What is the Alternative to Yucca Mountain?
One of the greatest environmental challenges our nation faces is what to do with the 40,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste already produced by U.S. nuclear power plants and what to do with the waste which will continue to be produced in the future. It has been estimated that, by the year 2015, the United States will have well over 70,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel containing more than 500 tons of weapons-usable plutonium. Nuclear waste is one of the deadliest substances known to man, and our nation needs to find a long-term solution that will protect the American people, our land, and our water from its harmful effects. Senator Ensign believes that we need to invest in recycling technology in order for the waste to be stored with adequate safety. We recycle plastics, glass, and paper products. Why not nuclear waste? A potentially viable option to “recycle” nuclear waste is Accelerator-driven Transmutation of Waste (ATW). Simply put, ATW transforms long-lived radioactive products into
