Here, it happens to be the Savannah River Site. Environmentalists say the government should focus on cleaning up the site and that the MOX facility will just add to the risks. Government officials say European nuclear power plants have been using nonweapons plutonium for years. They tout the program as a major step toward nuclear disarmament. The real benefit is once it's used up, it will no longer be used for weapons.
Opponents point out that weapons plutonium, designed to explode, has never been used as fuel.
We're essentially pointing the threat from our enemies to ourselves. But more than the potential hazards of handling plutonium or the threat of environmental disaster, many in Aiken fear what would happen to their economy without the Savannah River Site.