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Yucca Mountain-Right or Wrong?
As the United States’ nuclear waste buildup becomes larger, the
need for a permanent storage facility becomes more urgent. One proposed site is in the
Yucca Mountains of Nevada. This makes many Nevadans uneasy, as visions of three-legged
babies and phosphorescent people come to mind. This is an unfounded worry, as many reasons
prove. In fact, the Yucca Mountains provide an ideal site for a permanent underground
nuclear waste facility in the U.S.
While the Yucca Mountains are the best site we have found as of yet,
this procedure will cost a huge amount of taxpayer dollars. The Department of Energy (DOE)
estimates the total cost of its high-level waste management program at $25-35 billion.
Completing the scientific investigation and licensing of the Yucca Mountain site is
expected to cost $6-7 billion alone. At the end of 1993, total nuclear waste fund
expenditures through the end of the year were nearly 3.7 billion. Very little of this
money comes from individual investors. If a retrievable facility (one where the casks of
spent fuel can be retrieved later) is built, this will be a good deal more. Other disposal
types, such as
sub-seabed and space disposal may prove to be cheaper at a later time.
This is a cause for concern, but there are a greater amount of reasons
to further and eventually finish the Yucca Mountain Project. One is the desert climate
naturally occurring in the western United States. The weather is dry and warm and their
are very few natural disasters, such as earthquakes. Also, this part of the nation has a
lower water table than the rest of the country. This reduces the risk of water
contamination in case of a breach.
This is only one safety cushion that the proposed site provides. There
are several more. All of these factors add up to a relatively stable environment. But will
it be stable enough? If a permanent site is constructed, it will have to remain stable for
10,000 years. This is a very long time, considering the United States has only existed for
a little over 200. During this period, if a breach occurs, the western United States’
water supply could become contaminated, and cost the federal government even more to
clean. The question is whether or not the United States want to spend money now or later.
The safety of highly dangerous materials is a matter of national security. If a breach
were to occur and contaminate the western section of America, it would be more devastating
than a nuclear bomb. That is why the Yucca Mountains are being speculatively chosen for
this purpose. Throughout the United States, no better area has been found.
Safety of this hazardous material is not only crucial in it’s
final resting place. Security en route to the site is also of utmost importance. If this
site is chosen, a safe transportation method will be needed to move the radioactive
materials to the Yucca mountains. Vehicles, that will only be used once, will have to be
custom built for safety
and security, as will containers for the spent fuel rods. This would also be, however
unlikely, a prime target for a terrorist attack. There would be no way to hide a biohazard
convoy, so extra security measures must be taken. All of these measures add up to extra
costs, obviously. And as the nation waits, the costs multiply.
But expenses are second only to safety of the facility and speed in
which it is constructed. At the present moment, all of the United State’s nuclear
waste is held in above-ground pools and airtight casks, inside the country’s many
commercial power plants. This is all right for now, but how much longer will there be
enough space to hold thousands of metric tons of radioactive materials? And the longer
these materials sit above ground, the greater the odds of a catastrophe. These hazardous
materials must be placed and stored in a stable environment soon, where the risk is
significantly lower.
While these methods may prove better and cheaper in the future, we need
a place to put the huge accumulated amount of spent fuel rods and radioactive materials.
Subterranean storage is the most viable method that technology will allow. The
aforementioned Yucca mountains provide all the desirable features for this method. The
mountains were formed by a volcanic eruption and the rock surrounding the site is a type
called volcanic tuff. It is a very stable kind of rock, and often encases salt beds, which
are ideal for nuclear containment. These beds are virtually waterproof, so water will not
seep down in the groundwater residing beneath the storage structure. Also, fractures in
the salt are self-sealing, which will stop radiation for simply floating up to the surface
through pores, cracks, or faults in the rock. This type of host rock (the rock that
surrounds the
site) will give the site both a man-made and natural protection.
But perhaps the most beneficial protection is the remoteness of the location of the site.
Located in Nevada, which has a very low population density (only 0-2 people per square
mile*) the risk of humans accidentally tampering with the repository is very low. Also to
be noted is that there will be no construction or utility digging. Nevadans will see to it
that the site stays untouched.
All points taken, the Yucca Mountains are currently the best spot to
store the country’s ever growing buildup of nuclear waste. Due to it’s remote
location, secure land formations, and low water table, this area provides an ideal and
secure spot for the huge amount of potentially harmful material. The U.S. is in dire need
of a permanent nuclear waste disposal site, and this is the best option right now. The
usual dawdle of the federal government will only act against us in this matter.
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