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Nuclear Waste Accident 2 Years Ago May Cost More Than $2 Billion To Clean Up (arstechnica.com)

Posted by msmash on from the nuclear-waste-management dept.

An anonymous reader writes: The Los Angeles Times is estimating that an explosion that occurred at a New Mexico nuclear waste dumping facility in 2014 could cost upwards of $2 billion to clean up. Construction began on the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico's Carlsbad desert in the 1980s. The site was built to handle transuranic waste from the US' nuclear weapons program. The WIPP had been eyed to receive nuclear waste from commercial power-generating plants as well. According to the LA Times, the 2014 explosion at the WIPP was downplayed by the federal government, with the Department of Energy (DoE) putting out statements indicating that cleanup was progressing quickly. Indeed, a 2015 Recovery Plan insisted that "limited waste disposal operations" would resume in the first quarter of 2016. Instead, two years have passed since the incident without any indication that smaller nuclear waste cleanup programs around the US will be able to deliver their waste to the New Mexico facility any time soon. The 2014 explosion apparently occurred when engineers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory were preparing a drum of plutonium and americium waste -- usually packed with kitty litter (yes, kitty litter) -- and decided to "substitute an organic material for a mineral one."

12 of 20 comments (clear)

  1. Holy Duplicates! by clonehappy · · Score: 1

    I know it's Slashdot and all, but damn the dupes and general quality are so bad around here these days, I'm starting to think the FBI guy might be on to something!

  2. Dupes by Major+Blud · · Score: 5, Informative

    I don't think I've ever complained about there being dupes on here before....but FFS, this was just posted this past Monday:
    https://hardware.slashdot.org/...

    --
    If you post as Anonymous Coward, don't expect a reply.
    1. Re:Dupes by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      mdsolar posting twice, once anonymously hoping his shit slips through the cracks. This time both slipped through.

  3. Nonsense by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

    This is such an important story - we need to make sure no one misses it.

    I'm hoping they'll continue use to repost it daily for the next several weeks.

    --
    #DeleteChrome
    1. Re:Nonsense by Major+Blud · · Score: 2

      This is such an important story - we need to make sure no one misses it.

      I'm hoping they'll continue use to repost it daily for the next several weeks.

      We don't need to give mdsolar anymore ideas ;-)

      --
      If you post as Anonymous Coward, don't expect a reply.
  4. Dup by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 1, Funny

    Mdsolar is that you again?

  5. Current waste by technoid_ · · Score: 2

    I believe currently the only place able to take federal nuclear waste is WCS in Andrews, Texas.

    http://www.wcstexas.com/
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    Course nuclear weapons are assembled and disassembled near Amarlillo, Texas at the Pantex plant.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    The reason everything in Texas is big is all of the radiation.

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    Two wrongs don't make a right, but 3 lefts do - Lew of GO magazine
    1. Re:Current waste by Major+Blud · · Score: 1

      The reason everything in Texas is big is all of the radiation.

      Maybe that's the reason you should stay away from Texas Toast......it's been directly linked to thyroid cancer (as well as gluten allergies).

      --
      If you post as Anonymous Coward, don't expect a reply.
  6. Kitty Litter is good for a lot of things... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    You should keep a bag of litter in the garage regardless of owning a cat. It is great for cleaning up oil spills (for that time when your kid runs over something and rips a hole in the oil pan or that time when your perfectly maintained car springs a leak.)

    Don't know why the author freaks out of them using kitty litter. Most nuclear rods are stored in water (yes, WATER!) Kitty litter is fundamentally a substrate that will absorb fluid (oil or water based) readily making it an ideal packing material when a fluid could leak and cause major issues. It just looks like for this case they changed to a different sub straight and didn't go through a proper approval and safety check.

    My cat could easily inform them that litter can be very different (with a nice steamer on the nearest carpet to the litter.)

  7. Kitty litter by barakn · · Score: 2

    Kitty litter is not such an odd choice as the article makes it out to be. The mineral variety is typically made out of sodium bentonite. This is well known for its ability to absorb more than its own weight in water, which also causes it to swell and therefore seal cracks, enhanced by its self-sticking capability. Kitty litter has a well-defined grain size and would be fine to use so long as one didn't switch brands. Wikipedia even lists a method for determining whether kitty litter has bentonite or not.

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    "I'm so moist I'm sticking to the leather." -Kermit the Frog on The Late Late Show
  8. It even causes a time loop by future+assassin · · Score: 1

    that affected Slashdot editors or Slashcode article processing.

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    by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
  9. 1 with significant casualties. Banqiao 230,000 by raymorris · · Score: 2, Informative

    Well, there has been precisely one nuclear nuclear accident with significant casualties (31 killed, about 2,000 have shortened life expectancy). It seems you've already decided you wouldn't trust any investigation overseen by International Atomic Energy Agency or other internationally recognized safety agencies, so I guess you don't trust the investigations of Chernobyl.

    On the other hand, 230,000 people were washed away by the Banqiao hydroelectric disaster.