The Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility is facing a funding cut of about 75 percent for Fiscal Year 2014, according to a White House Office of Management and Budget “passback” recently sent to the National Nuclear Security Administration, according to a report yesterday by the Project on Government Oversight. Such a cut would likely slow down construction progress at the plant to a crawl at the Savannah River Site and result in the layoffs of a large percentage of workers at the project. The POGO report quotes “sources who have seen parts of” the OMB passback as stating that the proposed budget would provide $1 billion over the next five years to finish “basic construction,” but would also investigate alternatives for the disposition of the 34 metric tons of plutonium that is currently largely slated for conversion into MOX fuel for nuclear reactors. The NNSA yesterday declined to comment on the report. “There is no shortage of rumors and speculation this time of year, and I’m not going to comment on a budget that hasn’t been released or any discussions related to it,” NNSA spokesman Josh McConaha said in a written response.
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