Republican-led budget cuts have left dangerous caches of uranium deposits vulnerable as the security systems of containment complexes become outdated and undermanned, reported AllGov.com.
The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Y-12 complex in Knoxville, Tennessee is undermanned, underfunded, and contains enough uranium to construct 10,000 nuclear warheads. According to the DOE’s inspector general, Gregory Friedman, the agency has invested $50 million into the Y-12 security system for the last decade. The system, called Argus, remains stricken with flaws that weaken its effectiveness.
Three years ago, an 82-year-old nun and two other anti-nuclear activists were able to cut through Y-12’s fence and get past a series of motion detectors. Because of the outdated system’s tendency to set off false alarms, guards ignored the warnings tripped by the activists.
Friedman said the problems are caused by “inadequate spending and poor management.” These are problems that could be easily fixed if Republicans wouldn’t mindlessly cut money for much-needed programs.
