The Chemical World This Week WASHINGTON
APRIL
22, 1963
CONCENTRATES
• The Air Force awarded major development contracts on large solid propellant boosters to Thiokol Chemical, Aerojet-General, and Lockheed last week (C&EN, Jan. 21, page 23). Thiokol will be in on three of the four parts of the program: static test firing of both a 3 million-pound-thrust, 156-inch-diameter solid motor of fixed nozzle design and a 1 million-poundthrust 156-incher with moveable nozzle; plus demonstration firing of a giant 260-inch-diameter solid motor. Aerojet was awarded a parallel 260inch motor development program. Lockheed won out on the test firing of a 1 million-poundthrust solid motor which will use jet tabs instead of the nozzle for vector thrust control. Initial value of all the contracts is about $50 million. • Proposals to amend U.S. antidumping laws have been introduced in both House and Senate. S. 1318, introduced by Sen. Hubert Humphrey (D.-Minn.), would strengthen the Antidumping Act by providing more effective procedures for conducting investigations. According to Sen. Humphrey, it takes an average of 17 months for the Treasury Department to investigate an alleged dumping and has taken as long as three years; his bill would require investigations to be completed within six months. And industry would have a chance to take part in S. 1318 would also require m the investigations. Treasury to issue proposed findings for industry comment before a final decision is reached. A similar bill (H.R. 5692) has been introduced in the House by Rep. Francis E. Walter (D.-Pa.). • An operating license for PRDC's fast breeder reactor has been approved by the Atomic Energy Commission's Atomic Licensing Board. The license would permit operation at a level not to exceed one megawatt (thermal) of Power Reactor Development Corp/s fast breeder reactor, located at Lagoona Beach, Mich. Unless AEC steps in to overrule the board, the license will be effective May 31 and will be in effect for 18 months. At the one megawatt power level, hypothetical accidents, including some accidents not considered to be credible, have been analyzed and the board concludes that none of these hypothetical accidents would result in any undue risk to the health and safety of the public. In view of the proposed methods of handling radioactive wastes, the board concludes that the site
(midway between Detroit and Toledo) is suitable in all respects. Three labor unions, fearful of the safety of the reactor in a crowded metropolitan area, carried an unsuccessful fight all the way to the Supreme Court to prevent operation of the PRDC reactor. However, the unions withdrew from the case at earlier hearings on the operating permit (C&EN, Jan. 14, page 19), • Rules for selling surplus cadmium from the stockpile have been set up by the General Services Administration. Public Law 88-8 authorizes the immediate sale of 2 million pounds (C&EN, April 15, page 51). GSA will offer for sale on an unrestricted basis one lot of 150,000 pounds of cadmium; cadmium purchased under this invitation to bid may be exported, subject to Commerce Department export regulations. A second lot of 150,000 pounds will be offered on a restricted basis; bidders must be small business concerns as defined by the Small Business Administration and must certify that the cadmium purchased will be used solely in the U.S. GSA plans to offer additional quantities of cadmium for sale at 60-day intervals. • Additional controls on the use of pesticides are not needed, says Surgeon General Luther L. Terry. In a television interview with Rep. Harold C. Ostertag (R.-N.Y.), taped for showing in the Rochester-Buffalo area, Dr. Terry says that the question of more information and more education of the public is far more important than additional regulations or laws. Pesticides can be a potentially serious health problem, he says. But we need more research and information on the effects of exposure to small amounts of pesticides over long periods of time, he adds. • Legislation to aid higher education has been blocked temporarily, maybe permanently, says Rep. Edith Green (D.-Ore.), chairman of the House Special Subcommittee on Education. Rep. Green charges that the Administration has scuttled federal aid to higher education in return for Rules Committee approval of a bill to aid medical schools. Administration spokesmen deny that such a deal was made. "If legislation is to be passed," Rep. Green says, "we should introduce a bill to build schools and call it the educational public works bill or turn education over to the Defense Department." APRIL
22,
1963
C&EN
21
