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Top Story Tuesday, April 30, 2002
  
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Spratt: Plutonium deal needs more work
By Gene Crider The Herald

(Published April 30 2002)

COLUMBIA - South Carolina needs additional assurances that it won't become a permanent storage site for the nation's plutonium beyond those found in legislation announced this weekend, U.S. Rep. John Spratt said.

While the two sides are coming closer to agreement, more work needs to be done to hold the U.S. Department of Energy to a strict timetable for dealing with the material, said Spratt, D-S.C., on Monday.

"What the governor is seeking, what I am seeking, is some firm assurance that if plutonium comes to South Carolina, it will be proces-sed expeditiously and be transferred out of state as quickly as possible," he said.

DOE has in-formed South Carolina it could begin sending weapons-grade plutonium to the Savannah River Site near Aiken in May. The department plans to convert 34 tons of the material into mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel for nuclear reactors as part of a U.S.-Russian agreement to dispose of the nuclear weapon components.

Gov. Jim Hodges has threatened to stop shipments of the toxic, radioactive material if DOE doesn't enter into a binding agreement to convert the plutonium or get it out of the state. Lawmakers have been working to create such an agreement through legislation.

U.S. Rep. Lindsey Graham,

R-S.C., announced Saturday that DOE had agreed to pay fines of $1 million a day, up to $100 million a year, if the department has not made at least one ton of mixed-oxide fuel or removed one ton of plutonium from the state by 2011.

Under Graham's proposal, the plutonium would have to be completely removed from the state by 2017 if the federal government has not built a MOX facility. Other-wise, DOE would face the same $1 million a day penalties.

The penalties are "a strong indicator to DOE that they're supposed to abide by this legislation," Spratt said. "I think it's important, but it only triggers in certain circumstances."

Spratt's concern is that the agreement could allow DOE to escape penalties, perhaps by shipping out some of the plutonium or making a minimum amount of MOX. He also would like legislation to contain a timetable for the actions DOE must take.

Spratt and Hodges are making recommendations to Graham on how the legislation can be improved.

While Graham believes the legislation protects South Carolina, all the parties continue to work to come up with an agreement before the plutonium is shipped, he said.

"I am confident if people want an agreement, we will get one," Graham said. If South Carolina does not get an agreement and takes the issue to court and loses, the state "will be left holding the bag."

"At end of day you're going to lose in court against the federal government," he said.

Graham said he hopes to reach an agreement on the legislation soon. If an agreement is reached, he will ask the DOE not to shift the plutonium to SRS until the legislation passes and ask the governor to agree not to sue DOE.

Contact Gene Crider at (803) 256-3800 or gcrider@bellsouth.net.

 
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