Representative Jim Cooper, who several years ago rightly deemed MOX a “zombie project,” calls out DOE for pouring money into the unauthorized, dangerous project to “repurpose” the shuttered MOX plant into nuclear bomb production (for plutonium pits). The milking by DOE’s DEEP STATE of funds from the “plutonium sustainment” slush fund for pit production may be running into problems in the House Armed Services Committee. Patriots, pit production at SRS has not been discussed, authorized or funded by Congress and DOE has not solicited public input on the scheme, which is far from being a done deal.
“Opening Statement by Chairman Jim Cooper
Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
FY20 Priorities for Atomic Energy Defense, Nonproliferation, Safety and Environmental Management
April 9, 2019”
“We are presented with a $410 million request to “begin design work to repurpose the cancelled MOX facility into a pit production facility,” but that design request turns out to have a $13.5 billion tail. That $410 million is in addition to the $220 million request to close the MOX facility, for a total of $630 million to be spent on a plant that probably should have been shuttered five years ago. MOX is almost receiving more money today than it was when it was intended to be fully operational. MOX may be worth more dead than alive.”
“Forgive me for being suspicious when, in addition to this apparent favoritism to Savannah River, only that site is receiving additional funds for cleanup, an additional $91 million, while Hanford is forced to take substantial cuts. For those of you keeping score at home, this is a total of $720 million of additional funding for South Carolina, much of which is questionable unless you are sold on the two-site solution for “plutonium sustainment operations.”