What now for nuclear waste?

• Autores: Matthew L. Wald
• Localización: Scientific American, ISSN 0036-8733, Vol. 301, Nº. 2, 2009, págs. 46-53
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The article discusses the disposal of nuclear waste in the U.S. The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama canceled the plan to store nuclear waste at the Yucca Mountain site in Las Vegas, Nevada, which is where the federal government had been trying for years to build a waste repository. Topics include the suggestion by the director of the Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring and Research Center at New Mexico University, James L. Conca, to use salt deposits beneath the New Mexican Chihuanhuan desert to store nuclear waste. The debate over storing waste inside salt deposits, why the cancellation may not be a bad thing, and an in-depth examination of the components of nuclear waste are also discussed. An overview of the politics that led to the creation of Yucca Mountain is presented. INSETS: THE COMPONENTS OF NUCLEAR WASTE;END OF AN ERA;Where Will We Put It All?;WHAT CAN BE DONE WITH THE WASTE?