[ RadSafe ] Obama Explains Yucca Mountain Stance

[Brennan, Mike (DOH)]

Spent fuel is not that difficult to deal with.  The people doing it have
to have the right equipment and know what they are doing, but dealing
with spent fuel is easy compared to operating a reactor or doing
isotopic enrichment or any number of things that are done on a regular
basis.  The political problems are built on two lies, often phrased in a
way that each word or phrase in true, but the whole is designed to make
the uninformed believe something that is false (I call it "lawyer
lying").  

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On
Behalf Of Steven Dapra
Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 7:55 PM
To: radsafe at radlab.nl
Subject: RE: [ RadSafe ] Obama Explains Yucca Mountain Stance

Dec. 10

         I prefer to have it done on a state by state basis so that the
states can decide whether or not they want reactors within their
boundaries.  If they don't, so be it.  They can pay for it by not using
electricity from reactors that are sited in other states.

         Why is it impossible to deal with spent fuel?  Remove it from
the reactor, put it in a cooling pond, and let it set for the requisite
period of time.  What is difficult about that?  True, since I don't work
in the field I'm probably missing quite a bit.  I know many cooling
ponds are getting full, however the solution to that (of course) is
re-processing.

Steven Dapra


At 05:12 PM 12/10/08 -0800, Brennan, Mike  (DOH) wrote:
>I think this needs to be handled nationally, not on a state-by-state 
>basis.  It also needs to be handled on a "real science" basis, not on 
>the half-truths to out-right lies that the anti-nuke crowd uses (nor 
>should stupid things like "electricity will be so cheap it won't be 
>worth metering" from the pro side be allowed to stand).
>
>The first thing that needs to be established is that spent fuel is 
>impossible to deal with.  Yes, it needs to be cooled for the first 5-10

>years, and it will be radioactive enough to require attention to detail

>for maybe 100 years or so.  But folks; it really is pretty robust
stuff.
>It does not dissolve in water.  It gets less radioactive over time, to 
>the point after a couple hundred years where it is a greater tripping 
>hazard than radiological hazard.  The idea that it needs to be 
>safeguarded for longer than recorded history is silly, and should not 
>be allowed to stand.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On 
>Behalf Of Steven Dapra
>Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 4:37 PM
>To: radsafe at radlab.nl
>Subject: RE: [ RadSafe ] Obama Explains Yucca Mountain Stance
>
>At 11:23 AM 12/10/08 -0800, Brennan, Mike  (DOH) wrote:
>
>[edit]
>
> >I look forward to the HUGE consternation in Nevada when the Feds say,

> >"Fine, you win" and cancel all programs, studies, grants, etc., 
> >connected with Yucca Mountain, other than what is needed to weld the 
> >doors shut and bulldoze dirt in front of it.
>
>[edit]
>
>          And the consternation (and whatever may come along with it) 
>will serve Nevada right.
>
>          Any state that has a nuclear power plant within its 
>boundaries should store its own spent fuel, not shove it off onto
another state.
>Congress should cancel Carter's brainless 'no-reprocessing' order and 
>re-processing should proceed apace based on contracts between reactor 
>owners and operators and the re-processing company (or companies).
>States with reactors should devise a method of refusing to sell power 
>to non-nuclear states.  Let the no-nuke states burn coal or cat tails, 
>or erect vast wind farms.  A dose of self-sufficiency would be good for

>everyone.
>
>Steven Daprs
>sjd at swcp.com


_______________________________________________
You are currently subscribed to the RadSafe mailing list

Before posting a message to RadSafe be sure to have read and understood
the RadSafe rules. These can be found at:
http://radlab.nl/radsafe/radsaferules.html

For information on how to subscribe or unsubscribe and other settings
visit: http://radlab.nl/radsafe/