"- the Yucca Mountain site does not meet the basic geological requirements for long term storage established by the International Atomic Energy Agency including a "stable geochemical or hydro chemical conditions at depth, mainly described by a reducing environment and a composition controlled by equilibrium between water and rock forming minerals; and long term (millions of years) geological stability, in terms of major earth movements and deformation, faulting, seismicity and heat flow";
"- the U.S. lacks a coherent policy for long-term surface storage of spent fuel and other high level wastes, which is the only viable option at present. In recognition of the major uncertainties, the DOE has stated that "extended storage, for periods of up to 300 years, is being considered within the U.S."
2) The cost of cleaing up America's nuclear waste is enormous. On 1.29.19, NBC news reported "WASHINGTON - The estimated cost of cleaning up America's nuclear waste has jumped more than $100 billion in just one year, according to a DOE report - and a watchdog warns the cost may climb still higher.
A government watchdog and DOE expert said the new total may still underestimate the full cost of cleanup, which is expected to last another 50 years. "We believe the number is growing and we believe the number is understated," said David Trimble, director of the Government Accountability Office's Natural Resources and Environment team.
3) On 1.31.19, The Boston Globe published a story about Rowe, MA: "ROWE - The nuclear plant deep in the woods of this Western Massachusetts town stopped producing power 27 years ago when George H.W. Bush was still president. It was dismantled, piece by piece. Buried piping was excavated. Tainted soil was removed. But nestled amid steep hills and farmhouses set on winding roads, something important was left behind.
Under constant armed guard, 16 canisters of highly radioactive waste are entombed in reinforced concrete behind layers of fencing. These 13-foot-tall cylinders may not be much to look at, but they are among the most expensive dumpsters in the country, monuments to government inaction.
4) On 1.31.19, The Nevada Independent revealed that the federal government had secretly brought nuclear material into Nevada in the area of Yucca Mountain and that: "A federal judge" denied Nevada's preliminary request to ban the federal government from sending plutonium to the state, saying Nevada didn't prove it would face irreparable harm if the radioactive material was brought in and that there's precedent for having plutonium at the site north of Las Vegas."
Judge Miranda Du issued a ruling on the state's request for a preliminary injunction on Wednesday, the same day that the federal government disclosed it had secretly already made the delivery sometime before last November. The ruling does not address the state's new request for a 14-day temporary restraining order, which was announced Wednesday during a press conference in which Nevada's governor and attorney general expressed their outrage over the clandestine shipment.
"Nevada's claims of other harms, including environmental injury, are too speculative to rise to the level of the required likelihood of irreparable harm," Du wrote in a 16-page order. "Nevada seeks to maintain the status quo " However, in general the status quo at [the Nevada National Security Site] " historically includes the use of plutonium in testing operations and nuclear materials transferred to NNSS."
The ruling is a setback to state leaders, who were not informed of the delivery or its transport route. They accused the federal government of lying to them by making the delivery while the state believed it was still negotiating in good faith to prevent such a shipment.
"We continue to explore all our legal options, and remain committed to aggressively litigating to keep this dangerous nuclear material out of our state," Gov. Steve Sisolak said in a statement. "This is just the beginning of the process, not the end, and I look forward to continuing to work with my cabinet and our federal delegation to address this issue."
Members of the congressional delegation also expect to continue the fight.
Nuclear Power Causes Leukemia And Other Cancers
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