Nuclear plant idea takes hold - Group says it will seek power facility for Fresno

A group of Fresno businessmen announced Wednesday that they have formed a corporation and signed a letter of intent with a power-plant developer to explore plans for a nuclear reactor in Fresno.

But with a California law banning new nuclear plants until the federal government comes up with a plan for safely disposing of spent fuel - and with federal plans for such disposal in limbo - the Fresno group's efforts could well be in vain, anti-nuclear groups said.

Still, the backers of Fresno Nuclear Energy Group LLC are optimistic, noting that new federal incentives for nuclear plants and California's growing need for electricity sources that don't emit greenhouse gases could improve their prospects.

Nuclear plants still seen as vulnerable to airborne terrorist attack

In the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission assured the public that a nuclear power plant, including the Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station in Shippingport, could withstand a hit from a passenger jet.

Yet, in recent months, a 1982 study has come to light that showed that an impact from a Boeing 707 or a larger plane could cause devastating damage that could result in the release of radiation, or even cause a meltdown of the plant's core.

And a Washington, D.C.-based nuclear safety engineer believes that while plants have been made safer from ground attacks, they are still vulnerable to an attack from the skies.

Summit ends with oral declaration on N. Korea nuclear program

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam A summit of Pacific Rim nations has ended with reported agreement that North Korea's nuclear ambitions are unacceptable, but the alliance was unwilling to put it in writing.

The failure to publish a resounding condemnation of North Korea's missile testing and bomb development was a setback for the Bush administration, which as recently as Saturday insisted that the 21 nations of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation were ready to issue a statement about Pyongyang's activities.