Yuccck at Yucca Mountain

The Energy Department says we need to do one of two things – either expand it or start a second one.

And, we haven’t even opened the original Yucca Mountain yet.

And, if President Obama believes YM isn’t sufficient, and we need other options, presumably his new Energy Department won’t be dilatory in coughing them up?

One other option is doing some judo on NIMBYism and telling people if they want nuclear as part of an electric power future, they’re going to get mini-Yucca Mountains all over the country.

Yucca Mountain nothing? Let’s clean up our Hanfords first

Washington state’s Hanford site and the Idaho National Laboratory are huge nuclear waste polluters of the surrounding soil and watersheds.

How bad? Hanford has 60-year-old single-wall steel tanks holding radioactive heavy metals that could burst out about any day.

Idaho National? I wouldn’t want to drink the water in Pocatello, let’s put it that way.

Another dumb BushCo privatizing idea – nuke waste

Do you really want nuclear waste privatized? I didn’t think so.

A power point briefing prepared for lawmakers by Dennis R. Spurgeon, the Energy Department's assistant secretary for nuclear energy, includes a slide showing a “non-governmental entity” that would manage nuclear waste disposal and fees from nuclear utilities in concert with a still undeveloped recycling program supported by the Bush administration.

Basically, it’s an attempt to gin up private-sector support and money for Yucca Mountain and do an end run around its top political opponent, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Well, no way in hell it’s going to work to do anything but piss off Harry Reid.

But, that’s the political brilliance of our current administration.