Security Alarm Raised Over U.S. Plutonium Shipment

WASHINGTON, DC, August 26, 2004 (ENS) - A Texas Congressman is worried about the security of a plan by the Bush administration to ship weapons-grade plutonium from the U.S. to France for reprocessing. The Department of Energy plans to transport 140 kilograms (300 pounds) of pure weapons-usable plutonium from the port of Charleston, South Carolina to France to be made into mixed oxide (MOX) fuel and returned to the United States.

Representative Jim Turner is serving his fourth term in Congress representing the Second Congressional District of Texas. (Photo courtesy Office of the Congressman)

The Department of Energy's (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration plans to ship the plutonium from the Charleston Naval Weapons Station to Cherbourg, France, in two armed, UK-flagged ships, the Pacific Teal and Pacific Pintail, owned by British Nuclear Fuels Ltd, now a subsidiary of Westinghous.

Because the United States lacks the capability to reprocess the plutonium, the French state-owned plutonium company Areva/Cogema will convert the material into MOX which would then be shipped back to South Carolina for testing in the Catawba reactor, owned by Duke Energy Corporation.

"The shipment is in preparation for the construction of facilities at DOE's Savannah River Site that will eventually convert 34 metric tons of U.S. plutonium into mixed plutonium-uranium oxide (MOX) fuel rods as part of DOE's efforts in parallel with Russia to dispose of excess plutonium from nuclear weapons," Turner wrote in his letter to the energy secretary.

Turner recognizes the "critical importance" of disposing of fissile material to international nuclear nonproliferation efforts, but he writes that in the post-September 11 environment, it is also critical to ensure that such material does not fall into the hands of terrorists.

"The consequences of the theft of this plutonium - enough for over twenty nuclear weapons - would be catastrophic," Turner writes.

The Pacific Pintail is one of the two ships that will be used to transport the plutonium. (Photo courtesy NCI)

Vulnerability of the shipment also had been detailed by Greenpeace International in a formal intervention against the export license which the Department of Energy filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). On June 15, the NRC approved the export license.

"This shipment of weapons plutonium presents an attractive target for those wishing to get their hands on plutonium and must be stopped," said Tom Clements of Greenpeace International, which has demonstrated against the shipment of plutonium on the high seas for years.

Previous shipments between Japan and Europe have taken place without incident since July 1999. The same two ships carried the first shipment from France to Japan and have been in continuous service ever since.

But just because past shipments have been accomplished safely does not guarantee the safety of this shipment, Clements warns. "While the U.S. scolds the world about halting the spread of weapons-usable materials, the shipment vividly underscores the proliferation double standard by which the U.S. operates," he said. "We urge Congress to fully investigate this proposal and take steps to stop it."

Turner explained in his letter that he has asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative branch of Congress, to "examine the security measures which are planned for the shipment within the United States, in transit across the Atlantic Ocean, and within France."

The Texas congressman said he also asked the GAO to investigate the extent to which the National Nuclear Security Administration coordinated plans for the shipment with other government agencies.

Loading a MOX fuel container ship in France before it sets sail for Japan. (Photo by J.-M. Taillat courtesy Cogema/CEA)

Turner asks if Bush administration officials considered providing an armed escort for the ships, as Japan provided for its 1993 plutonium shipment, "and if not, why not?"

The U.S. Coast Guard, which would provide security within the U.S. 12 mile limit, has confirmed that UK police on the ships would not be allowed to control their weapons, but it is unknown if U.S. authorities would take over shipboard control of the weapons, which include 30 mm machine guns, Clements said.

Clements says that "GAO staff members recently met with Greenpeace International to discuss the shipment and view a shocking video that exposes the lack of security measures provided for previous transports of domestically owned plutonium in France."

Clements also questions whether the French plutonium shipping containers can withstand an attack by a rocket propelled grenade.

Greenpeace advocates treating plutonium as a nuclear waste through immobilization which is safer, cheaper, and more secure method than the MOX route.

Clements faults the DOE for declining to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement on the shipment, thus denying the public a chance to comment on the environmental and proliferation implications of the proposed shipment.

Congressman Turner's letter is posted on the House of Representatives' website.