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Experts recommend new approach to nuclear waste
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Las Vegas Review-Journal File
Shortly after taking office in 2009, President Barack Obama terminated the program to dig an underground nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas. » Buy this photo
STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- A panel that examined the nation's sputtering efforts to manage nuclear waste, including the long impasse over Yucca Mountain, recommended Thursday that the government use more carrots than sticks to find new burial ground for the deadliest radioactive material.
The commission said nuclear waste sites should be established through partnerships that give states and local communities opportunities to take part in key decisions and to walk away if they see fit.
It said the "consent-based" approach, empowering localities and fueled with generous subsidies and other job-creating benefits, could be the way to overcome stiff resistance. That resistance is what happened in Nevada, where the state launched an all-out legal and political war in a 25-year fight against a federal nuclear waste plan.
Shortly after taking office in 2009, President Barack Obama terminated the program to dig an underground repository at Yucca Mountain, 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
Under orders from the Obama administration, the commissioners were careful not to render an opinion on whether the now-suspended Nevada site -- or any other location -- would be a suitable repository.
But, the commission said, the government should start to search for another site because the U.S. inventory of spent nuclear fuel soon will outgrow capacity "even if Yucca Mountain goes forward."
The 158-page report, which recommended broad changes in other areas of nuclear waste management, generally was greeted favorably on Capitol Hill and by nuclear industry groups.
Lawmakers said they recognized some urgency and scheduled hearings for the coming weeks as a step to translate recommendations into legislation.
The matter was made more urgent after the March earthquake and tsunami disaster that crippled the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Japan, damaging the cooling pools that contain spent fuel and causing a re-examination of how U.S. reactors are designed.
It could take years for anything to pass Congress. In the meantime, sources said discussions are under way about what authority Energy Secretary Steven Chu may have to get a head start.
Grass-roots groups in communities near nuclear installations expressed disappointment. It will take years to turn around waste policies, and the panel said little about improving safeguards for nuclear materials at sites where they now are stored, they said.
"Funds should be spent to solidify those wastes and provide robust storage," said Katherine Fuchs, program director for the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability.
The government has struggled since the 1950s with how to dispose of poisonous end products of nuclear fission. There are 65,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel generated by 104 commercial reactors, with more than 2,000 tons being added each year.
Also, the Department of Energy is storing 2,500 tons of spent fuel and millions of gallons of other high-level wastes at aging government sites in South Carolina, Washington state and elsewhere.
"We believe it is long past time for the government to make good on its commitments to the American people to provide for the safe disposal of nuclear waste," the 15 members of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future said in the report cover letter to Chu.
The panel recommended setting aside 15 to 20 years to find a repository and get it licensed.
Nevada leaders said the report serves to throw more dirt on the Yucca Mountain program by recommending a new approach to siting a repository, one that is totally opposite to the strong arm they felt from the federal government.
"The changes in nuclear waste policy called for by the commission will lift a threat to Nevada's future that has hung like a dark cloud over the Silver State for decades," Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said.
"This report provides a path forward for safe, responsible nuclear waste storage so the nation can move beyond Yucca Mountain once and for all," U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., said.
But advocates for resurrecting the Yucca site said the urgency expressed by commissioners makes it all the more puzzling why Obama chose to cancel the program.
"We believe Yucca Mountain remains the most shovel-ready, thoroughly studied option," said Reps. Fred Upton of Michigan and John Shimkus of Illinois, Republican leaders on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The commission recommended an overhaul of nuclear waste policy, including removing management responsibility from the Department of Energy and placing it in a quasi-government organization that would be dedicated solely to the task.
It also recommended establishing one or more sites where waste now stored at active and decommissioned reactors could be consolidated and monitored.
It said preparations should start soon for a large-scale campaign to transport thousands of tons of radioactive waste to interim storage and eventually a permanent repository.
Several senators, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, endorsed the recommendations.
"Most importantly this report makes abundantly clear that no state, tribe or community should be forced to store spent nuclear fuel or high-level waste without its express consent," Reid said.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., chairwoman of the energy and water subcommittee, said, "I believe the commission's recommendation to use a consent-based approach to selecting waste storage facilities -- which has worked in other countries -- is our best chance to finally solve the challenge of long-term waste storage."
Commissioners noted that Finland, Sweden, France and Spain have adopted consent-based approaches to waste siting with some successes.
In the United States, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant disposal site in New Mexico for transuranic wastes was established through a cooperative process with local communities, they added.
"We believe this type of approach can provide the flexibility and sustain the public trust and confidence needed to see controversial facilities through to completion," the commission said.'
Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760.
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JapaneseLady wrote on February 07, 2012 08:56 AM:
About job creations: Aomori Prefecture has a un-recycable nuclear waste repositary factory. I don't know how it works but some kind of iPad using operators use remote control to make some kind of robots do dangerous jobs. They don't have too many employees. Many jobs are done by a variety of robots. Maybe kind of robots Japanese Auto makers use here? I have no idea. They have nuclear scientists and nuclear things related engineers, I read.
JapaneseLady wrote on February 06, 2012 10:05 AM: I stumbled in several Japanese publishing. This is TRANSLATION with my broken English, NOT MY OPINION. Fukushima etc victims. TEC (Tokyo Electronic Company) had hard time to recruit people to work in Fukushima plant. (Japan has shortage in workable men). It contracted local yzkuza (group of mobs) boss (oyabun) for lower level employees (before robot era). (Japanese yakuza group members - kobun are always ready to work for their boss' order) When Fukushima incident happened, these yakuza members died. They were not included in counts of nuclear death victims. Bosses made money. Publication blame TEC. Publication stated that Government should treated these dead people as people. (Now, my recollection. In 1960, Japanese Government ordered all yakuza groups in Japan to organize Welcome IKe committe and ordered them to crush leftist political meetings and unions in entire Japan. Pres. Eisenhower was visiting Japan. Socialist Political parties, any unions, all cancelled their meetings. I don't think this tradition of government in Japan will not be discontinued-my opinion). So, there were many people who died at NEC plant. Alvinjh wrote on February 06, 2012 09:28 AM: Paul.Rupp wrote on January 26, 2012 08:52 PM: "So will the U.S. wait until there is a natural disaster or man made-caused disaster with nuclear waste before deciding the time has come due to deal with something that is a national security issue." Yes..Yes, unfortunately, I think that's how it works here. We really are that stupid. proud democrat wrote on January 27, 2012 06:11 PM: "Want a new approach to dealing with nuclear waste??? Don't create any." Too late for that. We did already. So the question is whether you like it or not--the material has to be dealt with...this generation used the power and benefited from it..and like our national debt--we choose to let our children deal with the consequences. So nice. We were raised by the greatest generation and have become the waffling generation. History will not be kind to us. It shouldn't be. JapaneseLady wrote on February 03, 2012 05:04 PM: Translation 4 In 2007, Toshiba created nuclear reactor for the garage. Micro Nuclear Reactor, they call. 20 ft by 6 ft. 200 KW power. It has new kind of nuclear waste compact system. January this year, Toshiba revealed that it created a new nuclear waste compact system for large waste. I skip arguments and spatting by Sen. Reid's former aide, etc. We all know those things. Next is not translation. My explanation. Many many years ago, when I became a translation expert in Japan, I had an American assistant who corrected my translation, but I don't have now. So broken English. Ok. Mitsui owns many corporations. Toshiba is older than Sony. Mitusi owns Yasuda Banking system. Yasuda owns Ono banking system. Ono came from an emperor of long long time ago. Ono, created Yoko Ono. She was a classmate of Emperor Heian. Of cause they went boys division and girls division. Segregated Japan. I heard Toshiba hired female PhD Engineer a few years ago and they created 3-d TV which does not require special glasses. Gen. MacArthur tried to make colleges integrated, no, all he could do was stopping poverty stricken northern people stop to sell their pre-school daughters to Southern prostitute and geisha houses. Corporations made factories in North that people could stop. I am from place where our people toppled shogunate and modernized Japan. So, I talk too much. JapaneseLady wrote on February 03, 2012 04:27 PM: Translation 3 Obama administration is seeking to help Mongolia become long time nuclear waste site for USA, Japan, United Arab E. to build a long time spent fuel repositary. Some politicians urge Yucca Mountain as a long time repositary site but Yucca has disadvantage than Mongolia underground. A Mongolian government delegate will visit USA (Idaho, etc) thid summer. US government denies it has been talking about CFS, etc. Russia and some countries are anxious to talk with Mongolian government so that United Arab E. will side with Russia. Next. Toshiba's new creation (not new but we don;t have here) JapaneseLady wrote on February 03, 2012 04:12 PM: Translation 2 Re; CFS - Comprehensive Fuel Supply The letter was circulated within Obama administratiion. The CFS project has been publicized across the world. Uranium of the reprocessing of spent fuel can be directed to both military and civilian purposes. Japan has reprocessing plant in Rokka city in Aomori Prefecture. Many people think Japan takes advantage of low income country, Mongolia. JapaneseLady wrote on February 03, 2012 04:02 PM: This is a translation 1 of articles of Japanese newspaper. Re: Toshiba - Japanese corporation under Mitsui Financial combine. Westinghouse Electric - one of subsidiary of Toshiba in D.C. Toshiba has lobbied a senior US government official to realize an international nuclear fuel supply scheme that includes the construction of nuclear waste repositary in Mongolia. Westinghouse sent letter dated 5/12/2011 to Dep. Secretary of Energy Daniel Ponoman. The Japan, USA, and Mongolia have been discussing since February. It is to supply countries wishing to introduce nuclear energy with reactors made by USA, Japan and major companies that use Nuclear Fuel produced in Mongolia that hold huge reserved uranium. ... To be continued JapaneseLady wrote on February 02, 2012 07:44 PM: I wrote translation of Japanese newspaper regarding talks between Japan. USA. and Mongolia regarding the construction of nuclear repositaly in Mongolia to the 'Nuclear Waste Hearing Turns Over Yucca Mountain' article. 4 comments and you may find why Yucca was not considered as a long time dump area. Mongolia wants. Yucca do not have heavy granite zone underneath. It seems that Japanese Government give more information to people than USA government. People blame Toshiba take advantage of low income Mongolia. Even so, Japan gives out info. Time changed. People are complaining now. Try to read my broken English. My speech is worse than that. In my time, I had to study English by books and dictionary. Reading prohibited books if translated. Teacher praised me for reading spy books and love books. iif they knew what I was reading, they could kick me out. JapaneseLady wrote on February 01, 2012 10:19 PM: In Japan, Toshiba announced that it developed a system to compact waste from nuclear result, etc. I am not a scientist but it claims compacting and compacting for a tiny tiny bits. No Japanese Government money involved. The compacted bits are enclosed in tiny concrete or something like that. To bury in concrete like underground concrete type zones. I read in Japanese language so my translation is bad but underground zone does not sound like Yucca, but somewhere in east regions in USA. Please check Toshiba headquarter in Japan. I read it in January this year. Tom.Reynolds wrote on January 28, 2012 06:24 AM: @Jen.LV: My father had solar panels on his house in the 1980s, and used a big box of rocks in the garage to store the heat. So of course I will grant that the technology exists to use solar as a SUPPLEMENTAL energy source, on a house by house basis. And that is a very good idea. But who is going to pay for putting solar panels on every building in LV? And how about generating electricity for industrial uses, or commercial uses, or facilities like street lights or sewer or water pumps? Solar and wind are a useful supplement, but they are NOT ready to replace fossil fuels and the evil demon nuclear energy. Like it or not. Any claims that they ARE are simply wishful thinking. And punting the nuclear waste problem twenty years down the road, or saying it is "someone else's problem", is the absolute height of arrogant, irresponsible thinking. Read More Comments |
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