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Nuclear Waste
In Brief The search for a nuclear waste repository has been focusing on Yucca Mountain, Nevada, for some time. Citing scientific evidence as to its safety, Bush has approved the site, to the relief of many states with accumulating nuclear waste deposits. As Senator, Kerry has cited incomplete scientific agreement in opposing the decision; as Presidential candidate, he vows the Yucca Mountain project would not proceed. |
updated 9/9/04 |
In Detail
In 1982, Congress made deep burial the official U.S. disposal method for highly radioactive waste, and told the Department of Energy (DOE) to study three possible sites and to choose two. In 1987 this was reduced to one site - Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The Yucca Mountain site is to receive 77,000 tons of nuclear waste from 131 sites in 39 states, including defense waste and used reactor fuel building up at commercial power plants. The waste would be stored in underground canisters. Nevada, a state with no nuclear power plants, has strongly opposed the project.1 On the campaign trail in 2000, Bush visited Nevada and affirmed his belief that "sound science, and not politics, must prevail in the designation of any high-level nuclear waste repository." 2 Following the recommendation by the Secretary of Energy, and citing decades of scientific study, on February 15, 2002 Bush asked Congress to approve the Yucca Mountain site for the nuclear waste repository. 3 Just a few months earlier, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) believed it would be premature to make any near-term decision. 4 In reference to the pending debate of the bill in the House, the Bush administration claimed, "The development of a nuclear waste repository is critical for a number of important national interests including energy security, homeland security, and protection of the environment." 5 Following passage in the House, on July 9, 2002 the Senate considered Senate Joint Resolution 87. 6 After a vote of 60-39 to proceed, with Kerry voting "no", and Edwards voting "yes", a voice vote 7 passed the resolution into law, despite the claim by some Senators that the decision was unsubstantiated by science. Emphasizing its ability to protect the environment and the population, Bush later ratified the bill. 8 Kerry has been a strong opponent of the designation of Yucca Mountain as the country's nuclear waste storage facility. 9 While also concerned about what to do with nuclear waste, Kerry voted against a bill in 1997 that favored disposal in Nevada. 10 That bill passed 65-34. During a Senate discussion on July 09, 2002, he said, "I can assure you there is much concern within my State over what the government plans to do with nuclear waste and a sense of urgency to get something done. I cannot in good [conscience] however vote to make Yucca Mountain the destination for all of our nuclear waste when a number of studies urge caution and further study to make sure that we are not making a mistake,..." 11 Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) challenged Kerry's consistency on this issue by claiming that Kerry supported the "Screw Nevada" bill of 1987. The Senate passed that bill with a vote of 61-28, with 5 Democrats and 23 Republicans voting against it. 12 The bill was one part of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987, 13 which designated the Nevada site as the sole site to be studied by the DOE, and stipulated that should studies indicate it to be unsuitable, they would look elsewhere. 14 Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. has complete faith in Kerry's record of support for Nevada. 12 In his campaign for president, Kerry declared categorically that he would not move ahead with the project.15 One particular alternative he has presented is an international consortium to dispose of the waste.16 Edwards, while previously supporting the Yucca project in 2000, 17 changed his position after the announcement of his candidacy for Vice-President, and is committed to supporting Kerry's position. 18 On February 10, 2000 both Kerry and Edwards voted against Senate Bill 1287, which passed 64-34. Following a Presidential veto, there was a vote to override the veto, in which Kerry remained opposed but Edwards was in favor. The veto was sustained 19,20 Project planners say the Yucca Mountain storage site can be safely isolated for 10,000 years, which is the timeframe set by the EPA. In July 2004 a U.S. Court of Appeals ruling found that the Bush administration "unabashedly" rejected a recommendation by the National Academy of Sciences to ensure safety from leaks at the site for up to 300,000 years. 21 Nevada is the only state to get specific mention in the Democratic platform, which states, "We will protect Nevada and its communities from the high-level nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain which has not been proven to be safe by sound science." 22 The Republican Party's platform, while not specifically mentioning a Nevada nuclear waste repository, desires "an environmentally sound nuclear waste repository." 23 But it is not only Nevada that is concerned about nuclear waste. Many states are concerned about how to store their waste, and also about attempts to change legislation that is perceived to create risks to communities and the environment near nuclear waste sites. 24 |
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