GOVERNMENT Green Light for Atomic Insurance H o u s e a p p r o v e s g o v e r n m e n t i n d e m n i t y f o r atomic a c c i d e n t s , establishes R e a c t o r H a z a r d s C o m m i t t e e GOVERNMENT
A T O M I C INSURANCE, a
must if industry is to o p e r a t e the atomic power plants now building, is almost a realitv. Last week, the House approved a bill (U.K. 7 3 8 3 ) t h a t pro vides government indemnities to sup plement available private atomic in surance. This bill, backed b y t h e Ad ministration a n d approved b y A E C , is certain to pass the Senate w i t h o u t seri ous opposition. Congressional approval of atomic in surance will corne n o n e too soon, with die first large-scale atomic p o w e r plant at Shippingport, Pa., scheduled to go on the line late this year or early next year. Industry men have repeatedly told Congress that t h e y would not op erate the atomic p o w e r plants unless financial protection was available against t h e remote possibility of an atomic catastrophe. • How It W o r k s . As a p p r o v e d by the House, H.R. 7383 would do these things: • Require atomic contractors t o take out private liability insurance in the maximum amount available. • Provide government indemnity for liability b e y o n d the private insurance available. Maximum amount: $500 million for each plant. • Extend government indemnity cov erage to include subcontractors and equipment suppliers. • Establish a Reactor H a z a r d s Ad visory Committee. Little rea* opposition to t h e bill de
veloped in the House d e b a t e . Some members thought t h a t if operators of small power reactors and research re actors h a d to buy t h e full amount of private insurance available ($65 mil lion), the financial b u r d e n would be too great. But it was p o i n t e d out that where reactor power output is less than 100,000 kw., the bill gives AEC the power to require whatever amount of private insurance it thinks is necessary. Another question raised: W h y are die government insurance rates so low compared to those charged by private companies? Backers of the bill pointed out that the Government is not trying to build u p a pool to underwrite future damage claims. T h e low premium, $ 3 7 . 8 0 / $ ! million liability, is merely to cover the cost of r u n n i n g the pro gram. Said Rep. Melvin Price (D.111.), " W e do not expect t o ever have to p a y indemnification/' • Safety P r o b l e m s . T h e liveliest d e b a t e was touched off by the section of t h e bill establishing a Reactor Haz ards Advisory Committee. Such a committee has been functioning inside AEC, b u t has not b e e n established by law. AEC would prefer t o continue present operations, but agrees to the provisions of H.R. 7 3 8 3 . U n d e r the bill, t h e committee is to consist of up to 15 m e m b e r s appointed by AEC for terms of four years each. T h e committee will advise A E C on the safety of all reactor projects likely to affect public safety. All committee re ports must b e made public, and public hearings must b e held on all projects.
Cost of A t o m i c Insurance I §
($50 million Company
private, $ 5 0 0 mi llion Government)
Electrical kw.
Commonwealth Edison Yankee Atomic Elk River GE (Calif.)
250,000 1 34,000 22,000 3,000
Annual Private $250,000 130,000 69,430 67,000 «•BMBjaBMOwamiwaw
28
C&EN
JULY
15.
1957
*remïum Government $18,900 14,400 1,640 360
Some of d i e bill's backers a r e n o t too h a p p y with the formal committee. During t h e d e b a t e , R e p . W. Sterling Cole (R.-N. Ύ.) said he doubted the advisability of giving t h e committee statutory authority. He argued that the committee, knowing its decisions would b e subject to litigation, w o u l d tend to b e ultraconservative i n its ap praisal of reactor safety. This m i g h t slow down t h e atomic program. In addition, R e p . Cole said, A E C w o u l d tend to b e m o r e lax in studying the safety aspects of new projects because t h e c o m m i t t e e would h a v e to b e a r the b r u n t of public criticism for its de cisions. B u t , said R e p . Cole, if we must have trie committee to h a v e a n indemnity bill, "this is a minor price for us to p a y / ' On the other side of t h e fence, Rep. Chet Holifield (D.-Calif.) w a n t e d t o make the powers of t h e committee even stronger. H e offered an amendment t o strike the w o r d "advisory" from the n a m e of the committee. U n d e r his plan, A E C could not issue a reactor permit of any kind unless safety of the project h a d been a p p r o v e d by the com mittee. Opponents argued that the present law gives AEC the authority and responsibility for the safety of t h e atomic program. The amendment would set u p an illegal supercommis sion to regulate A E C . Rep. Holifxeld's amendment f o u n d few backers and was easily defeated. T h e House-approved bill has gone t o t h e S e n a t e a n d b e e n p u t on the calendar. Chances a r e that t h e senior b o d y will act on i t in the next few7 days.
Additive Hearings Set Bills t o control chemicals in foods to get airing; panel of experts to advise House subcommittee CONTROVERSIAL
BILLS
to
control
chemicals added to foods, b o t t l e d u p in c o m m i t t e e during this session of Congress, are about t o see t h e light of day. Rep. John Bell Williams (D.Miss.), chairman of the House Sub committee o n Health and Science, says h e plans to hold hearings on the bills. W h i l e n o definite date has b e e n set, hearings will probably open near the end of this m o n t h . In previous Congresses, food addi tive bills have b e e n introduced and hearings held, b u t n o new legislation has resulted. Reason: Industry and the Food a n d D r u g Administration have not b e e n able t o agree on a com promise bill. Both agree that chemical additives in foods should be controlled, but they disagree on h o w to do it.
Announcing
Cyanamid
CYQUEST 40 SEQUESTERING
."handcuffs"
AGENT
for troublesome
A very small amount of CyanarnicTs CYQUEST 40 will "knock down, tie up, and p u t away for good" those divalent and trivalent metal ions that trig ger undesirable reactions and affect the color, clarity, stability or performance of your product. CYQUEST 40 Sequestering Agent is the tetrasodium salt of ethylenediamine tetraacetate, known to its friends as E D T A , a n d known t o its users as the most effective producer of stable metal chelate complexes. As we have implied, our new CYQUEST 40 is a remarkably effective sequestering agent—and this is true through the widest range of both product formulation and product use. It is a clear, 40% solution of the active ingredient, packed in con venient double-polyethylene-lined fiber drums of 15- and 35-gallon capacity.
metal
ions
Your nearest Cyanamid office will be very happy to cooperate in making our product and services available to you. The more cautious may wish descriptive literature and a sample first. . . these can be had for the asking. "Trademark C7 Y A, A T A JVT X X» American C y a n a m i d C o m p a n y Manufacturers Chemicals Department 30 Rockefeller Plaza N e w York 20, N e w York
Gentlemen: Please send me Π
D a t a sheet on CYQUEST 40
Q
Sample of CYQUEST 4 G
NAME COMPANY ADDRESS CITY_
-ZONE
STATE-
In Canada: North American Cyanamid Limited, Toronto and Montreal
JULY
15, 1 9 5 7 C & E N
29
HARD1NGE REGULATING FEEDERS
CONSTANT-WEIGHT FEEDERS
WEIGHT-MEASURING FEEDERS
V O L U M E T R I C NON-FLOODING DRUM FEEDERS
VOLUMETRIC BELT FEEDERS
GOVERNMENT
This time Rep. Williams plans a new approach to the problem. His solu tion—separate t h e scientific problems from the legal and administrative prob lems and discuss them separately. Rep. Williams has asked the National Academy of Sciences to appoint a panel of experts and a n impartial chairman to discuss at the hearings the problems involved in testing a n d evaluating t h e safety of food additives. A public dis cussion of t h e complex scientific prob lems involved in the case of chemical additives, Rep. Williams says, will help the subcommittee understand the bills before it. • Added Starter. Earlier in the ses sion a number of hills were introduced t o control food additives (C&EN, F e b . 18, page 36; April 2 9 , page 4 8 ) . To these must be added another bill (H.R· 8112) introduced recently by Rep. A. L. MiUer (R.-Neb.). Rep. Miller oflFered his bill as a compromise that might resolve t h e differences be tween industry a n d F D A . Heart of the Miller bill is an advisory panel made up of scientists. Industry or F D A can call on the panel t o ex amine the safety of a new additive and make recommendations. The panel, says Rep. Miller, "can act as a brake on a n y inclination of FDA to exercise arbitrary and unreasonable control over industry." It can also act as an arbiter between industry a n d FDA. Other provisions of t h e Miller bill: Chemicals in use over a long period are exempt from further testing. Either industry or F D A can appeal adverse decisions on additives to the courts. Hearings on the food additive bills come too late i n t h e session for the House to take action this year. But there are signs that this year the House committee may report out a bill instead of letting the legislation die in com mittee as has happened in the past.
Potomac
Postscripts
• Office of Strategic Information, DISC
FEEDERS
The Hardinge line of regulating feeders pro vides a rugged and trouble-free feeder unit for every type of dry, flowing material- The Constant - Weight Feeder, in particular, is excellent for control by weight, rather than volume, of materials which vary in size o r density. Write for Bulletin 3VE-41 State your feeding problem.
if.t;l.lWMa
C Ο M > Α Ν Y,
I H C O H t Ο H AT 10
YORK. PDiNSYLVANlA 240 Arch S t . M a i n Office and Worta N«w Toih TofnalD CH«
