FAYETTEVILLE -- Ten million dollars have been directed toward dismantling the Southwest Experimental Fast Oxide Reactor in southern Washington County, a press release announced today.
The funding stems from a years long effort to decommission SEFOR; University of Arkansas Chancellor Joseph Steinmetz, U.S. Senator John Boozman and U.S. Congressman Steve Womack formed a partnership that prioritized the move.
"Finalizing this project was a long time coming," Steinmetz said. "A decades-old problem will now be eliminated and that will benefit the University and the State of Arkansas for generations to come."
The 20-megawatt sodium-cooled nuclear test reactor was decommissioned in 1974, according to the press release. The University of Arkansas took possession of it in 1975 and served as its caretaker, according to the press release. The first phase on cleanup, finished in September 2017, was accomplished by money awarded to the University by the Department of Energy. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, approved March 23, provides the final funding to complete dismantling the reactor.
"As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I have long advocated for federal funding to decommission SEFOR in a safe and responsible manner," Boozman said. "I'm pleased to have helped secure the resources needed to finish the cleanup."
NW News on 04/05/2018
