SRS Watch news, February 11, 2019
See NRC letter and two enclosures linked in “notes” at end of release
Columbia,
Blog
Rock Out Against Plutonium Pit Production at SRS!
Thanks to the Guacamole Fund, SRS Watch will be tabling on Friday, February 8, 2019 at the Bonnie Raitt-James Taylor concert at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina.
Rock On!
Thanks to our friend Bonnie Raitt for requesting that Savannah River Site Watch table at the Bonnie Raitt/James Taylor concert on February 8, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina!
We gathered a bunch of letters against the unjustified expansion of nuclear weapons production –
State of Nevada filing with Nevada federal district court, February 7, 2019: “PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR INJUNCTION PENDING APPEAL”
“Due to Nevada’s concerns about the DOE’s actions, the State has appealed this Court’s January 30, 2019, Order, which denied its motion for a preliminary injunction during the litigation of this case.
Appeal by State of Nevada to block further plutonium shipments from SRS to South Carolina has on February 5, 2019 been assigned a case number by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, but no hearing date yet set
“Office of the Clerk United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Post Office Box 193939 San Francisco, California 94119-3939 415-355-8000 February 05, 2019
Short Title:
State of Nevada v.
Low quality obfuscation from DOE
Low quality obfuscation from DOE – which doesn’t answer what happened to the “missing” 1/2 tonne of plutonium – was it shipped to Pantex in Texas or another DOE site,
Filings by State of Nevada in Nevada district court, in plutonium shipment docket (3:18-cv-00569)
“Weapons-grade plutonium secretly sent to facility north of Las Vegas”
Las Vegas (Nevada) Review-Journal, January 30, 2019 – linked here
“Plutonium shipped from Savannah River Site to Nevada, court filing states”
Augusta (Georgia) Chronicle, January 30, 2019 – linked here
“DOE secretly ships plutonium to Nevada from SC”
>>> with news conference video – smaller box to the right – of Nevada governor & general: “DOE negotiations were a sham” – “irresponsible” -and misled the State of Nevada and Nevada federal district court –
“Secret shipment of Plutonium from SRS to Nevada revealed in court documents”
Articles on deceptive DOE’s secret plutonium shipment, with SRS Watch:
WJBF TV, Augusta, Georgia, January 30, 2019 – linked here
DOE Informs Nevada Court that Weapon-Grade Plutonium Shipment from DOE’s Savannah River Site to Nevada has taken Place; Unknown when Unjustified Shipment Occurred (but “before November 2018”)
SRS Watch news, January 30, 2019
Columbia, South Carolina – The U.S. Department of Energy has secretly shipped a large amount of weapon-grade plutonium from the Savannah River Site in South Carolina to Nevada.
Where is DOE’s “missing” 1/2 tonne (500 kg, 1100 pounds) of weapon-grade plutonium?
Sounds like it may still be at SRS but who knows?! Let us know if you know: srswatch@gmail.com
DOE was going to remove 1 metric tonne of plutonium from the K-Reactor storage facility at SRS but the court document of January 30,
SRS Watch in “The government secretly shipped plutonium out of South Carolina. But tons remain”
Charleston (South Carolina) Post & Courier, Jan. 31, 2019
“This shipment does absolutely nothing to solve what happens to the plutonium at the Savannah River Site,” said Tom Clements,
U.S Nuclear Regulatory Commission grants license exemptions
U.S Nuclear Regulatory Commission grants license exemptions to CB&I AREVA MOX Services for MOX fuel fabrication facility until such time the NRC terminates the license – Note that the license has not been terminated yet!
Concern about expanded plutonium “pit” production at SRS – for nuclear weapons – intensifies;
Demand for preparation by DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) for a legally required Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) on pit production is growing
On January 29,
Bombs Away at SRS? Not So Fast!
Citizens in South Carolina express opposition to unjustified, costly, dirty production of plutonium “pits” (for nuclear weapons) in the shuttered plutonium fuel (MOX) plant at the DOE’s Savannah River Site –
SRS Watch update, January 25, 2019
Nuclear Weapons Profiteers Beware: This will not stand – $94 billion increases in cost of nuclear weapons over next decade – to $494 billion, a 23% increase since 2017
While DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) keeps digging a hole in avoiding preparing the legally required Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) on expanded pit production,
SRS Watch tidbit – January 24, 2019 – “Pit Production Pitfalls”
Good to see that an invitation-only briefing has been scheduled in Congress about problems and obstacles associated with ramped up production of plutonium “pits” (for nuclear weapons).
Expanded pit production at Los Alamos National Lab and/or Savannah River Site (which has never produced pits),
State of Nevada filing in federal court in Nevada
State of Nevada filing in federal court in Nevada – against the State of South Carolina’s request to have a hearing on the unjustified removal of 1 metric ton of plutonium from SRS to Nevada be moved from federal district court in Nevada to South Carolina federal district court,
WOW! “Significant dose and contamination rates”
Stunning admission by SRS in receiving, processing and dumping unnecessary shipments of Canadian liquid high-level nuclear waste from Chalk River Laboratories in Ontario.
SRS mislabels the highly radioactive liquid as “Target Residue Material”
Hidden cost of Department of Energy operations
Hidden cost of Department of Energy operations – massive payment to former DOE workers via Department of Labor worker-exposure program
As of January 21, 2019, in 19,226 cases of worker exposure to chemical and radiation,
SRS Watch news release on H-Canyon reprocessing plant’s leaking roof, radiation problem
Radioactive Hot Spot Caused by Rainwater Leak into Aging H-Canyon Reprocessing Plant at SRS, Causing Posting of “Contamination Area” on Floor; DOE Admits Previous Leaks but Unable to Stop Rainwater Intrusion that could Contaminate “Clean Parts of the Building” with Radioactive Material
As Problems Mount at H-Canyon: Can the Aging Facility be Operated Safely;
SRS Watch in “Rainwater contamination discovered at SRS processing plant”
SRS Watch in “Rainwater contamination discovered at SRS processing plant” [H-Canyon spent fuel reprocessing plant]
WRDW TV, Augusta, Georgia, January 17, 2019
&
Nevada federal court allows intervention by State of South Carolina in in case involving unnecessary plutonium shipment from SRS to Nevada
On January 17, a hearing is slated to go forward in federal court in Nevada on the unjustified shipment of 1 metric ton of surplus weapon plutonium from SRS to the Device Assembly Facility (DAF) at the Nevada Nuclear Security Site.
Shipment of SRS plutonium to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico – salt mine dump for transuranic waste – faces opposition:
“Permit changes at WIPP face challenges”
Albuquerque (New Mexico) Journal, January 13, 2019
“Government shutdown won’t delay Nevada plutonium hearing” [about shipment of 1 metric ton of plutonium from SRS for “staging” at the Device Assembly Facility in Nevada]
Associated Press, Jan. 11, 2019
article linked here:
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/south-carolina/article224278610.html
Redefine, Dump & Go? DOE challenged on plan to redefine high-level nuclear waste
8 public interest groups that work on DOE issues send group extensive comments on DOE’s effort to end run Congress & redefine high-level waste (HLW) as something less, part of DOE’s effort to speed disposal and cut “clean-up”
RS Watch news release on MOX boondoggle
Federal Appeals Court in Richmond, VA Issues Final Ruling Allowing DOE’s Termination of the Plutonium Fuel (MOX) Project at SRS; Determines Federal Court in South Carolina Mistaken in Blocking MOX Termination
Expected Ruling Affirms Earlier Temporary Decision,
SRS Watch in “Appeals court issues final ruling allowing DOE’s termination of MOX project”
– see SRS Watch news release of Jan. 8, 2019
Augusta (Georgia) Chronicle, January 8, 2019