Energy secretary in standoff with South Carolina over plutonium shipment

Posted 9:04PM on Monday 15th April 2002 ( 23 years ago )

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham gave notice late Monday that he is ready to begin shipments of plutonium into South Carolina by mid-May, despite the governor's strong objections. The shipments would go to the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site, just across the river from Augusta, Ga. Abraham in a letter to Gov. Jim Hodges said it was ``essential'' to begin the shipments around May 15 to meet a schedule for closing the Rocky Flats weapons facility in Colorado by 2006. By giving the 30-day notice required by Congress, Abraham issued a clear signal to Hodges, a Democrat, that the Bush administration intends to pursue the shipments over the governor's objections if necessary, Energy Department officials said. In a separate letter to key members of Congress, Abraham said his intention is to begin shipments of 76 trailer loads of plutonium from Rocky Flats shortly after May 15, continuing through June, 2003. The plutonium is to be converted to fuel for commercial reactors. The planned plutonium shipments from various federal weapons facilities to the Savannah River complex near Aiken, S.C. has been the subject of intense negotiations for months. Hodges has vowed to intercept any shipments unless he gets firm agreement subject to federal court enforcement that the plutonium will not remain in South Carolina permanently. He has said he's ready to send state troopers to intercept the truckloads or even lie in the road himself to stop them. Abraham has been just as determined. ``The department intends to begin shipping plutonium from Rocky Flats to Savannah River no sooner than 30 days from today,'' Abraham wrote Hodges on Monday. That would be the first of 34 metric tons of plutonium destined for the Savannah River facility. Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., called the decision ``great news'' and said he would work with South Carolina's congressional delegation to ease the state's concerns. The standoff over the plutonium shipments escalated last week when Abraham rejected a demand from Hodges that a federal judge oversee the enforcement of any agreement on the plutonium shipments. The Bush administration wants to transport excess plutonium from Energy Department weapons facilities around the country to the Savannah River weapons complex near Aiken, S.C., where it will be made into mixed oxide fuel, or MOX, for commercial power reactors. The plutonium disposition plan is part of an agreement with Russia for each country to dispose of 34 metric tons of plutonium. Hodges fears that the plutonium would remain there if the MOX conversion strategy runs into trouble or is scaled back. Abraham outlined what he called a string of concessions to ease the governor's concerns. Among them is a formal commitment to take the plutonium back if the MOX conversion plant falls behind schedule or runs into funding trouble. Abraham also promised to support legislation in Congress to codify the agreement and said shipments initially would be limited to 3.2 tons; he said they would be suspended in October if Congress doesn't act. But Hodges told Abraham he wants more assurances in a formal consent agreement that would allow a federal judge to oversee the process. The governor wants ``future leaders of South Carolina to have the leverage and force of law'' to assure the federal government lives up to its promises, his spokesman said. Abraham rejected the courts' involvement, saying it would amount to ``an attempt to conduct ... national security and foreign policy affairs through the judicial process'' and ``goes beyond what we can do.'' On Monday, Abraham said he hoped that over the next 30 days he and Hodges could work to get legislation approved providing the state additional assurances. But a spokesman said Abraham remains adamant in opposing any federal court involvement.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/4/196030