The United States Department of Energy plans to turn Yucca Mountain into the nation’s first high-level nuclear waste repository, if Congress finds the site safe. The Yucca Mountain is, in fact, not safe. Based on the non-fiction book “About a Mountain” by John D’agata and an article “American Wasteland” by Charles Bock, the Yucca Mountain should not be the repository site of the nation due to miscommunication in the future, experiments gone bad, and not enough support. It is not really a good idea to spend billions of dollars on a project that might or might not work in the future. Scientists and politicians will always debate about Yucca Mountain. But the truth is simple and the facts all point to no. Yucca Mountain is not the safest place to store all of the nation’s nuclear radioactive waste.
First, Yucca Mountain is a deep geological repository storage facility for spent nuclear reactor fuel and other high level radioactive waste. According to the “When” section in “About a Mountain”, on December 21, 1982, the Nuclear Waste Policy Act was voted into law. This law states “a plan to dig ninety-seven miles of tunnels into Yucca, spend forty years filling them with 77,000 tons of spent nuclear waste, and then seal the mountain shut until the waste has decomposed is in full effect” (D’agata, 35). The mountain has thus proved to be full of errors from experiments yet the Department of Energy has found ways to cover up the truth. If the mountain is full of errors there is no way that it is ready to store the nation’s waste. The Department wants the public to think the site is safe. That is probably why the Obama administration has been trying and succeeded in shutting down the Yucca Mountain repository despite current U.S. laws that...
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...t is not. Bock’s point is easy to agree with because in D’agata’s book, he explains several ways how the mountain is not safe.
Both the book and the article state that we should not go forward with the Yucca Mountain project until all unresolved questions are answered. As of now, the bad out-weighs the good. The book is a “shouted question about who we are and how we move forward” (Bock, 2). There is no way we can move forward without the right information. D’agata’s book asks all the right questions that need to be answered. Of course he made the book more dramatic but that was his way of keeping the reader’s attention. Making the Yucca Mountain safe will require more evidence, experiments, and knowledge of the subject. A confusing question comes to mind after all this research. Why would humans rather focus on things 10,000 years from away than focus on the now?
In order to better understand the historical context of nuclear development it seems to me as though Iversen dove into a fair amount of investigative journalism. The book focuses primarily on the events of Rocky Flats and her life through a narrative nonfiction interpretation. By providing a journalist approach, Iversen makes it easy for the reader to build a relationship with the characters presented throughout the book. At times I found myself visualizing the intensity of the fires, the whirlwind of emotions from locals, and the lasting environmental impacts that would not only plague Colorado, but taint the reputation of what it means to be human.
On March 25, 1947, the Centralia no. 5 mine in Illinois exploded, claiming 111 lives (Martin, 31, 42). The apparent cause was determined to be inadequate mine maintenance by the operator—coal dust had built up on the floor and walls of the mine, creating conditions conducive to a chain reaction of explosions that would kill most of the workers inside of the mine. However, this was not the root cause of the disaster; it was the outcome of a systemic failure within the state government of Illinois. Despite the continuous warnings of a state mining inspector and a chain of notice letters sent from the Illinois Department of Mines and Minerals notifying the mine operator—the Centralia Coal Company—of the dangerous conditions in its mine, the disaster was not averted. The disaster occurred because both the mine operator and the Department itself dismissed the inspector’s warnings. The real, indispensable culprit of the disaster at Centralia no. 5 was political interference within the Department and the failure to conduct independent oversight over it. These failures are near universally applicable to national security organizations and their less...
In the shadow of a cliff wall within Chaco Canyon rests the ruins of Pueblo Bonito, the most famous of the towns and settlements built by the Anasazi over 900 years ago. From tree-ring dating, it is known that a period of severe drought swept through the Chaco area in AD 1150, causing the site to be abandoned. After it was rediscovered in 1849 by U.S. Army soldiers, the site was severely vandalized for seventy years until it was made a national monument in 1907. In 1920, the National Geographic Society began a thorough reconstruction of this once great, and still impressive, site (Chaco Canyon, 1982-2015). Between its construction and its abandonment, Pueblo Bonito was a complex and important locality for the people who poured so much time
The tar creek mining site originally was owned by a Native American tribe, the Quapaw. The Quapaw wanted to keep these lands, but the Bureau of Indian Affairs deemed members opposing a transaction to mining companies “incompetent” (1). In such a case the business could continue and the Bureau of Indian Affairs sold the lands to mining companies. In essence these lands were stolen from the Quapaw because they were ripe for mining. These mines were then used from approximately 1891 to 1970. In the 79 years the mines were open 1.7 million metric tons (~3.75 billion pounds) of lead and 8.8 million metric tons (~19.4 billion pounds) of zinc were withdrawn from the mine (2). The entire area around Tar Creek is known as the tri-state mining area. This tri-state area was a massive source of metals. This area accounted for 35% of the all worldwide metal for a decade. It also provided the majority of metals the United States used in World wars I and II (3).
Removal of the mountaintops causes environmental impacts from blasting. The blasting has caused rocks to be deposited into valleys on the hillsides, burying almost 2,000 miles of streams which feed the Mississippi River. Slurry, the residue which is used to clean the coal can wash into groundwater and may contain arsenic, lead, manganese, iron, sodium, strontium, and sulfate. A recent research study is beginning to link these environmental impacts to the grave health concerns in the Appalachian communities. During most of the Mountaintop removal mining’s history coal industries have been able to obtain permits easily to operate, but once under the Obama administration Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) those permits now take more time to obtain. The permit process requires all applications to be reviewed before being given out to coal
He gives facts to back it up. “The underground tunnels at Yucca Mountain are designed to hold 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste.” (Muller 255) It is obvious that Muller just wants people to see how insignificant the debate of nuclear waste is. He talks about greater problems as I stated about Colorado but to be more in depth about that situation Muller says “water that runs through, around, and over this radioactive rock is the source of the Colorado River, which is used for drinking water in much of the West, including Los Angeles and San Diego.”
Often, the effects of Mountain top Removal are disastrous, the wildlife habitat is damaged and vegetation loss usually leads to numerous floods and landslides. When explosives are used, fly rock, ...
To the northeast part of Arizona lay a conflict between two indigenous groups from the surrounding area and the world’s largest coal company formerly known as Peabody Coal (now Peabody Energy). The Hopi and Navajo reservations surround a region known as Black Mesa. Black Mesa is located on both the Navajo and Hopi Reservations which is a target source for underground water called the N-aquifer. The N-aquifer contains a great amount of pristine Ice Age water. As time drew on, many indigenous people were alarmed that the water was carelessly being depleted from their land. Mining on Black Mesa should be stopped because the inhabitants are affected by Peabody, livestock in the area must depend on the local springs, groundwater is being depleted at an average of 3.3 million gallons per day, and the water is being contaminated (SBMW Online par 1).
In 1629, a group of Franciscans stationed at the village of Oraibi named the giant mountains they saw San Francisco, in honor of St. Francis of Assisi . Opinions over the use of the peaks by Native tribes and this new influx of culture are as far apart as the names they call the mountain itself. At over a mile high, the San Francisco Mountains tower over the predominantly Anglo town of Flagstaff to the south. The mountain range was actually formed by a volcano that is now inactive. These peaks have long been considered sacred ground by thirteen Native American tribes, including the Hopi and the Navajo. As the importance of the use of the peaks has intensified among both recreationally and economically for the city of Flagstaff so too has the controversy generated more heat among Native tribes. Opening in 1937, the Arizona Snowbowl is one of the oldest running ski resorts in the country. Since that time the Snow Bowl has created adversity everywhere from environmentalists to Native Americans. The only way to understand the legitimacy of these Native American claims is to take a closer look at how the peaks relate to their religion and way of life. This will be done through the two most dominant voices of the battle, the Navajo and Hopi. This comprehension is necessary in order to fully understand the hardships and tribulations many spiritual Natives have endured in trying to protect their sacred land, even when the law is seemingly on their side.
The Nevada Test Site is an area designated by the United States Government for Nuclear Weapons testing. It is located in rural southern Nevada and is about the size of the State of Rhode Island. This location was founded in 1952 as one of 5 on land sites designated for this task. Above ground nuclear or atmospheric testing was conducted at the Nevada Test Site until 1958. There was a break in testing until the United States decided to begin underground testing in 1962. There were a total of 828 nuclear tests performed underground during these years. In 1963 a limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was signed by the United States that limited above ground tests world wide. These underground tests were performed until 1992, and nuclear testing in the United States seized all together in 1994 when the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was signed. The majority of the testing was conducted to further the efforts of the Cold War, as well as, to further general understanding of the effects and results of nuclear testing. This paper will discuss the history, geological aspects, and impacts of the Nevada Test Site on this and surrounding areas of Nevada.
The geology, its history, and the presence of past civilizations contribute to much of the significance of Mesa Verde National Park. The interconnectedness of these aspects should also be noted. If not for the weathering processes and changes in sea level this formation would not exist. Without it, the ancient people would not have been able to reside within Mesa Verde. This National Park now serves as a tool to help conserve the remains of these past civilizations as well as to help educate today’s society on the significance behind this astonishing geologic
About 31 or more people had died from the tragic event in 1986 in Chernobyl, Russia from the accident itself or from thyroid cancer that developed after the incident later on down the road chernobyl was a horrific event and lead to more deaths even after the fact.Another nuclear related accident was when the TMI power planted almost melted down,it showed us that a lot can happen from one small problem such as a faulty pressure valve can over heat the reactor and this could cause a plant to meltdown.A problem we face everyday still is nuclear waste, we wonder where we can put it that allows the population to still be safe.The U.S. is doing a latter approach for nuclear waste and the location chosen for this is Yucca Mountain in Nevada. They feel waste is to dangerous to just leave it.A good thing about power plants is that they are safer than other methods in the working field.Nuclear power is useful but with the radiation given off or if the power plant exploded or something along those lines the radiation is stronger and more powerful and can spread across a location and kill many. Nuclear power is also safer having less deaths on the job compared to other generating sources known as oil refiners or other fossil fuel jobs.
...sk was lured to Utah seeking to make a fortune mining uranium. Husk brought his family with him and liquidated his assets. Husk was first approached by a local pilot Charles “Chuck” Graham to purchase a forty percent share of the Hot Rock Mountain Development Company (Abbey, 1968, p. 80). Husk was delighted to initiate the partnership and enlisted his sun Billy Joe to assist him during the operation. For months Husk and Billy Joe labored, while Graham coveted Husk’s wife and share of the venture. The narrative tragically concluded in the deaths of Graham, Husk, and Billy Joe as a result of greed. These social changes not only negatively affected the landscape but affected the morality of the regions inhabitants.
From the above discussion, it is obvious that the geology of the Superstition mountain and the adjacent areas is complex. Most parts of the mountain express a diverse geological formation. Although the areas surrounding the mountains are believed to be rich in minerals, dead-seated deposits of minerals still seem elusive to the modern mineral prospectors. This explains the absence of mining companies in the area for a long time.
In addition to the potential dangers of accidents in generating stations, nuclear waste is a continuing problem that is growing exponentially. Nuclear waste can remain radioactive for about 600 years and disposing these wastes or storing them is an immense problem. Everyone wants the energy generated by power plants, but no one wants to take responsibility for the waste. Thus far, it is stored deep in the earth, but these storage areas are potentially dangerous and will eventually run out. Some have suggested sending the waste into space, but no one is sure of the repercussions.