DOE Begins Study For New Nuclear Weapons Complex

The Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) recently announced its intention to transform and modernize the national complex that manufactures and conducts research on nuclear weapons. The announcement begins a process to accept and review public comments on the administration's plan to overhaul the nation's nuclear facilities. NNSA says it intends to reach agreement by the end of 2008 on a final environmental impact statement, laying out the nuclear weapons program and facilities for the future. NNSA says it proposes reducing the size of the weapons stockpile and producing a new "reliable replacement warhead" to supplant the weapons in the current stockpile. It also says it has decided against construction of a new "consolidated nuclear production center" to house all nuclear weapons R&D and production at a single location, but it is considering alternative approaches using current facilities.