So, where would you rather it go, Mr. President?

I got married in 1991, and lived with my brand new husband, Matt, in a small town called Bishop in California.  At the time, Matt was a newscaster at a local cable station, and I remember absently listening to him read stories about the relatively nearby Yucca Mountain site that was being considered as a nuclear repository.  There were pictures with graphics explaining how the waste would be stored in containers and then buried deep within the ground under the mountain.  This was pre-Internet for almost all Americans, so there were no nifty places we could go for more info like http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/ym_repository/index.shtml

We had to go to the library  – remember those?

However, we’ve got a LOT of nuclear waste in this country, and it ain’t disappearing into thin air anytime soon (as I don’t see a line item for payroll for David Blaine in the new U.S. budget).  Many people who have gone through the possibilities with a fine-tooth comb have concluded that Yucca Mountain is one of the best alternatives we’ve got.  However, Mr. Obama feels that there might be a better way to get the job done. O-kay… nevermind this quote

“For each year beyond 2017 that the repository’s opening is delayed, the Department estimates that U.S. taxpayers’ potential liability to contract holders who have paid into the Nuclear Waste Fund will increase by approximately $500 million. This will be in addition to the estimated current potential liability of approximately $7.0 billion due to the Department’s not beginning removal of spent nuclear fuel in 1998 as required by contract.” — OCRWM Director Ward Sproat, testifying before the U.S. House of Representatives.

The reason this is news and important to the Tri-Cities is the massive clean up effort going on out at Hanford.  What happens when you sweep up the detritus and there is no trash can?