Task Force on the Nonproliferation and Arms Control Implications of Fissile Material Disposition Alternatives
With the end of the Cold War, the United States
and Russia are dismantling thousands of nuclear weapons. Hundreds of tons
of weapons-usable fissile material -- plutonium and highly enriched uranium
(HEU) -- are excess to military needs. The question of what will happen
to these vast stockpiles of excess fissile material has become a matter
of national concern.
In 1994, the Secretary directed a broad range of studies and analyses be
undertaken to provide the information necessary for a decision on fissile
material storage and disposition options. A screening process was completed
in March 1995 which identified three categories of information that needed
to be addressed on this issue: environment, safety, and health impacts;
cost, schedule, and technical maturity; and nonproliferation and arms reduction
impacts.
In the nonproliferation area, in addition to the Department's internal assessment,
the Secretary directed the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board to form a
Task Force to obtain independent verification that the widest possible range
of technical and policy factors were being fully addressed. The Task Force
completed their review and sent a letter report to the Board on September 26, 1996. This report became
a part of the Department's Final
Assessment and Record of Decision on this issue.
| Dr. Allen Sessoms
(Chairman) President, Queens College The City Univ of New York Flushing, NY |
Dr. Wolfgang K. H. Panofsky
Director Emeritus Stanford Linear Accelerator Cntr Stanford, CA |
Dr. Leon Lederman
Director Emeritus Fermi National Accelerator Lab Batavia, IL |
| Dr. Alexander MacLachlan
Senior Vice President and Chief Technical Officer (Retired) E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. Wilmington, DE |
Myron B. Kratzer Consultant Annapolis, MD |
Dr. Marvin Miller Research Affiliate, Center for International Studies Dept of Nuclear Eng, MIT Cambridge, MA |
| Dr. Frank von Hippel Professor, Center for Energy Environmental Studies Princeton University, NJ |
John J. Taylor VP, Nuclear Eng (Retired) Electric Power Research Institute Palo Alto, CA |
Terms of Reference - the scope of the task force.
Letter - report sent to the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (November, 1996).
Minutes from the November 4, 1996, SEAB Teleconference on the Letter Report.