Page 584 - Environment: The Science Behind the Stories

FIGURE 20.12 High-level
WA radioactive waste from
ME
MT ND VT civilian reactors is currently
MN NH MA stored at over 120 sites in
OR WI 39 states across the United
ID SD NY
SD States. In this map, dots indi-
WY MI PA CT RI cate storage sites and colors
NE IA NJ
NV OH DE indicate the amount of waste
UT CO MO IL IN WV VA MD stored in each state. Data from
CO
CA KS KY NC Nuclear Energy Institute.
TN
AZ OK AR SC
NM GA Metric tons of spent fuel
MS AL >1000
TX LA 101–1000
<1–100
HI AK FL 0

Majority Leader Harry Reid, who represents Nevada, was a
key reason for the change in policy. As of 2013, the issue
remains unresolved, as a number of lawsuits are in pro-
gress challenging this decision. Without Yucca Mountain,
the United States has no place designated to dispose of its
radioactive waste from commercial nuclear power plants,
so this waste will remain at its numerous current locations
across the country.
At Yucca Mountain, waste would be stored in a net-
work of tunnels 300 m (1000 ft) underground, yet 300 m
(1000 ft) above the water table (FIGURE 20.13c). Scientists and
policymakers chose the Yucca Mountain site because they

1 Canisters of radioactive
(a) Yucca Mountain waste would be Yucca Mountain
shipped to the site
Processing
site
2 Radioactive waste would
be placed in multilayered
steel storage containers
and sent underground
300 m
(1000 ft) CHAPTER 20 • CONVENTI ON AL ENERGY ALTERN ATIVES
Container
300 m
(1000 ft) Ramp to
tunnels 3 Containers would be Tunnel
stored in tunnels system
Storage
container
Water table
(b) Scientific testing (c) Proposed design

FIGURE 20.13 Yucca Mountain has not been approved. This site (a), in a remote part of Nevada, was being
developed as the central repository for all commercial nuclear waste in the United States until support was with-
drawn in 2010. Here (b), technicians test the effects of extreme heat from radioactive decay on the stability of
rock. Waste was to be buried (c) in a network of tunnels deep underground, yet still high above the water table. 583

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