Senate · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session

SR988: SR988 U.S. Congress; to cancel the proposed plutonium pit plant at the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Site; urge

Last action March 19, 2026 · Senate Read and Referred

A Georgia Senate resolution urges the U.S. Congress to cancel a proposed plutonium pit production facility at the Savannah River Site, citing risks to the Savannah River and nearby Georgia counties.

In plain language

The Savannah River Site in South Carolina, once used to make plutonium for nuclear weapons, shifted decades ago to waste management and environmental cleanup. This resolution says the National Nuclear Security Administration is now drafting an environmental impact statement for a new plutonium pit production facility there, with public hearings expected in 2026. The resolution lays out concerns about fire, explosion, worker exposure, and radioactive contamination risks tied to plutonium pit production, and notes that the Savannah River flows past the Georgia counties of Burke, Screven, Effingham, and Chatham, where radionuclides from the site have already been detected in water, soil, and wildlife. It formally asks the U.S. Congress and Georgia's congressional delegation to cancel the proposed facility, and directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press.

What the bill does

Formally urges the United States Congress and Georgia's congressional delegation to immediately cancel the proposed plutonium pit production facility at the Savannah River Site.
States the Georgia Senate's position on a federal nuclear weapons manufacturing project without changing any Georgia law.
Directs the Secretary of the Senate to make copies of the resolution available to the public and press.
Documents specific concerns, including fire and explosion risk, worker exposure, and contamination of the Savannah River watershed that borders four Georgia counties.

Who it affects

Residents of the Georgia counties of Burke, Screven, Effingham, and Chatham along the Savannah River, workers at the Savannah River Site, Georgia's congressional delegation in Washington, and the federal Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversee the proposed facility.

Why it matters

The resolution carries no legal force but puts the Georgia Senate on record opposing a federal project it says could raise risks of radioactive contamination in the Savannah River watershed, potentially influencing how Georgia's federal lawmakers respond during the facility's public comment process in 2026.

Key provisions

The whereas clauses describe the Savannah River Site's history, its shift from weapons production to waste cleanup, and the ongoing draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for a new plutonium pit facility.
The whereas clauses note that plutonium has a 24,000 year radioactive half-life and is linked to increased cancer deaths among occupationally exposed workers.
The whereas clauses identify Burke, Screven, Effingham, and Chatham counties as downstream Georgia counties where radionuclides from the site have already been detected.
The first resolving clause urges Congress and Georgia's federal delegation to cancel the proposed plutonium pit production facility.
The second resolving clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press.

Status timeline

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

Topics

nuclear weapons production
Savannah River Site
environmental safety
radioactive contamination
federal advocacy