Nuclear Power, An Ever-Growing Inventory of Unburied Waste

The issue of the disposal of reactor waste has now become an major Canadian public policy issue. A quick check of national nuclear websites indicates a consensus that at least 30 years of “cooldown” is required before geologic disposal. I also came across this fascinating American document dated September 2006 that virtually confesses that existing American reactor waste cooling facilities are vulnerable to terrorist attack, and admits that “no technical fix will ever erase the catastrophic risk that reactor operations pose because of the intensely radioactive waste that is inherent to their production of electricity. Reactor sites will continue to be attractive targets”
( http://www.neis.org/press/2006%2009%2006%20HOSS.shtml )

An excellent paper discussing the inadequacies of nuclear power as a solution to future power needs or to the problem of global warming was released by the U.S. National Resources Defense Council in February: ( http://www.nrdc.org/nuclear/plants/plants.pdf )