NNSA successfully returns spent nuke fuel

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- The National Nuclear Security Administration says it has made real progress in returning weapons-grade nuclear material to the U.S. Department of Energy.

The NNSA says it has returned almost 115 pounds of highly enriched uranium in fiscal year 2008 to the United States. The highly enriched nuclear material, originally produced in the United States, was returned from Argentina, Portugal, Romania and Germany, the NNSA reported.

Officials have been working to safely return to the U.S. Department of Energy the spent weapons-grade nuclear material as part of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism. The NNSA announced Tuesday it had safely returned more than 20 pounds of used highly enriched uranium from Germany.

"The complete removal of all eligible U.S.-origin highly enriched uranium from Argentina, Portugal, Romania and Germany is another major milestone in NNSA's cooperative effort to reduce the threat of nuclear proliferation and demonstrates the U.S. government's strong international commitment to non-proliferation," NNSA Administrator Thomas D'Agostino said in a statement.