Department of Energy
Washington, DC 20585

December 16, 1998

Mr. Paul Leventhal
Nuclear Control Institute
1000 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Suite 804
Washington, DC 20036

Dear Mr. Leventhal:

Thank you for your November 4, 1998, letter regarding an economic study of plutonium disposition in Russia.

The study you reference in your letter is in reality, a series of cost analyses covering different aspects of the disposition of surplus Russian weapons plutonium. To kick this effort off, MINATOM officials formally proposed a workshop on cost issues during last week's meetings of the U.S./Russia Joint Steering Committee on Plutonium Disposition in Moscow. We expect to complete these studies next year. The studies may contain sensitive Russian information. Therefore, the degree to which they can be made public will depend upon decisions by the Russian Federation.

We will work to make these studies as comprehensive as possible. However, given the large number of possible disposition arrangements, we are concentrating on the most probable arrangements. The issues raised in your letter will be considered as we complete these studies.

Thank you for your interest in the Surplus Plutonium Disposition Program. Please contact me at (202) 586-2695 or Mr. Bert Stevenson at (202) 586-5368, if you have any further questions.

Sincerely,

Laura Holgate

Laura S. H. Holgate
Director
Office of Fissile Materials Disposition

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