| Dear
EarthTalk: I’ve heard that there are
plans to build a large repository for nuclear waste in Yucca
Mountain in Nevada, but that plans have been slow and are
very controversial. Where is our nuclear waste kept now
and what dangers does it pose?
-- Miriam Clark, Reno, NV
| |
Presently,
nuclear waste generated in the U.S. is stored at or
near one of the 121 facilities across the country
where it is generated. Some say it should stay that
way, rather than risk transporting it across the nation
to a central repository, during which time accidents
or even terrorist attacks could expose untold numbers
of Americans to radioactivity.
© Getty Images |
Plans
to store the majority of our nation’s spent nuclear
fuel and other highly radioactive waste at a central repository
underneath Yucca Mountain in the Nevada desert 80 miles
from Las Vegas were first hatched in the mid-1980s. But
the project has languished primarily due to opposition from
Nevadans who don’t want to import such dangerous materials
into their backyard. Critics of the plan also point out
that various natural forces such as erosion and earthquakes
could render the site unstable and thus unsuitable to store
nuclear isotopes that can remain hazardous to humans for
hundreds of thousands of years to come.
But
the Bush administration is keen to jump-start the project
and recently submitted a construction license application
to develop the facility—which when completed could
hold up to 300 million pounds of nuclear waste—with
the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). In announcing
the filing, Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman said that
the facility being proposed can “stand up to any challenge
anywhere,” adding that issues of health safety have
been a primary concern during the planning process.
But
the administration has still not submitted a crucial document
declaring how protective the facility will be with regard
to radiation leakage. Bush’s Environmental Protection
Agency concluded that the facility needs to prevent radiation
leakage for up to 10,000 years. But a federal judge ruled
that to be inadequate and ordered the administration to
require protection for up to one million years. The White
House argues that the NRC should press on with its review
process and that the standard can be settled on later.
Currently,
without any central repository, nuclear waste generated
in the U.S. is stored at or near one of the 121 facilities
across the country where it is generated. Nevadans like
Democratic Senator Harry Reid, who has doggedly opposed
the Yucca Mountain repository, say it makes more sense to
leave such waste where it is than to risk transporting it
across the nation’s public highways and rail system,
during which accidents or even terrorist attacks could expose
untold numbers of Americans to radioactivity.
But
others say that the current system, or lack thereof, leaves
Americans at great risk of radioactive exposure. The non-profit
Nuclear Information and Resource Service concluded in a
2007 report that tons of radioactive waste were ending up
in landfills and in some cases in consumer products, thanks
to loopholes in a 2000 federal ban on recycling metal that
had been exposed to radioactivity.
As
with all issues surrounding nuclear technology, where and
how to dispose of the wastes is complicated. While some
environmental leaders now cautiously support development
of more nuclear reactors (which are free of fossil fuels)
to help stave off climate change, others remain concerned
that the risks to human health and the environment are still
too high to go down that road. Whether or not the NRC approves
plans for Yucca Mountain won’t resolve the larger
debate, of course, but perhaps the greenlighting of other
promising alternative energy sources could ultimately make
nuclear power unnecessary altogether.
CONTACTS:
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission; Nuclear
Information and Resource Service.
Dear
EarthTalk: Summer’s going to be a scorcher
this year, and I’d like to know how I can keep cool
indoors without just running my energy-hogging air conditioners
all the time. Any tips?
-- John McGovern, Cohasset, MA
| |
Don't
want to turn on the A.C.? Fans use considerably less
electricity than air conditioners and can do a pretty
good job of making sure you don't get dogged by the
heat.
© Getty Images |
According to
Harvey Sachs of the non-profit American Council for an Energy-Efficient
Economy, the movement of air over the skin is what’s
key to keeping the body cool. So instead of turning on that
A.C., see which direction the breeze is blowing outside
(no matter how minimal it may be), and then open a few windows
strategically to try to get it flowing through the house
from end-to-end or side-to-side.
If the breeze
alone isn’t enough, apply some fan power. Even small
tabletop fans, which can be had for $30 or so at Target
and similar stores, can really whip the air around. Placing
one facing in by the window where air is coming in, and
one at an opposite window positioned to blow warm air out,
can create a nice “wind tunnel” effect in pulling
air through the house.
This strategy
can be especially effective at night when it is cooler.
But then it’s important to shut the windows when you
leave for the day in the morning to keep the cooler air
in and the warmth of the new day out. Keep blinds shut and
curtains drawn, too, as sunlight pouring into the house
only creates more heat. And remember that lights left on
are not only wasting electricity—they’re creating
heat, as well.
Ceiling fans
also do a nice job of circulating air in the rooms you occupy
most, and though they do require some up-front costs for
installation they use only about 1/30th the electricity
of a room air conditioner.
Beyond moving
the air around to keep cool, the website WikiHow.com lists
several tips for using water to keep cool sans AC. One tried
and true method is to wet your wrists and other pulse points
with cold water, and then keep those spots cool by holding
an ice cube wrapped in a face cloth against them. The relief
is immediate, and this method will cool down the entire
body—by as much as three degrees Fahrenheit—for
upwards of an hour. Another WikiHow suggestion: Wear a short-sleeved
shirt and keep the sleeves wet with cold water (from a squirt
bottle, faucet or hose). Keeping the pant legs of long pants
wet is also a good way to keep your legs cool. Add in a
breeze or a fan, and you can actually get cold.
Of course, if
you just can’t live without air conditioning, there
are greener options out there. For starters, a single window
unit that keeps one room cool is far less energy intensive
and polluting than central air conditioning that keeps all
the rooms in the house (including those you’re not
using) cool. Look for new models sporting the federal Energy
Star label, which marks units as energy efficient.
Another option
for those in hot, dry climates is an evaporative cooler,
which cools outdoor air through evaporation and blows it
inside the house. These units make for a nice alternative
to traditional central air conditioning, as they cost about
half as much to install and use only one quarter of the
energy overall.
CONTACTS:
American
Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy; WikiHow;
Energy
Star. |
