DOE Confirms Obstacles and Problems with Shipment, Including Increased Radiation Exposure to Workers & State of Nevada Legal Challenge
Columbia, South Carolina – The U.S. Department of Energy has filed with the federal district court in Columbia,
A big thanks to the Artistic Resources in Action Foundation for a donation to support the work of SRS Watch.
The donation from the Aria Foundation was, in part, due to our tabling at the Green Highways concert tour of musicians Bonnie Raitt and James Taylor in the summer of 2018.
MOX Services Takes Step to Make Revival of Terminated MOX Project Irreversible –
Wants US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to Terminate “Construction Authorization” (License) for the Failed MOX Project; SRS Watch Continues to Call for Investigations and Congressional Hearings into Fraud, Waste, Abuse and Mismanagement at MOX Boondoggle
Columbia,
SRS Watch director, in dual role as senior adviser to Friends of the Earth, comments on pending December 14 vote by South Carolina Public Service Commission on SCE&G nuclear reactor debacle and who will pay billions of dollars in stranded costs.
SCE&G ratepayers should not pay a dime more for the failed AP1000 nuclear rector project and be refunded the $2 billion already spent in financing costs.
“Commission expected to decide new SCE&G rates on Friday –
New Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on the MOX boondoggle?
Be alert to a report likely to come out soon on NNSA’s (mis)management of the MOX debacle. Before the end of 2018? Doesn’t sound like the report will take the essential step to review and investigate any fraud,
On December 11, 2018, another 70 layoffs were announced for the MOX boondoggle, by Orano Federal Services (formerly the plutonium-proliferation company AREVA):
See those layoffs, to be carried out by Feb. 4, 2019, and other layoffs in the updated WARN notice for South Carolina:
CB&I and Orano layoffs so far = 502 + 114 + 111 + 372 + 70 = 1168.
“Trump Wants to Reclassify Radioactive Waste from Nuclear Weapons to ‘Low Level’ so Disposal Is Cheaper”
The Alliance for Nuclear Accountability (ANA), of which SRS Watch is a member, has challenged this approach: “Trump Wants to Reclassify Radioactive Waste from Nuclear Weapons to ‘Low Level’
Criminals who defrauded the MOX project have property seized by the feds. Will the criminals soon report to federal prison in Ohio to serve their time?
Will in-depth investigations into MOX fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement root out more such criminal activity? Will the spotlight focus on the behavior of CB&I and Areva/Orano?
US District court document on property seizure linked here
Shutdown of plutonium fuel (MOX) boondoggle at US DOE’s Savannah River site continues – more worker layoffs announced on December 7, 2018
372 CB&I Project Services Group, LLC – likely craft workers at the bungled project – to be laid off on February 4, 2019
“WARN Notification Report” of December 7,
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) questions methodology of Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) in evaluating functionality of the aging H-Canyon reprocessing plant’s radioactive gas exhaust tunnel (HCAEX).
Can this decrepit facility, used to reprocess DOE-controlled highly radioactive spent fuel, be operated safety in case of a seismic event or other unusual event?
DNFSB letter &
Will the Greek GRR-1 research reactor spent fuel be dumped on SRS – in the L-Basin – or on Canada?
The spent fuel does not contain weapon-grade uranium (highly enriched uranium, HEU) so would not be shipped for nuclear non-proliferation reasons.
Letter from DOE to NRC, November 30,
More problems at the aging, decrepit H-Canyon reprocessing plant at SRS: violation of the Technical Safety Requirements (TSRs)
DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITIES SAFETY BOARD (DNFSB) weekly report,
November 30, 2018
TO: Christopher J. Roscetti, Technical Director
FROM: M. T. Sautman and Z. C. McCabe, Resident Inspectors
SUBJECT: Savannah River Site Activity Report for Week Ending November 30,
Is the US DOE’s 63-year old H-Canyon reprocessing plant, the last such facility in the US, safe to operate?
The jury’s out on that question. the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) thankfully continues to monitor the status of the aging H-Canyon’s radioactive air discharge tunnel
DNFSB weekly report for November 23,
Good for a laugh: whiny, extremely ignorant rant conceding defeat over the MOX boondoggle – another “journalist” who fell prey to his own fake “news” about the failed plutonium fuel project
“Scuttlebiz: After five years of bureaucratic strangulation, MOX is dead”
Sadly DOE will figure out more ways to pry money out of the hands of hard-working taxpayers,
ATTENTION Beleaguered Tax-Paying Patriots who have footed the bill for the grossly mismanaged MOX Boondoggle:
Due to secrecy simply to hide information from the public about the embarrassing MOX debacle, DOE/NNSA is not posting information like this: Notice of MOX boondoggle project layoffs under the WARN Act for South Carolina
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MOX fake news media concedes on its favorite budget-busting debacle (MOX)
Well, well looky here – MOX fake news media concedes on its favorite budget-busting debacle (MOX) – this “news” outlet repeatedly and pro-actively ignored that the MOX project was headed to termination and printed false “information”
Plutonium proliferators/profiteers take a major hit as the welcome decline of reprocessing of commercial spent fuel – for stockpiling of weapon-usable plutonium – continues.
SRS Watch promises to continue to work for an end to reprocessing and the nuclear weapons proliferation threat it poses.
“Commercial nuclear reprocessing ends at Sellafield site”
SRS stores about 13 metric tons of surplus weapon-grade plutonium and receipt of plutonium from DOE sites has been stopped for several years.
Now that MOX is dead, will this plutonium go to WIPP in New Mexico to be disposed of as the waste that it is?
“Maintaining Continuity of Knowledge on Nuclear Waste Destined for Geological Repositories.
“First round of MOX layoff notices being sent out”
Augusta (Georgia) Chronicle, November 8, 2018 – article linked here
More indications that problems with the “exhaust tunnel” at the aging H-Canyon reprocessing plant at the Savannah River Site may result in a serious accident in case of a seismic event.
Now, it’s an issue with functionality of emergency diesel generators to maintain ventilation.
SRS Occurrence Report, November 8, 2018 – linked here
“On October 31,
Picture NO PEIS, NO PITS!
SRS Watch in articles on DOE’s effort to expand plutonium “pit” production at SRS – for nuclear weapons – without preparing legally mandated environmental documentation (Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement –
“U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION JULY 9 – 11, 2018, ONSITE OBSERVATION VISIT REPORT FOR THE SAVANNAH RIVER SITE SALTSTONE DISPOSAL FACILITY” – dated November 1, 2018
How will the cap over the buried nuclear waste cells – a by-product of cesium removal from high-level nuclear waste in the SRS tanks – perform and when will it leak?
No PEIS? No Pits!
SRS Watch, Nuclear Watch New Mexico (Los Alamos National Lab), Tri-Valley Cares (Lawrence Livermore National Lab, CA) news release, October 31, 2018
Watchdog Groups Claim Nuclear Agency is Moving Forward to Manufacture New Plutonium Bomb Cores in Violation of National Environmental Law and Public Review –
Fraud and Imprudence: Hearing into South Carolina Electric & Gas on Failed Nuclear Reactor Construction set for Nov. 1
Friends of the Earth news release, October 29, 2018 – linked here
Fraud and Imprudence: Hearing into South Carolina Electric & Gas on Failed Nuclear Reactor Construction set for Nov.
Shipping plutonium around for no reason don’t make no sense, y’all!
We need to analyze these documents further, but the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals rules in plutonium-removal case – upholds district court’s position to remove 1 MT of plutonium from SRS (which will only increase costs,
What we have been warning MOX workers about all year is about to happen – some paid attention & some didn’t:
Layoff notices for some MOX employees expected to go out next month
Augusta (Georgia) Chronicle, October 22, 2018
MOX Termination News, October 19, 2018
MOX contractor Orano/Areva cracks and finally issues MOX termination statement, October 18, 2018:
“Update on situation with the MFFF recycling plant in the United States” – linked here
&
New book by University of Texas (LBJ School of Public Affairs) on problems plutonium fuel (MOX) faces worldwide (not in US), especially given the steady decline of reprocessing of highly radioactive spent fuel:
“Plutonium for Energy? Explaining the Global Decline of MOX”
“The Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Project is pleased to announce publication of its new open-access book: Plutonium for Energy?
MOX’s LAST GASP – Why would such a screwed up dead-end project that adds to the deficit and raises proliferation concerns be protected by President Trump, who would have to go against the NSC, OMB, DOE, NNSA & Congress to even delay termination of the pathetic mega-boondoggle known as MOX….jobs and payola by Senator Lindsey “MOXie” Graham to contractors ain’t enough reason to save this mess for even a second more…..
Trump intervention the last hope for nuclear fuel facility at Savannah River Site
Charleston (South Carolina) Post & Courier, front page print edition, October 18, 2018
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Did Senator Lindsey “MOXie” Graham and his Ill-Informed “Save MOX Brigade” Strike Out in Last-Ditch Effort with President Trump on October 18, 2018?
Senator Graham isn’t tweeting about the Oct. 18 MOX meeting with Trump and his news release – linked here – isn’t posted on his website. That news release has nothing in it about Trump’s reaction at the meeting.