Attorney General Aaron Ford has filed a motion in federal District Court to prevent future shipments of plutonium to Nevada while his office appeals to the 9th Circuit Court to permanently block future shipments of the radioactive substance.
The motion comes after what Ford described as the shocking announcement the Department of Energy had shipped a half-ton of weapons grade plutonium to Nevada last year.
“When the Department of Energy takes unilateral action to ship dangerous material to Nevada, it robs the state of our ability to prepare for the risks associated with transporting and storing plutonium,” said Ford. “Frankly, the Department of Energy has lost all credibility and trust and its assurances that it will not ship any plutonium in the future aren’t worth the paper they’re written on.”
The move follows Gov. Steve Sisolak’s Wednesday letter to Energy Secretary Rick Perry and National Nuclear Security Administrator Lisa Gordon-Hagerty demanding answers about the secret shipment.
Sisolak referred to the department’s actions as “callous disregard for the State of Nevada and its citizenry,” showing little regard for state’s rights.