At least six tanks leaking at nuclear waste site in Washington state

[unhappycamper]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/02/22/at-least-six-tanks-leaking-at-nuclear-waste-site-in-washington-state/



At least six tanks leaking at nuclear waste site in Washington state
By Agence France-Presse
Friday, February 22, 2013 20:09 EST

At least six underground tanks containing nuclear waste in the northwestern US state of Washington are leaking, but there is no imminent threat to public health, a spokeswoman said Friday.

The US Energy Department told the state last week that one tank was leaking at the Hanford nuclear site, but Energy Secretary Steven Chu informed its governor Jay Inslee on Friday that more leaks had been discovered.

“Secretary Chu let him know today that there are actually more tanks they’ve discovered leaking, at least six, possibly more,” Inslee’s spokeswoman Jaime Smith told AFP, after the meeting between Inslee and Chu in Washington DC.

~snip~

Asked for details of the leaking material, she said: “It’s nuclear waste. Different tanks have slightly different kinds of waste that they’re holding. We’re not clear yet on exactly what has been leaking for how long.”

[Tuesday Afternoon]

1. DU Rec

[valerief]

2. "We’re not clear yet on exactly what has been leaking for how long" but

"no imminent threat to public health."

The US Energy Dept is turning Japanese.

[pscot]

4. Tanks have been leaking at Hanford for 40 years

Forty years of cost-plus contracts for the nuclear services industry. It's been a trillion dollar cash cow. This sounds like pre-sequester agit-prop.

[xchrom]

3. du rec. nt

[PamW]

5. What does the picture have to do with the story??

The tanks that are leaking have NOTHING to do with nuclear power.

The tanks at Hanford contain the waste that is left over from the Manhattan Project and the USA's nuclear weapons development program.

The picture is one of a nuclear reactor, and not even a reactor that is located at Hanford.

All the reactors at Hanford are shutdown anyway.

The DOE has had this legacy problem with disposing of the waste from the Manhattan Project and the weapons production wastes. The USA hasn't been producing any more waste at Hanford for decades.

The DOE inherited this waste from the Manhattan Project and the AEC; and has been asking for the money to deal with the problem. However, Congress doesn't like to spend money on cleaning up old projects; there's nothing in it for them. There's no ribbon-cutting ceremony. DOE gets some money to study the waste, but nothing like what it would take to build newer, more modern tanks. The tanks were supposed to be a stop-gap solution anyway until facilities like Yucca Mountain were available. Of course, that's been stopped now.

This really isn't new. We've known that some of those tanks have been leaking for decades. We might not have known that as many as six have. I wouldn't be surprised if there are more leaking.

After the Cold War, Congress didn't want to spend much money on cleanup. Many people opposed any money going to the nuclear weapons program after the Cold War was over, they said it wasn't needed.

Well, it was needed. It was needed to handle / cleanup these tanks before they got worse.

PamW

[kristopher]

6. The situation is a perfect example of normal human behavior.

Whether it is military or civilian, if it costs money over time and that cost can be skimped on or avoided, it will be.

That is why in the long term the safeguards promised by the nuclear industry are worthless.

[PamW]

7. BALONEY!!!

kris,

The safeguards on nuclear power plant are characteristics of the design, as well as engineered features to the plant.

For example, the earthquake supports. The NRC requires that the plants like Diablo Canyon have to have earthquake supports to withstand the forces during an earthquake.

So those safeguards are real material "things" that are built into the plant so that they are available when needed.

Something that is a physical item that is built into the plant is NOT an empty promise.

I know you don't have any scientific / engineering acumen; but try to read up on it.

PamW