Cannon should recognize that "safe nuclear power" is 93 million miles away on the sun! Please, why do politicians get so excited by nuclear power -- a power source most common in socialist countries like Japan and France that can afford the billions in government handouts needed every year to make it feasible? Can't we go into some energy source that fits America's free market principles and values? If nuclear is "the way to go," let the nuclear industry and Wall Street foot the $77 billion to dispose of the waste -- not the tax payer! Oh, I forgot, Wall Street won't do it because of the risk... Well, socialism is always the best alternative to make it happen!

No kidding. Why should the United States even look at nuclear energy, its so dangerous. I mean my gosh, 0 people have died from nuclear power related accidents in US history.
Now coal, there's a clean and save energy source. Nevermind the thousands of coal miners who die every year getting the stuff out of the ground, or the billions of tons of CO2 it pumps into the atmosphere annually, not to mention hundreds of thousands of tons of radioactive uranium particals within the coal exhaust. Global warming is a farse. Coal is awesome!

The reason that nuclear power costs so much is that the anti-nuke kooks force study after study, and file lawsuits about such important safety issues as LIGHT BULBS and the paint used to mark parking lot spaces.

These Luddites force the massive amount of waste storage, by getting laws and regulations passed to prevent the reprocessing of "spent" fuel (which could be reused several times). They also have stopped every suggestion that the billions of gallons of super-purified water (taken from the ocean) used for cooling be reused to help resolve the water crisis in Southern California -- even though they know that water can't be radioactive.

It's not just nuclear that they rant against. They fight against any improvement, expansion or construction of other types of power plant.

The only ones of this crowd that I have any respect for are the ones who live in log cabins without electricity or telephone. There are very few of those.

Please please read the book "Killing Our Own"
"The disaster of America's experience with atomic radiation".
Then make up you own mind.

Living in little ol' Caliente is wonderful. I'm not worried at all about them shipping nuclear waste through here. We get railcars filled with MUCH more dangerous stuff through here EVERY DAY. By the way, those of you in SLC have these same railcars pass through your nieghborhoods EVERY DAY.

Just because nuclear bombs can cause so much damage, and just becuase the Russians didn't maintain a powerplant doesn't mean that nuclear energy cannot be produced safely. over 80% of Europe's power is generated by nuclear powerplants. Other than solar energy, nuclear is the safest alternative hands down! And it's much cheaper. People whom do not understand nuclear energy spread fear and untruths and cost the taxpayers money.

Where is the wast going to be stored. It is still being generated and we have to think about what is going to happen to it. It currently is being stored onsite at the facilities that generate it. These facilities are located much closer to populated areas than Yucca Mountain is. So if we can tolerate it being stored onsite why isn't it better to find a place such a Yucca to store all of it. Is it dangerous where it is now or will it be less so if taken somewhere a little farther from the population.

We have to ask ourselves these questions. Is it safer where it is being stored or would it be safer to put it somewhere farther away from people? If we can't answer this question we may need to stop using nuclear power. Who will be the first to lower their consuption of power so we do not generate anymore nuclear waste.

This is regarding the first comment in this thread. Nuclear utilities (and the people who buy nuclear-generated electricity) are indeed paying for Yucca Mountain. Have been since 1982. The current balance of those payments plus interest is 20 billion dollars, and they have very little to show for it. Google the Nuclear Waste Fund.