Will Yucca Mountain open to nuke waste on a large scale

[pwjohn]

I guess not

 

[pwjohn]

The Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository, as designated by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act amendments of 1987, is to be a deep geological repository storage facility for spent nuclear fuel and other high level radioactive waste. It is located on federal land adjacent to the Nevada Test Site in Nye County, Nevada, about 80 mi (130 km) northwest of the Las Vegas Valley. The proposed repository is within Yucca Mountain, a ridge line in the south-central part of Nevada near its border with California.

The location has been highly contested by environmentalists and Nevada residents. It was approved in 2002 by the United States Congress. Federal funding for the site ended in 2011 under the Obama Administration via amendment to the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, passed on April 14, 2011.[2] The Government Accountability Office stated that the closure was for political, not technical or safety reasons.[2]

Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

 

[pwjohn]

Why no debate ?

 

[pwjohn]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled the Obama administration should have considered compliance cost when it decided to limit emissions of mercury and other hazardous air pollutants mainly from coal-fired power plants, a setback for the government that leaves the legal status of the regulation in limbo.

The court ruled in a 5-4 decision, with its five conservative justices in the majority, against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The rule stays in effect for the time being, with the case returning to an appeals court, which will decide whether or not it should be thrown out.

 

[pwjohn]

Link to the above article;


U.S. top court rules against Obama administration over air pollution rule - Yahoo News

 

[pwjohn]

With its five conservative justices in the majority, the court ruled 5-4 against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), handing a victory to the industry groups and 21 states that challenged the rule as well as Republicans critical of President Barack Obama's environmental agenda.

The rule stays in effect for the time being, with the case returning to an appeals court that will decide whether or not it will be thrown out entirely.

"EPA is disappointed that the court did not uphold the rule, but this rule was issued more than three years ago, investments have been made and most plants are already well on their way to compliance," the agency said in a statement.

 

[pwjohn]

The agency must consider cost - including, most importantly, cost of compliance - before deciding whether regulation is appropriate and necessary," Scalia wrote.

The EPA says the rule, which went into effect in April, applies to about 1,400 electricity-generating units at 600 power plants. Many are already in compliance, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said.

The legal rationale adopted by the court is unlikely to have broader implications for other environmental regulations, including the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan that would cut carbon emissions from existing power plants, according to lawyers following the case.

 

[FA_Q2]

Why is this here?

That has nothing to do with nuclear waste.

 

[DGS49]

As we say here in Pittsburgh, YINS DON'T KNOW WHAT YINS ARE TALKING ABAAAAT!

First: The US Government committed many years ago to create a spent fuel ("nuclear waste") repository with money to be paid by U.S. ratepayers (YOU!) through a surcharge in their electricity bills. That money was collected for decades (tens of billions of dollars) and was used to fund the development of the Yucca Mountain facility.

Irrational fears and political skullduggery by politicians in Nevada, coupled with general Liberal fear of technology, turned the people of Nevada - and especially Las Vegas - against the idea of storing our spent fuel at Yucca mountain.

Several studies were done on the efficacy of the location and facility, and while it was concluded that there is a slight chance of nuclear contamination of groundwater in ten thousand or so years (literally) - which seems a reasonably good risk level - it was also concluded that Yucca Mountain is not the BEST possible place to store the stuff.

The BEST place to store nuclear waste (including spent fuel) is in a large subterranean salt formation, of which the U.S. has a couple. There is one in New Mexico called WIPP, and it has the added benefit of being supported by the locals, so technically the solution of finding a suitable repository for "nuclear waste" has been solved. People are still anxious about TRANSPORTING the spent fuel from nuclear power plants, through population centers, and ultimately to WIPP, but that is a manageable risk.

But there is a tiny glitch - almost humorous if it wasn't so costly. A year or so ago, some nuclear waste at WIPP started to spontaneously combust, resulting in lethal fumes in the facility which, given the word "nuclear!" is involved made people a little bit uneasy.

Turns out (and this is not public knowledge), the nuclear waste is being stored in 55 gallon drums of KITTY LITTER, and some IDIOT took it upon himself to change the kitty litter specification to a type that is "organic." The "organic" kitty litter is the problem - it will spontaneously combust under certain circumstances. Problem is, NOBODY KNOWS WHICH 55 GALLON DRUMS have the right kitty litter and which have the combustible kitty litter. And the only way to find out is to open every one of those millions of drums and check it out.

So for the moment, WIPP is out of commission, and is taking no more nuclear waste, and the prospect of transferring our nation's spend fuel to WIPP is up in the air.

But Yucca Mountain is dead, kicked the bucket, deceased, expired, fageddaboudit.

And by the way, the money that was being collected to pay for the "national" nuclear waste repository is no longer being collected.

 

[pwjohn]

As we say here in Pittsburgh, YINS DON'T KNOW WHAT YINS ARE TALKING ABAAAAT!

First: The US Government committed many years ago to create a spent fuel ("nuclear waste") repository with money to be paid by U.S. ratepayers (YOU!) through a surcharge in their electricity bills. That money was collected for decades (tens of billions of dollars) and was used to fund the development of the Yucca Mountain facility.

Irrational fears and political skullduggery by politicians in Nevada, coupled with general Liberal fear of technology, turned the people of Nevada - and especially Las Vegas - against the idea of storing our spent fuel at Yucca mountain.

Several studies were done on the efficacy of the location and facility, and while it was concluded that there is a slight chance of nuclear contamination of groundwater in ten thousand or so years (literally) - which seems a reasonably good risk level - it was also concluded that Yucca Mountain is not the BEST possible place to store the stuff.

The BEST place to store nuclear waste (including spent fuel) is in a large subterranean salt formation, of which the U.S. has a couple. There is one in New Mexico called WIPP, and it has the added benefit of being supported by the locals, so technically the solution of finding a suitable repository for "nuclear waste" has been solved. People are still anxious about TRANSPORTING the spent fuel from nuclear power plants, through population centers, and ultimately to WIPP, but that is a manageable risk.

But there is a tiny glitch - almost humorous if it wasn't so costly. A year or so ago, some nuclear waste at WIPP started to spontaneously combust, resulting in lethal fumes in the facility which, given the word "nuclear!" is involved made people a little bit uneasy.

Turns out (and this is not public knowledge), the nuclear waste is being stored in 55 gallon drums of KITTY LITTER, and some IDIOT took it upon himself to change the kitty litter specification to a type that is "organic." The "organic" kitty litter is the problem - it will spontaneously combust under certain circumstances. Problem is, NOBODY KNOWS WHICH 55 GALLON DRUMS have the right kitty litter and which have the combustible kitty litter. And the only way to find out is to open every one of those millions of drums and check it out.

So for the moment, WIPP is out of commission, and is taking no more nuclear waste, and the prospect of transferring our nation's spend fuel to WIPP is up in the air.

But Yucca Mountain is dead, kicked the bucket, deceased, expired, fageddaboudit.

And by the way, the money that was being collected to pay for the "national" nuclear waste repository is no longer being collected.

That last part you mentioned. I was wondering about that myself. Are they still collecting the money to build a repository for nuke waste?

And with all that money already spent on yucca, it's just a matter of time before it opens to storing nuke waste on a large scale.

 

[pwjohn]

Why is this here?

That has nothing to do with nuclear waste.

This has everything to do with nuke waste.

You simply cannot have the epa issuing decrees like they're some kind of a king. The Supreme Court ruling in this case was and is correct.

I'm all for getting rid of coal as a fuel to produce energy, but not by over regulation that leads to unaffordable electric bills.

There's a better way forward.

 

[longknife]

Yucca Mountain is NOT under the EPA - it's controlled by the Department of Energy.

 

[pwjohn]

Yucca Mountain is NOT under the EPA - it's controlled by the Department of Energy.

While what you say makes sense, are you suggesting that the hole in Yucca mountain was created without the benefit of an environmental impact study/statement ?

 

[longknife]

Yucca Mountain is NOT under the EPA - it's controlled by the Department of Energy.

While what you say makes sense, are you suggesting that the hole in Yucca mountain was created without the benefit of an environmental impact study/statement ?

To begin with - yes! It wasn't until environmentalists raised such a ruckus that a judge called upon DOE to conduct one - that found no reasons at all NOT to continue the project.

The project was stalled - not canceled - because of political pressures. (Dingy Harry probably wasn't getting a big enough payback for pushing it.)

 

[pwjohn]

Yucca Mountain is NOT under the EPA - it's controlled by the Department of Energy.

While what you say makes sense, are you suggesting that the hole in Yucca mountain was created without the benefit of an environmental impact study/statement ?

To begin with - yes! It wasn't until environmentalists raised such a ruckus that a judge called upon DOE to conduct one - that found no reasons at all NOT to continue the project.

The project was stalled - not canceled - because of political pressures. (Dingy Harry probably wasn't getting a big enough payback for pushing it.)

That too makes sense especially the part about Harry. But in the end he paid a heavy price for screwing with the wrong people. You just don't do to others what Harry did in a place like Las Vegas and think you're gonna waltz away Scott free.

 

[there4eyeM]

Nukes: the threat that keeps on threatening.

 

[pwjohn]

Nukes: the threat that keeps on threatening.

There's risk in everything we do. The effects left behind by burning coal to produce power is certainly long lasting

 

[there4eyeM]

The risk with alternatives to nukes is that power will be decentralized, 'specialists' and oil companies will have less control, accidents will be meaningless; lots of risks.

 

[DGS49]

Since 1953, when the first commercial nuke-u-ler power plant went on line and the first nuke sub was commissioned (Nautilus) THERE HAS NOT BEEN A SINGLE FATALITY IN EITHER U.S. COMMERCIAL NUCLEAR POWER OR IN THE NUCLEAR NAVY due to radiation. Not even a sickness.

And yet people keep giving us "warnings" about the dangers of nuclear power. Yes, there are dangers. Yes, they are containable and manageable. Obviously.

 

[pwjohn]

The risk with alternatives to nukes is that power will be decentralized, 'specialists' and oil companies will have less control, accidents will be meaningless; lots of risks.

Your stated risks are kinda different but I don't see how big oil plays a role in power generation. Coal yes, oil no.