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print thisGraham announces 500 jobs at SRS
But congressional commitment to mixed oxide program is shaky
By LAUREN MARKOE
Special to The State
Roughly 500 jobs will be installed at Savannah River Site by the end of the year for a long-promised mixed oxide or “MOX” plant that would transform weapons-grade plutonium into commercial nuclear fuel, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Monday.
But MOX advocates are wondering whether Graham’s announcement is overly optimistic.
While there is enough money already allocated for MOX to justify Graham issuing a news release on the jobs and the start of construction —more than $500 million dollars — congressional commitment to MOX is hardly assured, said Mal McKibbon, executive director of the Aiken-based Citizens for Nuclear Technology Awareness.
Last week, a House Armed Services Committee panel slashed funding for MOX. Lawmakers cut $150 million and froze $450 million from the Bush administration’s $600 million request for fiscal 2007 pending a clear plan for moving ahead with the project that is expected to cost several billion dollars to complete.
“If the House Armed Services Committee sticks to this, we won’t have any money in 2008, and that problem needs to be solved,” McKibbon said. “I hope our congressmen can break some kneecaps or something.”
The entire S.C. delegation in Congress supports a MOX plant at SRS, the nuclear campus outside of Aiken that once made much of the fuel for the nation’s nuclear arsenal. Until recently, the Bush administration had billed the plant as part of an international effort.
The S.C. facility would rid the United States of 34 metric tons of weapons-grade plutonium, while a sister plant would dispose of the same amount of the dangerous material in Russia.
But the Russians have made little progress, prompting the House panel to hold back on funding for MOX at SRS. Congress could restore the cut and frozen money over the next few months — but there are no guarantees.
Graham’s announcement — heralded as “500 Jobs Coming to Savannah River Site” — tied the jobs directly to MOX.
Two hundred would come by the end of the year from the MOX contractor, Duke Cogema Stone & Webster. These employees are based in Charlotte and would manage the startup activities at the site.
Another 320 subcontractor employees — who would work pouring the plant’s foundation, among other tasks — are expected before the end of the year, according to Graham.
“This is welcome news for Savannah River Site, the MOX program, and the state,” Graham said in a prepared statement. “The MOX program is incredibly important to the site, nation, and world. I’m glad we are taking steps to get the construction and eventual operation of the facility moving forward.”
Last week, shortly after the House panel cut MOX funding, Graham said Linton Brooks, head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, had assured him that MOX in South Carolina would go forward — with or without the Russians.
An aide to Graham said the news about the 500 jobs was not official then, so no pronouncement on filling jobs was made.
Advocates have said a finished facility processing MOX could create 1,000 jobs.
