May 12, 2018 cq roll call energy and environment reporter jeremy dillon discussed yucca mountain and the issue of nuclear waste storage. The yucca mountain nuclear waste repository, located on a piece of land adjoining the nevada test site in nye county, nevada, was designed to be a deep geological repository storage facility for spent nuclear fuel and other high level radioactive waste, as designated by the nuclear waste policy act amendments of 1987. Welcome to the eureka county yucca mountain information office. Wolfgang, harry reids retirement may revive yucca mountain nuclear waste storage plan washington times, 27 dec 16. The repository is located in a desert on federal land adjacent to the nevada test site in nye county, nevada, within yucca mountain, a ridge line in the southcentral part of the u. Samuel walker is an american historian and author based in maryland, most notable for his research and writing on the nuclear age, both weaponry and atomic energy. Since the beginning of our nations nuclear history from the manhattan project, through the cold war, to.
Obama mothballed the nuclear waste storage project. For more than 20 years the project has involved extensive scientific study on yucca mountain s geology, hydrology, biology, and climate. A bechtelled team studied yucca mountain as the site for the united states first national nuclear waste repositorywhere spentfuel rods from nuclear power plants and solidified highlevel radioactive waste from nuclear defense activities could be stored permanently. Here youll find current best sellers in books, new releases in books, deals in books, kindle ebooks, audible audiobooks, and so much more. In 1982, congress passed the nuclear waste policy act. Several of his books have earned broadbased critical acclaim and advanced novel viewpoints. The making of an underground laboratory located about 100 miles northwest of las vegas, yucca mountain is the most thoroughly researched site of its kind in the world. Washington reuters republican lawmakers want to revive a planned underground nuclear waste deposit that was scrapped by the obama.
The legislation stipulates the significance of geologic and hydrologic conditions in selecting a repository site and mandates the consideration of at least five sites in two or more types. Explain what nuclear waste is explain the public health effects of nuclear wasteexplain why yucca mountain was proposed as a storage site for nu clear waste. Louis and several western suburbs are battling over a new disposal plan for millions of cubic yards of. The yucca mountain nuclear waste repository partially constructed within yucca mountain, on the nevada test site, in nye county, southwestern nevada. It is written for members of the lay public who want to learn more about nuclear power, environmentalists concerned about global warming due to fossil fuel combustion. Yucca mountain project the united states currently obtains.
The yucca mountain nuclear waste repository, as designated by the nuclear waste policy act. Yucca mountain is an ideal site for nuclear disposal. The nearest commercial establishment is a brothel 15 miles. Near the southern tip of nevada is a ridge politicians have been fighting over for 30 years. And those politics would set up one of the most contentious legislative battles in u. Unfortunately, the omnibus spending bill currently under. Yucca mountain was designated the permanent underground storage site for nuclear waste in 1987. Burying nuclear waste deep beneath yucca mountain in nevada, as the u.
The path to major successor sources offers few attractive options, which is why nuclear waste issues must be resolved. Under the current nuclear waste program, doe hopes to begin transporting spent nuclear fuel and other highly radioactive waste to yucca mountain by 2020. One of the most knowledgeable historians on nuclear power has produced an. The proposed yucca mountain nuclear waste dump in nevada has been the subject of longrunning legal disputes.
Calls to use yucca mountain as a nuclear waste site, now deemed safe. The legislation stipulates the significance of geologic and hydrologic conditions in selecting a repository site and mandates the. Jul 11, 2017 nevadas yucca mountain nuclear waste site is returning to prominence on the washington agenda, according to the hill. Yucca mountain as a national nuclear waste repository, which according to the most recent information from the u. After an overview of the historical and regulatory context, the contributors investigate external. The yucca mountain nuclear waste repository was to be a deep geological repository storage facility for spent nuclear reactor fuel and other high level radioactive waste, until the project was canceled in 2009. The safe management of nuclear and radioactive wastes is a subject that has recently received considerable recognition due to the huge volume of accumulative wastes and the increased public awareness of the hazards of these wastes. Yucca mountain and the nations highlevel nuclear waste. The white house revives a controversial plan for nuclear waste. Of three sites investigated for this use, doe has given yucca mountain the greatest consideration. This book aims to cover the practice and research efforts that are currently conducted to deal with the technical difficulties in different radioactive waste. Donald trump, las vegas face yucca mountain battle.
In 1982, congress passed the nuclear waste policy act, a law which designated deep geologic disposal as the preferred technical solution for nuclear waste disposal, essentially curtailing or terminating serious research and. Department of energy to determine if it is a suitable location for. Senator harry reids dnv reelection campaign against sharron angle provides a historic new opportunity to establish a new yucca mountain policy that benefits nevadans and the u. Cq roll call energy and environment reporter jeremy dillon discussed yucca mountain and the issue of nuclear waste storage. Doe releases emails indicating that documentation of quality assurance data may have been falsified by u. Yucca mountain, long touted as the answer to the nations nuclear waste problem, was canceled by the obama administration in 2009. This book should be required reading for everyone, whether politician, bureaucrat or citizen. Earlier in the week, on thursday, the house passed a measure, 34072. Yucca mountain, the project to permanently store highlevel nuclear waste underground in southern nevada, has been considered dead since thenpresident obama defunded it in 2012.
Jeremy dillon on yucca mountain and nuclear waste storage. Yes, storing nuclear waste at yucca mountain is a good idea, because the waste needs to be stored somewhere. These aulgs have been granted authority to provide information and public. Jack spencer senator harry reids dnv reelection campaign against sharron angle provides a historic new opportunity to establish a new yucca mountain policy that benefits nevadans and the u.
The proposed nuclear waste site is about 90 miles from las vegas. This act proposed to safely dispose of nuclear wastes, bearing in mind the environmental and cultural impacts on native american communities. It cant just stand in the middle of the streets with us because it wouldnt be healthy for our population and as such, yucca mountain as been proposed as a potential site to bury the nuclear waste. Numerous reasons have caused the delay, including scientific, technological, political, economic and legal problems. Yucca mountain and the nevada test site this page contains color photos of yucca mountain, the nevada test site, and other areas related to the proposed nuclear waste repository and transportation routes in nevada. Located in the great basin, yucca mountain is east of the amargosa desert, south of the nevada test and training range and in the nevada national security site. Additional yucca mountain license applicationrelated documents are available through the nuclear regulatory commissions licensing support network web site. The road to yucca mountain the development of radioactive waste policy in the united states. With this change of direction by the trump administration, decades of unfortunate attempts to shove nuclear waste down yucca mountain officially come to an end, geoff fettus, a senior attorney. It is the site of the yucca mountain nuclear waste repository, which is currently identified by. A report concluded that the design for a proposed disposal spot 100 miles from las vegas had the required multiple barriers to. A look at the attempt to establish yucca mountain in nevada as a site for a nuclear waste repository.
Yucca mountain archival documents department of energy. Dec 16, 2010 senator harry reids dnv reelection campaign against sharron angle provides a historic new opportunity to establish a new yucca mountain policy that benefits nevadans and the u. Additional yucca mountain license applicationrelated documents are available through the nuclear regulatory commissions licensing support network. If we mean to be our own governors we must become more literate about handling the ashes of the faustian bargin. Our nation desperately needs to advance our nuclear waste strategy and yucca mountain is a part of the solution, shimkus said in a. Rail corridor see color photos of selected segments of the proposed carlin rail corridor in north central nevada. A list of historical predictions about the end of the world follows.
How to store nuclear waste for 10,000 years and how not to. All the countries that produce nuclear waste have chosen the same alternative for the ultimate disposition of hlw, deep geological isolation, and they did so independently of one another. Department of energy, will not be ready to accept spent fuel before 2017. But now the countrys leading group of nuclear scientists and. There are ten 10 designated affected units of local governments aulgs in relative proximity to yucca mountain. Jones doe files yucca mountain nuclear waste repository application, american institute of physics bulletin of science policy news, no. Yucca mountain project the united states currently. Mar 21, 2017 near the southern tip of nevada is a ridge politicians have been fighting over for 30 years. Yucca mountain sits on federal land in nevada, not far from death valley, in a remote stretch of desert, 90 miles northwest of las vegas. Nuclear regulatory commission nrc, seeking authorization to construct a highlevel waste geologic repository at yucca mountain, nevada.
Now some republicans seem determined to bring it back out. Department of energy doe submitted a license application to the u. If the obama administration decides to halt the yucca mountain project, it has a variety of tools available to implement that policy. The development of radioactive waste policy in the united states 9780520260450. History illustrates that yucca was chosen based on politics, not science. In gold fame citrus, the yucca mountain, which is located in the deserts of nevada, an hour northwest of las vegas, has officially become a nuclear waste depository. Apr 09, 2015 eyeing yucca mountain for nuclear waste dump, again.
Yucca mountain nuclear waste repository, nevada bechtel. The books homepage helps you explore earths biggest bookstore without ever leaving the comfort of your couch. Uncertainty underground offers comprehensive, authoritative and understandable essays on this critical issue. As mandated by congress in the amended nuclear waste policy act, yucca mountain, nevada is currently being studied by the u. Nearly half a century after a company here began processing fuel for nuclear weapons, st. The united states has the most radioactive nuclear waste and the most complicated array of waste types of any nuclear country. Nikki haley aiken county councilman scott singer aiken county council chairman. Potential high level nuclear waste storage site for the next 10,000 years and beyond. Washington reuters republican lawmakers want to revive a planned underground nuclear waste. The truth about nuclear energy knopf, 2007, by gwyneth cravens, is an introduction to the benefits of nuclear power and the science behind it.
Also located in colorado springs is peterson air force base, where the north american aerospace defense command norad and. Storing the waste in a mountain likely isolates the waste from people, and provides a bit of a buffer through natural land mass if there are any problems with the waste later on. Jul 23, 2015 nuclear waste is a product of the nuclear power plants and even though we would love not to have it, we still have to deal with it. The white bullet trains come in and out thrice daily, soundless, only a slight pressing and unpressing of the air. Eyeing yucca mountain for nuclear waste dump, again cbs news. It was to be a deep geological repository storage facility for spent nuclear reactor fuel and other high level radioactive waste. It did, however, at one point, have a supremely ambitious plan to bury it in a mountain for 10,000 years. Department of energy deep geological repository storage facility for spent nuclear reactor fuel and other radioactive waste. Situated some 90 miles from las vegas, nevada yucca mountain is currently the only site that has been studied in detail for geological disposal of spent nuclear fuel and defense highlevel waste.
Jeremy dillon on yucca mountain and nuclear waste storage c. The entrance to the yucca mountain nuclear waste repository located in nye county, nev. Yucca mountain is an ideal site for nuclear disposal the. Nwpa established a comprehensive policy for permanent geologic disposal of the nations spent fuel and highlevel radioactive waste. Fukushima aftermathyucca mountain wikibooks, open books. America has currently no plan for its nuclear waste.
Politics, technology and risk measured, informative, and wellargued, the road to yucca mountain is typical walker. Yucca mountain archival documents from the former office of civilian radioactive waste management. Jun 03, 2018 washington the federal governments dormant plan to store nuclear waste in nevadas yucca mountain is showing signs of life amid a new push by the trump administration and some members of. Yucca mountain is a mountain in nevada, near its border with california, approximately 100 miles 160 km northwest of las vegas. Yucca mountain was selected as the site for the nations nuclear waste repository in a process that began in 1982 and ended in 1987 when congress amended the nuclear waste policy act nwpa. The yucca mountain nuclear waste repository, located on a piece of land adjoining the nevada test site in nye county, nevada, was designed to be a deep geological repository storage facility for spent nuclear fuel and other high level radioactive waste, as designated by the nuclear waste policy act amendments of.
Governor sanford congressman joe wilson congressman gresham barrett lt. South carolina governor mark sanford discusses the obama administrations decision to scrap the yucca mountain nuclear waste repository. Nuclear agency violating law at yucca mountain in nevada, court says. Department of energy proposes to do, is neither an urgent necessity nor a rational, longterm solution to the problem of. The book does not pass judgment on the suitability of the site but provides reliable. Mar 24, 1990 nearly half a century after a company here began processing fuel for nuclear weapons, st. Yucca mountain repository nye, nevada atlas obscura. View archival yucca mountain documents that were previously posted on the website for the office of civilian radioactive waste management. A slim but powerful meditation on yucca mountain in nevada, long the proposed site for storage of americas nuclear waste. With a tweet, trump reverses course on yucca mountain.