Department of Energy: Plutonium Needs, Costs, and Management Programs
Abstract
With the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Department of Energy (DOE), while continuing to manage weapons-grade plutonium and other nuclear materials used in nuclear weapons, is turning its attention to managing nuclear materials designated as excess to national security requirements and to cleaning up the contamination resulting from 50 years of nuclear weapons production. As part of this transition, the United States has divided its 99.5 metric ton plutonium inventory into two major categories-that which is allocated for national security needs and that which is designated as excess. Concerned about DOE's ability to manage the plutonium inventory, the General Accounting Office was asked us to (1) review how much plutonium the United States allocated for national security needs, how much it designated as excess, and how DOE determined these amounts; (2) review DOE's estimates of the current and near-term costs for managing plutonium; and (3) review DOE's estimates of the long-term costs for managing plutonium.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA324499
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office