.' [...] Here were some of their observations: 1. Key participants did not fully understand the physical properties and hazards associated with the ACN and HCN. 2. Personnel did not recognize that the HCN plume would significantly dissipate within a few minutes of the fire being extinguished, 3. Field monitoring teams weren't deployed until 80 minutes after the fire was extinguished, 4. On-site sirens did not enunciate. 5. Some communications between various response entities, both onsite and offsite, were poor." (Knoxville News Sentinel; 19Jul10; Frank Munger) http://blogs.knoxnews.com/munger/2010/07/an_untidy_exercise_at_y-12s_pu.html

Lawmakers lambaste "dirty bomb" security funding cuts
"The Obama administration is planning a 50 percent funding reduction for efforts to secure U.S. radiological material sources amid the continued threat of a 'dirty bomb' attack against the United States, two lawmakers said today in a Wall Street Journal commentary (see GSN, July 6). The Energy Department's semiautonomous nuclear agency quickly rejected the assertion regarding radiological defense spending. The White House's proposed cut for the next budget year would be the latest in a series of reductions, according to Representative Jane Harman (D-Calif.) and Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine). It would occur even as the administration seeks to double spending for security of 'loose nukes,' they said (see GSN, April 14). [...] The limited efforts to date to safeguard potential dirty bomb materials 'simply don't go far enough,' the commentary states. Failure to head off a radiological attack could have devastating consequences, the lawmakers wrote. [...] In a statement to Global Security Newswire, National Nuclear Security Administration spokesman Jennifer Wagner said 'the president's budget request for FY2011 does not cut the Department of Energy's programs for securing radiological materials in half. 'While there is a slight decrease of $2.9 million (roughly 5.5 percent) for 2011, the department's full five-year budget request includes dramatic increases in those programs: From $50.1 million in 2011, to $143 million in 2012, $180.9 million in 2013, $298.1 million in 2014 and $337.1 million in 2015,' Wagner stated by e-mail. 'This includes funding for domestic radiological security and removals.' The administration's proposed spending plan would allow for finishing security improvements at 60 additional U.S. facilities, including hospitals and academic institutions, and to 'permanently secure at least an additional 2,200 excess and unwanted sources of potential dirty bomb material,' Wagner said." (Global Security Newswire; 22Jul10) http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20100722_2382.php

Murray adds $50m for Hanford [WA]
"The proposed Hanford budget for next year got a $50 million boost, thanks to the work of Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., on Tuesday. She also had planned to add money to allow work to continue to license Yucca Mountain, Nev., as a national repository for high-level radioactive waste. However, no amendments were allowed at the markup of the fiscal 2011 Department of Energy proposed budget before a Senate subcommittee Tuesday. Instead, she plans to bring the amendment to a vote of the full Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday. [...] The additional $50 million for Hanford cleanup in the proposed budget is in addition to an increase in the Obama administration's budget proposal for Hanford for fiscal 2011. In total, the budget would include $56 million more than Hanford has in its annual budget now for environmental cleanup linked to the past production of plutonium for the nation's nuclear weapons program. Not included in the numbers are savings in security next year and for work at the Fast Flux Test Facility, a research rather than a weapons reactor. [...] Murray worked to get an increase in spending for construction of the vitrification plant increased by $50 million when the Obama administration's budget proposal was released in February. She also got a $10 million increase added for work at the tank farms, where 53 million gallons of radioactive waste are held in underground tanks, some of them prone to leaks. Some of that $60 million proposed increase in February was offset partially by cuts in other Hanford programs, which the $50 million added to the proposed Senate budget Tuesday more than offsets. The $50 million includes $35 million for work to clean up contaminated ground water beneath Hanford and $15 million to speed up demolition of the Plutonium Finishing Plant in central Hanford. [...] Murray plans to propose reinstating $200 million to be used to continue DOE work to license Yucca Mountain. That amount would be offset by an across-the-board reduction for DOE of the same amount." (Bellingham Herald; 21Jul10; Annette Cary) http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2010/07/21/1534770/murray-adds-50m-for-hanford.html

Tbilisi mulls fight against illegal transportation of nuclear materials
"A two-day conference devoted to combating the illegal trafficking of nuclear material organized by the U.S. Embassy was opened in Tbilisi Hotel Betsy July 21. The meeting discusses the U.S.-Georgian joint action plan to stop nuclear smuggling. Representatives of the Georgian Environment and Natural Resources Ministry will report on the investigation in nuclear smuggling, border security and the coastline. The conference is also attended by representatives of donor organizations that consider funding of projects related to nuclear and radiation hazards. Georgia plays a crucial role in combating nuclear terrorism and is the guarantor of increasing the security regime in the region, the Environment and Natural Resources Ministry reported." (Trend News: Azerbaijan; 21Jul10; N. Kirtzkhalia) http://en.trend.az/news/politics/foreign/1724316.html

Bail for 'dirty bomb' gang
"Five men arrested in an international police sting operation after they were allegedly involved in the sale of a highly radioactive metal suspected to be destined for use in a dirty bomb have been granted bail. André Lesar, Theophilus Faber, Nonyana Maodi, Rufus Monare and Setjhaba Michael Mofokeng - who have been charged with possession of explosives - were granted bail on Monday of R2 000 each by the Pretoria Magistrate's Court. The men were arrested on July 9 at a filling station in Garsfontein, Pretoria. The operation by the Hawks resulted in the recovery of radioactive Caesium-137, which has various industrial and medical uses. Hawks spokesperson Colonel Musa Zondi said at the time the men were arrested as they allegedly tried to sell the stolen device in an illegal transaction. Zondi said the recovered piece was a sample of a device which was supposed to be sold for R45-million. Lesar, Faber, Maodi, Monare and Mofokeng are expected back in court again on August 25." (Independent: South Africa; 20Jul10)
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?fsetid=1&click_id=15&art_id=vn20100720042047225C127506

Drill prepares emergency personnel [Bay City, TX]
"The Matagorda County Emergency Operation Center (EOC) activated Tuesday morning, July 20, in response to a non-graded drill involving a radiological release at the South Texas Project. Matagorda County Judge Nate McDonald, fulfilling his role as Matagorda County emergency management director, orchestrated the event from the emergency operations center located in the Matagorda County Sheriff s Office. A joint information center was set up at Bay City s Best Western hotel to deliver regular press releases to the media. Joe Enoch, STP emergency response supervisor, said in the event of an actual emergency, the EOC would consist of the command and control team, the liaison team, the functional team and the public information team." (Bay City Tribune: Texas; 22Jul10; Heather Menzies)
http://baycitytribune.com/story.lasso?ewcd=c5252095be333436

A safe situation? [radioactive material goes missing from hospital in Kankakee, IL]
"Officials are investigating how a lead-lined safe containing radioactive material went missing from a storage area at Riverside Medical Center in Kankakee, Ill. Gibb Vinson of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, which oversees the handling of hazardous materials, said the safe could not be found after construction crews completed a demolition project at the facility on July 13. Officials suspect the construction crews may have inadvertently thrown out the safe with debris headed for an area landfill. Vinson said the safe is not believed to have been stolen, although the state is still investigating. A spokesman for the medical center declined to comment Wednesday. In a report filed to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, IEMA said the safe contained several small radioactive 'seeds' used in the treatment of cancer. These 'seeds,' as Vinson described them, are implanted into human tissue to kill cancer cells through radiation, a common treatment method among hospitals. Vinson said the radioactive material does not pose a public health threat if it remains in the locked safe. However, if someone were to remove and handle the seeds, the health risks would be 'significant.' 'As long as they remain in the safe, it's a relatively safe situation,' Vinson said. Investigators have alerted landfill operators in the area to look for the safe and to use radiation monitoring devices to search for it amid debris." (Chicago Tribune; 21Jul10; Joel Hood) http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-met-0722-hospital-radioactive-mate20100721,0,5699408.story

Shaw Areva awards $1.8m subcontract
"The Northrop Grumman Corp., a Savannah River Site veteran company, has won a $1.8 million subcontract from Shaw Areva MOX Services for work to be performed at the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MOX). Northrop announced Monday that it was successful in its pursuit of the 42-week, $1.8 million contract to design and fabricate equipment 'to improve the distribution of chemicals within specialized process equipment' for a project being constructed at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS). Newport News Industrial, a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman's Shipbuilding sector, located in Newport News, Va., is the prime contractor for the work. Northrop Grumman has significant involvement at SRS, as it makes up management and operations contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions along with Fluor, Honeywell and Lockheed Martin. Newport News Industrial also holds a $9.5 million contract to produce a stainless steel pressure vessel called a melter. The melter is used to convert liquid nuclear waste into a solid glass form suitable for long-term storage and disposal. [...] When completed, the $4.86 billion MOX plant is designed to convert surplus weapons-grade plutonium into fuel for nuclear power plants." (iStock Analyst; 20Jul10)
http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/4323457

U.S. assessment team to size up emergency response at Virginia nuclear power plant
"A federal team will be at Dominion Virginia Power's North Anna nuclear power plant all week to size up an emergency preparedness exercise. The Federal Emergency Management Agency team is due to arrive in Louisa on Monday to assess the state's ability to respond to an emergency at the plant. The drills are held every other year to put emergency planning to the test. FEMA's evaluation will be sent to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for use in licensing decisions. FEMA will present its preliminary findings in suburban Richmond on Friday. North Anna has two nuclear reactors." (Canadian Business Online; 19Jul10)
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/market_news/article.jsp?content=D9H26JCO1

Senate OKs $20m for PNNL [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory] program
"A Senate committee has approved $20 million for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to help prevent radioactive contraband from entering the country. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., worked to increase proposed money for the work from $8 million proposed in the administration's budget. She is a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and the appropriations bill including the money passed the committee's homeland security subcommittee Thursday. PNNL in Richland has completed installing 850 radiation portal monitoring systems along the nation's borders. Every car and truck that enters the U.S. through a customs station along the Canadian or Mexican borders now is screened for radioactive contraband thanks to the lab. Now the lab's radiation monitoring program is turning to installing radiation detection systems at airports and seaports through 2014. The project is part of a $1 billion Department of Homeland Security program to protect the nation. The majority of the technical work and planning for the nationwide Radiation Portal Monitoring Project is done by about 150 full-time employees at the Department of Energy's national laboratory in Richland." (Tri-City Herald: Kennewick, WA; 16Jul10; Annette Cary) http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2010/07/16/1094682/senate-oks-20m-for-pnnl-program.html

MI5 thought Hussein would launch WMD as last resort
"The United Kingdom's national intelligence service thought former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein would only launch weapons of mass destruction against Western nations in a last-ditch attempt to save his regime, the former head of MI5 testified today (see GSN, July 13). Former agency chief Eliza Manningham-Buller told a British inquiry investigating the nation's involvement in the Iraq war that domestic intelligence officers thought that preinvasion Iraq had some small capacity to launch terrorist strikes in the United Kingdom, the Associated Press reported. However, the intelligence service also thought Hussein would deploy his suspected biological and chemical weapons only 'if he felt the survival of his regime was in doubt,' she said. Hussein would have rather used conventional means to attack Middle Eastern targets instead of committing terrorist acts, Manningham-Buller said (Associated Press/Examiner.com, July 20). The Bush administration in Washington and Blair government in London made Iraq suspected WMD capabilities a key part of their case for the 2003 invasion. No operational WMD stockpiles or biological and chemical weapons production facilities were discovered in the last seven years. Manningham-Buller said the regime in Baghdad did not constitute a great danger to the world and that the invasion that ended Hussein's rule had actually made things worse, the London Guardian reported. Iraq posed a 'very limited and containable' danger to the United Kingdom, she asserted. There was no significant concern before the war that Iraq could have helped militants acquire weapons of mass destruction for attacks on Western targets, according to Manningham-Buller." (Global Security Newswire; 20Jul10) http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20100720_1875.php

Government seeks ideas to combat terrorism
"The federal government is spending millions more on advanced science and technology to protect against weapons of mass destruction. A new call for proposals by the Centre for Security Science offers $18 million for ideas from industry and others to combat terrorists, criminals, accidents and natural disasters with chemical, biological, radiological-nuclear and explosive agents and weapons. The money comes from the centre's CBRNE Research and Technology Initiative, or CRTI. Since its creation in the wake of 9-11, about $400 million has been spent on more than 200 projects to close gaps and to strengthen weaknesses in Canada's CBRNE defences. [...] CRTI success stories include development of rapid, highly sensitive tests to detect agro-terrorism threats, advancements with medical countermeasures against the powerful poison ricin, mobile radiation detectors at the Ottawa airport and a variety of new technologies to protect first-responders. In this latest funding round, project proposals are sought from industry, academia, non-governmental organizations and government institutions in nine priority areas determined by science and technology experts." (Ottawa Citizen; 21Jul10; Ian Macleod) http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Government seeks ideas combat terrorism/3302925/story.html

CNS ChemBio-WMD Terrorism News is prepared by the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in order to bring timely and focused information to researchers and policymakers interested in the fields of chemical, biological, and radiological weapons nonproliferation and WMD terrorism.