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Nuclear panel says work should start now to find waste sites
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STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- While it could take years for Congress to set the nation on a new path for managing nuclear waste, work could start immediately to identify and recruit new locations for a burial site, a study official said Tuesday.
"There are lots going on that can be done under current law," said Phil Sharp, a former member of Congress from Indiana. He briefed a nuclear industry audience on the study commission that last week recommended new strategies for managing spent nuclear fuel.
Sharp said it remains to be seen what will happen to the work of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future.
"These are tough policy changes that (we) are asking Congress to make," he said. "The point is we recognize it is not going to happen over the next month."
But he said there is nothing to stop the government from gathering information on potential locations and from soliciting states and communities. The study group recommended a "consent-based" approach that envisions partnership in developing a nuclear waste site.
"State government and local communities simply have to be engaged in this decision," Sharp said at a conference of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management. "You cannot really jam it down the throat of one state. We tried that, and it was not taken well."
The commission by design did not pass judgment on the suitability of Yucca Mountain in Nevada, where state resistance led President Barack Obama to end funding and fence off the site 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Sharp said Yucca Mountain still could play some role if Nevada changed its mind.
Speaking to reporters afterward, Sharp said that despite the Nevada experience, he thought it possible to recruit a willing host for a high-level nuclear waste repository.
The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, the New Mexico storage caverns for forms of defense nuclear waste, has been declared a success and is a "real world example we did not have before to show people," said Sharp, who is president of Resources for the Future, a nonpartisan think tank.
Also, he said he thought there is no longer a sense of public mistrust dating to when the hazards of nuclear weapons testing and development were kept secret from residents of Nevada, Utah and other Western states.
"We have gotten beyond some of the worst of the government activities," he said.
"I also think people are beginning to understand that (a repository) has real economic value to a local community," Sharp said. "This is not just jobs. This is investment, this is scientific knowledge being brought to bear. There are a lot of positives."
Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760.
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I stumbled in several Japanese publications. This is TRANSLATION with my broken English, NOT MY OPINION). Fukushima etc victims. TEC (Tokyo Electronic Co.) had hard time to recruit people to work in Fukushima plant (Japan has shortage in workable men,) It contracted local yakuza (mob group) boss (oya-bun) for low level employees. (before robot era). (Japanese yakuza members -kobun always ready to work for their boss no matter what.) When Fukushima incident happened, these yakuza members died. They were not included in counts of nuclear death victims. Bosses made money. Publications blamed TEC. Publications state that Government should treat these dead people as people. (Now, my recollection, In 1960, Japanese government ordered all yakuza groups in Japan to organize Welcome Ike committee. and ordered to end leftist political party meetings in entire Japan. President Eisenhower was coming to Japan. Japanese Socialist Party, Union and all cancelled their meetings. I don't think this government tradition will change-my opinion).
Remote Control of Robotos: At CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, I watched a demonstration of remote controlled vaccume cleaner. From inside of your car or wherever you are, you use a kind of new iPad to instruct which room the cleaner goes and clean up the room. There were bunch of new things there. In Japan, or Japanese companies in USA, use that kind of remote controller. Non-recyclable Nuclear waste are compacted and are packed in very heavy thick concrete by robot and robot pack up. I did not know that but Japan has plan with Mongolia. They will be buried in very thick granite zone, I heard. That is why Yucca is ignored. The granite zone has to be huge way underneath. I am not scientist and so I don;t know how they do, but only unreusable waste. I heard. People who commented about recycle here are way ahead of US politicians.
Suggestion to people who are hoping to get a job if Yucca becomes Nuclear Waste pots. It will take many years. So, go back to universities part time. You probably have a good job. Major Nuclear Science or Engineering, maybe information Science so that you may qualify for a Robot Operator. If you get a job there in future, make sure you have excellent insurance for your family.
Translation 2: RE:CFS Comprehensive Fuel Supply: The letter was circulate within Obama administration. The CFS project has been published across the world. Uranium & the reprocessing of spent fuel can be directed to both military and civilian purposes. Japan has reprocessing plant in Rokko City in Aomori Prefecture, Many people think Japan takes advantage of low income country of Mongolia.
When I went Yucca, nobody was living. I went to surrounding area in Nye County. I did not know it is a city. There is a Yucca City in California, though. And there is a Yucca Mountain City of Las Vegas, but this one is not in that mountain. Please educate me so I will visit Yucca City if there is.
oh, I forgot to mention Rokka City, Aomori Prefecture reprocessing plant. It use 'robots' that do not look like people. All remote controlled by engineers. I sew ladies who have MBA type degrees in remote office. I was careful. Just like Casinos, videp cameras all over.
Recycling is a very good idea! Japan has been doing for now.
Jobs: Tokyo Electric Company (Fukushima, etc) subcontracted YAKUZA organizations. The members of Yakuzas obey whatever their boss (oyabun) tell to do. So, the most dangerous jobs in TEC were done by yakuzas. Then, it uses all sort of robots. People they have are Nuclear Scientists and PhD Engineers. After Fukushima, yskuzas died 'honorably' to their 'oyabun." They do not employ even college graduates who are not in engineering or nuclear science Masters degreed. What kind of robots? Engineers operate from far. Maybe you sew Robots were traffic controlling at
this years CES in Vegas. So figure out robots. Unless Yucca kidnap these scientist and make them work in Yucca, we will not increase employment. There is no yakuzas in Yucca. I don't think UNlv produce about 10 nuclear scientists. Last time I met people over there, they were all scared of Yucca development. I met many people. I wanted to see if there is any one person who want to talk about Yucca. No, nobody. By the way, what is the name of person who claimed Mayor there??? I did not tell about Hiroshima people.
Translation 4.
In 2007, Toshiba created nuclear reactor for the garage. MiNi Nuclear Reactor, they call. 20 ft. by 6 ft. 200 KW poser. It has new kind of nuclear waste compact system. Toshiba claims it created a new nuclear waste compact system in January.
About Toshiba : one branch of Mitsui Financial Group. Mitsui owns Yasuda Banking System. Yasuda own Ono Banking System. Ono produced Yoko Ono who was a classmate of Emperor Heian. She went to girls division. She went other schools because her father went everywhere in the world. Toshiba is older than Sony. Ono is descendent of an empero long long time ago. Gen. MacArthur tried to make equal gender. All he could do was suggesting corporations to make factories in poor northern area to stop people stop to sell their preschool daughters to southern prostitute or geisha house.
Toshiba hired 2 PhD female engineers and they created 3-d TV that does not need glasses. Time changed in Japan. I worked for a large electronic company before I left to US schools in Calif. Girls were telephone operators or receptionists. My qualification for training accountants? The company tested me if I know how to scold males. I yelled and used my 30 cm ruler to bang a table. I passed the test. I should stop my big mouth now.
Translation 3
Obama administration is seeking to help Mongolia becomes a long time nuclear waste site for Japan, USA, United Arab E. to build a long time spent fuel repositary. Some politicians urge Yucca as long time depositary but Yucca has disadvantage than Mongolian underground. A Mongolian government delegate will visit USA (Idaho, etc) this summer.US Government deny it tlked about CFS, etc. Russia and some countries are anxious to talk with Mongolia so that United Arab E will side with Russia. Next Toshiba;s new creation. and other things.
Translation 1
RE: Toshiba - One fo corporation under Mitsui /finance Group.
Westinghouse Electric - One of Toshiba's US subsidiary in DC.
Toshiba has lobbied a senior US government official to realize an international nuclear fuel supply scheme that include the construction of nuclear waste repositary in Mongolia. Westinghouse sent letter dated 5/12/2011 to Deputy Secretary of Energy, Daniel Poneman. The Japan, USA, and Mongolia have been discussing since February. It is to supply countries wishing to introduce nuclear energy with reactors made US, Japan and major companies that use Nuclear Fuel produced in Mongolia that hold huge reserve of uranium. ..... to be continued.