More public interest victories to add to the list of victories over 40 years!
In July 2022, there have been two significant developments at the U.S.
Effort to dump highly radioactive German spent fuel on SRS dealt blow by new state government in NRW
The new CDU-Green coalition in the North Rhine-Westphalia government has negative implications for the decade-long effort to dump German spent fuel on the Savannah River Site. That spent fuel is from the long-closed AVR gas-cooled reactor and the spent fuel is stored at Jülich.
Requirements placed on plutonium pit production by House Armed Services committee
A skeptical Congress is finally beginning to put some requirements on plutonium pit production, for new nuclear weapons, in the face of DOE’s effort to move forward without constraints.
Will DOE dare issue EIS “Record of Decision” on Zombie Reactor? The Versatile Test Reactor, project killed by Congress, merits investigation by DOE’s OIG
Zombie project stays in the crypt: The Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) was defunded by Congress in March 2022 and therefore killed. But some die-hard backers in DOE still keep after the reactor,
SRS Watch Rocks Against Plutonium Bomb Plant (PBP) at Bonnie Raitt Concerts
SRS Watch staff and volunteers were asked to table at the Bonnie Raitt/Lucinda Williams concerts in Charlotte, NC on June1, 2022 and in Columbia, SC on June 4,
SRS Watch to Table at Bonnie Raitt Concerts, June 1 & 4, 2022, to Gather Letters Against Proposed SRS Plutonium Bomb Plant
Savannah River Site Watch is excited as we have been asked to have informational tables at the Bonnie Raitt/Lucinda Williams concerts in Charlotte, NC on June 1, 2022 and in Columbia,
Nuclear Bombs Lost Over Spain in 1966 – Plutonium Waste Dumped at SRS – Free Film through May 29, 2022
Film about air crash over Spain, with four lost nuclear weapons – THE PLUTONIUM WASTE & CONTAMINATED EQUIPMENT WAS DUMPED in LOW-LEVEL WASTE BURIAL GROUND AT the US DOE’s SAVANNAH RIVER SITE in SOUTH CAROLINA.
NRC Again Delays Issuance of EIS on Westinghouse Fuel Fabrication Plant License Extension, Columbia, South Carolina
Issuance by US Nuclear Regulatory Commission of Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on Westinghouse nuclear fuel plant in Columbia, SC is delayed again – to July 2022. Final decision on operating license extension scheduled for August 2022.
Nuclear Weapons Funding Request for DOE, Savannah River Site Takes a Huge Leap in Support of Dangerous, Enduring U.S. Plans to Fight a Full-Scale Nuclear War
SRS Watch news, April 23, 2022: Nuclear Weapons Funding Request for Savannah River Site Takes a Huge Leap in Support of Dangerous, Enduring U.S. Plans to Fight a Full-Scale Nuclear War
SRS to Take a Larger Role in Nuclear Weapons Activities as Funding for SRS Plutonium Bomb Plant Spirals Out of Control,
“Los Alamos Lab: More Plutonium, More Nuclear Weapons” – Same Dangerous Situation for SRS
Given the proposed SRS Plutonium Bomb Plant (PBP) to build plutonium pits for new, provocative nuclear weapons, an integral part of a dangerous US policy to fight a full-scale nuclear war,
DOE Dragging its Feet in Responding to SRS Watch FOIA Request for MOX “Lessons Learned” Documents & Reports
DOE is dragging its feet in providing “lessons learned” documents on the plutonium fuel (MOX) debacle.
Once again, DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) hasn’t provided documents,
DOE-Germany Cooperation to Dump German Highly Radioactive Spent Fuel at SRS Continues, Violates Nuclear Non-Proliferation Norms
US-Germany Research Cooperation over Highly Radioactive German Spent Fuel Reprocessing at DOE’s Savannah River Site Drags On, Continues to Violate Nuclear Non-Proliferation Norms
The Savannah River Operations Office has responded to a Freedom of information Act (FOIA) request from Savannah River Site Watch (SRS Watch) pertaining to the import and processing of highly radioactive German spent fuel at SRS.
Safety Board Concerned about Safety of Plutonium Pit Storage at DOE’s Pantex Site in Texas – Implications for Unsafe Production at Proposed SRS Plutonium Bomb Plant (PBP)?
Storage of plutonium “pits” (core of nuclear weapons) aren’t being stored to safety requirements at DOE’s Pantex site in Texas.
The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) staff report “Pantex Plant Pit Inventory Review”
DOE Nuclear Weapons Plan Admits Few SRS Personnel Working on Proposed SRS Plutonium Bomb Plant – Challenges Increase
On March 16, 2022, the DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) released its annual plans for nuclear weapons. Called the “Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan,” it lays out NNSA support for keeping the US on the footing to fight a full-scale nuclear war.
Confirmation that SRS Plutonium was taken to DOE’s Pantex Site in Texas
The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB), which conducts oversight of DOE projects , has confirmed that plutonium from SRS was taken to the Pantex site in Texas,
DOE Oversight Board Releases Critical Assessment of SRS Plutonium Pit Plant, Raises Safety Issues
DOE Oversight Board Releases Critical Assessment of SRS Plutonium Pit Plant, Presents Safety Observations in Advance of Facility’s “Preliminary Design,” to “Ensure Adequate Protection of Public Health and Safety”
Ruling by Federal Judge on Public Interest Lawsuit on the Plutonium Pit Issue Expected Soon
Columbia,
DOE’s Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) Project Terminated in Omnibus Spending Bill – Budget Slashed to $0; VTR Plutonium Fuel Fabrication Possibility at SRS Goes Down the Tubes
UPDATE on March 9, 2022: Looks like the end is at hand for the Versatile Test Reactor (VTR). It is due to get knocked out of the House Omnibus funding legislation for Fiscal Year 2022 funding &
Request to NRC for Important Schedules for Vogtle Nuclear Reactor Construction Milestones Falls on Deaf Ears
SRS Watch has requested of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission that key construction completion dates be released to the public about the construction of the $30+ billion Vogtle nuclear reactors by Southern Nuclear (parent of Georgia Power) in Georgia,
A Big Thanks for Donations in Support of SRS Watch! Rock on!
SRS Watch appreciates the donations from the True Blue Charitable Fund and Guacamole Fund for donations to cover our operating expenses. The annual support of our work on SRS and nuclear and openness issues is of highest importance to us.
DOE/NRC/TVA Aim to Ramp Up Production in Commercial Nuclear Reactors of Tritium Gas for All Nuclear Weapons – Part of Plans to Stay on Footing for Full-Scale Nuclear War – Please Join January 19 Meeting & Coment
As anticipated, the DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), serving its Department of Defense (DOD) client, has instructed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the government-owned Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to take steps to increase production of tritium gas in the commercial Watts Bar Nuclear Bomb Reactors (WBNBRs) in Tennessee.
Stunning Admission by the NRC: No Review of its Regulation of Failed Plutonium Fuel (MOX) Project at SRS!
Stunning and irresponsible: the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has admitted to SRS Watch that it has failed to review its regulation of the plutonium fuel (MOX) debacle at SRS!
Federal, State Agencies Amp Up Pressure on NRC & Contamination from Westinghouse Nuclear Fuel Plant Near Columbia, SC
“Burned nuclear worker, troubled history raise EPA concern over SC atomic fuel plant”
Front page article in The State, Columbia, SC, December 6, 2021
linked here: https://www.thestate.com/news/local/environment/article256294532.html
SRS Watch report on role of the Westinghouse military-commercial dual-use facility in nuclear weapons:
Crossing the Line: South Carolina Nuclear Weapons Secrets Exposed –
Update on Opposition to Revving Up a New Nuclear Arms Race: “Plutonium Pits Lawsuit re: Savannah River Site in South Carolina, Los Alamos in New Mexico” – Nuclear Hotseat podcast, Dec. 1, 2021
Nuclear Hotseat podcast: “Plutonium Pits Lawsuit re: Savannah River Site in South Carolina, Los Alamos in New Mexico”
– with update on our lawsuit against DOE for failure to prepare a Programmatic EIS on expanded pit production at SRS (via the proposed Plutonium Bomb Plant) and at Los Alamos National Lab,
VC Summer Reactor Shuttered Due to Transformer Fire – NRC to SRS Watch
According to communication fro m the NRC’s Region 2 to SRS Watch, Dominion Energy’s VC Summer unit 1 reactor north of Columbia, South Carolina has been shut down due to a transformer fir report on November 17.
Based on SRS Watch Report: “Secretive defense plant operating in the shadow of atomic fuel factory near Columbia”
Article, behind paywall in The State news paper, front page Nov. 21, 2021, is based on the SRS Watch report released on November 19, 2021: “Crossing the Line: South Carolina Nuclear Weapons Secrets Exposed”
Article on SRS Plutonium Disposal, with SRS Watch Comments
“Plutonium could go to New Mexico next year. It will come from the Savannah River Site” – SRS plutonium has already been shipped to WIPP in New Mexico but the amounts could ramp up,
Details of Secretive Activities at Westinghouse Dual-Use Commercial-Military Facility Revealed in SRS Watch Report on Tritium & Nuclear Weapons
Details of Secretive Work at Westinghouse Commercial Nuclear Fuel Plant in Columbia, SC , Key to All U.S. Nuclear Weapons held by the Department of Defense, Revealed in SRS Watch Report Released Today
The Report Crossing the Line: South Carolina Nuclear Weapons Secrets Exposed,
DOE’s Ineffectual Challenge to NGO Lawsuit on Plutonium Pit Production – for New Nuclear Weapons – Elicits Strong Response
Groups Fire Back at Feds’ Move to Dismiss Plutonium Pit Lawsuit
Federal agencies continue to reject a full review of the public safety and environmental risks of producing nuclear bomb cores across multiple cross-country sites.
Former SCANA CEO Agrees to 24 Months in Prison, $5 Million Fine for VC Summer Reactor Construction Debacle – Sentencing on October 7, 2021; Judge Should Consider Larger Fine
The former CEO of SCANA, Kevin Marsh, has agreed to a 24-months prison sentence and a $5 million fine for his role in the fraudulent scheme to construct the VC Summer reactors in South Carolina.
SRS Employment in Fiscal Year 2021 Steady at Near 11,500, with 11,000 Contractors, 500 with DOE/NNSA
SRS employment holds steady near 11,500 during Fiscal Year 2021, with DOE having only about 500 employees out of that figure, with most of them being contractors.
There does not appears to be a significant uptick in employment by DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration for the proposed project to convert the never finished plutonium fuel (MOX) building into the SRS Plutonium Bomb Plant.