Re: AP LLRW Story

[Al Tschaeche <antatnsu@pacbell.net>]

David W. Lee wrote:
> 
>         RADSAFERS more knowledgeable in LLW disposal history than me:
> 
>         This LLW disposal thread yesterday and today has been interesting.  From
> my fuzzy recollection, I seem to recall that before this whole
> congressionally mandated COMPACT business, there were two or three sites
> where LLW could be disposed of that were operated by commercial companies.
> Then magically, congress intervened and basically left it up to the States
> to figure out a way to dispose of LLW which gave rise to the COMPACT
> system.  What I have not yet heard elaborated upon, however, is the
> distinct possibility that Congress, itself, made yet another political
> blunder (the first was killing nuclear fuel reprocessing).  This blunder
> was simply failing to realize that there was not ENOUGH LLW generated in
> this country to ever make it profitable for even 3 companies to stay in the
> commercial LLW disposal business, let alone make the naive assumption that
> forming almost a dozen additional COMPACT sites--that they all could at
> least pay their own way to stay financially afloat!  IMHO, Congress,
> itself, bears the lion's share of responsibility for the status of the
> present LLW disposal situation.

Exactly.  But, who got the Congress to do what it did?  IMHO, the
nuclear industry did.  So, we're right back where it all started.  Al
Tschaeche antatnsu@pacbell.net