Weapons-grade material to be removed from South Carolina

A deal has been struck to remove 9.5 metric tons of weapons grade plutonium from the Savannah River Plant at Aiken, and the district’s congressional representative is making known his approval.  Rep. Jeff Duncan, Laurens Republican, issued a statement on the agreement announced between South Carolina and the Department of Energy.  “I’ve been fighting for solutions to this problem for years.  South Carolina is not a dumping ground for plutonium,” Duncan says.  The agreement provides for what Duncan calls an upfront payment of $600 million to South Carolina and, he says, there’s assurance all remaining plutonium will be removed from the state by 2037.  After the Cold War, the U-S Department of Energy decided the best option for a safe, secure way to dispose of the nuclear material was to irradiate it at a fuel fabrication facility at the Savannah River site.