By Timothy Gardner
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Democratic U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday urged President Donald Trump to cancel a plan to make surplus plutonium from Cold War-era atomic bombs available as a fuel for nuclear power operators, saying its a proliferation risk.
Trump signed executive orders in May that ordered the government to halt much of its existing program to dilute and dispose of surplus plutonium, and instead provide it as a fuel for advanced nuclear technologies.
Last month Reuters reported the administration plans to make available about 20 metric tons of that plutonium from dismantled nuclear warheads as a potential fuel for reactors.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
Plutonium is a fissile material that could be used by militants to make nuclear weapons. The chances are low, but it possible. The lawmakers say that the transfer of government-held plutonium to private industry would increase the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation around the world. If the U.S. uses plutonium from old weapons for reactors, the reasoning goes, it can’t effectively discourage other countries from doing the same with their own plutonium, supplies of which can also be built by re-processing waste from nuclear power plants.
KEY QUOTE
“Trump wants to take enough plutonium for 2,000 atomic bombs and hand it over to private industry just to make his rich buddies happy,” said Senator Edward Markey, who signed the letter with two Democrats in the U.S. House. “He might as well sell nuclear weapons at Costco. If this material shows up in Iran, we know who’s to blame.” The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump’s executive orders also called for a halt of the government’s program to dispose of surplus plutonium by diluting it and burying it. Supporters of using radioactive plutonium in reactors say militants would likely harm themselves by handling it and that only nuclear workers can handle it safely.
(Reporting by Timothy Gardner)
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