On 12/4/2008 2:00 PM dpb spake thus:

BobR wrote:

I believe there are safe ways to dispose of it but until a valid plan
is in place to do so, we have no damn business creating yet more
waste. Right now, there is nothing but stockpiling the stuff in
holding areas that are an ever increasing hazard to everyone. Find a
solution, prove it, implement it and then lets talk about building new
facilities. Until then, NO!

Unfortunately, we need the power now and the problem to be solved is
primarily political, not technical.

As noted upthread, Reid has been using Yucca Mountain as his own
personal populist whipping boy to his personal advantage for nearly 30
years. Once it does finally open and we can move stuff from the spent
fuel pools, there really is no crisis as far as ultimate disposal by
whatever means is finally allowed. Again, that will primarily be a
political, not technical decision.

You're at least partially correct that the problem is political rather
than technical, except that the technical objections to nuclear waste
storage are also formidable.

Regarding Nevada as you mentioned, it should be pointed out that not
only Nevada, but also Utah have both maintained very strong opposition
to high-level nuclear waste storage policy at the federal level. I know
about this: in college I won a cash award for a paper I wrote on the
subject. I used to subscribe to both the Utah and Nevada state
newsletters from the agencies in those states set up specifically to
fight the waste repositories from going there. So it wasn't just one
senator's personal vendetta. And I hardly need to point out that these
are both conservative states, hardly bastions of antinuclear activity or
havens for tree-huggers. (Interesting to note that Utah also vigorously
opposed the MX missile--remember that?--on account of the Mormon
Church's *moral* opposition to siting a weapon of mass destruction in
the state.)


--
Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the
powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral.

- Paulo Freire