There is no reason to take in the world’s low-level nuclear waste when we have not figured out what to do with our own.” Those were the words of Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tn.) during his announcement that he would soon introduce a bill with Senator Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.) that would ban importation of foreign-generated, low-level nuclear waste. The decision to introduce legislation came after EnergySolutions, based in Utah, submitted an application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to import 20,000 tons of low-level waste from Italy. First, what exactly is low-level …
Yesterday the Wall Street Journal ran a pros and cons piece on nuclear power. The text debate was not an outright endorsement of nuclear energy, but it was another piece of evidence that America must get serious about nuclear energy very soon and start tackling the difficult questions. While the article advocates expansion of all alternative sources, such as wind and solar, it makes a compelling point that many consumers fail to realize: But we have to be realistic about the limits of these alternatives. As it is, the 104 …
A few days after Senator Barack Obama welcomed the idea of building new commercial nuclear reactors in the United States, he criticized Senator John McCain for proposing to build 45 new reactors by 2030 without a solution for nuclear waste. Speaking in Las Vegas, Nevada he disparaged McCain for offshore drilling as well: Meanwhile, the oil companies already own drilling rights to 68 million acres of federal lands, onshore and offshore, that they haven’t touched. 68 million acres that have the potential to nearly double America’s total oil production, and …
The United States has 104 commercial nuclear reactors providing about 20% of the nation’s electricity, but throughout their lifetimes, they’ve accumulated about 58,000 tons of nuclear waste. They produce about 2,000 tons annually. Although recent developments are promising, Yucca Mountain has been a political boondoggle for decades. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 set January 31, 1998, as the deadline for the federal government to begin receiving used fuel. The result has been billions of dollars in taxpayer liability. Furthermore, Yucca Mountain’s statutory limit has been set at 70,000 …
