Nuclear Waste Disposal

Annals of Absurdity: Connecticut Yankee is a person? | A recent issue of the Moodus, CT based Hometown Journal covers the the continuing saga between the locals and the shut-down nuclear power plant known as CT Yankee. In the latest installment, the blu-glo executives from the giant utility plan to take the little town of Haddam, CT to court. On what basis? Namely, that the town has violated CT Yankee's "civil right" to dump spent radioactive nuclear fuel rods (hundreds of 'em, actually) on their own land.

Seems that CT Yankee believes that its rights as an individual property owner have thus been wrongly adjudged by the Haddam Town Zoning Board because other people are allowed to do what they want on their property. Now, I know that the philosophical construct behind a business becoming incorporated it to be recognized as an individual, but surely, nobody in the CT Yankee boardroom seriously believes this crap, do they?

A map from CT Yankee shows where they will bury the fuel

As a separate issue from the CY vs Haddam federal lawsuit, one local group of citizen activists have protested CT Yankee's crass, venal and arrogant approach to bad citizenship. This group, the Citizen Awareness Network has asked for a hearing on CY's License Termination Plan. This plan details how CY intends to "clean up" the site and do final surveys which will supposedly assure that the site can be released for unrestricted use.

Additionally, CY is not proposing to bury the fuel rods (but they do want to bury "slightly contaminated" rubblized buildings). The fuel rods are to be placed in large canisters and put on a concrete pad. Each cylinder will weight about 120 tons filled. The canisters will sit on that pad until the federal gov. has a permanent solution for this deadly material (by the way, a person would receive a lethal dose of radiation in 3 seconds if exposed to an unshielded "spent" fuel rod). These rods are a million times more radioactive when the come out of the reactor than when they went in. When the buried rubble starts to break down the remains will leach into the shallow, sandy bottomed end of the Salmon River. This is presently less than half a mile from a well used recreational boat launch ramp, is a great fishing and canoeing spot, as well aerial photo of the site map region

as a popular nesting area for wild swans. Nice, huh?

(from Nukebusters!) UPDATES: NRC says yes to trashing emergency plans and Fire Safety? Whazzat?

aerial photo of the site map region | courtesy of UCONN Nautilus Tidewater Research Project

A modest Proposal for Storing Nuclear Waste | As for me, I have an idea that might solve this vexing problem:

Basically, it is quite a simple one. In exchange for permission to store the fuel rods on land in the Haddam Neck area, the Chief

Executive, Financial and Operating Officers, their families, the families of the entire Board of Directors of CT Yankee, and the principal stockholders of CT Yankee Nuclear shall agree to live ~for at least the next 25 years~ in homes built or placed directly over the area where the fuel rods are to be buried. This way this key group of decision makers could enjoy the beautiful views of the Connecticut River and the rustic farmland and forest within walking distance from their homes.

In this way, they would demonstrate to everyone else in close proximity that they are comfortable exposing themselves in such a manner. This would show the rest of us already living in the area that they are personally willing to take the same risks they want us to take.

Now, some may protest, and say this seems inhumane and harsh. But ~in the spirit of Jonathan Swift~ it seems quite reasonable. If they are willing to do this, then I'm all in favor of burying those fuel rods (and other nuclear waste) right on-site. If they balk, I'd like to have them tell me what they find so objectionable to this idea.

Incidentally, I already share the risk, living just down river from the plant for close to a decade now.