Ice Could Be Dump for Radioactive Trash, Prof Says
By TOM GAUME
Kanaan Staff Recorder
By the year 2000, the world's nuclear reactors will have created 700 million gallons of radioactive waste, which will be dangerous for at least 250,000 years. But there is a plan to put to the waste on ice, according to Edward Zeller, professor of geology and physics.
Depositories for nuclear waste in the United States already are being filled, and the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) is seeking new places to dump the material. In 1970, the AEC announced its intention to use salt mines near Lyons as a depository. However, uprast against the move was so great that the AEC withdrew its plan last year, considering a site in northern New Mexico instead.
"The ABC said it (storing near lyons) would be safe, Zeller said, but we weren't sure"
One year ago at the nuclear waste repository in Handford, Wash., 440,000 gallons of radioactive
material seeped into the ground. The AEC aid it was wrong, but, Zeller said, that is open to you.
IN SEARCH OF AN ALTERNATIVE to the Lyons site, Zeller and two other professors at the University of Kansas, Gisela Dreschhoff, resident associate professor of physics, and Ernest Angina, professor of geology, became interested in using ultrasonic as a depository for the world nuclear waste.
They announced their plan publicly to the European Nuclear Energy Agency in November 1972 in Paris. Since then they have presented the idea to symposiums in Montreal and Seattle. They present it to the International Council of Scientific Unions in Cambridge, England, in September. It will be the first time the plan has been presented to an international organization.
International cooperation is necessary. Zeiler said. The cost of providing adequate depositories is small, but it is essential to maintain environmental integrity.
measures to store an increasing amount of nuclear waste.
The professors said the only hope was to use an international organization to unify disparate fields of study.
The professors' plan is to deposit canisters, which would be hotter than 500 degrees Fahrenheit, on the surface of the ice in Antarctica. Each canister would be about one foot in diameter and about 10 feet long and would contain about 36 gallons of water. The ice will melt at a rate of about three feet a day. Zeller said
AT THAT RATE it would take three to five years for a canister to sink through the ice to rock that is more than a mile beneath the surface of the ice. The water will be cold enough for the canister would create a small pool of water around the canister, which would prevent it from being pushed out of position by shifting ice, Zeller said.
Because of the danger of radioactivity and reaction heat that would be produced by the
canisters, they would have to be cooled while being hauled by special ships from the depositing countries to Antarctica. Zeller said. Then they would be shipped out about 500 miles inland by a special tractor-trailer.
One canister would be placed every four square mules to prevent creation of "hot spots" under the canister.
Between the tractor driver and the trailer容纳 the canisters would be a lead wall, three to four feet thick. Zeller said. As the tractor reached the bottom of the mechanical device would lower the container onto the ice.
Zeller, who has been to Antarctica three times, said the area was ideal for nuclear waste storage in order to keep it out of reach. The site above 32 degrees Fahrenheit in a million years. Antarctics could hold the world's nuclear waste.
was to drop canisters on the ice by plane and let snow slowly cover them, Zeller said.
The KU professors have improved on that theory, but Philberth's work forewash many of the problems that began to develop in the following decade, Zeller said.
"Let us not go off half cocked," he said.
Zeller emphasized that the present proposal was just to study Antarctica and make tests to see whether it could be a viable planet.
The Antarctic Treaty of 1960 prohibits radioactive waste disposal there for the next 15 years. But the treaty does not specify what changes that change can be made if desired by the signatories, many of whom have or will have waste disposed in Antarctica.
Zeller consulted the AEC and the U.S. State Department last week in preparation for the Cambridge symposium. Both groups said they would agree that treaty amendment would be a problem, he said.
Forecast: Fair to partly cloudy and warm. High in mid 70s, low in 40s. 84th Year, No. 128
Thursday, April 18, 1974
KU Alum Meade Looking Ahead To Olympics
See Story Page 8
Last Show
Kansan Staff Photo by CARL DAVAZ
Mike Firmigain, with plenty of beer on hand, brought his brand of rhythm and blues to the Free State Opera house last
night. Finigan, backed up by dye Mason's band, performed his final show of a two-week tour of Kansas.
GOP Defeat Gets Mixed Reactions
By the Associated Press
The GOP's fourth stinging loss of a sure Republican seat in the house stirred speculation that the reflected mood of the state could spur the impowerment drive.
The White House said yesterday that President Nixon didn't think he was the big issue in the Democrats' historic election against him. Most political reactions were aimed at his boss.
Vice President Gerald Ford predicted that the voting trend could portend a dictatorial Congress top-heavy with congress and could doom the two-party system.
Democrat Bob Trakler ended 42 years of Republican hold on Michigan's 8th Congressional District Tuesday by defeating Republican James Sparring Jr., 59,918 to 65,735 in a special election to fill the vacant seat. He was nominated to a federal leadership
Not since 1832 had the Democrats won an
eight district, which has averaged 66.2 per
person in the last decade.
The GOP defeat in Saginaw followed losses of traditional Republican seats in Pennsylvania's 12th District; Michigan's governor, Mike Huckabee, was president, and Ohio's 1st at Cincinnati.
President Nixon had thrown his personal prestige into the breach in Saginaw with a campaign visit on behalf of Sparing, but the White House disagreed with suggestions that the election was a Watergate-Nixon referendum.
Sen. Vance Hartke, D-Ind., said in LaPorte, Ind., that the latest election would speed the process of removing Nixon from office.
Kansan Staff Reporter
"There's no question in my mind that President Nixon did put his political reputation as a politician on the line in Michigan," Hartle said. "That reputation suffered a setback. I anticipate we'll have a new president."
By DENNIS ELLSWORTH
Reactions Favorable to Behavior Analysis
Reactions to the use of behavior analysis in the classroom were generally favorable among University of Kansas professors and researchers, who members interviewed earlier this week.
From Bucharest, Romania, Hugh Scott,
Senate Republican leader, sent a statement
that the loss was depressing but wouldn't
affect the deliberations on impeachment.
Behavior analysis, which consists of team
enough evaluation of the program. "I think we need to know if this is a good way to do it."
teaching, nongraded classrooms, individualized teaching and tokens for good behavior, is being used in the Follow Through program of Lawrence schools. The program receives funds from a federal grant administered through KU.
Board member Julie Hack of 2126 Massachusetts St. said there hadn't been
any foreseeable problems for the children, she said.
"It's an additional item of bad news," Scott said.
Hack said children who switched from behavior analysis classrooms to conventional classrooms probably would carry a learning disability. The program is slowly phased out, there aren't
"I have great faith in kids being able to adjust." Gilles said.
Another board member, Dr. Helen Giles of 1301 Iowa St. said that if tokens were plased out of the program, children would be better adapted to the conventional classroom.
"It would vary from child to child," she said.
She said she thought problems wouldn't result for most children when faced with
"One of the things about the token system is that it 'kind of like' training monkeys,"
one method of discipline at school and another at home.
Gilles said verbal praise and encouragement were better than tokens.
The idea of praising kids for what they
See Behavior Page 10
Ford called it bad news of a different sort,
he said continued Democratic victories in
the midterm elections.
"One-party control is not good for America." Ford said.
"And the trend in congressional elections now is for the Democrats to end up with an overwhelming majority in the House. This will mean a legislative dictatorship."
At a Washington news conference Democratic National Chairman Robert Strauss answered Ford, "That strikes me as an interesting posture for him to be, because three weeks ago he was talking about the stresses that pressure unable to come to grips with anything.
The former Cabinet member took the witness stand in his own defense at the
NEW YORK (AP)—Former Commerce Secretary Maurice H. Stans testified yesterday that financier Robert L. Vesco never received a payoff in return for a secret $200,000 cash contribution to President Nixon's 1972 election campaign.
See GOP Page 2
Vesco Got No Payoff, Stans Says
When Vesco made the donation, he was the target of a massive Securities and Exchange Commission frauds investigation.
federal criminal conspiracy trial in which he is in a coedifendant with one-time Atty. Gen.
Mitchell and Stans are accused of impending this probe in exchange for the $200,000. They are charged with conspiracy,
Relatives Can Prosecute State Officials, Court Rules
WASHINGTON (AP) — Spurred by suits following the deaths of four students at Kent State University in 1970, the Supreme Court ruled that a prosecutor should prosecute state officials for their acts.
The court unanimously rejected the notion that state officials had an absolute immunity from law suits. They have immunity for their official acts, said Chief
Kansan Board Names Editor
The court thus kept alive damage suits against Ohio officials brought by relatives of three of the four students slain in a confrontation with Ohio National Guard-smen during a protest against the Indochina War.
Three persons have been selected by the Kansan Board for positions on the summer and fall Kansan.
Justice Warren E. Burger for the court, but this immunity is qualified.
The justices sent the cases back to a lower federal court for more proceedings to determine the extent of the immunity of the officials named as defendants.
Eric Meyer, Marion junior, was selected editor of the fall Kansas. Steve Haugan, Des Moines, Iowa, junior, was selected business manager for the fall.
Dave Anderson, Shawne Mission senior, will be the business manager for the summer Kanan. An editor for the summer Kanan has not been selected.
Last month a federal grand jury in Cleveland indicted eight of the National Guardmen on charges of violating the civil rights of the students who were killed and wounded. The indictments weren't related to the suits on which the Supreme Court acted.
The defendants include former Gov. James Rhodes, the adjunct general of the state National Guard, officers and enlisted men in the guard and the university president.
A federal district court judge had dismissed the civil suits at a very early stage, saying he lacked jurisdiction because the cases were essentially against the state itself and therefore barred by the federal constitution.
"I said, 'Mr. Vesco, that should be no problem. Anybody having trouble with a government agency should be able to go to the head of that agency, I said something to that that I hope you work out your SEC master satisfactorily. He says, 'I'm sure we will."
Stans said that at the meeting of March 8, 1972, in which the money was pledged, it was be and not Vesco who raised the matter of the SEC investigation.
He testified, "He said, 'Well that has been going on almost a year. We have been trying to resolve it. But the problem was that the SEC was harassing us, and we haven't been down and settle it. Our lawyers haven't been able to get to the commissioners.'"
However, Stans said that because of the SEC matter, he put a hold on the pending Vesco contribution until he could "check him out" with Mitchell.
The two former Cabinet colleagues had resigned their offices by that time to run the company.
Regarding his meeting later with Mitchell. Stans testified:
The laiison man for Vesco with Stans and Mitchell was Harry Sears, a political friend of Mitchell, who had gone to work as a $60.00-a-year Vesco leale aide.
"I told him I had met Vesco and talked with Sears and Vesco was prepared to give a contribution of $25,000. I said that I had discussed with Sears that Vesco had a job at SEC, that Sesco had described himself as a good friend of yours, John Mitchell's."
"I said, 'I want your advice as to the propriety of taking the $250,000.' I meant as a matter of moral correctness in whether I should accept this contribution or privately by taking this contribution."
Ray Moore, Geology Prof, Dies
Raymond C. Moore, former University of Kansas geology department chairman, state geologist and State Geological Survey director, died Tuesday of natural causes at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. Mr. Moore, a KU surgeon and administrator from 1916 to 1938, had been ill for several months.
In a statement released yesterday, Chancellor Archie R. Dykes said, "The death of Raymond C. Moore brings to close one of the most remarkable careers of geological teaching, administration and research this University, or any university, has ever known. His former students hold in university research organizations and industry all over the world."
"THE ENTIRE UNIVERSITY mourns the passage of this great scholar and teacher, who was also a true gentleman and friend, deeply loved and respected by his students and colleagues. He will be sorely missed."
William W. Hambleton, State Geological Survey director and a former student of Mr. Moore, said of him "Moore was one of the real giants of geology who dominated the reputation of my city and his profession on the world."
Mr. Moore was born Feb. 20, 1892, in Roslyn, Wash. He graduated with honors from Denison University in Granville, Ohio, in 1913.
Mr. Moore entered graduate school at the University of Chicago, where he studied geology and paleontology. He graduated in 1916, graduating cum laude sum aula.
MOORE JOINED the KU geology department that same year and became State Geologist. He was a professor in the doctor. He became a full professor in 1919 and was promoted to chairman of the geology department in 1920, a post he held until
At the geology department's request, Mr. Moore was acting chairman on an interim basis from 1940 to 1941 and from 1952 to 1954.
After an accident in 1924, Mr. Moore often said he was "living on borrowed time." During an expedition to survey the Grand Canyon, his boat capacified in the Colorado River. Mr. Moore's hat was replaced with a leather canyon by newspapermen, which led them to believe that he and the rest of the expedition had drowned.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC and several newspapers reported Mr. Moore's death. However, the group survived the accident and walked out of
In 1948, Mr. Moore organized the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, currently a 27-volume work of nearly 10,000 pages. More than 250 specialists from 18 countries have contributed to the treatise. The National Science Foundation has given over a half million dollars of support to the project.
Mr. Moore received many distinguished professorships and awards. He received the Prix Paul Fournier (gold medal) of Academie Royale de Belgique in 1966, the highest distinction in geology in continental
Ravmond C. Moore
Europe, which is awarded every third year.
He attended the dedication of Raymond C. Moore Hall in September, 1973. The sketcher building is the new museum of Geological Survey in Campus West.
For outstanding contributions as an educator, administrator and scientist at KU, Mr. Moore received the Solen E. Nelson Distinguished Instituted Professor award in 1988.
In 1973, Mr. Moore was the first recipient of the William H. Twenhofel Medal. The medal is awarded for outstanding contributions to paleontology, sedimentology, stratigraphy and related scientific disciplines.