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posted by LaminatorX on Sunday October 19 2014, @01:51PM   Printer-friendly
from the not-in-my-vast-desert dept.

Remember Yucca mountain?

Most people thought the nuclear waste storage project has been put to death back in 2010 when the when the Department of Energy withdrew the project for political reasons.

The Yucca site was designated in 1987 legislation as a repository and has faced political opposition in Nevada ever since. In 2008, DOE submitted a license application to open the repository, but withdrew it 2 years later.

In response, the states of Washington and South Carolina—both large producers of nuclear waste—and others filed suit. These states had been promised that federal nuclear waste sites like Hanford, would be cleaned up, and locally stored spent fuel would moved from nuclear power plants.

Last year, a court ordered NRC to move forward with its review and licensing process.

Last Thursday, (16th), key safety evaluation was published by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) which gives Yucca Mountain a thumbs up.

The 781-page report concludes that the proposed site includes "multiple barriers to isolate radioactivity from the environment" for hundreds of thousands of years. That should allow it to comply with standards to protect ground water and people in the distant future.

This report, Volume 3, isn't the final approval. The staff expects to publish volumes 2 (Repository Safety Before permanent Closure), 4 (Administrative and Programmatic Requirements) and 5 (License Specifications) by January 2015

Of course Nevada is not happy.

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  • (Score: 5, Informative) by zafiro17 on Sunday October 19 2014, @02:08PM

    by zafiro17 (234) on Sunday October 19 2014, @02:08PM (#107545) Homepage
    Interesting article; thanks frojack. I've got links to the Hanford site and the 3rd volume of the document, but nothing to an article that tells me what's going on overall. Here's one to the NYT, if anyone else is interested: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/17/us/calls-to-use-a-proposed-nuclear-site-now-deemed-safe.html?_r=0 [nytimes.com] And a quote:

    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Thursday released a long-delayed report on the suitability of Yucca Mountain as a disposal spot for nuclear waste, finding that the design met the commission’s requirements, laying the groundwork to restart the project if control of the Senate changes hands in the elections next month. Republicans have been pushing to use the site, about 100 miles from Las Vegas, to store spent reactor fuel and highly radioactive leftovers from Cold War bomb-making, but they have been blocked by President Obama and by the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada. A final ruling would have to come from the commission itself, and the State of Nevada and other opponents have promised lawsuits. But the report released Thursday, mostly done in 2010 but frozen until a recent court decision, concluded that the design had the required multiple barriers, to assure long-term isolation of radioactive materials. It set off immediate calls among Republicans to bring the project back to life. “Today’s report confirms what we’ve expected all along: Nuclear waste stored under that mountain, in that desert, surrounded by federal land, will be safe and secure for at least a million years,” said John M. Shimkus, Republican of Illinois, who is a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The report “should only add to the bipartisan support the repository has consistently received in both the House and Senate,” he said in a statement. At the Bipartisan Policy Center, a nonprofit Washington group, Timothy Frazier, a former Energy Department official who heads the nuclear waste program there, said “it makes it hard, based on what they’ve written, for someone to say that Yucca Mountain is not technically acceptable.” “If the Senate flips, you’re going to get money in the Senate appropriations bill to do something for Yucca Mountain,” he said. And there would probably also be money for temporary centralized storage of the waste now accumulating at more than 70 reactor sites around the country, he said. Congress has been stalemated on that point, with some proponents of Yucca Mountain trying to block any interim alternatives.

    I think it's down toward the end of the article where they stop talking about politics and start talking about money that we start getting to the heart of the issue. But I'll add, this Republican-Democrat pissing match has worn me out. Give me a third party to vote for and I'll be happy to send both those teams of dickheads off to hell, and give some other group a chance to turn this place around. I'm tired of this shit.

    --
    Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess is why several of us died of tuberculosis - Jack Handey
    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by cmn32480 on Sunday October 19 2014, @02:45PM

      by cmn32480 (443) <reversethis-{moc.liamg} {ta} {08423nmc}> on Sunday October 19 2014, @02:45PM (#107549) Journal

      Very interesting. And it sure does seem like despite the "Green" face of the current morons in power, that it seems to be "certain kinds of green that we can dump federal money into and make us look good to our party".

      The nuclear fission mess is a bed that we have made, and one that we have to lie in. Nothing we are going to do is going to get rid of all that nuclear waste, except the MSR that eats nuclear waste. See Soylent Article below.

      http://soylentnews.org/comments.pl?sid=2517&threshold=-1&commentsort=1&mode=flat&cid=58894. [soylentnews.org]

      But I'm pretty sure that will never get off the drawing board due to politics.

      If the politicos would do what is best for all instead of doing what is best for their chance to get reelected, we'd all be a lot better off. Time to get a Consitutional amendment for Congressional term limits.

      --
      "It's a dog eat dog world, and I'm wearing Milkbone underwear" - Norm Peterson
    • (Score: 1) by curunir_wolf on Sunday October 19 2014, @04:29PM

      by curunir_wolf (4772) on Sunday October 19 2014, @04:29PM (#107569)

      I think it's down toward the end of the article where they stop talking about politics and start talking about money that we start getting to the heart of the issue. But I'll add, this Republican-Democrat pissing match has worn me out. Give me a third party to vote for and I'll be happy to send both those teams of dickheads off to hell, and give some other group a chance to turn this place around. I'm tired of this shit.

      I agree, and this sentiment seems to be very prevalent (among folks that are paying attention). The question is, what will it take to break the two-party hegemony? Ross Perot came close in the 1980's (until everybody found out that he was certifiably insane). So it is a multi-billionaire with his own access to mainstream media outlets the only way to make it happen? Or have the incumbent protectionist schemes implemented since that episode (sold as "campaign finance reform") effective enough to block any efforts to break the hold of the two-headed coin of controlled opposition currently in power?

      --
      I am a crackpot
      • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 19 2014, @10:19PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 19 2014, @10:19PM (#107633)

        this Republican-Democrat pissing match has worn me out.
        Give me a third party to vote for

        what will it take to break the two-party hegemony?

        Individual effort.
        Months before the election, ask folks that you encounter "Are you going to vote?".
        With close acquaintances, you might even phrase it as "Want to ride|walk to the polls together on $ElectionDay?".
        If the response is something like "No. I don't like the Blues or the Reds", remind him|her that there is a **Neither of those 2 dirtbags** slot on most ballots.
        Actually, there are *several* such slots in many races.
        Some people call those Third Party candidates.
        I call them I Don't Like The Status Quo candidates.

        Take the last 3 Presidential races as an example.
        2004 [wikipedia.org] 2008 [wikipedia.org] 2012 [wikipedia.org]
        People are letting their dissatisfaction be known through their ballots.
        Those who stay home and don't vote are saying they think everything is just fine.
        Remind folks of that.

        In California, the Big 2 have recently rigged the system such that only the Top 2 vote-getters in each statewide or local race will pass on to the General Election.
        It is therefor very important to suit up, show up, and vote in the PRIMARY Elections.
        Since fewer folks show up for those (same deal for off-year Midterm elections), your vote is even more powerful then.

        If you convince others who think as you do to join you and *participate*, THAT is the ticket.

        Getting **involved** in politics locally adds to your effectiveness.
        Find a party|candidate you like and put in some time to help spread his|her|their message.

        If you want to change things from within, there's also the Progressive Democrats of America.
        Remember how the Tea Party hijacked the Red's agenda for a while there?
        PDAmerica wants to do something similar, taking the USA back to the Progressive Era of Bob La Follette and Teddy Roosevelt (both Republicans, BTW).

        -- gewg_

    • (Score: 3, Informative) by frojack on Sunday October 19 2014, @06:13PM

      by frojack (1554) on Sunday October 19 2014, @06:13PM (#107594) Journal

      but nothing to an article that tells me what's going on overall.

      Yeah, My bad. I had intended to link to This Article [sciencemag.org] but somehow neglected to do so.

      I saw the NYT article but, as you mention it was so full of political slant that I decided it added more heat than light.

      --
      No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by VLM on Sunday October 19 2014, @02:42PM

    by VLM (445) Subscriber Badge on Sunday October 19 2014, @02:42PM (#107548)

    I've been watching this for decades and its very unclear what will happen first:

    1) Vegas will run out of water (inevitable)

    2) Yucca mtn will open (also inevitable, I mean what better idea do you have?)

    For a long time I've been of the opinion both will happen about the same time as kind of an emergency jobs program.

    • (Score: 4, Funny) by Gaaark on Sunday October 19 2014, @04:11PM

      by Gaaark (41) on Sunday October 19 2014, @04:11PM (#107563) Journal

      Store it under the Yellowstone Caldera... it should be safe there!

      --
      --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
  • (Score: 3) by mrchew1982 on Sunday October 19 2014, @03:11PM

    by mrchew1982 (3565) on Sunday October 19 2014, @03:11PM (#107554)

    I understand on an emotional level why Nevada doesn't want to be our dumping ground, but honestly, it will bring a lot of money and jobs to the state if done right. The area that its in is already a nuclear wasteland from the open air atomic tests of the fifties and sixties, not much else can be done there.

    It's kind of funny to think that we are still paying for WW2 and the cold war half a century later.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 19 2014, @03:36PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 19 2014, @03:36PM (#107559)

    I'm sure the water, cacti, and reptiles already glow in the dark in the desert surrounding Vegas. It is already lost for very long time. As long as we know that nothing that leaks from Yucca mountain can contaminate peripheral water supplies, we need to use the space. Storing this shit next to the reactors is pools didn't work out so well for Fukushima.

    • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Monday October 20 2014, @02:52PM

      by tangomargarine (667) on Monday October 20 2014, @02:52PM (#107834)

      Storing this shit next to the reactors is pools didn't work out so well for Fukushima.

      Because we have any reactors built on both a fault line and a coast? Somehow I doubt California would put up with any nuclear plants being built on its pristine shores and I wasn't aware we had any other coastal fault lines in the contiguous U.S.

      I swear, if I have to explain to someone one more time why Fukushima does not prove the nuclear industry is totally incompetent...

      --
      "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
  • (Score: 2) by kaszz on Sunday October 19 2014, @03:37PM

    by kaszz (4211) on Sunday October 19 2014, @03:37PM (#107560) Journal

    I read that the rock type in Yucca Mountain is unsuitable because it develops cracks and is permeable etc. Is there any other site which have a harder type of rock (Granite) suitable to store radioactive waste?

    • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 19 2014, @05:00PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 19 2014, @05:00PM (#107576)

      Cheyenne Mountain...and it is already excavated.

      • (Score: 2) by Kilo110 on Sunday October 19 2014, @05:23PM

        by Kilo110 (2853) Subscriber Badge on Sunday October 19 2014, @05:23PM (#107581)

        Yeah the Stargate project already has dibs.

        • (Score: 2) by mhajicek on Sunday October 19 2014, @05:27PM

          by mhajicek (51) on Sunday October 19 2014, @05:27PM (#107583)

          Just send the waste through the stargate.

          --
          The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
          • (Score: 2) by mhajicek on Sunday October 19 2014, @05:29PM

            by mhajicek (51) on Sunday October 19 2014, @05:29PM (#107585)

            Better yet, obliterate it with gate openings!

            --
            The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
            • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Monday October 20 2014, @02:43PM

              by tangomargarine (667) on Monday October 20 2014, @02:43PM (#107828)

              You'd think that'd be the optimal solution, but then the Vice President starts bitching that it costs 24k dollars to dial the gate each time.

              --
              "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
          • (Score: 1) by Buck Feta on Sunday October 19 2014, @11:20PM

            by Buck Feta (958) on Sunday October 19 2014, @11:20PM (#107642) Journal
            --
            - fractious political commentary goes here -
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 19 2014, @09:12PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 19 2014, @09:12PM (#107618)

      What I heard was that the best site overall is in Texas.

      • (Score: 2, Insightful) by curunir_wolf on Sunday October 19 2014, @09:51PM

        by curunir_wolf (4772) on Sunday October 19 2014, @09:51PM (#107628)

        What I heard was that the best site overall is in Texas.

        Harry Reid? Is that you? Stop spreading that rumor, man, it's not working! If you want to continue that stupid pissing contest with Ted Cruz, take it out back and leave the rest of us out of it.

        --
        I am a crackpot
    • (Score: 2) by richtopia on Monday October 20 2014, @04:26PM

      by richtopia (3160) on Monday October 20 2014, @04:26PM (#107862) Homepage Journal

      I was at the Nuclear Waste Management Conference (http://wmsym.org/) a few years back, and aside from a resounding "We need Yucca Mountain" the reoccurring example of an alternative is WIPP (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waste_Isolation_Pilot_Plant), which is a converted salt mine. However, I'm not sure if that is still the best option, as in the last year they have had a few issues crop up.

      Slightly unrelated, if you are a student looking for an industry that will take care of you, get into nuclear waste management. They need talent and fresh blood.

      • (Score: 2) by kaszz on Monday October 20 2014, @07:53PM

        by kaszz (4211) on Monday October 20 2014, @07:53PM (#107944) Journal

        I have a suspicion that there is emphasis on "fresh blood" ..
        Perhaps Obamacare pays for really good cancer care in case one doesn't value life too high.

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Dunbal on Sunday October 19 2014, @09:53PM

    by Dunbal (3515) on Sunday October 19 2014, @09:53PM (#107629)

    After all, this is a place of no honor.

  • (Score: 2) by wonkey_monkey on Monday October 20 2014, @11:27AM

    by wonkey_monkey (279) on Monday October 20 2014, @11:27AM (#107773) Homepage

    Don't think me ungrateful - one of the things that puts SN above the other place is the high percentage of submitters who write their own summaries instead of copy-pasting from an article - but this one does need a little tidying up.

    Most people thought the nuclear waste storage project has[->had] been put to death back in 2010 when the when the Department of Energy withdrew the project for political reasons.

    nuclear waste sites[,]* like Hanford, would be cleaned up, and locally stored spent fuel would [be] moved from nuclear power plants.

    Last year, a court ordered NRC to move forward with its review and licensing process.

    Last Thursday, (16th), key safety evaluation was published by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) which gives Yucca Mountain a thumbs up.

    NRC should have got its definition at its first mention.

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk