Senator Tim Scott Statement on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Decision to Continue MOX Facility Construction in South Carolina

Washington– U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) released the following statement following a phone call last night with U.S. Secretary of Energy Dr. Ernest Moniz regarding the Mixed Oxide Fuel (MOX) program at the Savannah River Site. During the call, Dr. Moniz committed that construction at the MOX facility would continue through the end of this fiscal year, which ends September 30th:   “Today’s official announcement by the U.S. Department of Energy to continue construction of the MOX facility is welcome news.  By continuing the program, we are upholding a longstanding international agreement to dispose of 68 metric tons of weapons grade nuclear material. The federal government is also keeping the important promise it made to South Carolina and our residents, who agreed to host the MOX facility with the understanding that the nuclear material would be processed into usable fuel for commercial power reactors – not sit in South Carolina indefinitely.”   “While the commitment from Dr. Moniz is a good start, I remain concerned about the Administration’s future plans, which continue to jeopardize the MOX program. I will keep working with my congressional colleagues to ensure the most cost-efficient completion of this important facility.”   Since President Obama announced his Fiscal Year 2015 Budget, which would put the MOX facility on cold stand-by, Senator Scott has voiced strong concerns over the decision.  Last month, Senator Scott joined six Senate colleagues in a bipartisan letter to Dr. Moniz expressing their concern the President’s budget request was inadequate and would do serious damage to the MOX program.  He then followed up with an additional letter following the Administration’s announcement of an new agreement to dispose of 700 pounds of weapons-grade plutonium.  Copies of both letters are available here and here.   ###