For immediate release May 10, 2018

NNSA, DoD, DOE recommend moving most plutonium warhead "pit" production to South Carolina by 2030

Los Alamos to remain R&D center; small LANL production role to proceed as previously planned using aging main LANL facility and new analytical lab

DOE, NNSA to terminate Mixed Oxide (MOX) program for surplus plutonium in favor of simpler "dilute and dispose" approach

Contact: Greg Mello, Los Alamos Study Group, 505-265-1200 office, 505-577-8563 cell

Permanent link * Previous press releases

Please see yesterday's press backgrounder for more information on today's decision.

Albuquerque, NM – NNSA Administrator Lisa Gordon Hagerty and Under Secretary of Defense Ellen Lord today issued a joint statement that recommends moving the bulk of future plutonium warhead core ("pit") production to the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken, SC.

Study Group director Greg Mello: "NNSA's decision appears to be a rational one within the limits of existing law. For fundamental reasons related to geology, topography, LANL's other missions and scientific identity as well as its isolated location, LANL can't handle the industrial pit mission.

"There was always going to be overlap between setting up a small pit production mission at LANL and the establishment of production elsewhere. That is what we see here. If you want pits, this is a prudent approach.

"It will be difficult to achieve even 30 new pits per year at LANL. Pit production will be difficult, expensive, and dangerous wherever it is attempted.

"Pit production isn't needed for decades, even to maintain a huge arsenal. Congress has demanded it, so the industrial pit mission must leave LANL.

"It is ironic that the efforts of the New Mexico senators to legislate pit production have resulted in a plan to move most production elsewhere. Previous senators -- and Congressman Tom Udall -- recognized that LANL should not become an industrial pit production site.

"No new pits are needed for any warhead. Government would be wise to focus on pit reuse, not production. There are thousands of pits stockpiled for possible reuse. To a great extent pit production is a superpower "vanity project."

"Gradual disarmament would make the world a much better, safer place and save tens of billions of dollars just in pit production over the coming decades. That's not in vogue right at this moment, but don't rule it out."

***ENDS***