Dick Lugar: “in the fall of 1998 our majority leader named a bipartisan group of members to a Task Force on Plutonium Disposition to…”

“in the fall of 1998 our majority leader named a bipartisan group of members to a Task Force on Plutonium Disposition to advise the Senate and the Administration on actions with respect to U.S. policy and approaches to bilateral negotiations with Russia on the disposition of weapons-excess plutonium. I was pleased to be invited to join the group and Senator Domenici was chosen to chair the Task Force. Mr. President, Senator Domenici has been a pioneer in the area of nuclear weapons material safety, security and elimination. He has spent a great deal of time researching this initiative and engaging our Russian colleagues on the issue. He was instrumental in creating a bilateral dialogue on plutonium disposition that led to the protocol on plutonium disposition signed in September 1998 at the Moscow Summit. This Protocol has led to ongoing negotiations to finalize a bilateral agreement to dispose of large quantities of weapons material. The need for leadership in this area was clear. Unclassified sources estimate that the United States has 100 tons of plutonium and Russia has more than 160 tons of plutonium. Most of this material is in pit form, or classified weapons shape. In other words, the material could easily be returned to weapons status. The U.S. and Russia have each declared that portions of their respective stockpiles are surplus.”