Rachel Maddow gets scoop on Removal of 100 Pounds of Highly-Enriched Uranium from Ukraine

[bananas]

The head of the NNSA appeared on the Rachel Maddow show after a secret mission removing 100 pounds of highly-enriched uranium from the Ukraine.
Very interesting interview - congratulations to everyone involved.

Watch on MSNBC - http://on.msnbc.com/gCG22Z

or DU video forum: NNSA Gives Rachel Maddow Exclusive Scoop on the Removal of 100 Pounds of Uranium in Ukraine http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x539502


Some other DU discussions:

US helps Ukraine return 2 bombs' worth of uranium http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4677959

this segment on Rachel's show is fascinating http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x95302

NNSA and highly enriched uranium http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x95343

More than 100lbs of uranium moved out http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x95250

NNSA Announces Removal of All Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) from Serbia http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x581568

[3waygeek]

1. A month or so ago, Rachel also reported

on the middle-of-the-night removal of roughly a ton of nuclear material from an insecure facility in Kazakhstan. Borat was not available for comment.

[Fledermaus]

2. proliferation of nuclear power will only make things worse

[Nederland]

5. How?

Nuclear power plants don't use highly enriched uranium.

[bananas]

3. Quietly Executing A National Security Triumph (Washington Monthly)

A longer thread I missed: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x581878

[Nederland]

4. It is a shame we don't have more nuclear reactors

If we did, we would have been able to burn up all Russia's weapons grade material a long time ago.

[joshcryer]

6. No, more nuclear reactors isn't the answer, Gen IV, IFR/LFTR is.

Sorry for the nitpick but more nuclear reactors that are being planned (which excludes all fast neutron reactors) are all incapable of solving the problem.

[Nederland]

8. How are you defining "the problem"?

Are you referring to the problem described in the OP (i.e., the existence of stockpiles of highly enriched uranium), or something else?

[bananas]

7. I think this HEU is from the "Atoms for Peace" program.

It seemed like a good idea at the time...

[Nederland]

9. I see your logic

Because we made mistakes in the Atoms for Peace program, everything we do from here on out with nuclear power will involve mistakes too.

Wait, that's actually not logical at all, is it?

[bananas]

10. I was just clarifying that this was "peaceful" HEU and not "weapons" HEU

I don't think they're going to downblend it for reactor fuel.

Also, we don't need more reactors to burn nuclear warheads:
"Highly-enriched uranium from weapons stockpiles is displacing some 10,600 tonnes of U3O8 production from mines each year, and meets about 13% of world reactor requirements."
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf13.html