Federal Judge Rules U.S. Nuclear Sites Breached Environmental Laws

The National Nuclear Security Administration failed to properly evaluate environmental impacts of expanding plutonium pit production in South Carolina and New Mexico.

A federal judge found the National Nuclear Security Administration violated environmental regulations by using an outdated impact study for plutonium pit production sites.
The ruling affects plans to produce plutonium pits at South Carolina's Savannah River and New Mexico's Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Plaintiffs argued that the plan did not adequately assess the environmental impact of simultaneous production at both sites.
The court has given both parties two weeks to propose a compromise, while the program's work continues.
The Department of Energy aims to ramp up production to 80 pits per year, despite the legal and environmental challenges.