If the United States had recycled its spent nuclear fuel, the nuclear storage dilemma imposed on Nevada and western Utah would not be a problem.
Nuclear waste must be stored somewhere. The Yucca Mountain facility is a necessary part in dealing with the nation’s storage problem. Currently, 131 temporary storage sites manage the waste but will soon reach their capacity. With the way Americans consume energy, Yucca Mountain will not be the only permanent nuclear storage site in the future.
Nuclear power is produced by uranium that splits in the environment of a nuclear reactor. This reaction produces steam that moves turbines, producing power. As the fission of uranium atoms decrease and less power is produced, it is time to replace the uranium pellets.
Nuclear power is smart energy. According to the Nuclear Energy Institute, one nuclear fuel pellet, about the size of a fingertip, produces the same amount of energy as 1,780 pounds of coal.
Nuclear power can be frightening. The thought of nuclear waste in someone’s backyard or deposited underground waiting to contaminate the water supply is terrifying. These are concerns for many Americans. Yet, the truly frightening thought is, of the uranium used in a nuclear reactor, only 4 percent of it is spent. The rest is discarded as waste, making this smart energy less than smart.
Nuclear waste can be reprocessed but at a cost.
During the Great Depression the saying, “use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without” became the philosophy of the American people. Resources were scarce and everything was used.
However in the 21st century, this philosophy has been discarded. Prudence has been replaced with carelessness. Reprocessing costs money, more money than mining and processing new uranium; money that the United States does not want to invest in the future. The upcoming vote on the development of Yucca Mountain is a shortsighted decision to this ongoing problem.
If the United States would explore recycling programs, like many European and Asian countries have already done, waste would be reduced and the uranium supply would last longer.
Yucca Mountain’s long-term storage facility is only a short-term solution for nuclear waste storage in the United States. Recycling nuclear waste must begin now in order to prevent future Yucca Mountain sites.
