In December, the burial of high-level nuclear waste
at Yucca Mountain in Nevada was given a go-ahead by the release of
a Department of Energy “viability assessment.” Project opponents,
including the state of Nevada, say health and safety problems still
aren’t addressed. “The assessment is a tool designed and dreamed up
by the nuclear industry and the Department of Energy to provide
confidence to Congress and the president to designate Yucca as a
sound storage site,” says Bob Loux, director of Nevada’s Agency for
Nuclear Projects, based in Las Vegas. He says the state’s concerns
center around the geological and hydrological stability of the area
and the site’s capability to keep radiation levels in check over
thousands of years. Research on Yucca Mountain began 15 years ago
and has cost taxpayers $6 billion; the Department of Energy hopes
to begin storage in 2010. The complete Yucca Mountain assessment
can be found at www.ymp.gov/va.htm or call the Department of Energy
at 800/225-6972.
* Juniper
Davis
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Where will the waste wind up?.
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