Obama: Build more nuke plants & close Yucca mountain

[Barrister]

IIRC the concern is really only the first 10,000 years.

[The Brain]

Not if you are approaching rationality. From a safety perspective that kind of timescale makes very little sense.

[Razgovory]

The 100,000 years stuff is purely political, there are no rational safety reasons for that kind of spec.

Besides who knows what the voters will be like in that time.

[Vricklund]

It will take 100 000 years for the waste to have the same radioactive level as the ore had when it was mined. Everything is relative I guess. Especially when it comes to nuclear physics.

[The Brain]

It will take 100 000 years for the waste to have the same radioactive level as the ore had when it was mined. Everything is relative I guess. Especially when it comes to nuclear physics.

I don't follow. Are you saying that the 100,000 year design stuff makes sense or that it doesn't?

[Agelastus]

It will take 100 000 years for the waste to have the same radioactive level as the ore had when it was mined. Everything is relative I guess. Especially when it comes to nuclear physics.

I don't follow. Are you saying that the 100,000 year design stuff makes sense or that it doesn't?

I think his problem is that the oldest known structures surviving in relatively complete form on Earth are only about 5000 years old, and they are hardly undamaged. I think he doubts our engineering is up to the job.

[The Brain]

It will take 100 000 years for the waste to have the same radioactive level as the ore had when it was mined. Everything is relative I guess. Especially when it comes to nuclear physics.

I don't follow. Are you saying that the 100,000 year design stuff makes sense or that it doesn't?

I think his problem is that the oldest known structures surviving in relatively complete form on Earth are only about 5000 years old, and they are hardly undamaged. I think he doubts our engineering is up to the job.

The important thing is that from a safety perspective it doesn't matter if the man-made barriers fail after some time (and this time is a lot shorter than thousands of years). If we are designing it to the same safety levels as other things. And there is no really rational reason why we should demand more safety from nuclear stuff than we do from everything else.

[DGuller]

I think his problem is that the oldest known structures surviving in relatively complete form on Earth are only about 5000 years old, and they are hardly undamaged. I think he doubts our engineering is up to the job.

The reality is actually even more scary than this number indicates.  We're not using the ancient engineering methods to build structures for nuclear waste disposal, we're using modern engineering methods.  The oldest known surving structures built in 21st century are only about 10 years old.

[MadImmortalMan]

The oldest known surving structures built in 21st century are only about 10 years old.

Man, that's fucking terrible!

[KRonn]

We could use Boston's Big Dig underground highway for storage. After all, given how much over design it's leaking I'd have to think it's life span for a roadway will be short. Then it could be converted to nuclear waste storage, so as not to waste that cost of 16 billion initial build costs.   

[Fate]

I think his problem is that the oldest known structures surviving in relatively complete form on Earth are only about 5000 years old, and they are hardly undamaged. I think he doubts our engineering is up to the job.

The reality is actually even more scary than this number indicates.  We're not using the ancient engineering methods to build structures for nuclear waste disposal, we're using modern engineering methods.  The oldest known surving structures built in 21st century are only about 10 years old.

These structures really aren't feats of advanced engineering. You bore out a hole deep in the ground under a mountain. You seal the hole.

[Barrister]

From what I remember the AECL analysis assumed that the man-made barriers failed in a remarkably short period of time, and by man-made barriers I am referring to the cylinders or whatever that the fuel is stored in.  The rest of the barriers are geologic, not man-made, and typically has a lifespan of hundreds of millions of years.

[Hansmeister]

Anyway, Hans, when did Obama declare he was opposed to nuclear power?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDnbVr3283o&feature=player_emb

[Razgovory]

Anyway, Hans, when did Obama declare he was opposed to nuclear power?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDnbVr3283o&feature=player_emb

Actually he never says he's against it.  He says he's not particularly for it.  " I have not ruled out nuclear energy". 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R52J2D5QQU&NR=1

But of course you have to see his entire statement instead of being dishonest about it.

[Faeelin]

Hrmm. "Nuclear energy is not optimal. I am not a nuclear energy proponent.... my general fview is that until we can make certain that nuclear plants are safe, that I am opposed to Yucca Mountain... unitl the nuclear industry can show they can produce clean safe energy without enormous subsidies, I don't think that's the best option."

A fault line in Nevada? WTF?

Eh. He's got a point about the subsidies.