Lindsey Graham gets ‘harsh’ with officials over MOX via The Aiken Standard

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., warned National Nuclear Security Administration officials that he was going to be “a bit harsh” before asking why officials with the administration shouldn’t be fired for going back on an agreement to finish completing the Savannah River Site’s MOX facility.
Graham continued his advocacy for the mixed-oxide fuel, or MOX, project on Wednesday during a congressional budget hearing with the appropriations subcommittee on Energy and Water Development. The hearing was lead by Anne Harrington, deputy administrator for defense nuclear nonproliferation for the NNSA.
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Graham countered by stating the U.S. studied each option and decided that MOX was the best option to move forward with the disposition, as well as honor agreements made with Russia and the state of South Carolina.
“You’re now telling the state of South Carolina, ‘Well, let’s start over. Let’s wait another year,’” he said.
“To accept this material to begin with, we had one hell of a fight in South Carolina where the existing governor (Jim Hodges) said, ‘Don’t accept this deal with the federal government. They will leave you hanging,’” said Graham.
Graham’s words come after DOE Secretary Ernest Moniz promised earlier this week to continue MOX construction through Sept. 30.
However, the NNSA has already said it will be working with Shaw AREVA MOX Services – the MOX contractor – to come up with a plan for placing the project in cold stand-by during fiscal year 2015.
If successful, the move will freeze the MOX program and impact 1,500 jobs without an exit strategy for the plutonium.

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