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. The effort to construct the $20-billion SRS Plutonium Bomb Plant, already facing massive cost overruns, significant schedule delays and technical challenges will draw close attention of Congress.
The House Armed Services Committee passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 on June 23, 2022. An amendment by Representative John Garamendi was accepted without opposition.
Garamendi’s amendment – linked here: 2077 Garamendi NDAA June 22 2022 – includes these provisions:
Therefore, the committee directs the Administrator of the National Nuclear
Security Administration to submit to the congressional defense committees not later
than April 1, 2023, a report that provides an integrated master schedule for NNSA’s
overall plutonium pit production effort. The submitted schedule shall include
timelines, resources, and budgets for planned work and shall be consistent with
modern management standards and best practices.
The committee also directs the Administrator of the National Nuclear
Security Administration to submit to the House Committee on Armed Services not
later than April 1, 2023, a briefing that describes the holistic environmental impact
of expanded plutonium pit production, accounting for simultaneous pit production
at multiple sites.
The committee further directs the Administrator of the National Nuclear
Security Administration to submit to the House Committee on Armed Services not
later than April 1, 2023, a briefing that describes its plan to study plutonium aging.
Finally, the committee directs the Comptroller General of the United States
[Government Accountability Office]to assess NNSA’s plan to study plutonium
aging. The committee further directs the Comptroller General to provide a briefing
to the House Committee on Armed Services not later than August 1, 2023, on the
Comptroller General’s findings and,as deemed appropriate, provide a report by
a date agreed to at the time of the briefing.
DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration has yet to respond to a July 16, 2021 SRS Watch FOIA request for:
“The comprehensive, integrated ten-year research program for pit and plutonium aging plan that
was required to be submitted to Congress by NNSA 180 days after the entrance into law of the
Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2021, or on approximately June 27, 2021; Any attachments to
the requested pit and plutonium aging plan. Your request was received in our office on July 20, 2021.”
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H.R. 7900—FY23 NATIONAL DEFENSE
AUTHORIZATION BILL
CHAIRMAN’S MARK
June 22, 2022
Linked here: FY23 NDAA CHM Mark Package June 22 2022
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See initial response letter of NNSA, July 26, 2021 here: initial NNSA response for plutonium aging plan July 26 2021
As May 12, 202, there had been no response to the request but the NNSA FOIA office said: “As of May 12, 2022, your request remains in active status, pending finalization. ” As of June 24, 2022 there has been no response. Congress should force NNSA to release a redacted version of the pit aging “plan.”
Photo: Plutonium fuel (MOX) building at SRS, which DOE aims to convert into the SRS Plutonium Bomb Plant; by High Flyer.