nuclear-news

Why This Matters

The Sierra Club opposes HR.3053 which has been introduced by the US House of Representatives concerning the treatment of nuclear waste. By creating the false impression that something is being done to safely dispose of radioactive nuclear waste, this bill not only creates a very dangerous situation where nuclear waste will be transported all over the United States, but also generally encourages the nuclear power industry in the United States. Take action today and tell your federal reps to vote against the “Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2017.”

The bill calls for the reconsideration of Yucca Mountain as a permanent storage facility for radioactive waste. After years of study, the Yucca Mountain site was proven unsuitable for nuclear waste disposal because of its geology and hydrologic defects, making it inherently unsafe for storage. Yucca Mountain was removed as a potential nuclear storage facility during the Obama era, but nuclear energy proponents in the present administration are trying to present Yucca as a reliable solution. The bill also calls for the creation of intermediate storage sites for nuclear waste in the U.S., without working out the details of a comprehensive path to solve the nuclear waste problem. There is a great danger that these unsafe intermediate sites will become de facto permanent after the inevitable rejection of Yucca Mountain.

Additionally, the bill triggers the transfer of massive, unprecedented high-level radioactive nuclear waste across the nation by truck, rail, barge and ship to the proposed interim sites. This in itself creates a grave danger of nuclear contamination across the country. If HR.3053 becomes law, the resulting transportation of nuclear waste would provide the appearance of a constructive resolution of the nuclear industry’s waste problem.

These massive shipments of nuclear waste are already traveling through NYS from Canada. HR.3053 would only add to the dangers of highly radioactive nuclear waste being transported through our communities. Take action today!

Learn More: sierraclub.org/nuclear-free