It could be certified reliable without requiring an actual nuclear test. The first facilities in the new complex are on the drawing board. Each of the new facilities is actually a mini-complex of half a dozen huge buildings. Production of nuclear weapons components trumps all other work. Dismantlement of retired warheads, despite an acknowledged seven year backlog, does not occur.
Cleanup funding is cut while production funding increases .
Maintenance, identified by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board as a dramatic problem at Y-12 for the past two years, is deferred. Other victims of the production mentality include the fundamental principles of a participatory democracy and commitments to health and safety for workers and the public . Openness has evaporated and the days of deep secrecy are back. The EIS considers four possible alternatives for Y-12 modernization. DOE announced at the hearing that the Preferred Alternative is the last one.