Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
Stumble
File photo
Yucca Mountain is located about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012 | 2 a.m.
Sun coverage
For decades, Nevada’s federal and statewide elected officials have had a seemingly uniform mantra on Yucca Mountain and nuclear waste in the state: Hell no. End of conversation.
But November’s election could change that, both proponents of Yucca Mountain and those ardently opposed say. On the ballot this year are three Republican congressional candidates — two of whom are in tight races — open to some form of research or reprocessing at the site.
Republican Danny Tarkanian, running for Congressional District 4, said last week at a Las Vegas PBS debate that Yucca Mountain could be used for a reprocessing facility.
“We need to diversify our economy,” he said. “We’ve spent $12 billion to do the studies and the infrastructure at Yucca Mountain. ... I’ve suggested we turn it into a reprocessing facility of nuclear spent fuel. That would bring in $1 billion in revenue.”
Tarkanian’s statements drew sharp responses from environmental groups and his opponent.
“It’s really terrifying that we could have a voice in our congressional delegation that wants to bring nuclear waste to Nevada,” said Bob Fulkerson, executive director of PLAN Action, a progressive group that has opposed the site on environmental grounds.
Former U.S. Sen. Richard Bryan, chairman of the Nevada Commission on Nuclear Projects, said Nevada’s elected officials from both parties — including Sen. Harry Reid, Sen. Dean Heller, Rep. Shelley Berkley and Gov. Brian Sandoval — have strongly opposed storing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain.
On reprocessing, Bryan is wary.
“I don’t want that to be used as a trojan horse for us to accept nuclear waste,” he said. “I have some concerns about what I’m hearing.”
Horsford, the Democrat running against Tarkanian, said he would support using Yucca Mountain as a data storage site or for some other non-nuclear use.
“I strongly oppose shipping toxic material through our backyards, turning our state into the nuclear waste capital of the country,” he said in a statement.
But those who support using Yucca Mountain in some nuclear capacity see in Tarkanian, as well as in Rep. Mark Amodei of Northern Nevada and Rep. Joe Heck, R-Las Vegas, a willingness to talk about the site.
Heck, in an interview, said he had considered reprocessing at the site but found it would need too much water. He believes Yucca Mountain should be turned into a research facility.
“Nobody wants a repository,” he said. “But what are we going to do moving on? There’s so much at the site that could be an economic benefit to Nevada.”
Amodei, of Carson City, also has said he opposes the storage there. But, he said, the state needs to have conversations about what’s next.
“Once people get over the, ‘Oh my God, you said (Yucca)’s not dead,’ part, I think the focus goes to, 'OK, if it’s not dead, what is alive?'” Amodei said in April.
Yucca advocates applaud the shift.
Randi Thompson, executive director of Nevadans for Carbon-Free Energy, a collection of business leaders mostly in Reno, said the group supports using the site for research purposes.
But she said elected officials shut down when they hear the term Yucca Mountain.
“It’s frustrating,” she said. “All we’re saying is, ‘Can’t we have a conversation? Can’t we look at the economic impact of this project?’ Having Danny at the table would be great.”
Democratic spokesman Zac Petkanas said having the three Republicans open to talking about Yucca Mountain in Nevada’s delegation “would begin the breakdown of Nevada’s previously bipartisan firewall that has prevented the dump at Yucca Mountain from becoming a reality.”
Indeed, Thompson acknowledged the most powerful force blocking Yucca Mountain is the Senate majority leader from Nevada.
“Until Harry Reid is no longer in power, it doesn’t matter how many congressmen we elect who are pro- or anti-nuclear reprocessing,” she said.
CORRECTION: Tarkanian said in the PBS debate that Yucca Mountain could be used for a reprocessing facility, not a repository. | (October 22, 2012)
Everybody knows Romney want to move the repository to New Mexico where they want jobs
Because of Reid there will be nothing coming to Nevada. Nothing. No jobs
Future,
Didn't you get the memo? Our unemployment rate is down in Nevada, only 11+% instead of 12+%, we don't need no steenking Yucca jobs.
I already voted, and not for Republicans. This is their M.O., smile while they pick your pocket for programs that will not benefit the most taxpayers.
Las Vegsa has plenty of good jobs for decades until the colecive greed of builders, bankers, real estate cmpanies, mortgage brokers, etc. blew up the economy in 2008.
You want state's rights: States' have the right and duty to take care of their own nuclear waste, not dump it on the people of Nevada.
It is safe to say that the MAJORITY of people in the state of Nevada, do NOT want the Yucca Mountain High Level Radioactive Waste Repository to ever be realized.
Any politician who supports using Yucca Mountain for high level radioactive waste storage, will not be supported by the MAJORITY of Nevada citizens/voters. The People of Nevada have spoken/voted to this effect, and they should be respected.
Blessings and Peace,
Star
Obama Facts ( click link below for proof )
Obama invests 90 Billion into green energy jobs and half of the companies he picked have gone BANKRUPT. The latest Obama company to go Bankrupt is A123 a battery company not to mention Solyndra and N01, Inc and many others.
Many of these companies were owned by Obama contributors, so basically Obama gave these companies each as much as 500 million dollars in grants ( not loans ) in return for donations to his campaign. These companies in turn filed bankruptcy and walk away with billions of our tax dollars.
Obama has proven to us that he does not know how to invest in America or create jobs and his now 4 year horrible record proves he knows how to literally throw away our tax dollars. Obama promised he would cut our debt in half instead he adds 6 trillion to it. Unemployment up under Obama now to 23 million people.
Obama bad for our economy and bad for foreign relations. The Lybia cover-up alone is bringing down the Obama house of cards.
CLICK FOR PROOF
http://scaredmonkeys.com/2012/10/16/anot...
CLICK FOR VIDEO PROOF THAT OBAMA HELPS HIS CAMPAIGN DONORS AND NOT THE MIDDLE CLASS AS STATED BY EVEN THE LIBERAL MEDIA.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIajeW6xP...
Typical of the pinko Sun to use scare tactics just 2 weeks before the election.
Having worked at Hanford Nuclear reservation in Washington state... I can assure you the last thing you want is a daily leak report in the newspaper like we got when I was there!
They can tell you all the stories they want about how safe it is and all the measures taken.. but once something leaks... its radioactive for a long time!
Lets hope in the future when someone says the desert is hot they are referring to the weather not the soil!
NO THANKS !!
Bimmer say "Having worked at Hanford Nuclear reservation in Washington state... I can assure you the last thing you want is a daily leak report in the newspaper like we got when I was there!"
----
WOW - you work in the nuclear field and you do not know the difference between liquid waste in million gallon tanks at Hanford and the ceramic solid dry waste being put into a solid waste repository.
WOW YOU REALLY DO NOT KNOW????
-----
The objective is to solidify the liquid waste in the new plant being built in Hanford. These would be glass matrixed material in several titanium - each couple inches thick - shells for encapsulation.
This will be buried in New Mexico - if Romney is elected.
This is safe but no jobs for Nevada thanks to Obama and Harry Reid
Who needs Yucca Mountain ? Oblamer has plenty of welfare to go around for Nevadans.
YUCCA IS DEAD!
Nevada does not need ANYTHING NUCLEAR.
We have Hoover Dam, natural gas power, solar
power and wind power.
The only real problem we have in Nevada is too
many stupid republicans.
NEVER VOTE REPUBLICAN!!!
"We've spent $12 billion to do the studies and the infrastructure at Yucca Mountain. ... "
We've spent $2 trillion minimum in Iraq and never studied anything. BFD.
90%+ of the Sun's endorsements are Democrats......fair and balanced? Me thinks not.....LMFAO
Sinatra.....
There are more Democrats in Nevada than
republicans.
You're out voted.
That's the truth.
Move the state legislature there and once it's in session brick up all the entrances.
I want Yucca open.
I want the waste brought here.
I want the money associated with it.
I worked in the nuclear business for 30 years and most of your opinions on here are the epitome of false emotion. Next thing you'll want to do is close some coal power plant in Apex.
Good point SunJon...
I think the jusr of the article is, what can we do with the Yucca site. Nuke waste is still a hot button topic. But is there something else we can use the site for?
Although certainly a common sense argument that our local economy needs to diversify, as long as the casinos make up the significant portion of the state's tax revenue and are the major employer, changing course will be difficult. I've lived in Vegas 30+ years, can count on my fingers and toes AND your fingers and toes how many times this issue has been brought up in the media or by a politician.
A great catalysis for change are politicians who, like Danny Tarkanian, make these "rogue" statements. The discussion needs to start somewhere.
One concern of using the facility for toxic storage was/is the possibility of contaminating underground water sources. Rather than the billion dollar pipe line from central Nevada or the new "straw" into Lake Mead, we can drill for water at Yucca... we've already tunneled into the ground.
Careful consideration should be given to the recommendation of some to host a reprocessing facility in Nevada. The Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future did not recommend reprocessing of spent fuel after listening to the testimony on both sides of the issue at meetings. Testimony on this issue is available in the transcripts and videocasts of the Blue Ribbon Commission. One should also consider the report of the BRC issued in January 2012.
Anyone that thinks that Yucca is not open and operating is fooling themselves.
Yucca is an empty hole with a fence at a distance to keep people from getting close to it.
If you think it is being used, or "operating", you are living in a parallel universe where politicians actually make laws that are duly carried out by an executive branch.
I am told by people smarter than me that if we use a pyroprocessing technology for reprocessing, volatilizing metals for separation, then water is not as big an issue as with the current variations on the redox processes that dissolve everything. But power becomes a big issue. Maybe a few small modular reactors on the site could power such a plant.
But why do that in Nevada unless you can assure that the resulting waste will not have to travel again. Whoever gets a reprocessing plant ought to also get a disposal facility. Moving the stuff long distances twice is foolish.
As of election night: Yeah, so not so much. Yucca Mountain dump and/or magical "reprocessing facility." Still a dumb idea. If it's so harmless and wonderful, put it in your own backyard.