Letter to U.S. President Bill Clinton and
Russian President Vladimir Putin
on Plutonium Disposition

Signed by more than 200 organizations and individuals worldwide

6/1/2000 William Jefferson Clinton President of the United States of America Vladimir Putin President of the Russian Federation cc: Albert Gore, Jr., Vice-President of the United States of America Dear Presidents Clinton and Putin, As a contribution to permanent arms reduction and disarmament, the United States and Russia have declared about 50 tons each of military plutonium surplus to their requirements. It is generally acknowledged that this commendable step must be followed by measures to put this plutonium into a form that cannot easily be diverted or reused in weapons. There are several proposals that have been discussed and studied in the last many years in both governmental and NGO circles as to how this problem is to be addressed. The plan that the US and Russian governments have been negotiating involves the conversion of most of this plutonium into a mixed oxide (MOX fuel) for use in commercial nuclear power reactors, mainly light water reactors, in both Russia and the United States. The use of Canadian reactors is also being considered as an option. This proposal has many drawbacks. It raises many unresolved safety questions and could increase the risk and severity of nuclear reactor accidents. Unless steps are taken to militarize security at these nuclear power plants, the risk of diversion of weapons grade plutonium will increase with time. We believe that the other option of immobilization of plutonium, which Russia and the US have adopted for only a small proportion of the plutonium, should be extended to cover the full amount. This is a safer, faster, and more economically efficient option. It involves putting plutonium into a non-weapons usable form by mixing it with other materials and making the resultant waste form proliferation resistant. The MOX option should be discarded. A considerable amount of discussion has also revolved around the financing of the Russian portion of the plutonium disposition plan. This is because Russia has agreed to the current plan, which is dominated by the use of MOX in light water nuclear power reactors, largely at the suggestion of the West. One financing plan has been put forward by a US corporation known as the Non-proliferation Trust, Inc. This would involve importation of up to 10,000 metric tons of foreign spent nuclear power reactor fuel for storage in Russia, a complete halt to commercial reprocessing, and a payment to Russia for building storage facilities, a nuclear waste repository and other purposes. Such a plan is currently illegal under Russian law and hence attempts are being made to amend the law. However, the Russian people are overwhelmingly opposed to such a plan, as is demonstrated by polling and by the firm opposition of environmental NGOs in Russia. Many US NGOs and those in other countries also oppose this plan. In recognition of the reality that a plutonium disposition plan is needed, we, the undersigned, would like to offer the following proposal based on immobilization. The same disposition plan in terms of the disposition technical details would be carried out in parallel in the United States and Russia. It would include all separated commercial and surplus military plutonium. Reprocessing of commercial spent fuel would be halted. All separated commercial plutonium in US and Russian stocks, as well as all surplus military plutonium would be immobilized. There would be some flexibility regarding the specific immobilization method. The immobilized plutonium of each country would be stored in that country and put under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. The West would lease Russia's plutonium for 50 years or would purchase it outright. Since plutonium has no commercial value as a fuel, some means has to be found to determine the price to be paid for the non-proliferation benefit. Since Russia regards plutonium as a potentially valuable fuel, the upper limit to the purchase price would be the value of the fuel normally used in light water reactors - low enriched uranium (LEU) - equivalent of the MOX that could be made out of the plutonium disregarding all fuel fabrication costs or any other additional costs associated with the use of MOX. In other words, the maximum amount Russia would be paid would correspond to the LEU fuel value as if the plutonium had already been made into MOX. The payments to Russia could be stretched out over a time period comparable to the deal that Russia and the United States have made for the purchase of surplus Russian military highly enriched uranium-that is about 20 years-or to the time that it takes to immobilize the plutonium and to put it under IAEA safeguards. The West would also pay for the immobilization of plutonium in Russia (in addition to the payment described in Item 6 above). There are a number of ways in which this plutonium disposition plan could be financed. For instance: (1) The G-7, as the group of wealthy western countries is known, could fund it. (2) The European Union could create a Russian plutonium fund. (3) A small tax on natural gas imported from Russia into Europe could finance the plan. (4) The United States could supply part of the funds as the wealthier party to the agreement. (5) NATO could earmark funds for the plan, since this will enhance security for all its members. These financing mechanisms are not mutually exclusive. In view of the widespread concerns relating to the use of MOX fuel in reactors, and the liabilities that it entails, we urge you not to adopt a plutonium disposition plan that includes the use of MOX but rather to endorse this alternative. We want to thank you for the time and consideration that you have given to this letter and wish you success in your deliberations. Sincerely, Janine Allis-Smith Cumbrians Opposed to a Radioactive Environment England Vivek Ananthan Center for Creative Activities Volunteers for International Solidarity Philadelphia, PA USA Didier Anger Comité de Réflexion, d'Information et de Lutte Anti-Nucléaire Les Pieux, France Liz Apfelberg San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace San Luis Obispo, CA Kaitlin Backlund Executive Director Citizen Alert Nevada, USA Hideyuki Ban Co-Director Citizens' Nuclear Information Center Tokyo, Japan Kathryn A. Barnes Sherwood, MI Mavis Belisle Peace Farm Amarillo, TX Carol Bellin, South Bend, IN Robert L Benner St Francis, WI Frieda Berryhill Chairman Coalition for Nuclear Power Postponement Wilmington DE Patricia Birnie GE Stockholders' Alliance Tucson, AZ Susan Bloomfield, Nuclear Issues Chair Frank Carl, Group Chair Sierra Club, Savannah River Group Kate Coburn Boniske Program Chair Women's International League for Peace and Freedom Arden, N.C. Deborah L. Bors Baltimore, MD Jacques Boucher Centre de ressources sur la non-violence Montreal (Quebec), Canada Fred Brailey Ontario, Canada Buffalo Bruce Western Nebraska Resources Council Donald Burch III Washington, DC Nancy Burton, Esq. Connecticut Coalition Against Millstone Mystic CT Mary Byrd Davis Director Yggdrasil Institute Paris, France Paxus Calta International Campaigner Nuclear Information and Resources Service Louisa, VA Tom Camara Mill Valley, CA Corrine Carey Don't Waste Michigan Grand Rapids, MI Dave Chappell Penryn, CA Dr. D.K. Cinquemani Largo, FL Jay Coghlan Director Nuclear Watch of New Mexico Santa Fe, NM Norm Cohen Executive Director Coalition for Peace and Justice and the UNPLUG Salem Campaign Linwood, NJ George Crocker Executive Director North American Water Office Lake Elmo MN Kay Cumbow Board Member Citizens for Alternatives to Chemical Contamination Lake Station, MI Lezlie Dalton New York, New York Steve Daniels, M.D. Santa Barbara, CA Bob Darby Tom Ferguson Food Not Bombs Atlanta, Georgia, USA Mirabel Deming Janesville, WI Scott Denman Executive Director SECC Washington DC, USA Bruce A Drew Steering Committee Prairie Island Coalition Minneapolis MN Sigrid Economou Atlanta, Georgia, USA Ed Evans Cypress, California Alyson Ewald Sacred Earth Network Petersham, MA Solange Fernex President WILPF, France (Women's International League for Peace and Freedom), Paris, France Joan Flynn Ft. Tilden NY Tom Fusco Brunswick, ME Ruth Gabey West Gardiner, ME Richard Geary Oklahoma City, OK L.J. Glicenstein Corresponding Secretary Central Pennsylvania Citizens for Survival State College, PA Susan Gordon Executive Director Alliance for Nuclear Accountability Seattle, WA and Washington, DC Athanasia Gregoriades New York, NY Susan B. Griffin Coordinator Chenango North Energy Awareness Group South Plymouth, New York Keith Gunter Citizens' Resistance at Fermi Two Monroe, MI Regina Hagen Darmstadt,Germany Don Hancock Southwest Research and Information Center Albuquerque, NM Grace de Haro Lihue Association Argentina Dayle Harrison Kalamazoo River Protection Association Allegan, Michigan Howie Hawkins Co-Chair Green Party of Onondaga County Syracuse NY Stephanie Hiller Occidental, CA Horst Hohmeier Anti-Atom-Plenum Bochum, Germany Cindy Hollenberg Fort Wayne, IN Crispin B. Hollinshead San Diego, CA Daniela Horsman, RN Woodbridge, VA USA Chuck Johnson Center for Energy Research Salem, Oregon, USA J.H. Johnsrud Director Environmental Coalition on Nuclear Power State College, PA Debbie Katz Citizens Awareness Network Michael J. Keegan Coalition for a Nuclear Free Great Lakes Monroe, MI Donald F. Keesing Washington, DC Marylia Kelley executive director Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment) Livermore, CA USA Joan King 20/20 VISION Georgia, USA Kingston Unitarian Fellowship Social Action Committee Kingston, Ontario Canada Philip M. Klasky Bay Area Nuclear Waste Coalition CA Dave Knight, Chair Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament David A. Kraft Director Nuclear Energy Information Service Evanston, IL John J. Kulinski Pittsburgh, PA Evelyn Lambert Setauket, NY Kaleah LaRoche Bellingham, Washington Nicholas Lenssen Energy Analyst Boulder, CO USA Thomas Leonard West Michigan Environmental Action Council Grand Rapids, MI Marvin Lewis Philadelphia PA Terry J. Lodge Coalition for a Safe Environment Toledo, OH Jake Lowinger Brooklyn, NY Andy Mager Syracuse, NY Arjun Makhijani President Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Takoma Park, MD Ak Malten Global Anti-Nuclear Alliance The Hague, The Netherlands Michael Mariotte Executive Director Nuclear Information and Resources Service Washington, DC Rozetta Mariotte Hilton Head Island, SC B.J. Medley Earth Concerns of Oklahoma Tulsa, Oklahoma Margo Menconi PineGrove Mills, PA Damon Moglen Greenpeace USA Washington, DC Birgitta Moller HELSINGBORG, Sweden Richard Montgomery Professor, Mathematics, University of California, Santa Cruz LeRoy Moore, Ph.D. Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center Boulder, Colorado Michael Murphy Inter-Church Uranium Committee Educational Co-operative Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Robert K. Musil Executive Director Physicians for Social Responsibility Laura Newell Bellingham, WA Barbara A. Nicely Cleveland Heights, OH Lars A Norberg VrЕngЖ St Anna, Sweden Kristen S. O'Connor Sebastopol, CA E.M.T. O'Nan Director Protect All Children's Environment Marion, NC Sara Oberman Santa Barbara, CA Pat Ortmeyer Women's Actions for New Directions USA Josef Osterneck Raleigh, NC Gino Palmeri Brattleboro, Vermont Thomas A. Peterson President West Michigan Environmental Action Council Grand Rapids, Michigan Rob Pliskin Cleveland Heights, OH Georgiana Podulke St. Paul, MN Scott D. Portzline Security Committee Chairman Three Mile Island Alert Peggy Prince Director Peace Action New Mexico David N. Pyles New England Coalition on Nuclear Pollution Brattleboro, VT Phyllis and Ed Reinfranck Evanston IL Walter Robbins Coordinator Campaign STOP (Stop Trafficking Of Plutonium) Kingston, Ontario, Canada Harry Rogers Carolina Peace Resource Center Columbia SC Chris Rusnov Winslow Maine Peg Ryglisyn Michael Albrizio Connecticut Opposed to Waste Broad Brook, CT John P. Scahill Pittsburgh, PA Gladys Schmitz Mankato, MN Mycle Schneider Director World Information Service on Energy (WISE-Paris) Paris, France Betty Schroeder Arizona Safe Energy Coalition Tucson, AZ John P. Shannon Saratoga Springs, NY John Serop Simonian Jesuit Volunteer Corps Cleveland Cleveland, Ohio Bill Smirnow Nuclear Free New York Huntington, NY Harold Stokes Scott Heinzman Codirectors Metro-Detroit Alliance for Democracy Michigan, USA Art & Cindy Strauss Columbus Ohio Daniel Swartz The ZHABA Collective Budapest, Hungary Chartis Tebbetts Cohasset MA Ellen Thomas Executive Director Proposition One Committee Washington DC, USA Judy Treichel Nevada Nuclear Waste Task Force Las Vegas, NV Chris Trepal Earth Day Coalition Cleveland, OH Uberparteiliche Plattform gegen Atomgefahren Linz, Austria Roger Voelker Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana Indianapolis, IN Jim Warren Director NC WARN (North Carolina Waste Awareness & Reduction Network), Durham, NC Harvey Wasserman Citizens Protecting Ohio Bexley, OH Andrea Wells Bethlehem CT Suzanne Westerly Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety Santa Fe, NM Galen White Australia Barbara Wiedner Founder/Director Grandmothers for Peace International Elk Grove, CA Helen Wiegel Ohio, USA Kathleen Whitley-Bartell Westbury, N.Y. Kathy Willingham Macon, GA Greg Wingard Executive Director Waste Action Project Seattle, WA Women's International League for Peace & Freedom Environment Committee Philadelphia, PA Soenke Zehle Saarbruecken, Germany Signatories from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia, and Moldova (web posted June 14, 2000): Russia Vladimir Sliviak Antinuclear Campaign Socio-Ecological Union Moscow, Russia Elena Nikulina "Anti-Atom Press" Moscow, Russia Galina Raguzina WISE-Russia Galiningrad, Russia Alexandra Koroleva Ecodefense! Kaliningrad, Russia Alexsey Kozolv Center for the Support of Citizen Iniatives Voronejh, Russia Anna Shvedova "No Corporations" Voronejh, Russia Alexsey Yablokov Center for Russian Environmental Policy Moscow, Russia Natalya Baranova Victor Dulepov "Social Ecology" Novosibirsk, Russia Alexander Arbachakov Agency for Research and Protection of the Taiga Kemerovskaya oblast Mejhdurechensk, Russia Tamara Dobretsova Valentina Yamchshikova "In the Name of Life Kostroma, Russia Andrey Pechnikov ISAR Moscow, Russia Sergey Shapkhaev Buryatian Regional Union on Baikal Ulan-Ude, Russia Natalya Ragozina Center for Public Health Novosibirsk, Russia Alexsander Veselov Union of Environmentalists Bashkortostan Republic, Russia Vladimir Iakimets Center for Russian Environmental Policy Moscow, Russia Mikhail Bogomolov "Citizen" Moscow, Russia Nadejhda Kutepova Planet of Hope Ozersk, Russia Andrey Rudomakha Independent Environmental Service for Northwest Kavkaz Kavkaz, Russia Askhat Kayumov Nijhniy Novgorod Branch of the Socio-Ecological Union Nijhniy Novgorod, Russia Anjhela Bakka "Dront" Nijhniy Novgorod, Russia Boris Nekrasov Association of Young Journalists of Tomsk Oblast (ASMO-Press) Tomsk, Russia Lyudmila Romanova "Harmony" Kamchatkaya Oblast, Russia Elena Kruglikova Apatiti Branch of the Kolskiy Coordinated Environmental Center Murmanskaya oblast Apatiti, Russia Alena Vasileva "Volgograd-Ecopress" Volgograd, Russia Nikolai Sukhomlinov "Khingan" Birobidjhan, Russia Nikolai Zubov Krasnoyarsk Branch of the Socio-Ecologicial Union Krasnoyarsk, Russia Olga Morozova "NOOSFERA" Krasnoyarsk, Russia Valentin Zabortsev Saving the Angara-Enisei Rivers Krasnoyarsk, Russia Alexander Novobrantsev "Harmony" Krasnoyarsk, Russia Sergey Levichev For a clean city and clean Siberia Krasnoyarsk, Russia Vladimir Kirilin "Citizens of Divnogorsk city" Krasnoyarsk Oblast Divnogorsk, Russia Andrey Laletin "Friends of Siberian Forests" Krasnoyarsk, Russia Yuri Pirogov "Environmental Initiative" Krasnoyarsk, Russia Alina Danilevskaya "World of Youth" Krasnoyarsk, Russia Pyotr Shodkin Environmental Union of Students Krasnoyarsk, Russia Anatoliy Prokushkin "KrasEco" Krasnoyarsk, Russia Svetlana Titova Amurskaya Branch of the Socio-Ecological Union Amurskaya Oblast Blagovechshensk, Russia Alexander Karpov "Dialogue-21" St. Petersburg, Russia Galina Khoreva GAIA Murmansk, Russia Marina Rikvanova Baikal Environmental Wave Irkutsk, Russia Vladimir Mikheev Krasnoyarsk Citizen Center of Nuclear Non-proliferation Krasnoyarsk, Russia Tatyana Artamonova Svetlana Bondarevskaya Elena Jhukova Altai Branch of the Socio-Ecological Union Barnaul, Russia Oksana Engoyan Tatyana Kondrashova Gorno-Altai Branch of the Altai Branch of the Socio-Ecological Union Gorno-Altai, Altai Republic, Russia Mikhail Shishin Irina Fotieva Alexander Yumakaev "Altai - 21st Century" Barnaul, Russia Mikhail Piskunov Center for Assistance by Citizen's Initiatives Dimitrograd, Russia Tatyana Razjhavina Information-Rights Center Dimitrograd, Russia Semen Simonov "Green Lightening" Sochi, Russia Sergey Pachshenko Siberian Scientists for Global Responsibility Novosibirsk, Russia Ukraine Sergey Shumilo International Center of Human Initiatives and Environmental Research Chernigov, Ukraine Alexsey Svetikov "Green World" Severodonetsk, Ukraine Igor Borodavko Independent Radiological Laboratory Kiev, Ukraine Yuri Vasidlov "Our Home" Ivano-Frankovsk, Ukraine Oleg Savchuk Youth Agrarian Union Kiev, Ukraine Taras Chabanyuk "Step Towards Understanding" Odessa, Ukraine Sergey Shaparenko "Pechenegi" Kharkov, Ukraine Natalya Akulenko Ukrainian Energy Brigade Kiev, Ukraine Irina Butorina "Strategy" Mariupol, Ukraine Alla Shevchuk Odessa Branch of the Socio-Ecological Union Odessa, Ukraine Kazakhstan Kaisha Atakhanova "EcoCenter" Karaganda, Kazakhstan Sergey Solyanik "Green Rescue" Almati, Kazakhstan Lidiya Astanina "Green Women" Almati, Kazakhstan Belarus Alexander Vinchevskiy "Akhova Ptushak Belarusi" Minsa, Belarus Armenia Akop Sanasaryan Union of Green Armenia Erevan, Armenia Moldova Dinu Kojhokaru "OZON" Sergey Rusnak "Satul Nou" Oleg Rotaru "ORMAX" Ion Bold "TERRA SANA" Sergey Maslov "Protectia drepturilor cetatenilor" Tamara Krivchyaski "Bastina" Valeriy Popovich "FVLB" Vitaliy Donich "AZIMUT" Viorel Merjhineanu "MAECENAS"