This week, the first wave of employees at the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility received layoff notices.
Hundreds may soon be out of a job; the National Nuclear Security Administration axed MOX in October.
For years, South Carolina’s senior senator, Lindsey Graham, has passionately defended MOX construction on the Hill and on stumps through the CSRA.
Most recently, Graham suggested that his support for MOX would grow in fervor to insure Aiken County wasn’t left holding the plutonium bag. The senator said the zeal he displayed campaigning for Justice Brett Kavanaugh would pale in comparison to the heights he would take his fight to save MOX.
Even as layoffs were announced Thursday, Graham was still swinging and fighting for MOX. Even going so far to say the MOX cancellation and layoffs are a "colossal mistake."
So, today, with hat in hand, we say thank you, Mr. Senator, for your tireless efforts on our behalf.
Now consider this: It is time to concede.
We ask Graham to continue supporting Aiken County in its future endeavors as we pursue other opportunities.
Senator, will you join us as we look to the future and appeal to the NNSA and the U.S. Department of Defense to bring plutonium pit production to South Carolina?
How about leading the charge with our community leaders – Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, USC Aiken and more than 30 other powerful partners – to create the Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative and build for our future?
Cable news channels and social media track Graham’s moves hourly, and his influence in the Senate is unmatched.
Even now, on the heels of the midterm election, Graham’s unwavering loyalty to Kavanaugh and the Republican Party is on display as he traipses across the country and celebrates victories; however, we’re still here in Aiken County facing layoffs and uncertainty.
Graham’s seniority and status may be just the stimulus we need to secure the contracts for pit production and the funding for the AMC. And maybe that will kill the sting left by MOX’s demise.
