Within the context of my science fiction/thriller, S.Y.P.H.E.N., I question the ever present issue of the United States' nuclear waste disposal system. Just what is the best tactic to take to get rid of and or store this country's dangerous spent nuclear fuel and highly radioactive waste from our power plants and war machine production? S.Y.P.H.E.N. doesn't lay out any definite plans, but it does raise questions: Was the proposed Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository in Nevada really a scientific bust as a site to store the waste/radioactive material underground? Were Washington politics to blame for the closure of the proposed facility? Nevada residents, environmentalists and a vehement Democratic Nevada Senator Harry Reid opposed on one side and other residents who touted the jobs and boost to the Nevada economy supported it on the other. Currently, the waste material is stored at the WIPP, or Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, in New Mexico where some mistakes made caused a leak in 2014 and brought into question not only the urgency to find a long-term solution to the problem, but even shines a light on just how safe WIPPs facilities are as well.
If this nation increases its reliance upon nuclear power, it will require additional disposal capability. The Yucca Mountain issue is a deep one that garners support on both sides. What's stated here only scratches the cliched surface. The bottom line, like the fight against terrorism, is that the issue isn't going away. It will increase its presence forcing this country to have to come to the conclusion that we can't continue to kick this challenge down the road for other generations and administrations to deal with it. Within the context ofS.Y.P.H.E.N., I hope to add fuel to the fire to stoke the powers that be into more concerted actions before we hit critical mass with the issue. I'll be posting various updates from around the country about this subject and will simply title them, The Waste Lands Report. To many, we've been there for some time now. It's past time to find a permanent solution(s) before we're all wearing Fallout 4 gear in a landscape akin to S.Y.P.H.E.N.s cover.
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