| Inside Alloy 22 Engineered Barrier Canisters | | | | posing no risk beyond the immediate vicinity, and |
| Within the first 1,000 years, about 99 percent of the | | | | would be easy to clean up. |
| radioactivity in the reactor fuel will have dissipated | | | | U.S. Left Behind in the Nuclear Renaissance? |
| through the natural process of radioactive decay. For | | | | In 1982, Congress passed the Nuclear Waste Policy |
| those who believe the nuclear waste will be dumped | | | | Act, amending in 1987, levied a tax on consumers for |
| in some hole in the ground - as some fanatical | | | | electricity generated by nuclear power, and set a |
| environmentalists falsely compared this to a landfill | | | | 1998 deadline to begin accepting used fuel. The U.S. |
| disposal - think again. The Department of Energy | | | | government defaulted. "1998 has come and gone," |
| designed rust-resistant canisters lined with titanium | | | | said Kraft. "It's almost nine years later and 50 utilities |
| drip shield to prevent water entry. A new alloy for | | | | are suing. Lawsuits are in the multiple, multiple billions |
| these canisters was created in 1987 called Alloy 22, | | | | of dollars." One wonders if the federal government |
| which is a blend of nickel, chromium and other | | | | will actually honor this obligation. "No one is being |
| corrosive-resistant metals. | | | | helped by this," Kraft complained. The DOE has |
| In one DOE simulation, it was found the waste | | | | settled with Exelon and a few others to repay their |
| canisters wouldn't begin to rust for about 80,000 | | | | interim storage costs. Utilities have been paying about |
| years. Kraft told us, "From the presentations at the | | | | $750 million per year since 1982. For example, Illinois |
| Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board meetings, the | | | | consumers have paid $3.5 billion since the inception of |
| amount of time that the metal is actually subjected | | | | the Nuclear Waste Fund; Pennsylvania consumers |
| to the corrosive environment is actually far less in | | | | have paid $2.4 billion. |
| terms of hundreds of years." And who's to say how | | | | "There are a lot of places that want to build new |
| much technology will advance over the next 10,000 | | | | nuclear plants," Kraft pointed out. "There are about |
| or 80,000 years? Imagine for a moment how much | | | | 30 on the boards right now." But a lot of the |
| technology has changed our lives over the past one | | | | communities are asking, "Wait a minute, we still have |
| hundred years, let alone over the previous 10,000 | | | | the spent fuel from the other reactor, when is all |
| years. The fact is we will all be long dead before a | | | | that stuff going to leave the site?" |
| single drop of moisture ever rusts one of those | | | | Kraft explained, "What the communities are not |
| canisters. And so will the next 2000 generations of | | | | asking for is an actual functioning disposal system, |
| our great grandchildren. | | | | but a believable sustainable plan for getting there. At |
| As a result of the geological and man-made barriers, | | | | the moment, the DOE program does not look terribly |
| scientific reports demonstrate the largest expected | | | | sustainable to these communities. In each case that |
| annual radiation dose near Yucca Mountain would be | | | | wants a facility, the community is making it very |
| 0.1 millirem. The Environmental Protection Agency | | | | clear 'we want to know what the plans are for |
| (EPA) set an annual 15-millirem limit. The EPA's dosage | | | | moving the nuclear waste offsite.' We have to be |
| is about one-half what most of us get from cosmic | | | | able to answer those questions." |
| rays every year. A chest x-ray gives you a much | | | | He is earnest about moving Yucca Mountain into the |
| higher dose. Occupational standards for workers at | | | | operational stage. "I've been waking up for the past |
| nuclear power plants are ten times higher. Clearly, | | | | 30 years wanting to solve this problem," Kraft told |
| both science and logical rationale are being ignored | | | | us. "The person that has to wake up is Congress." |
| when politicians and environmentalists dream up such | | | | In a September 13th press release, the NEI wrote, |
| "Twilight Zone" guidelines for Yucca Mountain. When | | | | "To meet a projected increase in electricity demand |
| the EPA standard of one million years was proposed, | | | | of 45 percent by 2030, 12 companies or groups of |
| based upon a 1995 National Academy of Science | | | | companies are developing federal construction and |
| study, it was "unprecedented worldwide," Kraft said. | | | | operating license applications, and four companies |
| Is Transporting the Nuclear Waste to Yucca Mountain | | | | already have filed applications for early site permits |
| Safe? | | | | with the NRC." The first wave of those nuclear |
| Critics worry about the dangers of transporting | | | | power plants could be ready for commercial |
| nuclear waste from local sites to Yucca Mountain. | | | | operation in the 2014 to 2015 time frame. |
| They seem to overlook an important fact. During the | | | | In a nutshell, U.S. consumers would be in a no-win |
| past 30 years, more than 3000 shipments have | | | | situation in the absence of nuclear power. More than |
| traveled across the United States over 1.6 million | | | | 70 percent of the electricity which comes from |
| highway and rail miles without a single radioactive | | | | energy sources that do not bring about greenhouse |
| episode. Used nuclear fuel has been safely shipped | | | | gases or are linked to smog and acid rain comes |
| tens of thousands of times outside the United | | | | from nuclear energy. The rest comes from |
| States. Environmentalists would have already pounced | | | | renewables, especially hydroelectric power. "By |
| had there been an accident involving radioactive | | | | shutting down 20 percent of our electricity doesn't |
| releases. | | | | make sense for this country," Kraft argued. "It's not |
| The DOE estimates about 175 used fuel shipments | | | | something the average ordinary homeowner is going |
| will travel to Yucca Mountain each year for 24 years, | | | | to want to have happen." |
| transporting between 300 and 500 containers. | | | | And the fate of the emerging nuclear revival, or the |
| Numerous tests performed by Sandia National | | | | nuclear renaissance, hangs by the decisions Congress |
| Laboratories to "destroy" the canisters demonstrated | | | | must soon make in honoring the government's |
| the ruggedness of the containers. Crashing trucks | | | | obligation as the ultimate stewards of the nuclear |
| into concrete barriers at 65 mph, trains broadsiding | | | | waste. "We capture all our waste," said Kraft. "We |
| the trucks at 80 mph and engulfing the trucks and | | | | store it all, we know where it is, we got it numbered |
| canisters at crispy temperatures failed to destroy the | | | | and we treat it with great respect." Ironically, with |
| canisters. "To get a certificate from the Nuclear | | | | the ongoing renaissance in uranium mining in the |
| Regulatory Commission (NRC), they have to pass | | | | United States, if there were no reversal by |
| very severe accident tests," Kraft explained. "My | | | | Congress, the yellowcake would end up in Asia or |
| guess is that, at this point, it will be fundamentally rail | | | | elsewhere to fuel their galloping nuclear energy |
| shipments with limited trucking, but we had to | | | | programs. |
| analyze both." | | | | In 2002, after more than 60 public hearings were held |
| Fear of terrorists? "Before September 11, 2001, | | | | in Nevada, then-Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham |
| these (nuclear storage facilities) were the most | | | | certified that Yucca Mountain meets the site selection |
| secure, heavily guarded industrial sites there were," | | | | requirements. Both house of Congress approved the |
| Kraft told us. "And they have only gotten even more | | | | Yucca Mountain site in July 2002. "Yucca Mountain is |
| protected. We have increased the number of guards, | | | | an approved project as far as Congress and the |
| the stand-off distance from the gate, and other | | | | President are concerned," concluded Kraft. "And now |
| things I can't talk about because of the nature of the | | | | we have the license application to complete, get it |
| information. We do have very good terrorist | | | | through the NRC, and start building it." Approval for |
| protection." | | | | Yucca Mountain came after one of the most |
| But what about on the open road? The DOE hope to | | | | extensive scientific investigations in U.S. history. The |
| construct a 300-mile railroad spur to connect the | | | | NRC review may take up to three years. |
| nation's existing rail system to Yucca Mountain. In an | | | | The remaining stumbling block appears to be the |
| August 2006 Fact Sheet, the NEI writes, "The | | | | 1995 report by the National Academy of Sciences, |
| shipments are heavily guarded. Travel routes and | | | | and adopted by the EPA, demanding a million-year |
| times for shipment are not publicly available; transport | | | | guarantee of safety at Yucca Mountain. This came |
| vehicles are equipped with devices to prevent | | | | about while Yucca Mountain was passing every |
| unauthorized movement; and satellites track | | | | scientific test for the original 10,000-year safeguard. |
| shipments constantly." Sandia National Laboratories | | | | Congress can remedy this absurdity with legislation |
| also simulated a terrorist attack using a weapon 30 | | | | relieving this EPA standard. In other words, it is time |
| times more powerful than a shoulder-fired, anti-tank | | | | to get realistic. Otherwise, the nuclear waste remains |
| missile. The result? The weapon made only a | | | | in limbo, chilling out in the cooling ponds or dry casket |
| quarter-inch hole, which the NRC estimated would | | | | storage instead of the Yucca Mountain tunnels. |
| release only about one-third of an ounce of | | | | COPYRIGHT © 2007 by StockInterview, Inc. |
| radioactive material, a minute amount of radiation | | | | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. |