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23 December 1998
Source:

USIS Washington File
_________________________________

22 December 1998

### TEXT: RICHARDSON CERTIFICATION ON NUCLEAR STOCKPILE SAFETY

    (Department of Energy press release on announcement) (1490)

    Washington -- Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson December 22
    certified to President Clinton that the nuclear stockpile is safe,
    secure and reliable without underground nuclear testing.

    Following is the text of the press release on the topic issued by the
    Department of Energy:

    (begin text)

    Richardson Certifies Safety, Security, Reliability of Nuclear
    Stockpile Without Nuclear Testing

    Makes Two Key National Security Decisions on Tritium and Pit
    Disassembly

    Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson today certified to the President
    that the nuclear stockpile is safe, secure and reliable without
    underground nuclear testing and made two key national security
    decisions related to the stockpile. This is the third year that the
    Secretaries of Energy and Defense have been required to report to the
    President about any problems identified in the stockpile that would
    require a return to underground nuclear testing.

    "This annual certification is one of the six safeguards that the
    President established for our adherence to the Comprehensive Test Ban
    Treaty. I would not hesitate to tell the President if I thought we
    needed to return to underground nuclear tests to assure the safety,
    security or reliability of the stockpile," Secretary Richardson said.
    "But I'm pleased to report that again this year we have certified the
    safety and security of the nuclear deterrent and that stockpile
    stewardship, using science based methods rather than underground
    nuclear tests to determine the safety and reliability of our
    stockpile, is working. The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty is important
    for our nation's security because it will help prevent other nations
    from developing advanced nuclear weapons."

    To ensure the safety, security and reliability of the stockpile in the
    future, Secretary Richardson announced that he had selected the
    Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Watts Bar and Sequoyah as the
    preferred facilities for producing a future supply of tritium, an
    isotope of hydrogen that is essential for the proper functioning of
    nuclear weapons and the Savannah River Site as the preferred site for
    a facility to disassemble plutonium pits from weapons being taken out
    of the stockpile.

    TRITIUM

    The United States has not produced tritium, an isotope of hydrogen,
    since 1988. Since tritium decays at the rate of about 5% per year, the
    United States will need new tritium by 2005 to meet the needs of a
    START I sized nuclear stockpile or by 2011 to meet the needs of a
    START II sized stockpile if START II goes into effect.

    Secretary Richardson chose the use of TVA reactors for producing
    tritium over construction of a new linear accelerator at Savannah
    River, and designated TVA's Watts Bar and Sequoyah reactors as the
    preferred facilities rather than paying for the completion of TVA's
    unfinished Bellefonte reactor. Secretary Richardson decided that
    Hanford's Fast Flux Test Facility should not play any role in
    producing tritium for the nation's stockpile, and he outlined a course
    for deciding whether it should be restarted to serve future civil
    research missions.

    "Using the Watts Bar and Sequoyah reactors makes sense for our
    national security. It makes sense because it's a proven technology,
    it's the best deal for the taxpayers, and it has the flexibility we
    need to meet our present and future tritium needs," Richardson said.
    "It's the only option that doesn't require a large capital
    expenditure. If our goal of reaching further arms reduction agreements
    is reached, we may not need to exercise this option for many years and
    we will pay for tritium only when it is needed. Finally, TVA is well
    suited for this work because meeting national security needs is part
    of its statutory charter and its reactors are government facilities."

    Richardson announced that TVA has agreed to provide irradiation
    services to meet the Department of Energy's tritium needs under the
    terms of the Economy Act. The Economy Act ensures that services
    between different agencies of the government are provided at actual
    cost.

    Richardson's decision followed an extensive review of the regulatory,
    cost, proliferation, environmental, technical and national security
    issues associated with each option. He visited Bellefonte, Watts Bar,
    the Savannah River Site twice, as well as making a visit to the Fast
    Flux Test Facility at Hanford to see the sites firsthand. He held over
    20 meetings with technical experts, nongovernmental organizations,
    national security experts, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
    community groups and elected officials to ensure he had thoroughly
    reviewed the issues affecting the decision. The Energy Department also
    convened an interagency working group to examine the nonproliferation
    issues associated with the use of commercial reactors and concluded
    that any nonproliferation issues are manageable and should not
    preclude selection of commercial reactors.

    Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen said, "I commend Secretary
    Richardson for his leadership in ensuring that our nuclear deterrent
    remains strong and credible now and in the future. We fully support
    the selection of existing TVA reactors to meet our future tritium
    needs and will work with the Department on implementing this important
    national security decision."

    Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Chairman Shirley Jackson said, "I
    understand Secretary Richardson has announced his decision to select
    TVA's Watts Bar and Sequoyah reactors as a preferred alternative for a
    new tritium production source. Knowing how important this is to our
    nation's security, the NRC will review TVA's submittals and related
    DOE assessments, as expeditiously as possible, to ensure that this
    alternative meets all licensing requirements in order to protect
    public health and safety and the common defense and security."

    "Secretary Richardson had a tough decision and made a wise choice --
    one that will effectively meet our national security requirements and
    make wise use of taxpayer dollars over the long term," said Office of
    Management and Budget Director Jack Lew.

    Secretary Richardson's announcement today fulfills the Department's
    1995 commitment to select between a commercial light reactor and a
    linear accelerator as the primary source of tritium by the end of
    1998. Consistent with the Department's dual track strategy for tritium
    production, the linear accelerator option has been designated as a
    backup technology. The Department will complete key research and
    development milestones for the accelerator, but will not complete
    construction.

    PIT DISASSEMBLY

    Richardson selected the Savannah River Site as the preferred site for
    building and operating a pit disassembly and conversion facility; one
    of the three key facilities needed by the United States to dispose of
    surplus weapons plutonium.

    "The pit disassembly facility is key to our efforts to dispose
    irreversibly of 50 metric tons of excess weapons plutonium,"
    Richardson said. "Being able to do this safely and effectively is key
    to ensuring the future security of the stockpile and, for the first
    time in history, begin the process of destroying instead of creating
    weapons-grade plutonium."

    The facility would be used to disassemble nuclear weapons components
    (pits) and convert the recovered plutonium metal to an oxide form
    suitable for disposition (either immobilization or mixed oxide fuel
    (MOX) for reactors). In June of this year, the Department of Energy
    identified its Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas, and the Savannah
    River Site near Aiken, S.C., as equally preferred locations for
    building this facility pending additional public comment and detailed
    reviews. Today's decision follows extensive consideration of
    environment, safety and health, cost, nonproliferation, mission
    compatibility and pubic acceptance issues.

    Previously, DOE named Savannah River as the preferred site for two
    other disposition facilities -- a plant to fabricate plutonium into
    mixed oxide (MOX) fuel, which would be burned in existing domestic
    reactors, and a plant to immobilize plutonium in ceramic surrounded by
    vitrified high level waste.

    "Choosing one site for the pit disassembly facility was not an easy
    choice because both sites are extremely well qualified and enjoy
    tremendous local, state and Congressional support," said Secretary
    Richardson. "In the end, it really came down to which site could best
    accommodate this important nonproliferation mission."

    Savannah River was selected because the site has extensive experience
    with plutonium processing. In addition, co-location of the pit
    disassembly facility with other existing or planned facilities at the
    site could provide some savings in infrastructure.

    The Energy Department is currently conducting a demonstration of a
    prototype pit disassembly and conversion system at DOE's Los Alamos
    National Laboratory. The demonstration, which involves dismantling of
    pits over a two-to-three year period, will provide important
    information for designing and operating a full-scale pit disassembly
    and conversion facility. The full-scale facility is to be designed and
    constructed in the 1999-2004 time frame, with production operations
    beginning in 2005. Construction and operation of the full-scale
    facility is contingent on reaching agreement with Russia on plutonium
    disposition.

    For the past two years, DOE has pursued its hybrid plutonium
    disposition strategy designed to irreversibly dispose of 50 metric
    tons of excess weapons plutonium. When the strategy is fully
    implemented, the United States will be destroying instead of creating
    weapons-grade plutonium for the first time in history.

    (end text)

The New York Times
December 23, 1998

### Civilian Reactors Could Be Used to Make Warhead Material

By MATTHEW L. WALD

WASHINGTON -- Facing a shortage of a crucial component of nuclear warheads, the Energy Department announced today that it will use three of the Tennessee Valley Authority's civilian reactors to make the material, tritium.

Energy Secretary Bill Richardson acknowledged Tuesday that the arrangement with the TVA, which is subject to congressional approval, breaks down a longtime distinction in the nuclear world by using a civilian reactor for military purposes.

However, he said, lining up the TVA's reactors encouraged nuclear nonproliferation because it eliminated the need for the United States to break ground on an expensive new military plant. Such a plant to produce tritium might be far larger than ever needed, if new arms control agreements are signed.

The department's last reactor for making tritium was shut down for safety reasons 10 years ago. For the past 10 years, weapons decommissioned under arms accords have been the military's source of tritium, and until now, the pace of weapons retirements has been faster than the pace of tritium decay. But unless Russia approves a new arms control agreement soon, the United States will need new tritium in six years to sustain its arsenal.

Richardson said the Energy Department had used provisions of a 60-year-old law, the Economy Act, to require the TVA to sell tritium at cost. Department officials said that if they had not been able to strike a deal, they would have asked the Navy requisition the reactors under national security provisions.

In a test that began 15 months ago, the Energy Department is already making tritium at Watts Bar, near Knoxville, Tenn. Technicians loaded metal rods into the reactor containing an isotope of lithium metal; when these are struck by the neutrons that sustain the chain reaction, the lithium breaks up into tritium and helium. In February 1999, when the plant shuts for refueling, technicians will remove the rods to extract the tritium.

The rods take the place of neutron-absorber rods that are used to control the reaction. They do not reduce power output, engineers say, and they expect to persuade the Nuclear Regulatory Commission quickly that they pose no additional risk.

The TVA had asked for $85 million a year to make tritium at three of its reactors. Richardson did not say Tuesday what the cost would be. But he said using the reactors, Watts Bar 1 and Sequoyah 1 and 2, near Chattanooga, is "the best option for our national security."

"It is a proven technology, it is the best deal by far for the taxpayer, and it has the flexibility to meet our present and future tritium needs," he said. If he had chosen a dedicated military plant, or a linear accelerator, construction would have had to begin soon, he said. By relying on reactors already built, the work would be done only as needed. "We may not need to exercise this option for many years," he said.

The department says it needs about 5.5 pounds of tritium a year to maintain the current arsenal, beginning in 2005, and 3.3 pounds if the strategic arms reduction talks, or Start 2, agreement is approved, beginning in 2011.

The decision drew mixed reactions. Some arms proliferation specialists said it would undermine the U.S. position in asking other countries not to divert material from their civilian nuclear programs into bombs. The Energy Department contends, though, that unlike plutonium, which is made in reactors and is the heart of a bomb, tritium is not controlled by law and cannot be used by itself to make a bomb.

The Alliance for Nuclear Accountability, a coalition of 28 environmental and peace groups, mostly around Energy Department weapons plants, said the decision is "unnecessary, undermines nonproliferation efforts, wastes taxpayer dollars, and threatens public health."

At the Nuclear Control Institute, a Washington-based group advocating nonproliferation, Paul Leventhal, the president, said using existing reactors was "the cheapest, most assured method of producing tritium on an as-needed basis." But he said the use of civilian reactors should be reserved for national emergencies.

Members of Congress from South Carolina wanted Richardson to build a linear accelerator at Savannah River, and some officials near Hanford, the nuclear reservation in central Washington state, wanted Richardson to use the Fast Flux Test Facility, a plutonium reactor there. Richardson said Tuesday that he would decide next year whether to permanently shut that plant, which began life as part of a research program for plants that would make plutonium.

But Richardson also announced Tuesday that the department will build a plant at Savannah River, near Aiken, S.C., for converting plutonium from warheads into a powder, an intermediate step toward destroying the plutonium.

The TVA was also disappointed. It wanted to supply the department with tritium in exchange for a payment of $2.3 billion, which it would have used to complete its Bellefonte reactor in northern Alabama. It stopped work on the reactor in 1988 because of cost overruns and slack demand for power.