What to do with 65,000 tons of spent fuel?

[koalabear]

In a blow to the nuclear energy industry, a federal appeals court on Friday threw out a rule allowing plants to store spent nuclear fuel onsite for decades after they've closed, and ordered regulators to study the risks involved with that storage -- 65,000 tons now spread across the country, and growing at 2,000 tons a year.

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2...what-to-do-with-65000-tons-of-spent-fuel?lite

 

[Saint Peter]

Union jobs!

 

[JohnnySavage]

Here's the problem:

Nuclear plant operators have been paying $750 million a year to the Energy Department for construction of a central repository. It was being built under Nevada's Yucca Mountain, but engineering issues and a political backlash in Nevada killed the project after $12 billion was spent.


The nuclear industry was hoodwinked by capricious politicians.

 

[koalabear]

Union jobs!

It doesn't look that way.

Nuclear plant operators have been paying $750 million a year to the Energy Department for construction of a central repository. It was being built under Nevada's Yucca Mountain, but engineering issues and a political backlash in Nevada killed the project after $12 billion was spent.

 

[Saint Peter]

Twins!

 

[phrodeau]

Lob it at the terrists. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/30_mm_caliber

 

[Bert Notorius]

Can't we sell it to Iran? Or drop it on them?

 

[koalabear]

Twins!

Haliburton!!

 

[JohnnySavage]

Recycle it and sell the DU to the Canadians.

 

[bambikiller]

Sell it to the Chinees they can make baby toys out of it and then sell it back to us.

 

[about_average]

In a blow to the nuclear energy industry, a federal appeals court on Friday threw out a rule allowing plants to store spent nuclear fuel onsite for decades after they've closed

That's exactly where it should be stored and I've said that since the 70's. Let the people who decide to build the plant keep it.

 

[JohnnySavage]

That's exactly where it should be stored and I've said that since the 70's. Let the people who decide to build the plant keep it.

The problem with that (current law notwithstanding), it's much safer to have long-term centralized storage. A day will come when it becomes economical to recycle the material.

Another problem with keeping it on site is that power is transmitted regionally. That means people far removed from the plant receive the benefit of that power. It's a national issue, not a local one.

 

[trysail]

Here's the problem:

Nuclear plant operators have been paying $750 million a year to the Energy Department for construction of a central repository. It was being built under Nevada's Yucca Mountain, but engineering issues and a political backlash in Nevada killed the project after $12 billion was spent.


The nuclear industry was hoodwinked by capricious politicians.

Well, let's see, that's a modest $109 per taxpayer just flushed down the toilet.

A billion here and a billion there and, pretty soon, you're talking about real money.

-Sen. Everett Dirksen​