Work with Russia

摘要

The announcement by the Energy Department of the "two track" approach to the disposition of excess separated military plutonium has been attacked by a number of environmental and arms control non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as contrary to U.S. and world nonproliferation interests. The two tracks- which the United States will pursue in parallel while urging Russia to do the same- are immobilization in glass with high-level radioactive wastes (vitrification) and burning the plutonium as mixed oxide fuel (MOX) in a limited number of civilian reactors. The MOX fuel would be used in a once-through cycle, just as all-uranium fuel is used now. There would be no reprocessing of the spent fuel.