Originally Posted by ajm

Actually for the most part I agree with you. I was just trying to acknowledge that there is waste that will be around for a very long time and that cannot be ignored. I, in no way, meant it as an endorsement for the (much worse) coal industry and do admit that the renewable sources will not support us fully unless we all ditch modern living and go back to the stone age.

I suppose something that was said just tweaked my mindset the right way to get me to play devil's advocate and set me on the defensive (of the anti-nuke crowd). Not the best way to win a debate, I know.

Originally Posted by Shiva_TD

Yes, there is a waste issue but two points need to be addressed.

1) It is not a "huge" waste issue. All you have are the fuel rods themselves and they can be recycled and then you have irradiated materials that are all within the containment structure and these are low level - short duration radiation sources that are not inherently radioactive.

2) Yucca Mountain was designed as a secure storage facility that more than meets the needs for nuclear waste.

Originally Posted by ajm

Well not "huge" in the way of mass but "huge" in the way of how long the mess stays radioactive. Yucca mountain is a band-aid. Recycled, reprocessed waste still yields radioactive waste that must be stored due to centuries of radioactivity. I am confident that with diligent efforts we can reduce the radioactivity of all waste to less than a few hundred years. Then I'd lighten up on the subject.