Potentional Risk Of Enourmous Dirty Bomb In US

They just got a green light to go ahead and create a new nuclear dump site in Utah. They want to concentrate 44,000 tons of hot nuclear waste into one small area. Detonating a small nuclear bomb onto this site would be equivalent to detonating an inconceivably enormous, dirty nuclear bomb which "could poison every man, woman and child across the entire United States east of Skull Valley".

Press Pieces In The News: Utah nuclear site would imperil U.S.

July 20, 2005 - Deseret Morning News (editorial) - Utah nuclear site would imperil U.S. -

The plan by Private Fuel Storage to concentrate 44,000 tons of hot nuclear waste into one small area above ground at the Skull Valley Indian Reservation threatens our national security. Detonating a small nuclear bomb on that 1.5 square mile target would be equivalent to detonating an inconceivably enormous, dirty nuclear bomb. The radiation, carried by wind and the jet stream, could poison every man, woman and child across the entire United States east of Skull Valley. It is clearly foolhardy to concentrate such vulnerability into one location. It is the responsibility of all citizens of the United States to voice their concerns to stop this grievous risk to our national security. Cory Boyce, Lehi.

The article has been removed from its original site (Deseret Morning News). I also found references to this story at several other places but they were all removed. Maybe my search wasn´t good enough? Maybe they don´t want to cause panic? Anyway, the link will take you to a page with a copy of the quoted part above, but it will be here just today and will likely be gone by tomorrow. Until I (or you) find another source or link. There is no doubt that they are going to store 44,000 tons of nuclear waste there. The question is wheather this quoted editorial is right or not regarding the risks of a potentional terror attack.

Is this nothing to worry about? An open invitation to terrorists? If terrorists manage to detonate a suitcase nuke there...

Well I can bet you that Rent a Cops will not be guarding it.

Originally posted by edsinger
Well I can bet you that Rent a Cops will not be guarding it.

If the opening of the new site continues to bog-down, ironically, (talk about a backdoor!) you may be more right than imagined:

“If the NRC gives its approval and if the opening of the federal dump in Nevada continues to stall, then the Skull Valley reservation could become the first place in the nation – aside from nuclear reactors – to store some of the most toxic waste known to man….

….Because tribes have the right of sovereignty, the consortium of eight utilities wanting to build the dump can bypass state and local regulations, as well as the politics that typically accompany them. For the Goshutes, the dump would mean an economic windfall”
Article (link)

.

There are so many nuke dump sites all over the us already and there has never been a problem so far. Just because another one is popping up, even thought it is larger than any other, shouldn't prospose a problem.

Howerver, I am all for freedom of the press, but do you think that reporting a story like this and ultimately drawing a road map to a terrorist that would want to harm the US big is a good idea???

I'm not worried....If a terrorist had a small nuke, they would have used it by now.

You have a far bigger problem looming. Hauling the waste around, as most routes have to come close or go through major city centres.

I seen a program about it awhile back, cannot remember its name.

The growing waste issue is big though.

Keeping the waste in nuke sites next to large cities isn't much of an option either. This is all really just an arguement for the urgency and need for the Yucca Mountain National Nuke Waste Storage Site. One site, buried in a mountian, for the entire country.

YOu can not have security with nuke waste anyway. The stuff lasts for thousands of years. You'd have to go thru the entire history of the Kingdom of England, from William the conqueror in 1066 to over 50 years in the future to even cover a single millenium, let alone the incomprehensibly long times that are involved with this stuff. Its going to be a security concern possibly for peopel who don't even know what nuclear waste is. But, the waste is there, and its far better to put it in one central, deep, dry location than lots of wet, small, variably secure locations throughout the country.

As far as moving the waste from where it is now to Yucca, it'd be something of a national project, but there are already hazard trains that role thru towns in the black of night anyway. Those are a softer and more prevalent terror target than a federal nuke storage site.

It looks like the big concern with this site is, what if they get a nuke into it, which would obviously be pretty horrendous. But ultimately the chances of getting a nuke into a central site has to be weighed against regular explosives at scattered nuke sites.

Originally posted by sensfan
I am all for freedom of the press, but do you think that reporting a story like this and ultimately drawing a road map to a terrorist that would want to harm the US big is a good idea???

I´m pretty sure that because it was possible for me to find out about this, then any terrorists so "professional" that they have a suitcase-nuke or two most likely know about this already and don´t need me to draw a map for them.

It sounds to me it's probably more scaremongering by people who don't want this in their backyard than a real security threat.

i realy think people need to open there eyes on one hand everone is saying we need other power sorces then oil lets build more nuk power plants . On the other they say your NOT dumping that wast in my back yard .
wel;l now ovesly the wast is very very bad so how is making More nuk plants a GOOd thing?
we mite reduce our oil use by 10 million barrels a day as another thread thinks and cut out emmisions but a fair amount and just about the time the aire starts to clear a wast accedent will spew radachion into the air .
but hay the air will still be clear because you cant see it.
and mite say theres only been one or two nukler accedents .
true enough .but it will one TAKE ONE.
wake up and dectect the radachoin.