( II WITH Will 



Shootout at Clinch River 



Thirrv miles west of Knoxville, Term., on the north side of the 

 Clinch River, there are about 100 acres of rolling, heavily wooded land. 

 This is the site of the controversial $2.6 billion Clinch River Breeder 

 Reactor. It is a project which had been strongly supported by President 

 Nixon in the early 1970's, also favored by President Ford, opposed by 

 President Carter and backed by a majority of the Science Committee. 

 The CRBR was the source of many bitter clashes between the Congress 

 and the President, along with many unsuccessful attempts to arrive at 

 compromises which neither side would fully embrace. 



Since World War II, the United States has been working to develop 

 the breeder reactor, so named because it produces more fissionable 

 material than it consumes. An important part of the development pro- 

 gram has been the concept of eventually building a demonstration 

 plant, a midsized breeder that would provide data on economics, 

 safety, plant performance, and other factors. President Carter opposed 

 the CRBR at the start mainly on the grounds that the production of 

 plutonium would lead to the proliferation of nuclear weapons among 

 many nations. The Science Committee vigorously fought for the con- 

 tinued funding of the CRBR, in the face of a veto as well as consistently 

 adamant opposition from the White House. 



PRESIDENT CARTER OPPOSES THE CRBR IN 1976 CAMPAIGN 



When the Flowers subcommittee started its work in February 

 1977, there was still uncertainty in the White House as to how much 

 would be budgeted for the CRBR. From the President's statements dur- 

 ing the 1976 campaign, it was fairly certain that he would oppose the 

 project. But a clear-cut policy was not announced until April. In the 

 interim period, the subcommittee held an extensive series of briefings 

 on all aspects of nuclear policy, followed by hearings to assess ERDA's 

 tentative budget of $150 million for the CRBR. In terms of timing, the 

 preliminary plant design had been completed and component procure- 

 ment for the project was under way at a rate of about $15 million per 

 month. However, no clearance work had vet been undertaken at the 

 site six miles from Oak Ridge, Term., where the trees still remain. 



857 



