§6154 Disposition of surplus defense plutonium at Savannah River Site, Aiken, South Carolina

Summary

Require the Secretary of Energy to talk with the Governor of South Carolina about any plans or decisions for getting rid of surplus defense plutonium and related materials at the Savannah River Site. For each shipment to that site, the Secretary must tell the congressional defense committees at least 30 days before the shipment starts. The Secretary must make a disposal plan that reviews options, names a preferred option, gives cost, schedule, and funding details for any facilities called for in the Department’s January 14, 1997 Record of Decision, and explains how the plutonium and materials will be moved away from the site in a timely way. If the Secretary decides not to build the plutonium immobilization plant or the mixed oxide fuel fabrication facility at Savannah River, the Secretary must make a plan that shows how those materials will be disposed of elsewhere. The plans must be sent to Congress by February 1, 2002. If the plans are not sent by that date, the Secretary cannot ship plutonium to the Savannah River Site until Congress has the plans. Shipments to other sites are still allowed. Each year’s DOE budget materials to Congress must include a report showing how requested funds will let the Department meet its plutonium disposition commitments at Savannah River and for other disposition activities.