The focus these days of Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette seems to be putting out as many news releases as possible about his travels and money that DOE is doling out. As he is focused on travel, he has avoided addressing public concerns about issue related to nuclear waste dumping and plutonium management at the Savannah River Site. WHY?
The secretary of energy can duck nuclear waste issues important to South cCrolina but they remain of concern and won’t go away no matter how far he travels or how much is aims to claim credit for DOE grants.
Issues that he is running from include:
1. Lack of comprehensive plans for plutonium disposition. The plutonium panel of the national Acadamies of Sciences in April 2020 recommended preparation of a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) on plutonium disposition, which would involve the import and processing of tens of tons of surplus weapon-grade plutonium to SRS. SRS Watch wrote a letter support the PEIS but it has been met with stony silence. See SRS Watch letter of August 11, 2020:
“Need for Programmatic EIS on Plutonium Processing and Disposition via Dilute & Dispose; Must be Coordinated with PEIS on Plutonium Pit Production for Nuclear Weapons” – letter posted here: Letter SRS Watch to DOE on need for PEIS on plutonium disposition August 11 2020
2. SRS is still considering the import of a large amount of German high-level nuclear waste – in the form of irradiated graphite balls – and in spite of it being illegal for Germany to export this waste, research on its processing continues at the Savannah River National Lab (SRNL). Opposition in Germany to the export remains high and the need for continuing the research does not exist. import of the waste could result in its dumping at SRS or another site in the US, which is totally irresponsible. the cooperation with Germany on the import and dumping of this material must ceases but secretary Brouillette staunchly refuse to respond to the SRS watch letter of February 20, 2020:
“Time to End “Work for Others” Agreement between the Savannah River Site and JEN (in Germany) on Plan to Import Highly Radioactive German Experimental Reactor Spent Fuel to SRS, for Reprocessing and Possible Disposal in the U.S.” – letter posted here: letter to DOE terminate SRS JEN agreement Feb 20 2020
Its past time for Secretary Brouillette to cool his endless travel plans and focus on these important issues to management of plutonium and nuclear waste at SRS!