The USA is the world's largest producer of nuclear power, accounting for more than 30% of worldwide nuclear generation of electricity.
A single uranium fuel pellet contains the same amount of energy as 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas, 1,780 pounds of coal or 149 gallons of oil.
In response to growing concerns over nuclear waste storage, Congress passed the federal Nuclear Waste Policy Act in 1982.
The U.S. first began using nuclear power to produce electricity in 1957.
The amount of electricity produced by a multi-reactor nuclear power plant would require about 45 square miles of photovoltaic panels or about 260 square miles of wind turbines.
The intended method for providing long-term isolation of spent nuclear fuel in the U.S. and most other countries is mined geologic disposal.
As of May 2016, 30 countries worldwide are operating 444 nuclear reactors for electricity generation and 63 new nuclear plants are under construction in 15 countries.
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Waste of a Mountain
How Yucca Mountain Was Selected, Studied, and Dumped
Waste of a Mountain presents the story of the effort to dispose of spent nuclear fuel and high level radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain, Nevada.
The book also describes the history of the United States government’s actions that created the first-ever quantity of high-level radioactive waste and then managed it while the government developed the means, and completed the effort, to identify the approach and location to permanently dispose of that waste. It covers a time frame of more than seventy years and describes the nation’s journey through technically complicated, and societally and politically treacherous territories to unearth and implement the capability to dispose of high-level radioactive waste.
The book presents the extensive story of the Yucca Mountain siting effort in a manner that reflects a perspective from inside the project.All proceeds from the sale of the book have been donated to the Museum and will support the Yucca Mountain exhibits at the Museum.
$100 (shipping + $15)
Contact the Museum at:
pahrumpmuseum@att.net or 775-751-1970
NEWS
May 26, 2017
$330M ‘roadmap’ To Restart Yucca Mountain Licensing
The GAO released a 49-page report that included the time and cost estimates and identified four steps the government must take to resume licensing proceedings.
May 8, 2017
Is Yucca Mountain Back From The Dead?
The Yucca Mountain plan has faced stiff opposition from Nevada residents, environmentalists and elected officials since 1987, when Congress identified the dry, remote ridge as the only location that would be studied for a national repository for high-level nuclear waste and spent nuclear fuel.
May 5, 2017
The Time Is Right to Open Yucca Mountain For Nuclear Waste
Today, it is imperative that national security and scientific facts take precedence over political stalling tactics and a NIMBY- “Not-In-My-Back Yard” attitude. Taxpayers have spent billions of dollars investing in the build out of the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository.
May 24, 2017
NEI: DOE Budget Inadequate to Sustain US Nuclear Leadership
“The administration has rightly recognized nuclear energy as a cornerstone of U.S. national security. Unfortunately, the proposed budget does not support the actions necessary for the U.S. nuclear energy industry to thrive,”
March 16, 2017
Yucca Mountain, A Political Hot Potato, Is Back
Most Nevadans oppose the plan, which would consolidate the U.S. nuclear waste load currently spread across the country in their state. The project has essentially been on ice since 2010, when then-President Barack Obama suspended licensing for the Yucca Mountain facility.
April 26, 2017
Nuclear Waste: Resuming Licensing of Yucca Mountain
Power plants in 33 states store nearly 80,000 metric tons of radioactive waste. In 2008, the DOE applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build an underground repository for this waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada.
May 30, 2017
Nye County Commission Chairman Supports Reviving Yucca Mountain
Unlike most Nevada politicians, Nye County Commission Chairman Dan Schinhofen refuses to just say no to Yucca Mountain.
May 25, 2017
Advanced Reactor Pioneers at NEA Sound Bright Notes
With big changes in store for energy in the U.S. and worldwide in the coming decades, young people will continue to bring fresh perspectives to help lead that future.
January 28, 2009
Spent Nuclear Fuel: A Trash Heap Deadly for 250,000 Years or a Renewable Energy Source?
Nuclear waste is either a millennia's worth of lethal garbage or the fuel of future nuclear reactors--or both
