As we awaken in the early days of the 21st century, the world population is an estimated six billion people. That number is expected to double by the end of this century. With this increase in the global population, there will be an increased demand on the fossil fuel resource of the world, and an increased demand, put on the environment as the emissions from their use continue to build. It has become necessary to look for and develop alternative sources of power. Although, technology such as solar power and the fuel cell look promising, much work remains to be done before they will be a feasible option. I have no doubt, that these and others will play an important role in helping to relieve some of the energy requirements of the future, but they will only be part of the tool kit that societies around the world will have to answer their energy needs.

Numerous concerns regarding the transportation of the waste that is stored at the various site around the county have been raised. Although these concerns should be addressed and have been, they have been largely over stated by the anti nuclear activists through the media. The record shows that over the past 30 years twenty-seven-hundred shipments have been made covering 1.6 million mile and no harmful release of radiation has occurred. (OCRWM, 2002) In addition, one of the men whose profession will likely be on the front lines in the event of an accident during transportation is John Eversole, chief of the Chicago Fire Department: he said “The international Associations of fire chiefs have taken the position that, yes you can safely move spent nuclear fuel and looking at the protective measures that have been taken, it seems to us that a superior job has been done in preparing to move this product.” (OCRWM, 2002)

However, there is still the problem of disposal of the large quantities of high-level waste that is generated by the fission process. Ritch has acknowledged that nuclear waste is the largest problem for the industry, with 150,000 tons of spent fuel still awaiting disposal. (Chambers, 2000) Further adding that “for years we have failed, for essentially political reasons, to implement, anywhere in the world, the soundly developed concept of a permanent geological repository.”(Chambers, 2000) The need for a long term repository has not been ignored in the United States, in 1982 the congress of the United States passed a law requiring the development of a nuclear waste repository (OCRWM, 2002) the need for such a facility is clear. Currently, the nuclear waste in the United States is being held in temporary storage facilities located in one hundred thirty-one sites in thirty-nine states. One hundred sixty-one-million Americans live within seventy-five miles of one of these sites. (Cook, 2002) After twenty years and four million dollars the congress approved Yucca Mountain’s long term geologic repositories for spent nuclear fuel. (OCRWM, 2002) Then on July 23, 2002 the White House announced that President George W. Bush signed house joint resolution 87. (Cook, 2002) clearing the way for the next step in setting up the facility for use.

k on the middle part of the 20th century, the development of nuclear power was heralded as the power source of the new era, clean, cheap, and safe. This belief was no sooner publicized and the building of nuclear power plants began, “today more than 431 commercial nuclear reactors generate 16

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, Energy Agency, Department Energy, Island Chernobyl, Hiroshima Nagasaki, National Laboratory, George Bush, Fire Department, Mile Island, United Hertsgaard, nuclear power, power plants, nuclear waste, development nuclear, nuclear power plants, ocrwm 2002, development nuclear power, electric power, fossil fuel, arms race, examples mile island, waste repository, power generation, spent nuclear fuel, level nuclear waste,