Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
The issue when Yucca Mountain was abandoned was
what to do instead. The President directed Secretary of
Energy Steven Chu to set up a non-partisan committee to
recommend a path forward. The Blue Ribbon Commission
(BRC) was created in early
and delivered its
nal report
.
The BRC recommendations include
things that might happen and things that are unlikely to
happen. Among the likely is what is called a consent-based
system for locating a repository. This is much like what was
done with the little-known repository we do have, theWaste
Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, New Mexico.
The locals were consulted, get an economic bene
in January
tbeyond
the jobs created, and like it so much that they, and the New
Mexico State Senate, have asked to be considered for an
expanded facility. This is in sharp contrast towhat happened
when the nuclear waste tail was pinned on the Nevada
donkey. It is also like the system used by the Finns, French,
and Swedes to select a site for their waste repositories.
The alternative to once-through is a system based on
reprocessing, which chemically separates the major com-
ponents, treating each appropriately and eventually des-
troying most of the
% of the spent fuel that produces
the long-term risks. France
s well-developed reprocessing
system provides a good model
'
that
is described in
Technical Note
.
Until recently, the United States has opposed repro-
cessing on the grounds that it produces separated pluto-
nium, which increases the risk that this material could
.
nd
its way into nuclear weapons. In January
, President
