John R. Redick /
THE U5 AND LATlN AMERICA: AN EVOLVING NUCLEAR...
decrease incentives for foreign development of sensitive nuclear
facilities) .
As noted aboye, upon assuming offiee President Carter gave en–
haneed emphasis to the preliminary steps undertaken by the Ford
Administration. The essenee of the Carter Administrations' ap–
proach was an implicit reeognition of the inter-relationship between
decisions affecting the us nuclear program and non-proliferation
strategy. The following is a brief outline of the initiatives under–
taken by the Carter Administration up to the present time. Consi–
dered together with Congressional initiatives (this discussed below)
they represent a significant tightening of us poliey relative
to
pre–
vious praetice -with particular significance to nations with develop–
ing nuclear programs sueh as Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Pe–
ru and others.
us
NUCLEAR JNDUSTRY.-
With respect to the us nuclear program an
indefinite deferring of reprocessing of spent fuel from, and recy–
cIing of plutonium in, the existing generation of light water power
reaetors was announced. The Barnwell, South Carolina civilian re–
processing facility was terminated in terms of government support
(it is now anticipated that Barnwell will be eonverted into the us's
first away from reactor storage facility for spent fuel with an even–
tual capacity of 2,000 to 3,000 tons.). In essenee the us was stating
that reprocessing was at this time premature, economicaIly unsound
and should be deferred by alI nations until adequate non-prolife–
ration institutions are developed.
In an equally controversial Iffiove a deferral of the commercial
development of breeder reactors was enunciated by the Carter Ad–
ministration although a fulI-scale testing process was to be continued
Funding requests for the liquid metal fast breeder reactor develop–
ment were reduced and increases sought for alternative mOre "pro.
liferation proaf" breeder types. As a point of fact however, although
the Carter Administration has attempted to termínate the Clinch
River industrial scale breeder reactor, the us Congress has thus far
frustrated this effort. The current chapter in what has become a
protracted battle over the Clinch River Breeder Reactor Plant
Pro–
ject
(CRBRP)
has resulted in a suggested compromise whereby the
Clinch River industrial scale reactor would be termínated and
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