SR 988: U.S. Congress; to cancel the proposed plutonium pit plant at the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Site; urge

This resolution addresses a federal plan to build a new plutonium pit production facility at the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Site (SRS), a nuclear facility near the Georgia-South Carolina border. The National Nuclear Security Administration is drafting an environmental review of its plan to build the facility there, with public comment expected in 2026. The resolution lays out concerns about the SRS, including that it already holds about 35 million gallons of radioactive waste in aging tanks, and that plutonium pit production carries risks of fires, explosions, worker exposure, and environmental contamination. It notes that Georgia counties along the Savannah River, including Burke, Screven, Effingham, and Chatham, sit downstream from the site and that radioactive materials from SRS have been found in Georgia water, soil, and wildlife. The resolution formally calls on Congress and Georgia's federal delegation to cancel the proposed plant and directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies to the public and press.

• Formally urges the U.S. Congress and Georgia's congressional delegation to cancel the proposed plutonium pit production facility at the Savannah River Site.
• States the Georgia Senate's position on a federal nuclear facility decision but does not itself change any Georgia law or fund any action.
• Directs the Secretary of the Senate to make copies of the resolution available to the public and the press.
• Documents specific findings about existing radioactive waste and contamination risks at the Savannah River Site as the basis for the request.

Residents of Georgia counties along the Savannah River, including Burke, Screven, Effingham, and Chatham, who live downstream of the site; workers at the Savannah River Site; the U.S. Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration; and Georgia's members of Congress, who are being urged to act.

The resolution itself does not stop the project, since that decision rests with federal agencies and Congress. But it puts the Georgia Senate on record opposing the plant, potentially influencing how the state's congressional delegation responds to the ongoing federal environmental review and public comment process in 2026.

• The preamble details that SRS already holds roughly 35 million gallons of radioactive waste in aging underground tanks.
• Notes that the NNSA is drafting a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement on building a Plutonium Pit Production Facility at SRS, with public hearings expected in 2026.
• Cites health and safety concerns, including plutonium's 24,000-year radioactive half-life and its link to cancer deaths among exposed workers.
• Identifies Burke, Screven, Effingham, and Chatham counties as downstream of SRS, where radionuclides have reportedly been found in water, soil, vegetation, air, milk, fish, and wildlife.
• The resolving clause urges Congress and Georgia's delegation to immediately cancel the proposed facility.
• Directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press.

1. 2026-03-19Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2026-03-18Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Nan Orrock (D, SD-036)Primary sponsor
• Sally Harrell (D, SD-040)
• Tonya Anderson (D, SD-043)
• Gail Davenport (D, SD-017)
• Randal Mangham (D, SD-055)
• Donzella James (D, SD-028)
• Michael Rhett (D, SD-033)
• Jaha Howard (D, SD-035)
• David Lucas (D, SD-026)
• Nikki Merritt (D, SD-009)
• Freddie Sims (D, SD-012)
• Sheikh Rahman (D, SD-005)
• Ed Harbison (D, SD-015)
• Kim Jackson (D, SD-041)
• Elena Parent (D, SD-044)
• Harold Jones (D, SD-022)
• Kenya Wicks (D, SD-034)

• Savannah River Site
• nuclear weapons production
• environmental contamination
• plutonium pit facility
• Georgia water resources