Lesson from Savannah River

“In 1996, the Energy Department began a clean-up at the Savannah River Site nuclear weapons plant near Aiken, S.C., promising that within roughly 25 years it would turn liquid radioactive bomb waste into a solid that could not spill or dissolve. But the work has slowed to a pace that makes completion of the cleanup by 2023 highly unlikely.” New York Times November 28, 2013

“The slowdown has set off a battle between the Energy Department and South Carolina, where officials say they have been double-crossed in what they view as the state’s biggest environmental threat. The Energy Department counters that the slowdown is a temporary effect of budget stringency in Washington.”

“After radioactive waste is sealed in large stainless steel canisters, the containers are stored under five feet of concrete in a waste-storage building at the Savannah River Site.” This is the current method of waste disposal

“A combination of across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration and a 2011 cap on defense spending — of which the environmental clean-up is technically part — does not leave enough money to finish the job on a reasonable schedule, critics say.”

South Carolina is threatening to impose $154 million in fines on the federal government for failing to meet its promised schedule.

Will the Federal government be able to meet its obligations for the safe disposal of spent nuclear fuel? Yes No

Will the nuclear waste problem be solved in your life time? Yes No