The debate over where to put the nuclear wastes this nation has created has been ongoing for years now, but doesn't change the fact that the wastes need to be dealt with. They need to be placed in an area that is owned by our government and completely unpopulated; Yucca Mountain fits this description. There is no perfect location on this Earth, risks must be taken. The risks that would be taken by creating a depository under Yucca Mountain aren't nearly as high as some would like for you to believe. All reasonable precautions would be taken at the repository, ensuring the least amount of complications possible. The largest possible risk is to delay a decision and leave the waste materials where they are vulnerable to natural disasters, human errors or even terrorist activities. The United States nuclear waste policy involving disposal at the Yucca Mountain site in Nevada does not need to be reevaluated, the research that has been conducted proves this site to be suitable. .
Experts have put together a list of criteria needed for the repository site to be a success. Yucca Mountain meets these criteria. It has been agreed upon by countless experts all over the world that the best way to dispose of radioactive nuclear waste is to store them deep underground. The plan is to entomb around forty thousand metric tons of nuclear waste one thousand feet below the mountain. The repository would hold the radioactive material and prevent it from leaking into ground water, or the surface. The repository is capable of holding these wastes for up to ten thousand years in a special holding container. This container would be made of a special metal, Alloy-C22, which is considered to be one of the strongest metals known to man. Titanium drip shields would be placed over the containers to channel any water flowing through the mountain away from the container to prevent any chance of possible leakage.
