Letter: Stop nuke waste by shutting down the plants

Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2001 | 8:47 a.m.

For nearly 20 years the Department of Energy has been studying Yucca Mountain as the solution to America's massive nuclear waste problem. But, as many Nevadans know, Nevada would be very foolish to accept America's radioactive waste. And it wouldn't even solve the problem, because more radioactive waste is created every day at the nation's 103 operating nuclear power plants.

The first thing to do is to stop creating more waste. Right now, the owners of every nuclear power plant in America are assuring their local citizens that the nuclear waste will be moved to a federally approved repository some day. But no such repository exists, and numerous scientists have denounced Yucca Mountain as unworkable.

Yet the entire nuclear industry, the Bush-Cheney administration and the DOE all expect Yucca Mountain to be the solution to the waste problem, even though Nevada is suing the federal government to stop it.

It's time to face reality. America must begin switching to renewable energy solutions immediately. No one should be content to simply demand, "Don't give us the waste!" We all need to insist that the nuclear industry stop making it, too, because nobody anywhere wants it.

RUSSELL HOFFMAN Carlsbad, Calif.