Nuke Waste To Leave Idaho...Why?

Idaho Statesman - I love you... I read you every day.

INL, INEL, INEEL - however you want me to call you, I think you guys are awesome!

Gov. Otter - I dig you, I may not fully understand you, but I'd like to hang out one day and chat...maybe we could meet over at Dawson Taylor for coffee in the morning or Mongolian for lunch/dinner. You name the time and place and I'll be there (as long as it is after my short 4th of July trip to eastern Montana).

But I have to ask why can't we figure out a way to recycle the nuclear waste? (I even dig the way GW says nuclear)

Here's the simple concept - energy doesn't go anywhere, it just changes or transforms. Now I know that is a simple, almost juvenile explanation, but hey I'm a progressive conservative and, for sure, a simple guy. The principle is there, the nuke waste is there - why can't we harness that energy? Maybe someone out there can direct me to a solid explanation, but so far I've found a lot of deep sounding words instead of a clear explanation. I mean, come on, we sent people into space...to the moon. We've done things in the modern world that make my jaw drop. Have you seen the Hoover Dam? Have you seen the Golden Gate Bridge? Do you ever think that 100 years ago the concept of flying was a concept?

Happy Independence Day to All! Be safe in all that you do.

Pitch hitting a short piece before he drives out of town,
Lee

Comments

[Andrew Rampenthal]

Hey there Lee,

Happy Independence day to you as well!

I agree we should recycle nuclear spent waste instead of storing it away some where. Nuclear reactors would be more welcomed in my mind if we did such. But what I found for the reason why we dont recycle spent nuclear fuel is because the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel is banned under an executive order issued in the 1970s by President Jimmy Carter. Yeah! Another great law passed by old Jimmy that still haunts this coutnry. Many European nations such as the U.K. and France, as well as Russia successfully reycle spent nuclear fuel. We should to, considering that nuclear energy is the cleanest source of energy possible, except you have to deal with the spent fuel. Recycling the waste would infact make new nuclear power plants possible and sustainable into the future.

[Dennis]

Good point, Andrew.

Den