b'C H A P T E R 23T H E E N D O W M E N T O F U RA N I U MIdaho nuclear boosters went to work, Idahos major asset in Washington was about the difference between past INELcrippled as they were by a governor dis- now Senator James McClure. With the activities and this kind of weaponstracted by an injection well and the help of his advocacy, DOE selected the work. The Idaho Conservation Leaguegreen protest network. Now that funds INEL as the site of a New Production position was, We are, in general,were flowing for defense projects, sup- Reactor (NPR) to manufacture tritium opposed to expansion of all nuclear-porters hoped that INELexpertise could replenishment for the warheads on related activity at the INEL Site. Siteattract some of it. Although they had Pershing II, Trident, and Cruise mis- personnel, on the other hand, begantried and failed some years earlier to siles. A spokesperson for the Snake preparing for the new reactor. 20land the (Clinch River) breeder in Idaho, River Alliance asserted that the peoplethis time they had some success. 19can stop it and promised to be vocal DOE next selected INEL as the site fora Special Isotope Separations (SIS)plant to make plutonium for weapons.Not a reactor, the $500 million projectwould import plutonium from Hanford,use lasers to vaporize it and removeimpurities, and then send it to RockyFlats for fabrication. By-productswould remain in Idaho. The project wasto be located at the Chem Plant, andsoon employees began the complexwork of developing this project. 21In October 1983, 240 United StatesMarines had been killed in Lebanon bya terrorist car-bomb. Shocked by thevulnerability of the troops, Congressinsisted on a general upgrade in readi-INEEL 88-121-1-30 ness and security against anti-terroristactivity both inside and outside thenation. At INEL, the security force dou-bled in 1984 and the IDO took deliveryof two helicopters by December 1984.Four new guard posts went up aroundthe Site, and DOE attempted to restrictcommercial air traffic from flying overthe Site. Helicopter surveillance patrolsbegan in 1985. 22E v e ntu a l l y, the major nuclear defenseactivities planned for the INEL, theNew Production Reactor and theNot everyone agreed that the Special IsotopeSeparation project was right for the INEL.INEEL 88-121-1-182 2 7'