Pantex
Encyclopedia
The Pantex plant is America's only nuclear weapon
s assembly and disassembly facility and is charged with maintaining the safety, security and reliability of the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile. The facility is located on a 16,000 acre (65 km2) site 17 miles (27 km) northeast of Amarillo
, in Carson County, Texas
in the Panhandle of Texas
. The plant is managed and operated for the United States Department of Energy
by BWXT Pantex and Sandia National Laboratories
. BWXT Pantex is a limited liability enterprise of Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services Group
, Honeywell
and Bechtel
.
plant for the United States Army
during the early days of World War II
. The Pantex Ordnance Plant was authorized February 24, 1942. Construction was completed on November 15, 1942 and caused workers from all over the U.S. to flock to Amarillo for jobs building bombs.
Pantex was abruptly deactivated after the war ended. It remained vacant until 1949, when Texas Technological College in Lubbock
(now Texas Tech University
) purchased the site for $1. Texas Tech used the land for experimental cattle-feeding operations.
In 1951, at the request of the Atomic Energy Commission
(now the Department of Energy
(DOE)), the Army exercised a recapture clause in the sale contract and reclaimed the main plant and 10,000 acres (40 km2) of surrounding land for use as a nuclear weapons production facility. The Atomic Energy Commission refurbished and expanded the plant at a cost of $25 million. The remaining 6,000 acres (24 km2) of the original site were leased from Texas Tech in 1989.
Also in 1989, the DOE Rocky Flats Plant
, located near Golden, Colorado
, was deactivated as a plutonium
processing center due to environmental concerns, urban encroachment, and protest by activist groups and loss of mission when Congress did not approve the next generation weapon design. The deactivation of Rocky Flats necessitated the interim storage of plutonium at Pantex.
In 1994, the Pantex plant was listed as a Superfund
site. The US Environmental Protection Agency has not determined what contaminants and exposure risks are at the facility, but has determined that groundwater contamination was not under control at that time. Cleanup construction was completed in 2010, and EPA currently lists this site as "Current human exposures at this site are under control" and "Contaminated ground water migration is under control".
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
in 1998 documented a statistically significant
incidence of increased cancer
rates and low birth weight
s in the some of the counties surrounding Pantex, however the counties closest to the plant (Armstrong and Carson) had no significant increase in cancer rates. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
concluded that the Pantex Plant was not likely to be associated with these findings because of the multifactorial nature of birth defects and cancer, and the lack of measurable contamination coming from the Pantex facility.
Pantex employed approximately 3,600 people in 2010 and had a budget of $600 million for fiscal year 2010.
began encouraging Catholic workers at the plant to leave their jobs, offering financial support to those who did. In 1986 peace activists purchased 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) adjacent to the facility to create The Peace Farm, as "a visible witness against weapons of mass destruction". It continues to draw attention to the plant in its current role as the lead facility maintaining and modifying the US nuclear arsenal.
A non-profit watchdog group, the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), claimed that in 2005 Pantex workers could have caused a nuclear explosion when they improperly applied too much pressure on an obsolete W-56 warhead while attempting to dismantle it. POGO said unidentified experts knowledgeable about the event told it of the danger. It also said requirements for plant technicians to work up to 72 hours a week contributed to the incident. The group made public an anonymous letter, purportedly from Pantex workers, which warned that long hours and efforts to increase output were causing dangerous conditions. BWXT said it would look into the complaint about unsafe conditions, but declined further comment. The U.S. Department of Energy fined BWXT $110,000 for incidents involving the bomb, but did not mention any possibility of an explosion or identify the type of warhead.
Another controversy resulted from federal requirements for physical standards for security guards and the requirement that guards must wear bulletproof vests and carry rifles throughout their 24-hour shift. The guard's union objects to these new requirements. Guards make an average of $72,000/year with 800+ hours of overtime.
500 guards walked off the site and went on strike just after midnight on April 20, 2007. After 45 days of intense negotiations, a new 5 year contract was agreed upon between the Pantex Guards Union and BWXT.
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
s assembly and disassembly facility and is charged with maintaining the safety, security and reliability of the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile. The facility is located on a 16,000 acre (65 km2) site 17 miles (27 km) northeast of Amarillo
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
, in Carson County, Texas
Carson County, Texas
Carson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Amarillo metropolitan area. In 2000, its population was 6,516. Carson is named for Samuel Price Carson, the first secretary of state of the Republic of Texas. The seat of the county is Panhandle. It was founded in...
in the Panhandle of Texas
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
. The plant is managed and operated for the United States Department of Energy
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
by BWXT Pantex and Sandia National Laboratories
Sandia National Laboratories
The Sandia National Laboratories, managed and operated by the Sandia Corporation , are two major United States Department of Energy research and development national laboratories....
. BWXT Pantex is a limited liability enterprise of Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services Group
BWX Technologies
Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services Group, Inc., formerly known as BWX Technologies, Inc. , is the group that operates the Y-12 National Security Complex, and a member of the Los Alamos National Security, LLC. The group also holds the contract to manage the Pantex plant in Texas, alongside...
, Honeywell
Honeywell
Honeywell International, Inc. is a major conglomerate company that produces a variety of consumer products, engineering services, and aerospace systems for a wide variety of customers, from private consumers to major corporations and governments....
and Bechtel
Bechtel
Bechtel Corporation is the largest engineering company in the United States, ranking as the 5th-largest privately owned company in the U.S...
.
History
The Pantex plant was originally constructed as a conventional bombBomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
plant for the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during the early days of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The Pantex Ordnance Plant was authorized February 24, 1942. Construction was completed on November 15, 1942 and caused workers from all over the U.S. to flock to Amarillo for jobs building bombs.
Pantex was abruptly deactivated after the war ended. It remained vacant until 1949, when Texas Technological College in Lubbock
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
(now Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
) purchased the site for $1. Texas Tech used the land for experimental cattle-feeding operations.
In 1951, at the request of the Atomic Energy Commission
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
(now the Department of Energy
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
(DOE)), the Army exercised a recapture clause in the sale contract and reclaimed the main plant and 10,000 acres (40 km2) of surrounding land for use as a nuclear weapons production facility. The Atomic Energy Commission refurbished and expanded the plant at a cost of $25 million. The remaining 6,000 acres (24 km2) of the original site were leased from Texas Tech in 1989.
Also in 1989, the DOE Rocky Flats Plant
Rocky Flats Plant
The Rocky Flats Plant was a United States nuclear weapons production facility near Denver, Colorado that operated from 1952 to 1992. It was under the control of the United States Atomic Energy Commission until 1977, when it was replaced by the Department of Energy .-1950s:Following World War II,...
, located near Golden, Colorado
Golden, Colorado
The City of Golden is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Golden lies along Clear Creek at the edge of the foothills of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Founded during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush on 16 June 1859, the mining camp was...
, was deactivated as a plutonium
Plutonium
Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation...
processing center due to environmental concerns, urban encroachment, and protest by activist groups and loss of mission when Congress did not approve the next generation weapon design. The deactivation of Rocky Flats necessitated the interim storage of plutonium at Pantex.
In 1994, the Pantex plant was listed as a Superfund
Superfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
site. The US Environmental Protection Agency has not determined what contaminants and exposure risks are at the facility, but has determined that groundwater contamination was not under control at that time. Cleanup construction was completed in 2010, and EPA currently lists this site as "Current human exposures at this site are under control" and "Contaminated ground water migration is under control".
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry is a federal public health agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The agency focuses on minimizing human health risks associated with exposure to hazardous substances...
in 1998 documented a statistically significant
Statistical significance
In statistics, a result is called statistically significant if it is unlikely to have occurred by chance. The phrase test of significance was coined by Ronald Fisher....
incidence of increased cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
rates and low birth weight
Low birth weight
Low birth weight is defined as a birth weight of a liveborn infant of less than 2,500 g. regardless of gestational age-Causes:LBW is either the result of preterm birth or of the infant being small for gestational age , or a combination of...
s in the some of the counties surrounding Pantex, however the counties closest to the plant (Armstrong and Carson) had no significant increase in cancer rates. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry is a federal public health agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The agency focuses on minimizing human health risks associated with exposure to hazardous substances...
concluded that the Pantex Plant was not likely to be associated with these findings because of the multifactorial nature of birth defects and cancer, and the lack of measurable contamination coming from the Pantex facility.
Pantex employed approximately 3,600 people in 2010 and had a budget of $600 million for fiscal year 2010.
Controversy
In the early 1980s, local Bishop Leroy MatthiesenLeroy Matthiesen
Leroy Matthiesen was a theologian, political and social activist, and the retired Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Amarillo, Texas....
began encouraging Catholic workers at the plant to leave their jobs, offering financial support to those who did. In 1986 peace activists purchased 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) adjacent to the facility to create The Peace Farm, as "a visible witness against weapons of mass destruction". It continues to draw attention to the plant in its current role as the lead facility maintaining and modifying the US nuclear arsenal.
A non-profit watchdog group, the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), claimed that in 2005 Pantex workers could have caused a nuclear explosion when they improperly applied too much pressure on an obsolete W-56 warhead while attempting to dismantle it. POGO said unidentified experts knowledgeable about the event told it of the danger. It also said requirements for plant technicians to work up to 72 hours a week contributed to the incident. The group made public an anonymous letter, purportedly from Pantex workers, which warned that long hours and efforts to increase output were causing dangerous conditions. BWXT said it would look into the complaint about unsafe conditions, but declined further comment. The U.S. Department of Energy fined BWXT $110,000 for incidents involving the bomb, but did not mention any possibility of an explosion or identify the type of warhead.
Another controversy resulted from federal requirements for physical standards for security guards and the requirement that guards must wear bulletproof vests and carry rifles throughout their 24-hour shift. The guard's union objects to these new requirements. Guards make an average of $72,000/year with 800+ hours of overtime.
500 guards walked off the site and went on strike just after midnight on April 20, 2007. After 45 days of intense negotiations, a new 5 year contract was agreed upon between the Pantex Guards Union and BWXT.
Lockdown
At around 8am on January 15, 2010 the plant was put on lockdown due to a "potential security situation," Shannon reported. The lockdown was caused by employees enjoying a day of fowl hunting on their day off. The employees claim to have had permission to use the adjacent land.Pantex on Film
In 1995, filmmaker George Ratliff made a documentary called Plutonium Circus. The film follows various people to give their viewpoint of having a nuclear weapons facility in their backyard. The film shows a few artists and Peace Farm activists who are opposed to the plant being in existence. It also shows the Pantex PR spokesperson who happens to be a city councilman and his pro Pantex views. The main argument for the plant is the jobs it creates and the economic impact. However, one of the artists in the film points out that the Nazi concentration camps also created a lot of jobs during WWII. The film won several awards including best documentary at the 1996 SXSW Film Festival in Austin, TX. The film is currently out of print, but copies are available on various sites like Amazon and Ebay.See also
- National Nuclear Security AdministrationNational Nuclear Security AdministrationThe United States National Nuclear Security Administration is part of the United States Department of Energy. It works to improve national security through the military application of nuclear energy...
- CEA/ValducCÉA/ValducCEA/Valduc or the Valduc Centre for Nuclear Studies is a French nuclearfacility dedicated to the study, manufacturing, maintenance and dismantling of nuclear weapons....
- Kansas City PlantKansas City PlantThe Kansas City Plant is a National Nuclear Security Administration facility managed and operated by Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies that produces 85 percent of the nonnuclear material used in the United States nuclear bomb arsenal...