You’re right. John Oliver did an LWT segment on nuclear waste and how we have an overflow problem at many local sites, and meanwhile can’t get budgeting to complete the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. (It has some NIMBY problems, though it’s one of the most stable regions to put a deep geological repository.
But the storage overflow problem is approaching critical in some places. The US may not have enough repositories for nuclear waste, but we need them badly.
In the current era, I do not expect this situation to improve, and may get worse, especially since the regime is against renewable energy development.
The NIMBY problems are not just for the storage location either. Nobody want nuclear waste trucked or shipped by rail through their region. Imagine if the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment had been carrying casks of nuclear waste.
While valid, the reason they’re encased in those big concrete pillars is to assure they’re safe for transport, and can survive accidents without leakage.
ETA: I should admit not ALL of our waste has been processed into vitrified HLW or packed for transport, but these processes are undergone before waste is shipped to a repository.
You’re right. John Oliver did an LWT segment on nuclear waste and how we have an overflow problem at many local sites, and meanwhile can’t get budgeting to complete the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. (It has some NIMBY problems, though it’s one of the most stable regions to put a deep geological repository.
But the storage overflow problem is approaching critical in some places. The US may not have enough repositories for nuclear waste, but we need them badly.
In the current era, I do not expect this situation to improve, and may get worse, especially since the regime is against renewable energy development.
The NIMBY problems are not just for the storage location either. Nobody want nuclear waste trucked or shipped by rail through their region. Imagine if the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment had been carrying casks of nuclear waste.
While valid, the reason they’re encased in those big concrete pillars is to assure they’re safe for transport, and can survive accidents without leakage.
ETA: I should admit not ALL of our waste has been processed into vitrified HLW or packed for transport, but these processes are undergone before waste is shipped to a repository.