It passed the physical challenges, such as being submerged in 30 feet of water, subjected to fires of 1,475 degrees Fahrenheit and dropped from heights of up to 30 feet - although that test took a couple of tries. The drum is integral to SRS' plans to treat more than 55 tons of surplus U.S. plutonium for disposal elsewhere. We've submersed it. We've fire-tested it.
Plutonium is a fissile material.
Instead, the agency now plans to send the residues directly to a New Mexico repository from Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site in Colorado. Mr. Gunter said the change was the result of financial concerns. Mr. Gunter said. But the changes worry observers already alarmed by the frequent delays in the Energy Department's shipping programs. It hasn't done the basic things necessary for its programs.