Domenici Cheers DOE Announcement on Removal of Excess Plutonium from U.S. Stockpile

Press Release

Domenici Cheers DOE Announcement on Removal of Excess Plutonium from U.S. Stockpile

U.S. Senator Pete Domenici today praised the announcement that the United States will remove nine metric tons of plutonium from the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, but tempered his enthusiasm on future progress because of the tangled appropriations process facing this nonproliferation program.

Domenici, ranking member of the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, today said the added plutonium removal is further evidence of United States progress on a U.S.-Russia nonproliferation program he has championed since 1998 for each nation to convert 34 tons of weapons grade plutonium into a form that is unusable in weapons and will provide emissions-free electricity.

Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman made the announcement Monday in an address to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

"The United States is diligently working to cut its weapons stockpile. The removal of an additional nine more tons of weapons-derived plutonium effectively ups the ante on our original agreement to 43 metric tons. The world is being made a safer place as nuclear weapons stockpiles are reduced and fissile material transformed from weapons to commercial uses," Domenici said.

Bodman announced that the excess plutonium will be removed from retired, dismantled nuclear weapons and fabricated into mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel for commercial nuclear reactors. Nine metric tons of plutonium could be used to produce 1,000 weapons.

Domenici noted that Los Alamos National Laboratory performed the fuel qualification tests to validate the use of plutonium in the MOX fuel that can be burned in commercial reactors.

The U.S. announcement will work to help it meet its obligations under the Washington-Moscow Treaty that will result in the United States' nuclear stockpile by 2013 having fewer weapons than at any time since the Eisenhower presidency.

"I am continually pleased with the progress of our nonproliferation programs, but I am concerned today that the current appropriations outlook could stymie our success," Domenici said. "The competing House and Senate FY2008 appropriations bills to fund nonproliferation programs are so divergent that future progress could be in question. This is one serious issue that we must resolve if we are to continue to reduce our arsenal."

Domenici has been critical of the House-passed FY2008 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill, which would cut funding to support the Stockpile Stewardship, the Nuclear Material Safeguard and Security Upgrade, and numerous other related programs. The Senate bill, which is pending full Senate consideration, continues to fund these programs.

Through a number of initiatives-Nunn-Lugar, Nunn-Lugar-Domenici, Nuclear Cities Initiative, Global Initiative for Proliferation Prevention, Nuclear-Nonproliferation Research and Development Program, and others-the United States has advanced nonproliferation goals in recent years.

Under Nunn-Lugar, the United States has deactivated 6,982 warheads, 644 ICBMs, 485 ICBM silos, 100 mobile ICBM launchers, 155 bombers, 906 air-launched cruise missiles, 30 strategic missile submarines, and 194 nuclear test tunnels.

Source