Dumping dilemma
It has not been smooth sailing for the controversial us $58 billion project to store all the nuclear waste across the us in Nevada. Initially, the plan was strongly opposed by environmentalists. Despite this the us house of representatives endorsed President George W Bush's decision to bury the waste in the state's Yucca mountain. Now, the house is awaiting consent from the democrat-dominated senate to go ahead with the project. But senate democratic leaders said they would, in all likelihood, stall the plan.
The battle pits Bush and his allies in the nuclear power industry against hundreds of environmental groups and senate majority leader Tom Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat, who is determined to stop the project.
The opponents of the project point out that it would be unsafe to store nuclear waste at Yucca mountain as well as to transport it there from more than 100 nuclear power plants across the country. They aver that the project would be a recipe for accidents and attacks. Those in favour of it argue that it would be safer to bring all the nuclear waste to a single secured site. The proposed Yucca mountain site would hold 77,000 tonnes of radioactive material. It is scheduled to open in 2010.