Nuclear Waste Stalemate : Political and Scientific Controversies

by Vandenbosch, Robert

• ISBN13: 9780874809039
• ISBN10: 0874809037
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-09-25
• Publisher: Univ of Utah Pr

Summary

Diminishing oil supplies, global warming due to use of fossil fuels, persistent strife in the Middle East, and increasing demands for energy have led to the search for additional energy sources. Many feel that a significant expansion of nuclear power will be necessary to meet projected needs. However, although nuclear power has been produced commercially for over thirty years, no country has yet found a permanent solution for the disposal of high-level nuclear waste. This book examines the complex political, legal, and scientific issues relating to the disposal of that waste. The political controversies discussed here include the power of governors to veto placement of high-level nuclear waste repositories in their states, the use of incentives for spent-fuel acceptance, the use of Indian reservations as host sites, control of a Nuclear Waste Fund, and whether a state without a nuclear reactor should be required to accept spent fuel. The scientific controversies discussed include monitored surface storage versus permanent geological disposal, burial above or below the water table, the probability of serious seismic and volcanic events, and long-term hazard assessment. This book is unique in its comprehensive discussion of the issues related to nuclear waste storage.

Author Biography

Rober Vandenbosch is emeritus professor of chemistry at the University of Washington.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
Alternatives for the Management of Radioactive Waste	p. 6
Surface Storage and Deep Geological Disposal	p. 7
Reprocessing of Spent Fuel	p. 15
Transmutation of Radioactive Waste	p. 21
Overview of Legislative and Executive Actions Concerning High-Level Radioactive Waste	p. 35
Early Efforts Regarding Waste Disposal	p. 35
The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982	p. 39
The Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987	p. 41
The Energy Policy Act of 1992 and Yucca Mountain Radiation Standards	p. 42
The Years between 1992 and Presidential Approval in 2002	p. 43
The Clock Starts Ticking: 2002 Approval of Yucca Mountain	p. 44
Setbacks on the Way to a Licensing Application	p. 45
The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982: Adoption of a Policy for the Disposal of Spent Fuel from Commercial Reactors	p. 50
Factors Leading Up to the Adoption of a Disposal Policy for High-Level Nuclear Waste	p. 50
The Politics of the 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act	p. 52
Analysis of the 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act	p. 55
Political Aftermath of the 1982 Nuclear Waste Policy Act	p. 57
Narrowing the List of Candidate Sites for the First Repository	p. 60
The Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987
Postponement of the Second Repository	p. 72
Candidate States for the First Repository Object	p. 73
Monitored Retrievable Storage	p. 76
Offering Incentives for a Repository	p. 80
Udall Proposes a Moratorium	p. 82
The Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board	p. 83
Selection of Yucca Mountain for the First Repository	p. 84
Political Aftermath of the 1987 Act	p. 88
Attempts to Store Waste on Indian Reservations	p. 97
Yucca Mountain as a Repository	p. 105
Description	p. 105
Local Government Environment: Nye County	p. 115
Political Environment: Nevada and Yucca Mountain	p. 116
The Energy Act of 1992 and Yucca Mountain Radiation Standards	p. 131
Introduction of Nuclear Waste Provisions into the Energy Act of 1992	p. 131
The National Academy of Sciences Report	p. 133
Public Health and Environmental Radiation Protection Standards for Yucca Mountain, Nevada	p. 133
The 2002 Approval of the Yucca Mountain Repository	p. 139
House Action	p. 141
Senate Action	p. 146
Political Aftermath of the 2002 Act	p. 162
Court Appeals	p. 173
The Nevada Suit against the Department of Energy, Secretary Abraham, and President Bush	p. 174
Nevada Challenges the Constitutionality of the Joint Resolution	p. 180
Nevada and the Natural Resources Defense Council v. the Environmental Protection Agency	p. 182
Nevada v. the Nuclear Regulatory Commission	p. 185
The Court Hears Oral Argument	p. 187
The Court Decides	p. 188
Transportation of Spent Fuel to Yucca Mountain	p. 199
High-Level Nuclear Waste Disposal in Other Countries	p. 214
Canada	p. 219
France	p. 220
Germany	p. 223
United Kingdom	p. 224
Sweden	p. 230
Finland	p. 237
Japan	p. 238
Russia	p. 241
India	p. 244
China	p. 244
International Repository Proposals	p. 245
Overview	p. 246
Organizations Concerned with Nuclear Waste Issues	p. 260
Principles Guiding Radioactive Waste Management	p. 267
A Visit to Yucca Mountain	p. 275
U.S. Secretaries of Energy	p. 278
U.S. Department of Energy Guidelines for Repository Site Recommendations	p. 289
Organizations Opposed to the Yucca Mountain Repository	p. 292
Supporters of the Yucca Mountain Repository	p. 294
Selected Bibliography	p. 297
Index	p. 301
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