Saturday, July 13, 2019 | 2 a.m.
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The federal government has spent decades and billions of dollars in an attempt to store nuclear waste in Nevada. While Nevada has been the focus of attention, other sites have been considered.
No one wants to deal with the high-risk problems of storing nuclear waste. The Polynesians have politely demurred, New Mexico and Texas have rejected the notion, Washington state is suffering the consequences of waste storage, and no one likes the idea of launching it into space. Chernobyl and Fukushima are powerful reminders of the risks of radioactive material.
The thinking behind the site selection for nuclear waste is faulty, similar to the thinking that led to piping sewage into the ocean, only to find that it fed a floral growth that sucked the oxygen out of the water and killed the fish.
By now, it should be apparent that storage of waste is just kicking the can down the road. The issue is global, and global funding should be directed at research and a heavy reward for the individual or team that comes up with a way to neutralize nuclear waste.
The human race was smart enough to make the waste; it should be smart enough to safely process the waste. As it stands, there are no safe sites for nuclear waste.
