Flippanarchy

This isn't exactly new. And it didn't end well in the past either. After the completion of the Manhattan Project, a number of private entities begun building plutonium weapons. Notably, Rockwell International (yes, that Rockwell), ran a site outside of Denver called Rocky Flats. Ended up being one of the worst ecological disasters in American history. Plutonium will catch on fire, so there were a number of plutonium fires at the plant, but that wasn't the worst of it. Their disposal and treatment techniques were woefully inadequacy, and untold amounts of plutonium leaked into the environment. The EPA, CDPH, and DOE all knew about the process and did nothing. The FBI had to step in and raid the plant, and even still, it ran for years during court proceedings. Rather conveniently, those court documents were sealed, and later lost.

What is new here is the fact that the Trump administration already plays fast and lose with the rules. Moreover, random tech billionaires have no right so much as looking at the most dangerous substance in the world, weapons grade plutonium. So to say this will end poorly would be the understatement of the century.

P.S. Highly recommend reading up on the history of the DOE. The story of Rocky Flats, the national labs, and nuclear weapons program is so much longer and wilder than what I could put here.