Yesterday, NNSA announced that it has selected a contractor team--WesDyne International, LLC and Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.--to downblend 12 metric tons (MT) of surplus highly enriched uranium (HEU) into a safer form of uranium, referred to as low enriched uranium (LEU). Frank Munger's Atomic City Underground reports that most of the material is coming from the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee. We are pleased to see that a contractor has been selected, as this particular downblending effort has suffered delays.
However, we would challenge the NNSA's assertion that this contract "is a clear demonstration of our leadership of nuclear nonproliferation efforts." These 12 MT of HEU were actually in the pipeline for downblending before the Obama Administration took office.
If the NNSA really wants to demonstrate "President Obama's unprecedented commitment to strengthening and leading international nuclear nonproliferation efforts," it should immediately designate the approximately 300 MT of HEU at Y-12 excess to defense needs so it can be downblended by 2012.
-- Ingrid Drake
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