This week, the Department of Energy will hold public meetings across Idaho to take public comment on its proposal to build a plutonium-238 factory at the Idaho National Laboratory. Meetings are set tonight in Idaho Falls, Tuesday at Fort Hall, Wednesday in Twin Falls, and Thursday in Boise. (Click here for more info.)
In yesterday's paper, the Idaho Statesman asked the feds and the Snake River Alliance to offer their respective analyses of the benefits and risks associated with the project. It's well worth reading if you'd like to attend one of the public meetings or submit a comment online (which you can do here through August 29). To sum up, in the words of the Snake River Alliance website, the pu-238 project is a horrendously bad deal for Idaho's environment and for the health of the state's people, as well as a risk to Idaho's economy and national security. Read more here.
Nobody ever wants to talk about the all the leftover radioactive waste that results from nuclear facilites. Noone want to take it or store it. And cleanup costs are horrendous. I live in Washington State, and trying to clean up Hanford seems like a never ending task, and there never seems to be enough money.
Building new mini-nukes is one of Bush's pet projects, something I don't think we need. The technology always leaks out; do we really want terrorists of the future having their own mini-nukes? Idaho is a beautiful state, and I'd like to see it stay that way.
Posted by: CoolAqua | July 26, 2005 at 07:36 PM
I agree with "CoolAqua" the waste from a facility like this would be too much too handle with our current nuclear waste already. I don't see why we need a plant like this, it looks like a waste of money to me.
Posted by: Shane (Idahoan) | July 27, 2005 at 01:04 AM