Minniti 1
Vince Minniti
Chemistry
Waner
5/1/14
Yucca Mountain and Alternative Nuclear Waste Disposal
Over the course of this semester we studied pollution and the natural and
human-induced effects it has on the global environment. One of the key focuses was
the pros and cons of nuclear power plants. While these nuclear power plants have
many positive aspects, they have just as many negative ones, which have been raising
controversial issues all over the United States for many years now. One of the biggest
environmental issues facing the United States over the past few decades is where to
safely dispose of nuclear waste.
Although it may seem like a simple task, environmental regulations and policies
implemented by federal government agencies such as the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and the Department of
Energy (DOE), play a prominent role in the disposal of these wastes. The constant
political and environmental debate on how to properly dispose of nuclear waste and
where to dispose of nuclear waste has posed to be a major issue as the United States
continues to experiment and explore new options in hopes to find a successful solution
to this problem.
Radioactive waste is produced from any activity that produces radioactive
materials. This waste can be found in gas, liquid, and even solid forms, and can have
varying levels of radioactivity. Whether it is categorized as high-level waste from a
Minniti 2
nuclear reactor or low-level waste from a hospital, it can be very dangerous when
someone is exposed to it. Typically when talking about nuclear waste disposal, the “hot
topic” is high-level radioactive waste. Exposure to this high-level radioactive waste can
be very harmful to both humans and the environment, as it stays radioactive for an
extended period of time. This waste is so dangerous that it can remain radioactive for
thousands of years, which results in a difficult process to find reliable disposal methods
and sites. Many factors and regulations affect the search for safe disposal sites in order
to ensure that humans and the environment are not harmed by theses wastes after they
are laid to rest underground (EPA).
In 1983, the DOE proposed a survey of nine different sites located in the United
States, with hopes to find a sufficient repository site. However, before any site was
