[mitchntx]

Katrina is gonna cause a $.20 spike in fuel costs .....

[mitchntx]

Even if technology advances, the waste made right now will be dangerous for 25,000 years. 

If in the future we dig it up and reprocess it to make it safe then the real cost of the energy produced now is much higher than the estimate being given.

I would think that you would have to expect to entomb the waste for the expected life of the planet, that would be the onlly responsible thing to do.

At the rate we are going technology may not stand still, it could go backwards, heard of the dark ages?

If our radical-islamic buddies have their way, we would all be facing east in our high tech mud huts.

I think nuclear has a future as part of energy production.  But the thing is, large hairless monkeys, with an 60-80 year life span are not well suited to dealing with problems that last for 25,000 years.   I have a ME degree not an NE degree but it is very hard for me to think in terms that exceed the know existance of my species. 

Real puzzler is how the french do it, they build crappy cars, and good reactors?   The USA should be able to perform better than the french.  I have heard that the french have one reactor design, and the USA has 15-20 different designs, that might be part of the problem.

But you ask what does that have to do with a 1995 z28 instant roll center?  Nothing, so I should get off of the soap box.

Z28

Don't lose sight of the fact of what "technology has done over the past 10 years ... 20 years ... 30 years ...
There is no reason to think that technology will not continue to move forward.

The "waste" as we define it in 2005 and the "danger" as we define it in 2005 could very well be mitigated in 10 years ... 20 years ... 30 years ...

I see it as the glass being 1/2 full ... (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

I can't even fathom your outlook about the dark ages and humans evolving back into monkeys, if that is your belief system. If it is and your vision is true, why would we care? Ouir species has ceased to exist ...

The trend right now is moving the opposite direction from that, though. I see no reason to believe anything but further advances.

Good discussion ...

The French adopted a "Henry Ford" mentality ... build them all the same and the costs remain low.

As it stands right now, there are not 2 reactors in the US that are identical. Each requires it's own unique set of operating procedures, training and maintenance. Capitalism at it's best, eh?

Mitch,

I was making a joke when I mentioned "Big Hairless Monkeys".

Not expecting de-evolution, I consider my self to be a big hairless monkey. Other people are BHM's to greater and lesser degree.

I don't really expect the darkages, but neither did the people of that time.

I don't think we will make that advances will help much with Nuclear Waste. Too fundamental of a problem, nature of matter its self.

The lack of standards is a real problem. What you describe is worse than I thought, not good.

I have allways wondered if the nuclear industry grew out of the need for spent fuel rods. Those spent rods can be used to produce nukes. Our huge nuke bomb supply may have need those rods. That would have allowed the cost of the warheads to be hidden partly in civil projects.

I know how freaked out everyone gets when there is even a hint of fuel rod reprocessing in any other country, like iran.

Z28

I wasn't sure about your state of affairs as evolution went ... sorry 'bout missing that.

The uranium used to power nuke plants is in no way, shape or form resemble the uranium used in bombs. It's as different as apples and oranges. It would take tonage of power grade NEW nuke fuel to make firecracker's worth of weapons grade uranium.

Sure, the waste could be used to create widespread panic (note panic, not destruction) if blown up into the atmosphere. However, more destruction and havoc could be seen by polluting water supplies with a chemical agent.

And the agent is much cheaper and less conspicuous that a many 8x8x8 cubicles of waste needed to do the same job.