Little Progress Disposing of 34 Metric Tons of Surplus Weapons Grade Plutonium

In the mid 1990s the United States chose a technology that would be used to contribute to the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons. Today the technology is being held out as a solution to America's energy future. The United States and Russia signed the 1991 Stragic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I), the two countries had committed to dispose of 34 metric tons of their surplus weapons plutonium to deduce the chance that the material could be stolen or diverted. Both countries were supposed to use a two step process to dispose of the material. The United States decided to focus on a single part of the disposal process, MOX. Russia decided, to stock the plutonium for disposition for future decades. The only condition of the deal is that the two countries would proceed in parallel. Russia is now planning to "recycle" the plutonium to help start its atomic energy future in 2014. To Russia, this would allow them to use all of its plutonium covered by the agreement and the United States would will use some of its plutonium as MOX fuel and immobilize the rest. This is not without risk because immobilized material could be recovered more readily for the use in weapons.

http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/42288