Yucca Mountain

[Hubris Boy]

On Wednesday, the Federal government finally got around to deciding on where to store the 77,000 tons of nuclear waste that have been accumulating in this country for the last 50 years. The plan is to move it from on-site cooling pools in 30-odd different states, where it currently resides, and bury it in a Tora-Bora-like complex under Yucca Mountain, Nevada.

Naturally, a project like this is bound to provoke incredible volumes of bullshit statistics, "what about the children" whining, and just plain screeching... on both sides of the argument. On one side, the opponents argue that it will be dangerous to transport all that waste from all around the country and, once it's buried, it will eventually leach into the groundwater despite anyone's best efforts to prevent it. Oh... and the convoys will make great targets for terrorists.

On the other side, supporters contend that the current storage facilities are inadequate, and were never intended for long-term storage, and if you don't believe it... take a look at places like Hanford, WA. They argue that the risks associated with transporting the waste to Nevada are far outweighed by the benefits of having the waste contained in one place where it will be easier to monitor. Oh... and the widely-dispersed cooling pools where the waste lives now make great targets for terrorists.

I don't have any strong opinions about this either way... I think I can see the value of having all this crap consolidated in one place. Yucca Mountain certainly meets MY basic requirements for a nuclear waste storage facility:
A) It's far away from me and;
B) It's far away from me.

And, anything that upsets Tom Daschle and Greenpeace so much must have some redeeming value!

On the other hand, the idea of moving 77,000 tons of radioactive sludge strikes me as an incredibly dangerous proposition. I mean, Jesus! Have you BEEN to a truck stop lately? I wouldn't trust most of those people with a burnt-out match!

So... what do y'all think about this?