Nuclear Waste

%3Cp%3EFrom%20New%20York%20Times%20--%20The%20Obama%20administration%20is%20considering%20shifting%20the%20management%20of%20nuclear%20weapons%20production%20from%20the%20Energy%20Department%20to%20the%20Pentagon%2C%20a%20move%20that%20would%20end%20more%20than%2060%20years%20of%20civilian%20control%20over%20nuclear%20bomb%20manufacture.%20The%20goal%20would%20be%20to%20better%20focus%20the%20Energy%20Department%20on%20the%20central%20priorities%20of%20the%20new%20administration%3A%20energy%20research%2C%20production%20and%20conservation.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EFrom%20AFP%20--Environmentalists%20trying%20to%20block%20a%20train%20carrying%20highly%20radioactive%20nuclear%20waste%20from%20western%20France%20to%20a%20dump%20in%20Germany%20were%20beat%20by%20police%20in%20the%20largest%20and%20most%20violent%20anti-nuclear%20protests%20since%202001%20in%20Germany.%20Activists%20set%20fire%20to%20barricades%20on%20the%20tracks%20in%20the%20north%20of%20the%20country%2C%20which%20police%20extinguished%20with%20water%20cannon.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EFrom%20Planetsave%20--%20More%20than%2015%2C000%20anti-nuclear%20protesters%20turned%20out%20along%20a%20train%20route%20in%20Germany%20to%20protest%20the%20annual%20convoy%20carrying%20tons%20of%20nuclear%20waste%20from%20France%20to%20a%20storage%20facility%20in%20northeastern%20Germany.%20The%20train%20was%20carrying%20spent%20nuclear%20fuel%20that%20was%20originally%20used%20in%20German%20power%20stations%2C%20turned%20into%20pellets%20at%20a%20factory%20in%20France%20and%20then%20returned%20to%20Germany%20for%20long-term%20storage.%20Several%20protesters%20and%20police%20were%20injured%20in%20the%20confrontation%2C%20but%20police%20gave%20no%20reports%20about%20the%20number%20of%20victims.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EFrom%20World%20Nuclear%20Association%20--The%20radioactivity%20of%20used%20fuel%20and%20all%20nuclear%20wastes%20diminishes%20with%20time.%20Safe%20methods%20for%20the%20final%20disposal%20of%20high-level%20wastes%20are%20technically%20proven%3B%20the%20international%20consensus%20is%20that%20this%20should%20be%20deep%20geological%20disposal.%20Wastes%20from%20the%20nuclear%20fuel%20cycle%20are%20categorized%20as%20high-%2C%20medium-%20or%20low-level%20wastes%20by%20the%20amount%20of%20radiation%20that%20they%20emit%20and%20come%20from%20a%20variety%20of%20sources.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3ESenate%20Majority%20Leader%20Harry%20Reid%20trumpeted%20the%20passage%20of%20an%20Energy%20Bill%20that%2C%20for%20all%20intents%20and%20purposes%2C%20will%20close%20Nevada%27s%20Yucca%20Mountain%20as%20a%20storage%20site%20for%20nuclear%20waste.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EFrom%20BBC%20--%20The%20German%20Government%20is%20committed%20to%20phasing%20out%20nuclear%20power%20within%2030%20years%2C%20but%20it%20is%20allowing%20the%20German%20power%20generators%20to%20honor%20existing%20contracts%20with%20British%20Nuclear%20Fuels%2C%20and%20with%20Cogema%20in%20France.%20Because%20environmentalists%20have%20always%20maintained%20the%20waste%20should%20go%20straight%20into%20permanent%20storage%20without%20being%20reprocessed%2C%20%20each%20shipment%20of%20waste%20is%20likely%20to%20be%20accompanied%2C%20on%20the%20German%20leg%20of%20its%20journey%20at%20least%2C%20by%20angry%20protests.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EFrom%20the%20U.S.%20Department%20of%20Energy%20--This%20site%20details%20the%20plans%20for%20Yucca%20Mountain%2C%20the%20site%20of%20America%27s%20first%20repository%20for%20spent%20nuclear%20fuel%20rods%20and%20solidified%20high-level%20radioactive%20waste.%20The%20material%20would%20be%20stored%20in%20tunnels%20deep%20underground%20after%20a%20complex%20of%20buildings%20would%20receive%2C%20package%2C%20and%20prepare%20the%20material%20for%20disposal%20underground.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EFor%20an%20in-depth%20look%20at%20the%20unsolved%20--%20and%20escalating%20--%20problem%20of%20temporary%20storage%20for%20nuclear%20waste%2C%20this%20article%20is%20an%20absolute%20must-read.%3Cbr%20%2F%3E%0A%26nbsp%3B%3Cbr%20%2F%3E%0A%26nbsp%3B%3Cbr%20%2F%3E%0A%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EThis%20article%20is%20a%20perfect%20example%20as%20to%20why%20everything%20regarding%20nuclear%20waste%20storage%2C%20management%2C%20and%20disposal%20%28and%20subsequently%20the%20static%20role%20nuclear%20power%20plays%20in%20the%20fight%20against%20global%20warming%29%20seems%20to%20be%20in%20%22deadlocked%20disarray.%22%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

%3Cp%3EFrom%20United%20States%20Nuclear%20Regulatory%20Commission%20--Low-level%20waste%20disposal%20occurs%20at%20commercially%20operated%20low-level%20waste%20disposal%20facilities%20that%20must%20be%20licensed%20by%20either%20NRC%20or%20Agreement%20States.%20And%20there%20are%20three%20existing%20low-level%20waste%20disposal%20facilities%20in%20the%20United%20States%20that%20accept%20various%20types%20of%20low-level%20waste%2C%20%20all%20of%20which%20are%20in%20Agreement%20States.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A