Smart Money to Stop Nuclear Terrorism

Congress just took a small but important bipartisan step to make America safer.

On July 13 the House of Representatives approved an amendment offered by Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) and Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), along with Rick Larsen (D-WA) and John Garamendi (D-CA), to increase by $35 million the funding for the Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) Reactor Conversion program -- a component of the Global Threat Reduction Initiative.

This is a significant victory for nonproliferation. The Reactor Conversion program takes HEU, which can be used for a nuclear weapon, out of those research reactors in the world that still use this material for fuel. The reactors are then converted to run on a safer, non-weapons-usable form called low-enriched uranium (LEU). This program is part of the Obama administration's commitment to secure all vulnerable fissile materials worldwide in four years.

Rep. Fortenberry said:

I am committed to strengthening momentum on efforts to secure fissile materials and prevent the proliferation and misuse of sensitive nuclear materials and technologies here and around the world ... There are some relatively straightforward steps that we can take to reduce our vulnerabilities, and one of these is to strengthen the Global Threat Reduction Initiative.

Rep. Sanchez agreed:

The danger that nuclear materials or weapons might spread to countries hostile to the United States or to terrorists is one of the gravest dangers to the United States - nonproliferation programs are critical to U.S. national security and must be a top priority.

The United States spends a total of $54 billion per year on nuclear weapons and related programs. Much of that money is wasted, but programs like the Global Threat Reduction Initiative are our front-line defense against nuclear terrorism.

As Congress continues its debates over the national debt and determines national security budget cuts, it should not take the axe to programs that are central to preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and material around the world. The HEU Reactor Conversion program and the GTRI program are examples of these types of necessary programs, and this week's victory in the House should be celebrated -- no matter how minor.

Reps. Fortenberry, Sanchez, Larsen and Garamendi should be commended for their tireless efforts, as should all House members for their bipartisan cooperation to pass this amendment. A number of nongovernmental organizations were also instrumental in this success, including the Council for a Livable World, the Union of Concerned Scientists, Women's Action for New Directions, and the Friends Committee on National Legislation.

 

Follow Joe Cirincione on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Cirincione

Comments

[CaptD]

07:07 PM on 07/15/2011

From MayAn in-depth overview of the timeline of the rapid nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima reactor 1, including temperature data, water levels and the state of the fuel rods as the crisis unfolded.

http://blog.alexanderhiggins.com/2011/05/16/depth-techical-overview-rapid-nulclear-meltdown-fukushima-reactor-1-22795/comment-page-1/#comment-194791

[CaptD]

09:57 AM on 07/15/2011

From our friend Outnow:

"The New york Academy of Science estimated the number of deaths from Chernobyl as being approximately 980,000.

The US National Academy of Sciences report concluded in 2007 that no dose of radiation is safe. The radiation exposures are cumulative in effect in causing cancer, x-rays and CAT scans included.

The WHO stated in 1956 that the genetic heritage is the most precious property for human beings.

The IAEA fixed all that on May 28, 1959 when they took charge of the UN's WHO statements .

The truth never changed, just control of the information. Meanwhile, cover ups concealed accident after accident at nuclear plants. Atmospheric testing was banned but now this state of affairs leaves us in an existential fight.

Inform yourselves as much as possible. If we are spared the Fort Calhoun/Copper River disasters, Fukushima is evidence enough. Watch the mortality and morbidity grow. That's the proof right there.

Confusing internal emmiters (and diminishing the adverse impact) with external exposure is their game.

Once we are wise to their game. the old sunburn analogy is revealed as fraud, i.e., a false representation, knowingly made, with the intention for others to rely to their detriment...

[realitytrumpsbull]

02:14 AM on 07/15/2011

If the only thing standing between the world and nuclear holocaust is American payola, you have to wonder if the people in possession of the materials and operating the reactors might not be engaging in a little extortion, bank-shot nuclear terrorism, that kind of thing. You also have to wonder just how long it'll be 'til the place goes up in a bright flash of light, because there's probably a bunch of little SMERSHer's running around out there, petting the cat, bridging their fingertips together, and cackling under their breaths, that kind of thing, while fitting the sharks with their little laser beam hats, or sending their arch-villains to do that, preferably. Meanwhile, back at the nuclear enrichment facility, people have some Tough Choices to make, first off whether to even USE nuclear power at all, post-Japan. Germany's saying 'nein, danke' to nuclear power. They sure are smart people Over There, and I think if we can get the electrical power generation job done sans nukes, then get rid of the things over about a 20-year period. There's other ways to generate a kilowatt besides playing with radioactive material, and if your windmill falls over, you go fix it and put it back up. Your power plant 'falls over', you have to evacuate 100's of square miles regardless of what's in the core. What's the difference between being 'a little dead', and  'a lot dead', rate of decay?

[CaptD]

09:32 AM on 07/15/2011

Welcome to The Going Away Party for Nuclear Reactors!
Fanned and Fav'd!
Please keep posting the truth!

[CaptD]

09:55 PM on 07/14/2011

Fr. Merkel’s is leading Germany, not bowing to their Nuclear Industry!

America would be wise to do the same thing, as we have huge coal deposits
and should immediately shift our energy generation toward "clean" coal in the
future and "cleaner coal" in the midterm...
UNTIL
we can produce enough Solar to meet our demands!

1 Dollar for Coal matched by 1 dollar for Solar will allow the USA to transform itself
into a World Leader in Clean Energy instead of remaining an Energy Addict...

[CaptD]

09:23 PM on 07/14/2011

This is not a victory but a cave-in to the Nuclear Industry for yet more of the same old style Nuclear Baloney (NB) salesmanship for yet another class of reactors!

When do we get real HELP from our Leaders instead of more of the same old Baloney!

Check out this Superb Infographic and it will show you that what we are being told is WRONG!

Infographic: Nuclear Power vs. Energy Efficient Homes
http://theenergycollective.com/petertroast/61269/infographic-nuclear-power-vs-energy-efficient-homes

[CaptD]

08:46 PM on 07/14/2011

List of Nuclear accident to date:
http://www.lutins.org/nukes.html

Read & Heed

Ask Japan!