DOE’S “NATIONAL SECURITY” MYTH

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· DOE and the nuclear industry claim Yucca Mountain will aid national security by providing an outlet for stored nuclear fuel accumulating at reactor sites across America. This rationale for Yucca Mountain was first invented after the terrorist attacks on September 11, and was never previously advanced.

· But reactors will continue to operate for several more decades, generating additional stored spent fuel at these sites; license renewals will further extend operating and storage periods.

· Even if Yucca Mountain proceeds, its long lead times for licensing and construction mean that it will not be able to accommodate most of the spent fuel for several decades; during this time, additional storage will occur at the reactor sites in safe, dry cask storage facilities.

· Thus, if terrorism poses a threat to on-site storage of spent fuel at reactor sites, this threat will not be diminished for several decades, regardless of whether Yucca Mountain proceeds.

· The solution to the terrorist threat is to enhance security and containment at existing reactor site. This will have to be done regardless of whether Yucca Mountain proceeds, and it is being done now.

· Making 100,000 shipments of spent fuel to Yucca Mountain will only vastly increase the terrorism threat, creating 100,000 mobile targets, none of which will have nearly the security now afforded by on-site storage at existing reactor sites.

· In addition, DOE plans that spent fuel will be stored above ground at Yucca Mountain for at least 100 years, creating the largest new spent fuel storage target in the world.

· In short, Yucca Mountain does nothing to aid national security. Indeed, the reverse is the case.