July 27, 2014

Moniz, Klotz to Visit Savannah River, MOX Today

By ExchangeMonitor

Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, National Nuclear Security Administration chief Frank Klotz and a handful of lawmakers will visit the Savannah River Site later today where they will tour the controversial Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility among other facilities, but it’s unclear whether any announcement about the MOX project’s future is planned. Moniz and Klotz will be joined by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.) as well as Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) and South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control Director Katherine Templeton.

Last week, Deputy Energy Secretary nominee Liz Sherwood-Randall offered the strongest statement yet by an Administration official that the Administration would be OK with continuing the project—provided Congress comes up with more steady funding. During her confirmation hearing, Sherwood-Randall called MOX the Administration’s “preferred” choice, which represents a departure from previous statements by Administration officials over the last few months that kept MOX in the conversation but were distinctly more pessimistic about the affordability of the project.

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