Fact sheet: Tug-of-war over plutonium

SUMMARY:

The U.S. Energy Department wants to ship weapons-grade plutonium from Colorado's Rocky Flats nuclear weapons installation, which is being closed, to the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The transfer is prompted by an agreement reached with Russia that each nation would dispose of 55 tons of surplus plutonium.

The plan calls for converting the plutonium -- 34 tons in all -- into reactor fuel at the 300-square-mile nuclear weapons complex, but South Carolina Gov. Jim Hodges worries that the plutonium will remain there permanently and become a tempting terrorist target.

Summary Update Key questions Who's who

The Charlotte (North Carolina) Observer newspaper quotes Hodges as saying, "If it is necessary for me to lie down in front of the trucks (carrying the plutonium), I'll do that."

The governor sued the Energy Department, asking that the shipments be blocked until the impact on public health and the environment can be examined. He plans a blockade if the plutonium is shipped without a long-term agreement to remove it.

Hodges, who faces a tough re-election battle, also has spent $100,000 of his campaign money to finance advertisements against the shipments, and held a protest rally on the Statehouse steps.

UPDATE:

After a federal judge denied Hodges' request to block the shipments, the governor appealed the ruling and declared an emergency on June 14, ordering state troopers to help prevent the plutonium from entering South Carolina.

Although the shipments could start sooner, South Carolina's U.S. attorney, Strom Thurmond Jr., said Energy Department officials told him the tractor-trailers wouldn't begin delivering the material until after June 22.

Vice President Dick Cheney has said the White House will back legislation guaranteeing that South Carolina won't become a permanent storage site for the plutonium.

KEY QUESTIONS:

How can South Carolina and the federal government avert an impasse at the state line?

Will the planned plutonium shipments and Hodges' protest boost or harm his re-election chances?

WHO'S WHO:

Jim Hodges: South Carolina governor, a Democrat seeking re-election

Spencer Abraham: U.S. secretary of energy

Wayne Allard: The Republican U.S. senator from Colorado, also facing re-election, accused Hodges of "political gamesmanship" that threatens national security