Yucca Mountain Ready for Nuclear Waste

If we let the politicians of Nevada have their way we will never solve the problem of nuclear waste (April 19). They criticize the president’s sensible decision to declare the Yucca Mountain site as appropriate for disposal of used nuclear fuel because the final bits of science are not complete.

Yucca Mountain has been studied extensively, and it appears we do know enough now to move forward. The waste will be removable for up to 50 years, should there be a problem or we have a better idea. And this is the same locale where we detonated nuclear weapons above and below ground for decades. An engineered and monitored underground facility cannot be a bigger problem than a bunch of radioactive holes blown in the ground.

Yes, more study for Yucca Mountain is in the schedule. The president, however, did the right thing by stating that the site is suitable and that we need to acknowledge we are solving the waste problem.

Dennis Keith

Costa Mesa