Nuclear Waste Disposal At Yucca Mountain: Right Or Wrong? Essay

thermonuclear Waste Disposal At Yucca Mountain Right or wrong?As the United States nuclear waste buildup becomes larger, the need fora standing(prenominal) storage facility becomes more than urgent. One proposed send is in theYucca Mountains of Nevada. This makes legion(predicate) Nevadans uneasy, as visions ofthree-legged babies and phosphorescent throng come to mind. This is anunfounded worry, as many reasons uprise. In f venture, the Yucca Mountains provide anideal site for a eternal underground nuclear waste facility in the U.S.While the Yucca Mountains are the best site we have found as of yet,this procedure impart cost a colossal amount of taxpayer dollars. The Department ofEnergy (DOE) estimates the wide-cut cost of its high-level waste management programat $25-35 one thousand thousand. end the scientific investigation and licensing of theYucca Mountain site is expected to cost $6-7 billion alone. At the end of 1993,total nuclear waste fund expenditures by din t of the end of the year were nearly3.7 billion. Very little of this money comes from undivided investors. If aretrievable facility (one where the casks of spent fuel can be retrieved later)is built, this leave alone be a good deal more. Other disposal types, such as sub-seabed and space disposal may prove to be cheaper at a later time.This is a cause for concern, nevertheless there are a greater amount of reasonsto further and lastly finish the Yucca Mountain Project. One is the desertclimate naturally occurring in the western United States. The weather is dryand warm and their are very(prenominal) few natural disasters, such as earthquakes. Also,this part of the nation has a lower piss table than the rest of the country.This reduces the risk of water taint in case of a breach.This is only one safety buffer that the proposed site provides. Thereare several more. All of these factors add up to a relatively perpetualenvironment. simply exit it be stable enough? If a permane nt site is constructed,it will have to live stable for 10,000 years. This is a very long time,considering the United States has only existed for a little over 200. Duringthis period, if a breach occurs, the western United States water supply couldbecome contaminated, and cost the federal government even more to clean. Thequestion is whether or not t... ...orage structure. Also, fractures in the saltare self-sealing, which will stop radiation for simply floating up to thesurface with pores, cracks, or faults in the rock. This type of host rock(the rock that surrounds the site) will give the site both a man-made andnatural protection.But perhaps the most beneficial protection is the remoteness of thelocation of the site. placed in Nevada, which has a very low populationdensity (only 0-2 people per square mile*) the risk of humans accidentallytampering with the deposition is very low. Also to be noted is that there willbe no construction or utility digging. Nevadans will see to it that the sitestays untouched.All points taken, the Yucca Mountains are currently the best spot to investment firm the countrys ever growing buildup of nuclear waste. Due to its remotelocation, secure reach formations, and low water table, this area provides anideal and secure spot for the huge amount of potentially harmful material. TheU.S. is in dire need of a permanent nuclear waste disposal site, and this is thebest option justifiedly now. The usual dawdle of the federal government will only actagainst us in this matter.