Killing Yucca Mountain, One Cartoon Character at a Time

 

Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (D-NV) is trying to kill Yucca Mountain Johnny.

While less known than Mickey Mouse, Mighty Mouse, or even the Planeteer Ma-Ti, Johnny had a profound mission: teaching America about the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site.

Rep. Berkley, failing to slash Yucca Mountain funding by $200 million, set her sights on the Department of Energy’s Yucca Mountain educational website.

‘‘Regardless of how you feel about Yucca Mountain,” Rep. Berkley penned in a letter to colleagues, “we should all agree that the Department of Energy’s use of a Joe Camel look-alike to influence children is an inappropriate use of taxpayer money.”

Last year the same motion failed. But in a fortuitous turn, it seems few legislators wanted to revisit this bruising political battle: her motion passed by a voice vote, without any debate.

Does Yucca Mountain Johnny look like Joe Camel, or does nuclear energy have the same addictive power as nicotine?

No. (Okay, okay—perhaps the French do suffer from a nuclear addiction)

Is Yucca Mountain Johnny (since 2005, he’s gone by J. Mo Jay) a bit biased?

Well, let’s look at the site’s “solution” for nuclear waste:

The scientists’ studies show that deep down in Yucca Mountain’s dry rock, the waste packages and drip shields will protect the waste for more than 80,000 years! (To give an idea of how long that is, the ancient Egyptians built the pyramids about 5,000 years ago.)

So did we solve the problem of storing nuclear waste?

Not exactly. Since we’re dealing with people’s safety, we must question whether the scientists’ studies and conclusions are correct and what would happen if they’re wrong. In addition, scientists must study things like what are the chances of earthquakes and volcanoes, and what would happen if something like this were to occur in the future.

Nuclear waste is a problem—even for the French who uncharacteristically rioted upon discovering their prized nuclear program who require waste sites.

Johnny may look like a nuisance, but he doesn’t seem to be a liar.

Then again, what child would be caught dead on this dilapidated website?

But, let me close, by sending Johnny a personal message, inspired by Planeteer Ma-Ti. Don’t lose heart Johnny, don’t ever lose heart.

(original post from Campus Progress)