Radioactive And Toxic Waste Plans Are A Recipe For Disaster

ENERGY TECH

a little bit of honey with your waste

Brunswick - Feb 18, 2004
Federal government plans for more than 100 radioactive and toxic waste sites are fantasy and wishful thinking, says world-renowned disaster expert Lee Clarke, associate professor of sociology at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

In a presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Seattle Monday (Feb. 16), Clarke characterized the U.S. Department of Energy's Long Term Stewardship program as a hopeful projection of what experts and organizations want to happen in the future, while ignoring worst-case scenarios.

"They seem to think worst cases aren't worth worrying about because they are unlikely," said Clarke. "I think that we are at great vulnerability for massive disasters."

Clarke asserted that while the statistical likelihood for accidents may be low, the interdependence and population density in the United States makes our vulnerability increasingly high. Interdependence facilitated the rapid spread of the SARS virus, while the tragedy of 9-11 bears witness to the vulnerability of a concentrated population. The Department of Energy (DOE), Clarke says, fails to consider potential disasters for the public.

He said the DOE is "redefining reality, twisting words and concepts to support political choices disguised as a technical and scientific ones." Clarke explained that the agency has admitted it is impossible to remove the contaminants from the sites within its purview. It has redefined 'acceptable risk' and now, with its Long Term Stewardship program in place, "it plans to walk away from these sites," he said.

"The DOE's Long Term Stewardship program relies on engineering barriers to keep poisons away from people and institutional rules to keep people away from poisons," Clarke said. Both will inevitably fail, a conclusion that Clarke shares with the highly respected National Research Council.

The DOE's approach to long-term stewardship is driven by hubris and arrogance, says Clarke, at a time when humility and safety are called for. Instead of thinking institutions can be perfect, Clarke thinks we should count on failure.

CIVIL NUCLEAR

Yucca Mountain Site Must Make Use Of Geological Safety Net

Bloomington - Nov 11, 2003
A proposed federal repository near Yucca Mountain, Nev., for the long-term storage of 70,000 metric tons of high-level radioactive waste must take advantage of the mountain's natural geological properties, according to a new study by scientists at Indiana University Bloomington and Los Alamos National Laboratory.