Judge Denies ConverDyn Motion to Block DOE Uranium Transfers

A federal judge yesterday denied ConverDyn’s request for a temporary injunction to prevent the Department of Energy from moving forward with transfers of excess uranium while a lawsuit the company has filed against DOE moves forward. ConverDyn was unable to show that it would suffer “irreparable harm” if the request for the preliminary junction was not granted, according to an order from U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton. The order also states, “The Court recognizes, however, that expediting these proceedings to the extent practicable will minimize the plaintiff’s economic losses and provide certainty to the defendants regarding future transfers, and therefore the Court will endeavor to resolve this case expeditiously.”

ConverDyn has filed a lawsuit against DOE’s uranium transfer policy, claiming the Department’s transfers of excess uranium to help fund other programs will result $40.5 million in lost revenue over the next two years. DOE’s transfers, the next of which is set to occur by the end of this month, help fund D&D activities at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant and some National Nuclear Security Administration nonproliferation programs. DOE had argued that ConverDyn’s request for an injunction would have brought the Portsmouth D&D project to a near-halt and also would have impacted national security work.