Judge blocks planned shutdown of Savannah River Site project

COLUMBIA (AP) A federal judge has blocked the proposed shutdown of a plant in South Carolina which would turn plutonium used in nuclear weapons into fuel for nuclear reactors.

U.S. District Court Judge Michelle Childs handed down the decision June 7 on the MOX Project at the Savannah River Site in Aiken County.

Instead of creating mixed oxide fuel, or MOX, the National Nuclear Security Administration suggested SRS make new plutonium pits for nuclear weapons. The state argued that ending the project would make South Carolina the nation’s dumping ground for plutonium since Congress hasn’t approved any other disposal method.

Also, a lawsuit filed by Wilson said Energy Secretary Rick Perry didn’t consult Gov. Henry McMaster before ending construction at the Savannah River Site. A stop-work order was to take effect June 11.