One day after the National Nuclear Security Administration recommended pit production at the Savannah River Site, an environmental group announced it has filed a lawsuit against the plan.
On Monday, the Department of Energy’s NNSA approved the Critical Decision milestone, clearing the way to produce at least 50 pits a year at the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility.
MORE: Skyrocketing Budget Requested for the Savannah River Site
Pits are bowling ball-sized shells of plutonium that are an integral part of nuclear weapons production.
On Tuesday, several advocacy groups announced a lawsuit had been filed with the U.S. District Court for South Carolina.
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The groups involved include the South Carolina Environmental Law Project, Savannah River Site Watch and Nuclear Watch New Mexico.
SCELP Attorney Leslie Lenhardt said, “We’re seeking an order requiring both DOE and NNSA to follow the mandates of the National Environmental Policy Act, otherwise know as NEPA, and conduct a new or supplemental environmental review on programmatic level of this change in the process of nuclear weapons production.”
Tom Clements, director of Savannah River Site Watch, said SRS has never stored, processed or produced pits.
He said, “Production of pits at SRS will be a daunting technical challenge that has not been properly reviewed. Choosing SRS for pit production was done for parochial, political reason due to the failure of the Mixed Oxide Plutonium fuel project.”
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Specifically, in their lawsuit the groups said DOE has not done a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement. They said a PEIS is necessary to determine the long-range environmental impact of producing pits at multiple DOE sites.
The CD-1 estimate for SRPPF is between $6.9 billion and $11.1 billion. That includes an estimated $475 million to convert the failed MOX facility into the pit production plant, according to the FY 2022 federal budget under consideration.
NNSA estimates the project will be completed between 2032 and 2035. The plan calls for SRPPF to produce 50 pits a year.
The lawsuit is available at: https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5f2c352f324853b8b51c50db/60db415102377c2070fd3b19_Complaint.pdf
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a Staff Reporter with The Augusta Press. You can reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com.
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