Letter: Not all nuclear issues the same

Wednesday, March 14, 2001 | 9:28 a.m.

A March 4 letter, implying that the Hanford facility in Richland, Wash., is similar to the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain, couldn't be further from the truth.

Hanford is plagued with serious contamination from leaking tanks that pose a threat to the environment. At least 67 of the tanks have leaked an estimated million gallons of waste into the ground. The mission of the Hanford site was that of production of nuclear materials like many other Cold War production facilities around the nation.

Spent nuclear fuel assemblies that would be stored at Yucca Mountain are solid and cannot leak. The integrity of shipping casks and those intended for long-term storage of the spent fuel should not be compared to the Hanford tanks, which were not intended for long-term storage of radioactive liquids.

It has been determined that deep geologic storage of highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel rods is the safest protection for humans and the environment. Further, these materials should not be considered as total waste. As recycling techniques are refined, much of the remaining value of the stored rods will be usable, thus reducing the amount of radioactive material to be stored.

Weigh the issues and facts before leaping to a conclusion regarding anything regarding nuclear issues.

RICHARD G. TELFER