A federal judge denied South Carolina’s governor Jim Hodges’ request to block shipments of weapons-grade plutonium to the Savannah River Site. Hodges had threatened to use state troopers to block roads to the site, and if necessary, lie down in the road to stop the plutonium-carrying trucks.
Hodges sued to stop the shipments, fearing the government would fail to find the money to convert the plutonium and end up leaving it in South Carolina. He argued that the DoE had failed to complete environmental impact assessments, and backed out of signing a binding agreement that the plutonium would be stored in the state only temporarily.
However, the judge ruled that the state had not provided enough proof of any violations to stop the plutonium from being shipped. After the ruling, Hodges dodged questions about lying down in front of the shipments.
