Thank you to those who submitted comments in the NNSA’s EIS “scoping” for the proposed Plutonium Bomb Plant (PBP) at the Savannah River Site.  The PBP remains unauthorized and unfunded.

“Despite requests by many, NNSA denied extending the comment period.  Though the comment period ended on July 25, there is still time to submit late comments. (See Federal Register notice of June 10.)

Special thanks are due to the experts at Nuclear Watch New Mexico, Tri-Valley CAREs and the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance (OREPA) for submitting extensive comments pertaining to the question of “need” for new pits for new nuclear weapons.

It is of note that we enlisted groups that don’t traditionally work on nuclear weapons or DOE issues to engage the scoping process, including the South Carolina Chapter of the Sierra Club, Conservation Voters of South Carolina and the League of Women Voters of South Carolina.  Plus, there were a flurry of individual comments in the last few days.

Comments included the lack of need for new pits for the W87-1-style warhead, the issue of pit reuse and the need for a “nuclear non-proliferation risk assessment” on the production of new pits for new nuclear weapons.

And, the matter of continuing need for investigations into fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement pertaining to the MOX project, both during its operation and now during termination, were raised by many.  A former MOX worker came forward this week to mention how the project was defrauded and how many embedded and through-wall components do not meet specifications, thus raising serious questions about “repurposing” of the facility. Meanwhile, DOE and Congress aid what can only be called a cover-up of what happened at the MOX debacle, what’s happening now with potentially improper disposition of surplus MOX property and the status of quality of MFFF construction.

As there are big differences between the House and Senate on pit production, the issues above will hopefully be raised when the NDAA conference committee begins its work in September.”

— Tom Clements, Savannah River Site Watch – Columbia, SC