In Depth Articles

Bibliography of Works by Thomas B. Cochran
Index

Dr. Thomas B. Cochran is a senior scientist in the nuclear program and holds the Wade Greene Chair for Nuclear Policy at NRDC. His publications, presentations and testimony are collected here.

Bibliography of Works by Robert S. Norris
Index

Dr. Robert S. Norris is senior research associate with NRDC in Washington, DC. His principal areas of expertise include all aspects of the nuclear weapons programs of the United States, Soviet Union/Russia, Britain, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea. His publications, presentations and testimony are collected here.

New Nuclear Power Plants Are Not a Solution for America’s Energy Needs
Index

New nuclear power plants are unlikely to provide a significant fraction of future U.S. needs for low-carbon energy. NRDC favors more practical, economical and environmentally sustainable approaches to reducing both U.S. and global carbon emissions, focusing on the widest possible implementation of end-use energy-efficiency improvements, and on policies to accelerate commercialization of clean, flexible, renewable energy technologies.

Peddling Plutonium
Analysis

This March 2006 analysis from NRDC's nuclear program finds the Bush administration’s "vision" of a taxpayer-funded global enterprise to extract and recycle plutonium to be unaffordable, uneconomic, unrealistic, unreliable and unsafe.

Position Paper: Commercial Nuclear Power
Policy Papers

This October 2005 paper examines the issues that prevent nuclear power from becoming a leading means to combat global warming pollution. In its present state, the nuclear power industry suffers from too many security, safety and environmental exposure problems, not to mention excessive costs, to be a viable alternate energy source.

U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Europe
Policy Papers

A review of post-Cold War policy, force levels, and war planning.

Nuclear Insecurity: A Critique of the Bush Administration's Nuclear Weapons Policies
Report

This September 2004 report assesses the Bush administration's nuclear weapons policies and concludes that they have made the United States more vulnerable, not more secure. The report finds that these policies undermine the U.S. effort to combat terrorism by diverting resources from the real threats of our time, squandering billions of dollars on Cold War–era weapons and new nuclear warheads, and perpetuating the arms race. The report offers recommendations for a more responsible nuclear policy, including: honoring the U.S. commitment to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, scrapping plans for nuclear bunker busters, and stopping the deployment of the unproven missile defense system.

Comments on DOE's Draft SW/SPEIS for Continued Operation of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Comments

Submitted in writing to the U.S. Department of Energy/NNSA by Christopher E. Paine, NRDC senior nuclear program analyst, May 26, 2004.

The Future Role of Nuclear Power in the United States
Presentation

Presented to the Western Governors' Association North American Energy Summit, April 15, 2004, by Thomas B. Cochran, director of NRDC's nuclear program.

Weaponeers of Waste: The Bush DOE's Nuclear Weapons Complex and Stockpile Stewardship
Report

This April 2004 report from NRDC's nuclear program finds that the U.S. nuclear "stockpile stewardship" program is spending billions on nuclear weapons research and production projects that are over budget and years behind in meeting their goals. Despite the end of the Cold War, the Bush administration is spending 12 times more on nuclear weapons research and production than on nonproliferation efforts to retrieve, secure and dispose of nuclear weapons materials worldwide.

The Bush Administration's Nuclear Energy Research and Development Program
Index

This index collects NRDC policy papers and analyses relating to the Bush administration's policies regarding nuclear-energy issues.

Iran Develops Nuclear Technologies in Secret for 18 Years
Report

On November 10, 2003, the International Atomic Energy Agency issued a 30-page confidential report on Iran's nuclear activities. The report revealed that for the past 18 years Iran has secretly developed technologies for producing weapon-usable highly enriched uranium and plutonium. Read the report on NRDC's website.

The ABC News Nuclear Smuggling Experiment: The Sequel
Fact Sheet

This briefing paper provides information about NRDC's role in an ABC News investigative report on U.S. Customs' inability to detect smuggled nuclear weapons material. NRDC loaned ABC News the depleted uranium it used in its report. The briefing paper covers the properties of uranium, radioactive shielding, and how closely ABC's "experiment" reflects the potential for terrorists to smuggle weapon-grade uranium into the country.

The Bush Administration's Nuclear Weapons Policies
Index

This index collects NRDC policy papers and analyses relating to the Bush administration's policies regarding nuclear-weapons issues.

The Moscow Treaty
Index

The documents in this index offer analyses from NRDC's nuclear progam of serious deficiencies in the "Moscow Treaty" -- the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty signed by Presidents Bush and Putin in May 2002.

Index of NRDC Nuclear Data
Index

Detailed NRDC data dealing with nuclear stockpiles, materials, and forces.

The Consequences of Nuclear Conflict between India and Pakistan
Analysis

NRDC's nuclear experts think about the unthinkable, using state-of-the-art nuclear war simulation software to assess the crisis in South Asia.

The U.S. Nuclear War Plan: A Time for Change
Report

A June 2001 report from NRDC's nuclear program assessing the U.S. nuclear war planning process and the assumptions and logic of the SIOP, or Single Integrated Operational Plan, a Cold War relic that continues to guide U.S. nuclear war plans. Using customized computer software and a vast aggregation of declassified and open-source data to closely approximate the tools that SIOP planners use, NRDC has simulated a U.S. attack against Russian nuclear forces and attacks against Russian cities. The report includes a description of the history, evolution and working process of SIOP; detailed descriptions of the NRDC nuclear war simulation model and target database; and policy recommendations.

National Ignition Facility and Science-Based Stockpile Stewardship Resource Page
Index

An archive of documents and related NRDC commentary intended to promote public awareness of both the U.S. Department of Energy's nuclear "Stockpile Stewardship" strategy and the National Ignition Facility, a laser facility under construction that constitutes a major component of the department's strategy.

When Peer Review Fails: The Roots of the National Ignition Facility Debacle
Report

A report from NRDC's nuclear program detailing serious problems with the National Ignition Facility, a laser facility under construction by the Department of Energy at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, including enormous cost overruns as well as the likely inability of the project to achieve its primary mission -- fusion ignition. The report, written by NRDC senior researcher Christopher Paine, also offers recommendations regarding the future of the NIF.

Tall Tales of the Test Ban Opposition
Analysis

A reply to the September 1999 letter to Senator Lott from Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty opponents. By Christopher E. Paine, senior researcher in NRDC's nuclear program.

Facing Reality: Resuming Nuclear Test Explosions Would Harm U.S. and International Security
Analysis

A January 1999 response to the Cato Institute's policy paper on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty entitled "The Costs Outweigh the Benefits." By Christopher E. Paine, senior researcher in NRDC's nuclear program.

Settlement of the Contempt Action Against the Department of Energy
Litigation

The landmark settlement of a ten-year lawsuit involving the Department of Energy's program to manage radioactive waste and the cleanup of environmental contamination caused by nuclear weapons production in the United States. The suit was filed by NRDC's nuclear program on behalf of NRDC and 38 other citizen groups. As part of the settlement, the department agreed to provide a $6.25 million technical assistance fund for communities affected by the cleanup program as well as an Internet database providing access to information on the progress of the cleanup.

India's Nuclear Explosions: Where Do They Lead?
Analysis

An article that first appeared in shorter form in the Indian newsweekly India Today. By Christopher E. Paine, senior researcher in NRDC's nuclear program.

Taking Stock: Worldwide Nuclear Deployments 1998
Report

A report providing, for the first time, authoritative estimates of the sizes and locations of the nuclear arsenals of the U.S., Russia, Britain, France and China. The report contains detailed descriptions, including maps and tables, of today's arsenals, and describes the events that have led to the consolidation of weapons storage sites. The authors also project likely trends for the future.

Does the U.S. Science-Based Stockpile Stewardship Program Pose a Proliferation Threat?
Analysis

An article that first appeared, in shorter form, in the journal Science and Global Security. By Christopher E. Paine, senior researcher and co-director, and Matthew G. McKinzie, project scientist, with NRDC's nuclear program.

The Rise and Fall of the Third ICF Review
Report

A case study of bias and conflicts of interest in a National Academy of Sciences review of the Department Of Energy's National Ignition Facility.

End Run: Simulating Nuclear Explosions under the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
Report

A report on the U.S. Government's plan for designing nuclear weapons and simulating nuclear explosions under the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

Explosive Alliances: Nuclear Weapons Simulation Research at American Universities
Report

A report on the Department of Energy's awarding of U.S. nuclear weapons program research contracts to universities. The report includes policy recommendations on this issue.

The Internet and the Bomb: A Research Guide to Policy and Information about Nuclear Weapons
Report

A research guide documenting online resources in the nuclear weapons field -- news, government decisions, background reference materials, facts and data about a full range of U.S. government programs.

See the NRDC Policy Solutions section for more expert analysis of environmental issues. You may also wish to view the working materials in the NRDC Document Bank