REPROCESSING 101
Why South Carolina?
South Carolina is the state most often
mentioned for a large reprocessing complex. One reason
is that, years ago, the Department of Energy’s Savannah
River Site reprocessed nuclear waste to obtain plutonium
for weapons. MORE
Senator Lindsay
Graham is one of the leading advocates of reprocessing. |
Another reason is that there’s
a property adjacent to the Savannah River Site, near Barnwell,
where a reprocessing facility was built in the 1970s, then
abandoned.
A third reason is
that Senator Lindsay Graham is a forceful advocate of reprocessing.
Graham has continued to press the case for reprocessing despite
growing skepticism in Congress:
“The Congressional attitude toward [reprocessing]
has become more dour – particularly from key subcommittee
chairs – because of skepticism about costs, proliferation
risks, and [the Department of] Energy’s shifting plan
and poor management record.” MORE
Last summer, growing Congressional skepticism
led Senator Graham and other reprocessing advocates to step
up their efforts. They drafted an energy bill that focused
on both nuclear reprocessing and off-shore drilling. Graham
described the bill as a potential cash cow for the state,
saying that the Savannah River Site would be an ideal location
for a reprocessing facility. (Note: objections
to the bill have led Graham and his colleagues to postpone
introducing the bill until after the elections.)
Other South Carolina politicians have
also come out in favor of reprocessing, including Representatives
James
Clyburn and Gresham
Barrett.
Representative John
Spratt
has spoken skeptically about reprocessing, and has supported
efforts to reduce funding for it in the past.
With “logical” sites available in South Carolina,
and powerful South Carolina politicians expressing their
support, it makes sense for the nation’s reprocessing
proponents to focus on our state – as long as they
don’t personally have to deal with the expense, the
danger, and the ever-multiplying volumes of radioactive
waste.
Click below to learn more about:
|
