Laser uranium enrichment provokes nuclear bomb fears

New York Times : General Electric has been working with lasers to develop a cheaper and easier method of producing enriched uranium for use in nuclear reactors, writes William Broad for the New York Times. It has long been thought that the extraordinary purity of laser light could be used to selectively excite uranium-235 and thus ease the identification and extraction of the precious isotope. However, until now, the approach has proved too expensive and difficult. After two years of testing, GE is seeking federal permission to build a $1 billion plant that could make reactor fuel by the ton. Critics fear, however, that rogue states and terrorists could use the technology to make bomb fuel. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is weighing that issue and has promised to give GE a decision by next year.