Graham, Scott, and Wilson Voice Concerns with Assessment Claiming Sharp Cost Increases for MOX Facility

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott, along with Congressman Joe Wilson (SC-02), today issued the following statement in response to the Department of Energy's (DOE) release of The Aerospace Corporation's recent study on the cost to construct and operate the Mixed Fuel Fabrication (MOX) Facility in South Carolina:

"We have grave concerns with The Aerospace Corporation's recent assessment of the cost to construct and operate the MOX Facility. Having already spent $4.4 billion on the Project to achieve roughly sixty-five percent completion, we find it difficult to understand how completing and operating the Project will cost another $47.5 billion.

"A week before the House Armed Services and Appropriations Committees consider appropriations for this facility – we are concerned with the Obama Administration's intentions to fulfill our international obligations. MOX will serve as our country's means by which to honor a nuclear nonproliferation agreement with the Russian Federation. At a time when tensions are high between our two nations, we cannot afford walk away from our side of the Agreement.

"In the very near future, we look forward to an in-depth briefing by the Aerospace Corporation as to how they came to their findings. Additionally, it is imperative the contractor (CB&I), DOE, and The Aerospace Corporation sit down and come to agreement on a final cost for the Project. This is essential to ensuring the Project is finished and that taxpayer money is not squandered in the process. We look forward to working with all parties to ensure MOX construction moves forward so the United States can honor its international nonproliferation obligations while simultaneously providing a path to move weapons material out of the Palmetto state."