[ RadSafe ] RadSafe Digest, Vol 264, Issue 1 - Finding a Non-solution for a non-problem

cmtimmpe at aol.com cmtimmpe at aol.com
Fri Apr 30 11:06:26 CDT 2010


The root cause of the problem (or non-problem) was the basic pronounciation by the National Academy of Sciences that a geologic repository was the only 'sate' way to dispose of radioactive waste back in 1957.  Note that notwithstanding that pronouncement the bulk of the radioactive waste (LL) is going into shallow landfills not geologic repositories.  The rest is and can continue to be stored safely above ground until we rethink the solution (non-solution?).


Christopher M. Timm, PE 
Vice-President 
PECOS Management Services, Inc. 
505-323-8355 - phone/fax 
505-238-8174 - cellular



-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-request at health.phys.iit.edu
To: radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
Sent: Mon, Apr 5, 2010 11:00 am
Subject: RadSafe Digest, Vol 264, Issue 1


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oday's Topics:
   1. Fw: Finding a non-solution for  a non-problem (Jerry Cohen)
  2. Re: Fw: Finding a non-solution for  a non-problem (Dan)
  3. Proposed NRC Regulation open for comment (Bill Rowan)
  4. Re: Proposed NRC Regulation open for comment (Doug Huffman)
  5. Re: Proposed NRC Regulation open for comment (Daniel Kane)
  6. Indian Point Denied Water Permit (Jeff Terry)
  7. Re: Fw: Finding a non-solution for  a non-problem (Edmond Baratta)
  8. Perceived vs. Real Risk (Earley, Jack N)

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
ate: Sun, 4 Apr 2010 21:15:03 -0700 (PDT)
rom: Jerry Cohen <jjc105 at yahoo.com>
ubject: [ RadSafe ] Fw: Finding a non-solution for  a non-problem
o: radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
essage-ID: <212988.38518.qm at web82705.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
ontent-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8


----- Forwarded Message ----
rom: Jerry Cohen <jjc105 at yahoo.com>
o: Doug Huffman <doug.huffman at wildblue.net>
ent: Sun, March 28, 2010 5:02:28 PM
ubject: Re: Finding a non-solution for a non-problem

on, Sandy, et al,
 too, am disgusted with the several decades of floundering and the billions of 
ollars that have been squandered seeking an acceptable solution to the non- 
roblem of nuclear waste management. Perhaps some effort to define the nature of 
he problem should precede a massive effort to find a solution.?
erry Cohen

________________________________
rom: Doug Huffman <doug.huffman at wildblue.net>
o: "Perle, Sandy" <SPerle at mirion.com>
c: "radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu" <radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>
ent: Fri, March 26, 2010 6:10:14 AM
ubject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Panel to study what to do with U.S. nuclear waste
Expands the concept of pouring porckulus money down a black hole beyond 
ven the blackguard's wildest dreams.
On 3/25/2010 21:58, Perle, Sandy wrote:
 Yet another study where there already exists a solution!

 Panel to study what to do with U.S. nuclear waste

 By the CNN Wire Staff
 March 25, 2010 10:36 a.m. EDT

 The Obama administration opposes storing nuclear waste at Nevada's Yucca 
ountain site.
 STORY HIGHLIGHTS
? ? ? ? ? ? Government panel reviewing where to store nuclear waste
? ? ? ? ? ? Process could take more than a year
? ? ? ? ? ? Panel expected to reject Yucca Mountain site
? ? ? ? ? ? $10 billion has already been spent on Yucca

 Washington (CNN) -- A government-appointed commission will start reviewing 
hursday ways to permanently store the United States' nuclear waste.

 The Department of Energy's Blue Ribbon Commission has been given the task of 
inding an alternative to the Yucca Mountain site in Nevada, which President 
bama has vowed to close.

 The government has spent nearly $10 billion studying the Yucca Mountain 
ocation, and the Obama administration estimates that ending the program will 
ave $197 million in 2011.

 The Obama administration announced in January that the blue-ribbon panel would 
ake a new look at the problem. The panel is headed by former Democratic Rep. 
ee Hamilton and former Republican National Security adviser Brent Scowcroft.

 It is highly likely that the 15-member commission will abandon the option to 
tore nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain.

 It is expected to take 18 months for the commission to conclude its findings, 
nd that isn't sitting well with several lawmakers from states with temporary 
uclear waste storage sites.

 House members Tuesday introduced a bipartisan resolution to block the closure 
f Yucca Mountain, according to media reports.

 Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Washington, said the resolution calls on the Department of 
nergy to follow the will of Congress.

 "Keeping waste scattered across the country, or in the case of Washington 
tate at Hanford, is no longer an option," Inslee said in a statement. "We have 
 solution to this problem and we must move forward."

 The Hanford facility is one of more than 100 nuclear sites across the country 
here about 70,000 tons of radioactive waste are stored. An estimated 2,000 tons 
re added every year. How federal funds are being used to clean up Hanford

 After uranium has been used in a reactor, the spent fuel remains radioactive 
or thousands of years. It is taken out and put into a pool of water, or above 
round in canisters made of concrete, steel and lead.

 There's never been a plan B.
 --- Michael Voegele, consultant on Yucca Mountain site
 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the canisters are certified for up to 
0 years of use, but that term may be extended.

 Both supporters and opponents of nuclear power largely agree that storing the 
aterial in casks at nuclear plants is no long-term solution.

 If the blue-ribbon commission decides to abandon Yucca Mountain as a nuclear 
torage facility, there are concerns in southern Nevada over what will be done 
ith the site.

 "For years, there's never been a fallback, there's never been a plan B," says 
ichael Voegele, who's been involved with the Yucca Mountain project for 
ecades.

 Voegele, a consultant with Nevada's Nye County, says it was "only recently" 
hat people began to discuss other possible uses for the site.

 The search for future uses of Yucca only came into question, according to 
oegele and others, when the Department of Energy filed a petition to withdraw 
ts Nuclear Regulatory Commission license application for Yucca Mountain earlier 
his month, effectively killing the project.

 The Department of Energy filed its petition to withdraw the license 
pplication with prejudice, which would prevent it from being refilled.

 Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada has fought hard to end the Yucca 
ountain project, which is unpopular with many Nevadans. He has asked the 
overnment Accountability Office to consider alternative uses for the site. 
hose alternatives include national security activities and renewable energy 
esearch.

 But the closure of the project could have a major economic impact in the 
egion. Gary Hollis, the chairman of the Nye County Board of Commissioners, says 
losing Yucca Mountain slams the door on 4,000 construction jobs and about 1,500 
ermanent jobs that would have been created if the site ever got up and running.

 ____________________
 Sander C. Perle
 President
 Mirion Technologies
 Dosimetry Services Division
 2652 McGaw Avenue
 Irvine, CA 92614

 +1 (949) 296-2306 (Office)
 +1 (949) 296-1144 (Fax)

 Mirion Technologies: http://www.mirion.com/





 PROPRIETARY INFORMATION NOTICE:? This e-mail message and all attachments 
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eader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified 
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-----------------------------
Message: 2
ate: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 00:36:29 -0600
rom: Dan <hotgreenchile at gmail.com>
ubject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Fw: Finding a non-solution for  a non-problem
o: Jerry Cohen <jjc105 at yahoo.com>
c: "radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu" <radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>
essage-ID: <A43A6A34-D288-4DA0-AEFB-A6D629AAC5D5 at gmail.com>
ontent-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed; delsp=yes
Dear Jerry et al:
Having worked on the beast at Yucca Mointain, WIPP, the Nebraska LLRW,  
he Mexico LLRW, sites in Czech Republic and Slovakia, there are a  
umber of problems that could be identified as focal points of issue  
or any waste facility.
The ultimate objective should be to identify and characterize those  
erformance features that contribute to the overall performance.  
deally, this would seem to imply characterization of relatively  
imple geology.
In both WIPP and Yucca Mountain, a great deal of effort was made to  
haracterize all aspects of the geology, hydrology and engineering,  
ot just those aspect that contributed to the performance.
For WIPP, formalized performance assessment eventually focus on about  
0 parameters, and all other aspects which had been rigorously  
nvestigated at massive cost were set to "worst case" simply because  
hey contributed so little either one way or the other. WIPP was the  
impler of the two in terms of Performance Assessment.
I believe that Yucca Mountain failed for three reasons: 1)  
rresistanle quantities of funding allowed any possible research to be  
onducted; 2) Lack of a coordinated Performance Assessment plan early- 
n which would have narrowed the required focus for FEPs that were  
mportant and 3) The inevitable rise of a political tone surrounding  
he effort.
There was perhaps a 4th cause: Work was performed soley by the DOE /  
abs and contractors and not the companies focused on a solution. As I  
ecall, the repository was to have been opened in 2000.
Another potential mistake was giving up very early on alternate sites  
nd eliminating reprocessing which placed all the eggs in one basket.
I guess that makes 5 issues!
There wa an article in Scientific American focused on bedded salt back  
n the 60s that I read with interest at the time. Amazing that we have  
ome so far and accomplished so little.
Dan ii
FEPa ==> Features, Events and Processes
Dan W McCarn
otGreenChile at gmail.com
1-505-310-3922
ent from my iPhone
On Apr 4, 2010, at 10:15 PM, Jerry Cohen <jjc105 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>



 ----- Forwarded Message ----
 From: Jerry Cohen <jjc105 at yahoo.com>
 To: Doug Huffman <doug.huffman at wildblue.net>
 Sent: Sun, March 28, 2010 5:02:28 PM
 Subject: Re: Finding a non-solution for a non-problem


 Don, Sandy, et al,
 I too, am disgusted with the several decades of floundering and the  
 billions of dollars that have been squandered seeking an acceptable  
 solution to the non- problem of nuclear waste management. Perhaps  
 some effort to define the nature of the problem should precede a  
 massive effort to find a solution.
 Jerry Cohen



 ________________________________
 From: Doug Huffman <doug.huffman at wildblue.net>
 To: "Perle, Sandy" <SPerle at mirion.com>
 Cc: "radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu" <radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>
 Sent: Fri, March 26, 2010 6:10:14 AM
 Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Panel to study what to do with U.S. nuclear  
 waste

 Expands the concept of pouring porckulus money down a black hole  
 beyond
 even the blackguard's wildest dreams.

 On 3/25/2010 21:58, Perle, Sandy wrote:
> Yet another study where there already exists a solution!
>
> Panel to study what to do with U.S. nuclear waste
>
> By the CNN Wire Staff
> March 25, 2010 10:36 a.m. EDT
>
> The Obama administration opposes storing nuclear waste at Nevada's  
> Yucca Mountain site.
> STORY HIGHLIGHTS
>           ? Government panel reviewing where to store nuclear waste
>           ? Process could take more than a year
>           ? Panel expected to reject Yucca Mountain site
>           ? $10 billion has already been spent on Yucca
>
> Washington (CNN) -- A government-appointed commission will start  
> reviewing Thursday ways to permanently store the United States'  
> nuclear waste.
>
> The Department of Energy's Blue Ribbon Commission has been given  
> the task of finding an alternative to the Yucca Mountain site in  
> Nevada, which President Obama has vowed to close.
>
> The government has spent nearly $10 billion studying the Yucca  
> Mountain location, and the Obama administration estimates that  
> ending the program will save $197 million in 2011.
>
> The Obama administration announced in January that the blue-ribbon  
> panel would take a new look at the problem. The panel is headed by  
> former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton and former Republican National  
> Security adviser Brent Scowcroft.
>
> It is highly likely that the 15-member commission will abandon the  
> option to store nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain.
>
> It is expected to take 18 months for the commission to conclude its  
> findings, and that isn't sitting well with several lawmakers from  
> states with temporary nuclear waste storage sites.
>
> House members Tuesday introduced a bipartisan resolution to block  
> the closure of Yucca Mountain, according to media reports.
>
> Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Washington, said the resolution calls on the  
> Department of Energy to follow the will of Congress.
>
> "Keeping waste scattered across the country, or in the case of  
> Washington State at Hanford, is no longer an option," Inslee said  
> in a statement. "We have a solution to this problem and we must  
> move forward."
>
> The Hanford facility is one of more than 100 nuclear sites across  
> the country where about 70,000 tons of radioactive waste are  
> stored. An estimated 2,000 tons are added every year. How federal  
> funds are being used to clean up Hanford
>
> After uranium has been used in a reactor, the spent fuel remains  
> radioactive for thousands of years. It is taken out and put into a  
> pool of water, or above ground in canisters made of concrete, steel  
> and lead.
>
> There's never been a plan B.
> --- Michael Voegele, consultant on Yucca Mountain site
> The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the canisters are certified  
> for up to 90 years of use, but that term may be extended.
>
> Both supporters and opponents of nuclear power largely agree that  
> storing the material in casks at nuclear plants is no long-term  
> solution.
>
> If the blue-ribbon commission decides to abandon Yucca Mountain as  
> a nuclear storage facility, there are concerns in southern Nevada  
> over what will be done with the site.
>
> "For years, there's never been a fallback, there's never been a  
> plan B," says Michael Voegele, who's been involved with the Yucca  
> Mountain project for decades.
>
> Voegele, a consultant with Nevada's Nye County, says it was "only  
> recently" that people began to discuss other possible uses for the  
> site.
>
> The search for future uses of Yucca only came into question,  
> according to Voegele and others, when the Department of Energy  
> filed a petition to withdraw its Nuclear Regulatory Commission  
> license application for Yucca Mountain earlier this month,  
> effectively killing the project.
>
> The Department of Energy filed its petition to withdraw the license  
> application with prejudice, which would prevent it from being  
> refilled.
>
> Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada has fought hard to end  
> the Yucca Mountain project, which is unpopular with many Nevadans.  
> He has asked the Government Accountability Office to consider  
> alternative uses for the site. Those alternatives include national  
> security activities and renewable energy research.
>
> But the closure of the project could have a major economic impact  
> in the region. Gary Hollis, the chairman of the Nye County Board of  
> Commissioners, says closing Yucca Mountain slams the door on 4,000  
> construction jobs and about 1,500 permanent jobs that would have  
> been created if the site ever got up and running.
>
> ____________________
> Sander C. Perle
> President
> Mirion Technologies
> Dosimetry Services Division
> 2652 McGaw Avenue
> Irvine, CA 92614
>
> +1 (949) 296-2306 (Office)
> +1 (949) 296-1144 (Fax)
>
> Mirion Technologies: http://www.mirion.com/
>
>
>
>
>
> PROPRIETARY INFORMATION NOTICE:  This e-mail message and all  
> attachments transmitted with it are intended solely for use by the  
> addressee and may contain proprietary information of Mirion  
> Technologies and/or its affiliates.  If the reader of this message  
> is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any  
> review, dissemination, distribution, copying or other use of this  
> message is strictly prohibited.  If you have received this message  
> in error, please notify the sender immediately by replying to the  
> message, delete the original message and all attachments from your  
> computer, and destroy any copies you may have made.  Thank you.
> _______________________________________________
> 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://health.phys.iit.edu/radsaferules.html
>
> For information on how to subscribe or unsubscribe and other  
> settings visit: http://health.phys.iit.edu
>

 _______________________________________________
 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://health.phys.iit.edu/radsaferules.html

 For information on how to subscribe or unsubscribe and other  
 settings visit: http://health.phys.iit.edu
 _______________________________________________
 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://health.phys.iit.edu/radsaferules.html

 For information on how to subscribe or unsubscribe and other  
 settings visit: http://health.phys.iit.edu

-----------------------------
Message: 3
ate: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 10:38:34 -0400
rom: "Bill Rowan" <browan at self-powered.com>
ubject: [ RadSafe ] Proposed NRC Regulation open for comment
o: <radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>
essage-ID: <007701cad4cd$ae369f80$0aa3de80$@com>
ontent-Type: text/plain;   charset="us-ascii"
NRC has just published a petition for rulemaking open for public comment at
WW.Regulations.Gov identified by searching NRC-2010-0088.
 
Petitioner Dan Kane requests: the petitioner requests that the provisions
hat govern temporary storage of spent fuel after cessation of reactor
peration be revoked, that licensing of new nuclear power plants cease, and
hat existing operating nuclear power  plants be phased out. The petitioner
elieves these suggestions are necessary until the NRC can be assured of the
echnical and economic certainties of a waste disposition decision and
ssociated political certainties in light of the current administration's
roposed defunding of the Yucca Mountain Repository for permanent disposal
nd storage of spent nuclear fuel.
 
Just passing the information along for those that want to weigh-in.
Bill Rowan
 

------------------------------
Message: 4
ate: Mon, 05 Apr 2010 10:40:47 -0500
rom: Doug Huffman <doug.huffman at wildblue.net>
ubject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Proposed NRC Regulation open for comment
o: radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
essage-ID: <4BBA047F.7050908 at wildblue.net>
ontent-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Kane may be telling the blackguard to "fish or cut bait", to embrace 
uclear power or declare himself the green-blackguard.
On 4/5/2010 09:38, Bill Rowan wrote:
 NRC has just published a petition for rulemaking open for public comment at
 WWW.Regulations.Gov identified by searching NRC-2010-0088.



 Petitioner Dan Kane requests: the petitioner requests that the provisions
 that govern temporary storage of spent fuel after cessation of reactor
 operation be revoked, that licensing of new nuclear power plants cease, and
 that existing operating nuclear power  plants be phased out. The petitioner
 believes these suggestions are necessary until the NRC can be assured of the
 technical and economic certainties of a waste disposition decision and
 associated political certainties in light of the current administration's
 proposed defunding of the Yucca Mountain Repository for permanent disposal
 and storage of spent nuclear fuel.



 Just passing the information along for those that want to weigh-in.

 Bill Rowan



 _______________________________________________
 You are currently subscribed to the RadSafe mailing list

 Before posting a message to RadSafe be sure to have read and understood the 
adSafe rules. These can be found at: http://health.phys.iit.edu/radsaferules.html

 For information on how to subscribe or unsubscribe and other settings visit: 
ttp://health.phys.iit.edu


------------------------------
Message: 5
ate: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 11:42:52 -0400
rom: "Daniel Kane" <dankane at mindspring.com>
ubject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Proposed NRC Regulation open for comment
o: "'Bill Rowan'" <browan at self-powered.com>,
   <radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>
essage-ID: <001001cad4d6$a75b9f90$f612deb0$@com>
ontent-Type: text/plain;   charset="us-ascii"
Just to clarify -
I am not the petitioner, my specialty is nuclear medicine physics.
Dan Kane
ssociates in Medical Physics, LLC
-----Original Message-----
rom: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Bill Rowan
ent: Monday, April 05, 2010 10:39 AM
o: radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
ubject: [ RadSafe ] Proposed NRC Regulation open for comment
NRC has just published a petition for rulemaking open for public comment at
WW.Regulations.Gov identified by searching NRC-2010-0088.
 
Petitioner Dan Kane requests: the petitioner requests that the provisions
hat govern temporary storage of spent fuel after cessation of reactor
peration be revoked, that licensing of new nuclear power plants cease, and
hat existing operating nuclear power  plants be phased out. The petitioner
elieves these suggestions are necessary until the NRC can be assured of the
echnical and economic certainties of a waste disposition decision and
ssociated political certainties in light of the current administration's
roposed defunding of the Yucca Mountain Repository for permanent disposal
nd storage of spent nuclear fuel.
 
Just passing the information along for those that want to weigh-in.
Bill Rowan
 
_______________________________________________
ou are currently subscribed to the RadSafe mailing list
Before posting a message to RadSafe be sure to have read and understood the
adSafe rules. These can be found at:
ttp://health.phys.iit.edu/radsaferules.html
For information on how to subscribe or unsubscribe and other settings visit:
ttp://health.phys.iit.edu

------------------------------
Message: 6
ate: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 11:23:11 -0500
rom: Jeff Terry <terryj at iit.edu>
ubject: [ RadSafe ] Indian Point Denied Water Permit
o: radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
essage-ID: <17139241-932F-4E65-97E2-BA36CB09AFEA at iit.edu>
ontent-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes
According to the New York Times, Indian Point was denied a water  
ermit needed for NRC recertification.
ttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/04/nyregion/04indian.html?ref=science
Somewhere some governor should encourage nuclear plants to be built in  
is/her state and tax out of state energy sales at 300%. Call yourself  
he energy state, you could probably end up like Nevada or Florida  
ith no state income tax.
Entergy should probably shut the two reactors. I wonder how NYC would  
eplace 30% of the electricity supply overnight.
Jeff


-----------------------------
Message: 7
ate: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 00:23:49 -0700
rom: "Edmond Baratta" <edmond0033 at comcast.net>
ubject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Fw: Finding a non-solution for  a non-problem
o: "Dan" <hotgreenchile at gmail.com>,    "Jerry Cohen" <jjc105 at yahoo.com>
c: radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
essage-ID: <3E588A9BF9294B3FA3AA318321D3884C at EdmondPC>
ontent-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="UTF-8";
   reply-type=response
Dear All:
Apparently there may never be a solution to this problem.  There are too 
any people involved and no one will be satisfied with any solution. 
owever I do hope in time one will be found.  Everyone wants 'Wind Power' 
ncluding our late and present Senators in Massachusetts.  Although, when it 
as proposed to put them off in the Cape, they were the first to object. 
he one reason Yucca Mountain was opposed was because of 'Senator Dingy 
arry' (NIMBY).
Ed Baratta
edmond0033 at comcast.net
--------------------------------------------------
rom: "Dan" <hotgreenchile at gmail.com>
ent: Sunday, April 04, 2010 11:36 PM
o: "Jerry Cohen" <jjc105 at yahoo.com>
c: <radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>
ubject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Fw: Finding a non-solution for  a non-problem
> Dear Jerry et al:

 Having worked on the beast at Yucca Mointain, WIPP, the Nebraska LLRW, 
 the Mexico LLRW, sites in Czech Republic and Slovakia, there are a  number 
 of problems that could be identified as focal points of issue  for any 
 waste facility.

 The ultimate objective should be to identify and characterize those 
 performance features that contribute to the overall performance.  Ideally, 
 this would seem to imply characterization of relatively  simple geology.

 In both WIPP and Yucca Mountain, a great deal of effort was made to 
 characterize all aspects of the geology, hydrology and engineering,  not 
 just those aspect that contributed to the performance.

 For WIPP, formalized performance assessment eventually focus on about  30 
 parameters, and all other aspects which had been rigorously  investigated 
 at massive cost were set to "worst case" simply because  they contributed 
 so little either one way or the other. WIPP was the  simpler of the two in 
 terms of Performance Assessment.

 I believe that Yucca Mountain failed for three reasons: 1)  Irresistanle 
 quantities of funding allowed any possible research to be  conducted; 2) 
 Lack of a coordinated Performance Assessment plan early- on which would 
 have narrowed the required focus for FEPs that were  important and 3) The 
 inevitable rise of a political tone surrounding  the effort.

 There was perhaps a 4th cause: Work was performed soley by the DOE /  Labs 
 and contractors and not the companies focused on a solution. As I  recall, 
 the repository was to have been opened in 2000.

 Another potential mistake was giving up very early on alternate sites  and 
 eliminating reprocessing which placed all the eggs in one basket.

 I guess that makes 5 issues!

 There wa an article in Scientific American focused on bedded salt back  in 
 the 60s that I read with interest at the time. Amazing that we have  come 
 so far and accomplished so little.

 Dan ii

 FEPa ==> Features, Events and Processes

 Dan W McCarn
 HotGreenChile at gmail.com
 +1-505-310-3922
 Sent from my iPhone

 On Apr 4, 2010, at 10:15 PM, Jerry Cohen <jjc105 at yahoo.com> wrote:

>
>
>
>
> ----- Forwarded Message ----
> From: Jerry Cohen <jjc105 at yahoo.com>
> To: Doug Huffman <doug.huffman at wildblue.net>
> Sent: Sun, March 28, 2010 5:02:28 PM
> Subject: Re: Finding a non-solution for a non-problem
>
>
> Don, Sandy, et al,
> I too, am disgusted with the several decades of floundering and the 
> billions of dollars that have been squandered seeking an acceptable 
> solution to the non- problem of nuclear waste management. Perhaps  some 
> effort to define the nature of the problem should precede a  massive 
> effort to find a solution.
> Jerry Cohen
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Doug Huffman <doug.huffman at wildblue.net>
> To: "Perle, Sandy" <SPerle at mirion.com>
> Cc: "radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu" <radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>
> Sent: Fri, March 26, 2010 6:10:14 AM
> Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Panel to study what to do with U.S. nuclear 
> waste
>
> Expands the concept of pouring porckulus money down a black hole  beyond
> even the blackguard's wildest dreams.
>
> On 3/25/2010 21:58, Perle, Sandy wrote:
>> Yet another study where there already exists a solution!
>>
>> Panel to study what to do with U.S. nuclear waste
>>
>> By the CNN Wire Staff
>> March 25, 2010 10:36 a.m. EDT
>>
>> The Obama administration opposes storing nuclear waste at Nevada's 
>> Yucca Mountain site.
>> STORY HIGHLIGHTS
>>           ? Government panel reviewing where to store nuclear waste
>>           ? Process could take more than a year
>>           ? Panel expected to reject Yucca Mountain site
>>           ? $10 billion has already been spent on Yucca
>>
>> Washington (CNN) -- A government-appointed commission will start 
>> reviewing Thursday ways to permanently store the United States'  nuclear 
>> waste.
>>
>> The Department of Energy's Blue Ribbon Commission has been given  the 
>> task of finding an alternative to the Yucca Mountain site in  Nevada, 
>> which President Obama has vowed to close.
>>
>> The government has spent nearly $10 billion studying the Yucca  Mountain 
>> location, and the Obama administration estimates that  ending the 
>> program will save $197 million in 2011.
>>
>> The Obama administration announced in January that the blue-ribbon 
>> panel would take a new look at the problem. The panel is headed by 
>> former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton and former Republican National 
>> Security adviser Brent Scowcroft.
>>
>> It is highly likely that the 15-member commission will abandon the 
>> option to store nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain.
>>
>> It is expected to take 18 months for the commission to conclude its 
>> findings, and that isn't sitting well with several lawmakers from 
>> states with temporary nuclear waste storage sites.
>>
>> House members Tuesday introduced a bipartisan resolution to block  the 
>> closure of Yucca Mountain, according to media reports.
>>
>> Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Washington, said the resolution calls on the 
>> Department of Energy to follow the will of Congress.
>>
>> "Keeping waste scattered across the country, or in the case of 
>> Washington State at Hanford, is no longer an option," Inslee said  in a 
>> statement. "We have a solution to this problem and we must  move 
>> forward."
>>
>> The Hanford facility is one of more than 100 nuclear sites across  the 
>> country where about 70,000 tons of radioactive waste are  stored. An 
>> estimated 2,000 tons are added every year. How federal  funds are being 
>> used to clean up Hanford
>>
>> After uranium has been used in a reactor, the spent fuel remains 
>> radioactive for thousands of years. It is taken out and put into a  pool 
>> of water, or above ground in canisters made of concrete, steel  and 
>> lead.
>>
>> There's never been a plan B.
>> --- Michael Voegele, consultant on Yucca Mountain site
>> The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the canisters are certified  for 
>> up to 90 years of use, but that term may be extended.
>>
>> Both supporters and opponents of nuclear power largely agree that 
>> storing the material in casks at nuclear plants is no long-term 
>> solution.
>>
>> If the blue-ribbon commission decides to abandon Yucca Mountain as  a 
>> nuclear storage facility, there are concerns in southern Nevada  over 
>> what will be done with the site.
>>
>> "For years, there's never been a fallback, there's never been a  plan 
>> B," says Michael Voegele, who's been involved with the Yucca  Mountain 
>> project for decades.
>>
>> Voegele, a consultant with Nevada's Nye County, says it was "only 
>> recently" that people began to discuss other possible uses for the 
>> site.
>>
>> The search for future uses of Yucca only came into question,  according 
>> to Voegele and others, when the Department of Energy  filed a petition 
>> to withdraw its Nuclear Regulatory Commission  license application for 
>> Yucca Mountain earlier this month,  effectively killing the project.
>>
>> The Department of Energy filed its petition to withdraw the license 
>> application with prejudice, which would prevent it from being  refilled.
>>
>> Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada has fought hard to end  the 
>> Yucca Mountain project, which is unpopular with many Nevadans.  He has 
>> asked the Government Accountability Office to consider  alternative uses 
>> for the site. Those alternatives include national  security activities 
>> and renewable energy research.
>>
>> But the closure of the project could have a major economic impact  in 
>> the region. Gary Hollis, the chairman of the Nye County Board of 
>> Commissioners, says closing Yucca Mountain slams the door on 4,000 
>> construction jobs and about 1,500 permanent jobs that would have  been 
>> created if the site ever got up and running.
>>
>> ____________________
>> Sander C. Perle
>> President
>> Mirion Technologies
>> Dosimetry Services Division
>> 2652 McGaw Avenue
>> Irvine, CA 92614
>>
>> +1 (949) 296-2306 (Office)
>> +1 (949) 296-1144 (Fax)
>>
>> Mirion Technologies: http://www.mirion.com/
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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------------------------------
Message: 8
ate: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 09:46:13 -0700
rom: "Earley, Jack N" <Jack_N_Earley at RL.gov>
ubject: [ RadSafe ] Perceived vs. Real Risk
o: "'radsafe at agni.phys.iit.edu'" <radsafe at agni.phys.iit.edu>
essage-ID:
   <F4561CBF4FBBF240BEF1370289612DDABFD0B7F53C at EMDB01-1.rl.gov>
ontent-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Or under-regulation vs. over-regulation. People worry about an imaginary cancer 
isk from potential radiation exposures, but don't give a second thought to the 
eal risks they're exposed to every day.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011514739_apusrefineryfire1stldwritethru.html?prmid=obinsite


ack Earley
nvironmental Integration
adioactive Air Emissions, Radioactive Waste Management, & Quality Assurance
09.376.3667? Fax 509.376.8029
DON'T SAY IT - Write It!
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