I've been quiet on the whole Yucca Mountain issue because I really haven't had too much of an opinion on it so far, but since it actually looks like we're going to get stuck with most of the nation's waste, I think it's about time for an opinion. On Tuesday, July 23, 2002, President George W. Bush quietly signed a $58 billion resolution clearing the way for the burial of toxic nuclear waste from across the nation in Nevada's Yucca Mountain for 10,000 years. Yucca Mountain is only 90 miles away from Las Vegas. Not surprisingly, 83% of Nevadans oppose the site, and this action will likely cost Bush the state in the next election. Now if the federal gov't was to pay us 10,000 years worth of rent for the storage, that might create a whole different issue... J/K.

Most people already know that this stuff is lethal. Right now it's being stored at 131 locations in 39 states. I'd actually be really mad right now if I lived in one of those 39 states, and of course then I'd be all for getting rid of the junk. I find it funny that Utah, only 120 miles from Yucca, voted in favor of it, simply to get it out of their state, even though any accident at the site would definitely affect them also.

To think that environmental exposure is not going to happen, whether by nature, terrorist attack, or simply good 'ol human error, for 10,000 years is rather na�ve. With such an attractive target for terrorists, it's going to cost a whole lot more than $58 billion to maintain the thing in the long run, as they're going to need to have 24-hour surveillance and military protection for 10,000 years. That's a ton of money! In February 2000, there was a radioactive accident in Thailand that demonstrates how easy it is for the human error part to happen.

Let's assume that in 200 years some of the stuff gets out into the environment. The main shaft of radioactive waste for humans is that it causes cancer and two types of Human mutation: teratogenic and genetic. I read an article a while back that made light of at least the cancer scenario, because honestly if medical science still hasn't found a cure for cancer 200 years from now, they're really not all that bright, are they? So, assuming that cancer is no longer a problem, there's still the whole mutation problem.

Genetic mutations are changes in a person's genetic makeup (DNA) that will affect future generations. Teratogenic mutations change a person's body but those changes will not carry over to the next generation. In other words, if you're exposed to this toxic nasty stuff, not only will you get screwed over, but so might your kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, etc. for who knows how long. Watch Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Total Recall" movie to get an idea...

What a lot of people don't know is that not everyone is opposed to the stuff, and some people even *want* the stuff. I was saddened to learn that some members of the Goshute tribe in Utah actually want to bury the stuff on their reservation (for several interesting reasons) until Yucca Mountain is completed. Obviously, not all of the Goshutes feel the same way, but I certainly wouldn't volunteer my land away to some deadly stuff. Some interesting articles I've been reading on these issues are the EPA's radiation FAQ, the General Conference of the IAEA's report, a Shoshone land claim issue, and a list of nuclear accidents in the United States.

While I'm glad that there are no nuclear plants in Nevada, I am miffed that there is one in Sacramento (California) which is right over the mountain to the west only 130 miles away, which I think would mean that they are currently also storing waste there on site (not certain about this, I'll have to check it out further). And, of course, I'm mad about the three nuclear testing sites in Nevada that most people already know about. I'm glad, however, that no DOE-proposed truck routes come through Reno, but I am a little worried about train transport as Reno is a rail hub. The good news is that we really aren't en route to Vegas from anywhere except from Washington, Oregon, Northern California, and Western Idaho - but their toxic refuse is apparently being trucked to Yucca either going through Salt Lake and down to Vegas through the middle of Utah or down the I-5 corridor in California).

In other news: we watched "First Daughter" with Mariel Hemingway, had a few people over Saturday for pizza, wings (yes, they were from Joe Bob's - the Chicken Joint, NOT the Chicken Palace), and "It Came to Pass". Ate dinner and played Bocce with my folks on Sunday at South Hills park. Finished the Clive Cussler book, "Atlantis Found" that Gene lent me. Pretty good book. Speaking of genetic mutations, I tried a pluot for the first time (it's a cross between a plum and an apricot). Quite tasty. Becky learned how to eat with a fork at the Olive Garden recently during Misti's birthday party. Of course, what made it really cute was that the fork was as big as she was.   =)