As expected (see SecurityNet 11/16 update), the Fiscal year 2007 Department of Energy budget includes $250 million for a new Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) program. Under the program, the United States would "reprocess" the used ("spent") fuel from its commercial power reactors to extract the plutonium for use as new reactor fuel. However, the plutonium can also be used to make nuclear weapons. The Ford and Carter administrations rejected reprocessing on the grounds that it posed a risk of nuclear proliferation and of terrorists acquiring the materials to make nuclear weapons; the United States has not reprocessed spent fuel from power reactors since then.

UCS strongly opposes this plan to begin reprocessing in the United States.

The administration claims that a new reprocessing technology that is "more proliferation resistant" invalidates the concerns that led Presidents Ford and Carter to reject reprocessing.

In the weeks ahead, we will provide more information on the GNEP program, and other aspects of reprocessing.