Nuclear waste doesn’t belong here

Jim Cassidy, Henderson

Sunday, April 1, 2012 | 2:01 a.m.

Jean Younker, retired scientist and Yucca Mountain contractor, recently wrote about why this project is the “best” site for nuclear waste without ever saying “best, compared to what” or “why.” The scientific information provided in this report has absolutely nothing to do with the merits of Yucca as a nuclear waste dump.

As of this writing, there is no storage system design that will acceptably “contain” this planet poison indefinitely — it is projected that down the road these containers will erode and introduce radiation into groundwater. The spending on this project should have never been started without an engineering solution to this issue.

Here is why Yucca is the “worst” choice. First, it is very far away from where this waste is manufactured. Why ship it when you can just bury it in the backyards of the facilities that create it? Who are the geniuses who allowed these plants to be built without a dump for the waste anyway? Second, Nevada is one of the most sought-after places to live by people who moved away from the areas where these nuclear facilities were built. Third, it is rude. Yucca has been fostered, planned and financed by people who want to give their toxic waste to us.

Younker reports that there is progress being made in the science of reprocessing. If our government would apply the same energy to this endeavor as they have to this ridiculous Yucca dig, we would most certainly have our solution.