House Set to Vote on Nevada Dumping Site

[Manu]

President Bush's decision to send the country's nuclear waste to Nevada is getting its first test before Congress, where the state is facing heavy odds in its battle against the radioactive dump.

Supporters of the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste facility predicted broad support for the president in a House vote scheduled for Wednesday.

Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, said he expects both Republicans and Democrats to vote to reject a Nevada protest of Bush's decision to build a nuclear disposal facility at Yucca Mountain, a ridge of volcanic rock 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

Bush announced in February that he would proceed with seeking a federal license for the Yucca disposal site, which has been under study for 20 years. Nevada, as was its right under federal law, challenged the selection, and only Congress can override the state's protest.

Nevada faces overwhelming odds in trying to convince lawmakers to keep the thousands of tons of nuclear waste at 103 reactors in 31 states instead of shipping it to a central location.

All along, Nevada lawmakers have said they expect the president's decision to be upheld in the Republican-controlled House, and have concentrated their efforts in the Senate, which is expected to take up the issue this summer. Several Senate committee hearings are scheduled later this month.

Last weekend, Democrats gave Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nevada, a chance to make her case in the party's nationally broadcast radio address, during which she highlighted the risks of sending thousands of nuclear waste shipments on highways and rail lines.

The waste from commercial power reactors and some federal military weapons would be safer at reactor sites, she argued, instead of "sweeping it under the carpet near my hometown of Las Vegas."

The plan calls for sending 77,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel to Yucca Mountain, most from reactors in the eastern half of the country. Under the current schedule, the first shipments would arrive in 2010 and continue for 24 years.

Even then, critics say, the proposed site would not have enough room for all of the industry's waste, with at least 44,000 tons still expected to be left in storage at power plants around the country.

The cost of the project has been estimated at $58 billion for construction, waste shipments and the first 50 to 100 years of operation. About $6 billion already has been spent on researching the site.

Tuesday, Energy Undersecretary Robert Card told a nuclear waste advisory panel that the administration will seek more money from Congress for research into ways to reduce the waste volume and the cost of disposal.

He said the research should include looking into transmution, a technology not yet fully developed and viewed by many as too expensive, and waste reprocessing. Both technologies would reduce the amount of the most radioactive isotopes that would have to be disposed of.

While the United States remains opposed to reprocessing because of nuclear proliferation concerns, last year Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force recommended continued research into the technology.

"The administration is on record as being willing to reopen the reprocessing issue," Card told members of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board, an advisory panel created by Congress, at a meeting Tuesday.

Addressing another contentious issue, Card said he is confident that a transportation plan for the waste will be developed that will be satisfactory to the states through which the shipments will pass.

Energy Department officials said the department is leaning heavily toward rail transport, although completion of a final transportation plan is not expected until next year.
www.cnn.com

[Manu]

House Approves Nevada as a Dumping Site.

[86Dude]

Not sure why they even needed to vote. Its not like the federal government doesn't own 87% of the land in that state anyway. I say we dump it on Bill Clintons house.

[revrat]

Where's Nevada?

[92Notch]

Better there than here.

[punchapitchafit]

Hey, there may not be very many people who live in Nevada, but my home of record and family are there. I don't like it one bit. Unfortunately I can't come up with a better site to dump it all in. Well, there's not really anyplace that's good to dump it but still. I've got too much in Nevada

[First~Born~Unicorn]

Originally posted by punchapitchafit
Hey, there may not be very many people who live in Nevada, but my home of record and family are there. I don't like it one bit. Unfortunately I can't come up with a better site to dump it all in. Well, there's not really anyplace that's good to dump it but still. I've got too much in Nevada

I think the dumping will be done well away from any towns, not that that's a challenge in Nevada where there aren't many towns. I'm sure your family will be just fine.

[Corporate Avenger]

They should just leave the crap where it is, driving it around the country will put us all at risk if there's a traffic accident or some terrorists get ahold of it.

[punchapitchafit]

Actually, most of it is already in Nevada, until just recently(last 8 years or so) they were doing underground nuclear testing.

[First~Born~Unicorn]

Originally posted by punchapitchafit
Actually, most of it is already in Nevada, until just recently(last 8 years or so) they were doing underground nuclear testing.

So, like, aren't you worried about your first child being a mutant, if and when you have one?

[Corporate Avenger]

Originally posted by punchapitchafit
Actually, most of it is already in Nevada, until just recently(last 8 years or so) they were doing underground nuclear testing.

What are you talking about? I'm referring to the tons and tons of nuclear waste that stored onsite at all the nuclear plants that will be shipped by truck and rail to Nevada.

[punchapitchafit]

oh, ok, then disregard my last...I'm speechless.

[punchapitchafit]

Originally posted by revrat
Where's Nevada?

BTW, welcome to DA revrat.

[First~Born~Unicorn]

Originally posted by punchapitchafit


BTW, welcome to DA revrat.

I don't get a welcome ?

[The Frog]

<In AOL Voice>


Welcome!

You've got Spam!

[soylentgreen]

Originally posted by Corporate Avenger
They should just leave the crap where it is, driving it around the country will put us all at risk if there's a traffic accident or some terrorists get ahold of it.

I think you've got a valid point there.

I honestly don't know what should be done with the stuff.