REOPEN YUCCA MOUNTAIN NUCLEAR WASTE DEPOSITORY?

America Has a Waste Problem by Tierra Warren

America has a waste problem. I’m not talking about spending either. In April, the Obama administration halted the development of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste plant, leaving the United States without a long term, permanent home for nuclear waste. One would think that after Japan’s Fukushima Daichii nuclear power plant disaster earlier this year, there would be a new sense of urgency for safe storage of radioactive waste. However, the Department of Energy is no closer to finding a solution to nuclear waste today than it was nearly three decades ago when the Nuclear Waste Policy Act was passed in 1982. A report by President Obama’s blue-ribbon commission on nuclear waste provides sound analysis on the problem and introduced some new ideas, says Heritage Foundation experts. But it falls short of addressing the nuclear system’s structural deficiencies, which include extreme government interference. The commission’s main recommendation would simply move the responsibility for waste from one government agency to another and call that new agency a “federal corporation.” The Heritage Foundation’s Jack Spencer explains that unless we change the nuclear waste system’s fundamentals, creating a “federal corporation” only perpetuates existing deficiencies while creating the perception of action. Spencer reports that while this framework could yield long term results, “the U.S. nuclear waste management must transition to a more market-oriented system.” Privatizing nuclear waste seems like the next logical step. Do you agree? Share your thoughts on MyHeritage today.  Are You Prepared for the Unthinkable? by Anna DeJarnette Something very unusual happened earlier this week. I was sitting at my desk when the building began to shudder.  My mind started racing to figure out what was going on: construction, a terrorist attack (after all, I do work in Washington, DC), an earthquake… An earthquake? In DC? My husband also works in Washington so I immediately tried to call him to make sure he was all right, but cell phones weren’t connecting. Thankfully, nothing too terrible happened, but it did make me think about what our family’s plan is in case of an emergency.  Up until now my husband and I hadn’t thought much about it. Isn’t that the way it usually works? It takes an emergency or disaster to make us re-evaluate our priorities and plans.  Thankfully for us, we got a warning signal to move us to action. Not everyone does. My husband and I now have a plan if disaster strikes and we will have the necessary documents in place — including a will — in case one of us gets hurt. Do you have a plan in place? Visit MyHeritage today to see how the Heritage Foundation can assist you in creating or updating your will.