Yucca Mountain, Open For Business

John Galt writes: "It seems the Feds have finally decided that Nevada will host the government's nuclear waste repository." The Yucca Mountain project has been in the works for a while. Here is a cutaway diagram.

Comments

Shoot into space!

[TheWhiteOtaku]

Why don't they just shoot the nuclear waste into deep space? It's probably a little more expensive than storing in Nevada in the short term, but this stuff isn't going to go away unless we unleash it into the awesome reaches of space. Why isn't the government doing this instead of burying it underground?

Not nearly a done deal

[shankster]

To paraphrase an American military hero, Nevada has not yet begun to fight.

First the USDOE's ruling must be agreed to by President Bush. Depending on whether or not Karl Rove thinks it is wise to alienate a state that voted for Bush in 2000, the decision may get reversed here.

If Bush concurs with Abraham then Nevada itself can veto the selection of Yucca Mountain. However, Congress can override this, and it was Congress that suggested Yucca Mountain in the first place.

If Bush agrees and Congress agrees with Abraham, Yucca Mountain still isn't a go, because the state of Nevada and the city of Las Vegas have vowed to sue the US over the planned repository.

If the lawsuits fail, Nevada will still fight it by trying to block the actual waste shipments themselves. The city of Las Vegas will pull over and arrest any trucker hauling waste to Yucca Mountain. Nevada politicians and citizens have promised to block the rail lines leading to Yucca Mountain.

In the end the feds may be able to overcome all this, but it promises to be a VERY long and drawn out fight.