Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Friday 19 July 2019

Nevada: Feds should restudy seismic risk at nuke dump site

By KEN RITTER With his letter to Perry, Siso-
Associated Press lak included opinions by
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Ne- the state’s top earthquake
vada’s governor and con- experts: James Faulds at
gressional delegation are the Nevada Bureau of
pointing to earthquakes Mines and Geology and
this month in the California Graham Kent at the seis-
desert and calling for the mological laboratory at the
U.S. Energy Department University of Nevada, Reno.
to look again at seismic They said scientific tools
risks of burying the nation’s developed since Yucca
most radioactive nuclear Mountain was studied in
waste at a site in the Mo- the 1980s and 1990s could
jave Desert. provide enhanced satellite
In a letter made public imaging of desert surface
Wednesday, Democratic features; new mapping
Gov. Steve Sisolak told En- of faults and seismic haz-
ergy Secretary Rick Perry ards; better charts of the
that 6.4 and 7.1 magni- age and frequency of past
tude quakes during the earthquakes; and help cre-
July Fourth holiday near ate models for the effects
Ridgecrest, California, un- of quakes close and far
derscore safety concerns In this July 14, 2018, file photo, a sign warns of a falling danger on the crest of Yucca Mountain from Yucca Mountain.
that Nevada first raised during a congressional tour near Mercury, Nev. “The Ridgecrest earth-
about Yucca Mountain in Associated Press quake sequence, which
2008. Dina Titus, Steven Horsford land and water permits. partment studies improp- began July 4 and has yet
“These significant recent and Susie Lee, all Demo- The state began arguing erly downplayed the risk to subside, clearly high-
earthquakes so near to crats, and Rep. Mark Amo- 11 years ago, before the of earthquakes damaging lights the importance of
Yucca Mountain show dei, a Republican. Nuclear Regulatory Com- a repository and releasing such studies,” Faulds and
one of the many geologic The Energy Department mission, that Energy De- deadly radioactivity. Kent said.q
problems with the site as a faces legal pressure to take
nuclear waste repository,” possession of tens of thou- The heat goes on: June toastiest
Sisolak said in a statement, sands of tons of highly ra-
dioactive spent nuclear re-
adding that the state is re- actor fuel currently stored on record, July may follow
solved “to fight any con-
tinued federal effort to use at 121 above-ground sites By SETH BORENSTEIN
Nevada as the nation’s in 35 states. AP Science Writer
nuclear dumping ground.” The government in 1982 WASHINGTON (AP) — The
Ridgecrest is 108 miles (174 began studying Yucca heat goes on: Earth sizzled
kilometers) west of Yucca Mountain as a remote and to its hottest June on re-
Mountain, an ancient vol- secure repository. The site cord as the climate keeps
canic ridge at the western was designated by Con- going to extremes.
edge of the Nevada Na- gress in 2002 as the only site The National Oceanic and
tional Security Site. The site in the nation to receive the Atmospheric Administra-
is a vast secure federal res- material. tion Thursday announced
ervation some 90 miles (145 But the project was shelved that June averaged 60.6
kilometers) northwest of Las in 2010 under pressure from degrees (15.9 Celsius),
Vegas where the U.S. used then-Senate Democratic about 1.7 degrees (0.9 Cel-
to conduct nuclear weap- Majority Leader Harry Reid sius) warmer than the 20th
ons tests. of Nevada and President century average.
An Energy Department Barack Obama. They said It beat out 2016 for the hot-
spokeswoman said in an nuclear waste should be test June with records go-
email that the agency stored in a state that wants ing back to 1880.
would respond to the letter it. NASA and other groups
“through the proper chan- Nevada has fought the also concluded that last
nels.” proposed repository at ev- month was the hottest June
Sisolak’s letter also was ery step — challenging site on record. People cool off in the fountains of the Trocadero gardens, in
signed by U.S. Sens. Cath- selection and engineering Europe shattered June front of the Eiffel Tower, in Paris, Friday, June 28, 2019.
Associated Press
erine Cortez Masto and and transportation deci- temperature records by gist Kathie Dello said in an The first half of 2019 is tied
Jacky Rosen and Reps. sions, as well as withholding
far, while other records email. with 2017 for the second
were set in Russia, Africa, “This won’t be the last re- hottest initial six months of
Asia and South America. cord warm summer month the year, behind 2016. So
France had its hottest that we will see.” far the year is 1.7 degrees
month in history, which is It seems likely that July too warmer than the 20th cen-
unusual because July is will be a record hot month, tury average.
traditionally hotter than said Berkeley Earth climate This heat “is what we can
June. The Lower 48 states in scientist Robert Rohde. expect to see with a warm-
America were near normal. The United States set a re- ing climate,” said Freja
“Earth is running a fever cord for most precipitation. Vamborg, a climate scien-
that won’t break thanks The 12-month period from tist at the Copernicus Cli-
to climate change,” North July 2018 to June 2019 was mate Change Service in
Carolina state climatolo- the wettest on record. Europe.q