nuclear-news

Once secret report on atomic weapons production released as greens fight plans in SC.

The State, By Sammy Fretwell August 14 , 2026

A nuclear safety watchdog group says it has obtained formerly hidden information that bolsters arguments against building atomic weapons plants in New Mexico and South Carolina — but a key federal agency doesn’t see it that way. The federal government has released sections of a report, sought by environmental groups opposed to spending billions of dollars on new factories to produce plutonium pits, key ingredients in atomic bombs.

Environmentalists have said the report could contain information showing that pits are not aging as fast as the government contends, so there is no need for factories to replenish the stockpile. Important sections of the report had not been released until last week, nuclear safety watchdogs say. The unredacted report summary, developed by a team of consulting scientists and released under an open records request, says pits are beginning to age but that they remain adequate for use in nuclear weapons, as environmentalists have argued. Despite that, the report — known as a JASON study — recommends continuing with plans to produce pits for use in weapons.

Jay Coghlan, who heads Nuclear Watch New Mexico, said the report makes his case against building the pit production facilities, which are expected to cost the government more than $30 billion. If the current stock of pits is in good shape and aging slowly, there is no need to move forward with production of factories in South Carolina and New Mexico, he and others contend. “It looks like this plutonium aging excuse doesn’t really hold water,’’ he said in a news release.

His organization, as well as South Carolina’s Savannah River Site Watch and other environmental groups say they are worried that new pit production could crank up a nuclear arms race, while also leading to dangerous testing for new weapons that would rely on the new pits. Highly toxic nuclear material could leak from an underground test sites, Coghlan said. The pits contain plutonium, one of the most deadly atomic materials. Environmentalists also say it isn’t worth spending more than $30 billion for the project, as is projected.

“There are both environmental concerns and there are very serious proliferation concerns,’’ Coghlan said. “The existing stockpile is highly reliable.’’ The National Nuclear Security Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Energy, interprets the report differently…………………..

Read more at: https://www.thestate.com/news/local/environment/article316871213.html#storylink=cpy

August 15, 2026 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, weapons and war