There are several groups involved in fighting the Yucca Mountain site, including local grassroots organizations in Nevada and larger organizations around the country. Many Native American tribes do not support the site, as it is located on their ancient tribal lands. The Nevada Piutes are one group who is organized in opposition to the site, as are several other western Native American tribes. A larger organization is the Nevada Nuclear Waste Task Force, a group who opposes the site for a number of reasons, including transportation safety issues, the geology of the site, and the fact that other sites were not seriously considered.
What are the future prospects of Yucca Mountain? That is still not clear. Congress OK'd the dumpsite in 2002, but since then, many things have changed politically in Washington and around the country. Many groups and citizens are protesting the dump, mainly due to safety and transportation concerns. Most Nevadans simply do not want the dump in "their back yard," period. When a new administration takes over the White House in January 2009, the support for Yucca Mountain could disappear, as most Democratic candidates do not support the dump, and neither do many Democratic voters. In addition, the DOE still must obtain a license to operate from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and with the construction and other problems at Yucca Mountain, many people believe the NRC will not be so forthcoming with a license. Therefore, the future of Yucca Mountain is still in question, and that is a very good thing in many people's minds.
In conclusion, it is clear the nation's nuclear waste must find a permanent home. However, the Yucca Mountain facility was only one of three locations studied in the early 1980s, until the government decided continued study would be too costly, and centered on Yucca Mountain. Today, despite growing skepticism and public outcry, construction on the facility continues. Questions remain, such as who will manage safety and security for the waste shipped to the site, who will manage an emergency situation with the waste at the site or in transport to the...
"Earthquakes in the Vicinity of Yucca Mountain." State of Nevada. 1996. 4 Dec. 2007. http://www.state.nv.us/nucwaste/yucca/seismo01.htm
Editors. "Yucca Mountain Repository." U.S. Department of Energy. 2007. 4 Dec. 2007. http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/ym_repository/index.shtml
Fraud Allegations Roil Yucca Mountain Project." Issues in Science and Technology Summer 2005: 20+.
Rosenheck, Dan. "Digging a Deeper and Deeper Hole." New Statesman 29 Sept. 2003: xxii+.
Vartabedian, Ralph. "Yucca Mt. Neighbors Speak Out From Lone Pine." Los Angeles Times. 2 Dec. 2007. 4 Dec. 2007. http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-yucca2dec02,1,276262.story?coll=la-news-a_section
Zapler, Mike. "The Future of Yucca Mountain: Done Deal or Not, Hauling Nuclear Waste to the Remote Nevada Desert Still Provokes Plenty of Opposition." Planning Feb. 2003: 18+.
Editors. "Yucca Mountain Repository." U.S. Department of Energy. 2007. 4 Dec. 2007. http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/ym_repository/index.shtml
Dan Rosenheck, "Digging a Deeper and Deeper Hole," New Statesman 29 Sept. 2003.
Mike Zapler, "The Future of Yucca Mountain: Done Deal or Not, Hauling Nuclear Waste to the Remote Nevada Desert Still Provokes Plenty of Opposition," Planning Feb. 2003.
Ralph Vartabedian. "Yucca Mt. Neighbors Speak Out From Lone Pine." Los Angeles Times. 2 Dec. 2007. 4 Dec. 2007. http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-yucca2dec02,1,276262.story?coll=la-news-a_section
Zapler.
Editors. "Earthquakes in the Vicinity of Yucca Mountain." State of Nevada. 1996. 4 Dec. 2007. http://www.state.nv.us/nucwaste/yucca/seismo01.htm
Fraud Allegations Roil Yucca Mountain Project," Issues in Science and Technology Summer 2005.
