Nuclear Waste Disposal At Yucca Mountain: Right Or Wrong? Essay

Nuclear Waste inclination At Yucca potty Right or Wrong?As the linked States thermonuclear waste buildup run lows larger, the need fora permanent storage rapidness becomes more urgent. One proposed office is in theYucca Mountains of Nevada. This makes many Nevadans uneasy, as visions of legged babies and phosphorescent people come to mind. This is anunfounded worry, as many reasons prove. In fact, the Yucca Mountains provide anideal post for a permanent underground nuclear waste facility in the U.S.While the Yucca Mountains argon the best site we have found as of yet,this procedure will cost a huge amount of taxpayer dollars. The Department ofEnergy (DOE) estimates the total cost of its high-level waste management programat $25-35 billion. Completing the scientific investigation and licensing of theYucca Mountain site is expected to cost $6-7 billion alone. At the sack of 1993,total nuclear waste fund expenditures through the end of the stratum were nearly3.7 billion. Very little of this money comes from individual investors. If aretrievable facility (one where the casks of spent fuel can be retrieved later)is built, this will be a good deal more. Other disposal types, such as sub-seabed and space disposal may prove to be cheaper at a later time.This is a cause for concern, but there are a greater amount of reasonsto further and eventually finish the Yucca Mountain Project. One is the desertclimate graphicly occurring in the western fall in States. The weather is dryand warm and their are very few natural disasters, such as earthquakes. in like manner,this part of the nation has a lower body of water supply table than the rest of the country.This reduces the risk of water contamination in elusion of a breach.This is only one safety cushion that the proposed site provides. thitherare several more. all of these factors add up to a comparatively stableenvironment. But will it be stable enough? If a permanent site is constructed,it will have to re main stable for 10,000 years. This is a very long time,considering the United States has only existed for a little everywhere 200. Duringthis period, if a breach occurs, the western United States water supply couldbecome contaminated, and cost the federal government even more to clean. Thequestion is whether or not t... ...orage structure. Also, fractures in the saltare self-sealing, which will stop radiotherapy for simply floating up to thesurface through pores, cracks, or faults in the rock. This type of host rock(the rock that surrounds the site) will give the site both a man-made andnatural protection.But perhaps the close to beneficial protection is the remoteness of thelocation of the site. Located in Nevada, which has a very low populationdensity (only 0-2 people per square international nautical mile*) the risk of humans accidentallytampering with the repository is very low. Also to be noted is that there willbe no look or utility digging. Nevadans will see to it that t he sitestays untouched.All points taken, the Yucca Mountains are currently the best spot tostore the countrys ever emergence buildup of nuclear waste. Due to its remotelocation, secure land formations, and low water table, this area provides anideal and secure spot for the huge amount of potentially harmful material. TheU.S. is in dire need of a permanent nuclear waste disposal site, and this is thebest option right now. The usual drop off of the federal government will only actagainst us in this matter.