Congressional appropriators recently have sought to eliminate $368 million in funding for the mixed-oxide -- or MOX -- fuel program at SRS. If that decision is not reversed, the plan to build a MOX fuel plant at SRS and, presumably, a parallel program in Russia, would come to a halt.

Ending the program to convert plutonium to MOX fuel would cost thousands of promised construction jobs and hundreds of permanent ones for South Carolina and Georgia workers. It also would mean that South Carolina would be stuck with tons of hazardous plutonium with no clear way to dispose of it.

Thankfully, South Carolina congressmen, led by Rep. John Spratt, a York Democrat, are fighting to ensure funding for the program. Spratt has enlisted members of the Department of Energy to lobby for continued funding.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham also convened a meeting recently that brought together South Carolina and Georgia lawmakers with Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman and White House budget director Rob Portman. The Senate version of the massive energy appropriations bill retains funding for the project, but the two chambers will have to resolve differences before final passage later this year.

Converting plutonium to fuel that can be used in a nuclear reactor always has seemed like a roundabout way to dispose of the nuclear materials left over from the Cold War. Nonetheless, simply halting the program in midstream is not the answer.

The MOX program was designed to serve as a practical way to dispose of stockpiles of plutonium not only in the United States but also in Russia. The parallel program, partially funded by the United States, suffered from delays and cost increases. In February, Russian officials announced plans to abandon the program and move instead toward burning the plutonium in a new generation of nuclear plants called "fast neutron reactors."

That raised concerns because those reactors can be used to produce new nuclear weapons. Spratt, however, states that, in a joint statement with the United States, Russia has recommitted to dispose of 34 tons of plutonium, the same amount shipped to South Carolina.

While security concerns are important, South Carolina also must cope with the issue of broken trust. Thousands of promised jobs would vanish and the state would be left holding the nuclear bag if this program is terminated.

We hope that Spratt, Graham and other lawmakers whose constituents are affected will succeed in ensuring that at least the U.S. MOX program will continue and that South Carolina will not be the final destination for the plutonium already received.

IN SUMMARY
Failure to fund MOX program could leave South Carolina holding tons of excess plutonium.