[ RadSafe ] ocean disposal versus the status quo

[George Stanford]

For those of us who see expanding nuclear power as necessary
for the continuation of civilization into the distant future, there is a
powerful argument against seabed disposal of spent fuel: with
today's thermal reactors, 95+% of the energy in the original fuel
is still there

Currently available fast-reactor technology can extract that energy.
To dump it into the ocean would be unconscionable.

When we finally have a rational nuclear energy deployment, and
only the true waste -- the fission products -- has to be disposed
of, then let's put it on the ocean floor, where it belongs.

For now, let's let the Greens carry the day on this one, and be
thankful that we have the Law of the Sea to protect us from ourselves.

         George Stanford

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


At 08:25 AM 4/15/2005, James Salsman wrote:
Douglas Minnema wrote:

>...  The United States along with most other nations signed the London
>Convention in October, 1993, banning until the year 2018 the disposal of 
>radioactive materials at sea....

I think the National Academies' report of 6 April clearly suggests the
need to immediately abrogate from that agreement.

We have withdrawn from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972 so we
can build a missile defense system which has, to put it mildly, failed
essentially all of its recent tests, not to mention being plagued with
cost overruns and accusations of test rigging misconduct.  Surely the
clear and present threat of nuclear waste dump ignition is enough to
get out of the London Convention.  Anyone can get a complete list of
all the nuclear waste disposal ponds from the Internet Archive.

Are the responsible officials going to act on this immediately, or
will they leave those of us near the dump ponds as sitting ducks?

Who will join me in a 10 CFR 2.206 petition to the NRC on this matter?

Sincerely,
James Salsman


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