All articles tagged with #nuclear waste
A review of the documentary 'To Use a Mountain' that traces the stalled push to bury nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, highlighting the human cost to rural and Indigenous communities, the DOE’s utilitarian approach, and the broader environmental justice issues tied to nuclear policy, all told through an impressionistic, human-centered cinematic style.
During the 2026 NODSSUM campaign, scientists aboard the Pourquoi Pas? used the Nautile submersible to inspect a deep Atlantic dumping site and found more than 200,000 radioactive waste barrels, many corroded and leaking into the sediment. Radionuclides including cobalt-60, niobium-94, cesium-137 and americium-241 were detected, and researchers collected sediment, water and biota samples to study how the contaminants move and affect deep-sea life; further lab analysis is planned to map the spread and ecological impact.
Five states have offered to host federal nuclear waste in exchange for assistance developing new nuclear energy projects, signaling a potential path to waste storage tied to local energy growth, but raising safety, environmental, and political considerations.
The White House is circulating a draft that would let the Department of Energy partner with willing states to host fully integrated nuclear-fuel-cycle campuses for waste storage, recycling, and related activities, effectively ending Yucca Mountain as the nation’s sole repository. The plan calls for legal changes, a revamped waste classification system, and an interim storage option for reprocessing, aiming to spur nuclear growth and attract new business (including data centers), while potentially restarting disposal fees. With about 95,000 metric tons of waste already on hand and more states weighing proposals, DOE expects to announce campus selections later this summer amid ongoing political and legal hurdles.
Finland is advancing Onkalo, a 430-meter-deep geological repository on Olkiluoto Island intended to contain spent nuclear fuel for about 100,000 years, using copper canisters, bentonite clay, and granite as barriers. The project’s provocative plan is to seal the tunnel and restore the surface, leaving no markers, based on the belief that any warning would draw attention rather than deter curiosity. While it is the furthest along such programs globally, it addresses only Finland’s spent fuel and does not resolve global waste or nuclear-power politics; emplacement of canisters is imminent but the marker decision remains decades away.
Finland is preparing to activate Onkalo, a 430‑meter‑deep underground repository carved into ancient bedrock to store about 6,500 tonnes of spent nuclear fuel. Projected to operate into the 2120s and then be sealed, it reflects a landmark approach to permanent domestic disposal—unmatched globally so far. While engineered to keep waste isolated for millennia, uncertainties remain, notably copper canister corrosion and how future generations will understand the hazard, prompting ideas like durable warnings through nuclear semiotics.
A planned nuclear submarine dismantling project at Rosyth Dockyard in Scotland has been halted due to safety concerns over radioactive waste management, with local officials opposing further disposal of radioactive parts without a safe storage solution, highlighting ongoing challenges and debates around nuclear waste safety and environmental impact.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright views offshore wind project halts as a temporary exception and emphasizes the need for permitting reform to accelerate infrastructure development, while also exploring nuclear waste management, climate science debates, and solar power growth as part of the US energy strategy.
Scientists propose using radioactive nuclear waste with advanced technology to produce tritium, a key fuel for nuclear fusion, potentially solving the tritium shortage and advancing clean energy efforts, though it requires significant investment and planning.
A radioactive wasp nest was discovered at the Savannah River nuclear waste site in South Carolina, containing radiation levels over ten times the legal limit. The nest was safely disposed of, and no contamination was found in the surrounding area, though the origin of the radioactive waste remains unclear. The site, historically involved in nuclear weapons production, is now focused on environmental cleanup and research.
Workers at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina discovered a wasp nest with radiation levels ten times above federal limits, likely contaminated by residual radioactive material from the site's historical nuclear weapons production. The nest was removed and disposed of as radioactive waste, with officials assuring no current leak or danger outside the facility. However, watchdog groups express concern over the lack of detailed information about the contamination source and potential risks.
Workers at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, a former nuclear weapons manufacturing facility, discovered a wasp nest with radiation levels ten times above federal limits. The nest was removed and disposed of as radioactive waste, likely contaminated by residual site radioactivity. Officials assure there is no current leak or danger outside the facility, but watchdog groups call for more transparency about the contamination source and potential risks.
Michigan is at the forefront of a potential nuclear energy renaissance with plans to restart the Palisades Nuclear Plant, marking a historic move in the U.S. nuclear industry. The state is shifting towards nuclear power as a key component of its clean energy strategy amid the closure of coal plants and challenges faced by renewables. The restart involves significant federal and state support and could pave the way for small modular reactors, although concerns about nuclear waste and public safety remain.
A Harvard-led study found that children living near Coldwater Creek in Missouri, contaminated by radioactive waste from Coldwater Creek, had a 44% higher risk of developing cancer later in life, highlighting long-term health risks from nuclear waste exposure and prompting calls for accountability and caution in nuclear projects.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, upholding its license for a nuclear waste storage facility in Texas, and dismissed a legal challenge by Texas and oil interests on procedural grounds, leaving open the possibility of future disputes over the NRC's authority.