President Obama’s decision to cut funding to Yucca Mountain has, for me, been the most disappointing decision he has made so far in his presidency. And yet he has also professed his desire to increase the use of Nuclear Power Plants to meet the United States’ energy needs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Well, in my opinion, you can’t have it both ways.
People are concerned about the security risks of transporting spent nuclear fuel, and possible long term environmental risks. What about the risks of hundreds of “Obama Barrels” (to borrow a phrase by geoblogger Ontario-geofish) littered around our nuclear power plants for the next hundred years. Geology.com posted this CNN video showing the dry storage of spent Nuclear Fuel at a Chicago area nuclear power plant. Check it out. Sorry about the rant, but this topic is a hot button with me.